is this really the lucky country

[Are we there Yet?]

yes, thanks some for you for that insight.

and, 'are we there yet', why not settle in my area with your kids and let them ride bikes in a 'melting pot', rather than your salad bowl. QLD is a different kettle of fish altogether than Sydney. The demographics, lifestyle and attitude of the people are different.

Do not sympathize if you cant empathize. And, 'we are not there yet'

Well , one day when you do get there, may you find peace and happiness for yourself and your family.

[Dax]

HI

yes, i was considering that, sydney is not that a good place, maybe perth, Brisbane or Melbourne are better places.

Can any teachers comment on the state of schools here?

what private health pays for medications?

thanks

I am a teacher (permanent) in South Australia.

I can’t speak for the NSW system, but I would say that it takes a while to “break” into a system, e.g. moving from relief teaching to contracts to permanency.

However, to be still on relief teaching after 4 years is a bit tough. It really depends on how far you would want to go, what you are prepared to accept in the line of change or upheaval in your life. What you want as a teacher (unless you want to go on your own as a tutor as Karen suggested), is permanency, or at least a system of dependable contracts.

If you were in South Australia, you would have had basically 2 options to obtain permanency;

* Do a deal with the Education Department to teach in a country setting for a set number of years, after which you will be eligible for permanency in metropolitan areas. There are some other perks in respect of this as well while you teach in places outside the metropolitan area.

* Go full tilt in the metropolitan area for “hard-to-staff” schools. Build up your credibility with these schools, and soon you will start to get heaps of relief days, contracts, and with the current system, you will be able to apply for permanency at such a school soon. After 3 years of teaching at such a school you can apply for a more “normal” school. This was how I got permanency in the end. Teaching at hard-to-staff schools are tough, but there is a mindset among teachers at such schools that everyone is in the same boat and they REALLY stick together and support each other.

Will it be possible for you to try something similar in NSW?

The other thing is that you are in NSW…

Mate, I don’t want to slag your State, but in terms of education reform, cumbersome government, civil service reform, overbearing Unions, NSW is the worst in Oz. Sorry, there no two ways about it, but it’s true. Due to some political factors, NSW is not governed as well as the other states or territories.

These things have bearing on how teaching pans out, in terms of Teacher provisions for schools, recruiting, etc. It may be an idea for you to start to look at other options in other States, or rural NSW. You need to think of where do you want be 5 – 10 years from now. If you get a good substantial position I would say “Go for it!”, even if you have to pull up roots, it’s you and your family’s future that’s at stake.

Also, checj out my article TEACHING IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, it’s pinned under EMPLOYMENT, QUERIES, TIPS & NEWS.

Cheers,

Dax

Edited January 27, 2008 by Dax

[no longer interested]

You are in the Lucky Country, believe me. I have visited twice and think you could not do much better than Aus. You need to take your adopted land to your heart and learn to love it. No country is Utopia, all have their faults, but you got off the SA Titanic and for that alone, you should consider yourself one of the most fortunate men around!

Well said Karen as a quassie yank expat Aussie in Northern California since May 07 I couldnt agree more..

Geez if I could be home now ... give me a beach in Aus any Damn beach with a barbie and some beers DH and DD in the water.. Sweet AS

[customeyes]

HI

yes, i was considering that, sydney is not that a good place, maybe perth, Brisbane or Melbourne are better places.

Can any teachers comment on the state of schools here?

what private health pays for medications?

thanks

Hi Kilemim

I have taught in Perth for 7 years. As a relief teacher, you are never afforded the same level of respect as a permanent teacher. The problem is that the students don't know you and you have very little authority in their eyes. You really need to try and get a pemanent position. What about trying in the private school sector? I have loved every second of teaching in Perth. My kids have been wonderful, the staff amazing and the school facilities outstanding.

Remember that schools are changing worldwide and, as teachers, we really need to be able to be adaptable and move with the flow of things. The world of young people has changed dramatically over the past 5 years and we have to run to keep up with them. I wish you well and hope you can manage to find something permanent. But if you can't, why don't you take the big leap and move in another direction? Try something different for a while. As South Africans, we are so used to defining ourselves by what we do rather than who we are. In Aus, you can do anything you want and change direction totally. I think that opens up a whole new world of possibilities!

Best of luck! Send me a message if you want to chat further.

Edited January 27, 2008 by customeyes

[Dax]

Kilemim,

keep in mind that my comments RE NSW must be appraised against Australian standards/backgrounds.

While NSW is not governed well i.r.o. Aussie standards, it is governed excellently i.r.o. South African standards.

Sorry if I was not clear about this in my post above.

Dax

Edited January 27, 2008 by Dax

[MannyT]

Life is all about choices and we all have to manage our lives within the environment that we choose to live

in.

I always find it intriguing that people, who having chosen to move to Australia, resort to criticising the country and it's systems when confronted with a personal problem...................

It appears that Utopia for you is living in Cape Town so relocating to another city in Australia may not necessarily resolve your particular problems.........................

Australia is not necessarily the lucky country, but it certainly is a great country.

Cheers!

Manny

Edited January 28, 2008 by MannyT

[Dax]

Australia is not necessarily the lucky country, but it certainly is a great country.

Cheers!

Manny

Excellently put Manny!

I would be great if your statement could be used as this Forum's motto!

Good on ya mate!

Dax

[no longer interested]

Australia is not necessarily the lucky country, but it certainly is a great country.

Cheers!

Manny

[Nats123]

I agree what can be worse than "Dark Africa"!!!!!

Edited January 28, 2008 by Nats123

[Kilemim]

hi

thanks, everyone, for that insight.

Yes, it is better than that "africa" we know; albiet others....

[Col]

I cant really comment as I have only lived in SA, so I thought i would add my 2 cents with some inspiration!

" You cannot change the world to be like what you want to be, but you can change yourself or adapt yourself to the things you want, should be."

Author Unknown

When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Yogi Berra

“Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true"

"Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life. "

Herbert Otto

Col

[Joy]

Keep it up

It is a fact that we remember SA with a rosy glow. We remember the good and we lose focus on why. By concentrating on the negative we forget about our children's futures or the lack thereof in Africa. Remember why you did it.

Have you seen what the school system has come to in SA. Have you read about the chaos with the switch of high schools to OBE? Please have a chat to newly relocated teachers.

You have been out of SA for 4 years, a lot has changed. Trust me, and you would not recognises the place. It is going backwards at a rate that you cannot comprehend. I have been out for less than a year and I always say that the ones who left later are the lucky ones. We have seen more bloodshed and heartache and general disrepair and chaos. Plus so many educated people have left that today's children will be part of an even smaller minority.

Go for an LSD to SA and you will come back revived and renewed.

[Bob]

Kile,

I'd be voting with my feet if Sydney didn't make the grade for what I expected.

Is there some kind of law in New South Wales that makes you stay and live for the rest of your life in Sydney??

Just move on, mate!

Australia is made up of six States and a couple of Territories.

I wouldn't choose to live and work in Sydney. I've lived in South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland in my time. . . . . . . not to mention New Zealand when I was 21!

Your wife's a nurse, so can get a job anywhere in Australia.

Do yourself a favour, stop worrying about your lack of job prospects and check out another place in Australia. . . . . . or keep on having contracts for the next few years and feel disappointed that life is passing you by!

The options are quite simple.

. . . . and there is no private health insurance available for GPs in Australia.

You can only insure privately for hospital treatment . . . not for visiting your doctor.

If your local GP is making you wait too long or charging too much, check another surgery out that isn't making you wait and charging too much.

Don't put up with dissatifaction.

Check out other options . . . . . or feel disappointed all the time!

Simple!

[Just B]

Well said Bob,

I feel that the member has given up and also chooses to blame rather than take responsibility. I'm still in the old country (RSA) and had to wait with private medical cover for two hours to see the Doc. But also got to read a ton of magazines in the process. It's all relative.

You need to make the best for yourself and your family. Which means deal with the issues, even if you are the issue.

Edited January 29, 2008 by K & B

[JanCPT]

Wow, & I thought it was going to be sunshine & roses when we landed

Is there any way that we can withdraw our application - I feel I've been conned into something under false pretences

Hearing this side of things, I could almost forget the fact that a neighbour was shot & killed in his driveway about 2 years ago, a friend of mine was robbed at gun point a couple of months ago (less than 2 k's from our house), that a parent was robbed at gunpoint in front of my daughter's nursery school about a month ago, another neighbour was hijacked in his driveway about 2 weeks ago, the poor widow across the road had her house broken into twice in the last month (idiot woman has only now added an electrified fence to her 8 foot wall, eina ivy & detector beams) and that they tried to steal 2 cars from my neighbours in the last 3 weeks (it's not like they actually did steal them!!). Also, that about 2/3 months ago my sister in law was the victim of a smash & grab, as she came off the highway

After all, I'm the one who decided to move to Pinelands & you sleep in the bed you make!! - instead of Aus, maybe I should move to somewhere safe & secure .... like Khayelitsha!!

I mean, really, things can't really be that bad when I have the opportunity to go to the doctor & I only have to wait for about 20 - 30 minutes for him to catch up with his appointments. Considering that the medical aid catches most of his bill & I only have to top up because he' charged over the medical aid rate - hell, my med aid also only costs me about R4k a month for this privilege

And, for this pittance, my wife can spend 4 days in a private hospital (again with a minimal top up of a couple of k), being cared for by totally useless nursing staff, who allow her to bleed for half the night, cause they can't continually replace the bedding from her wound which was leaking - only to find out, the following morning, that the vacuum bottle, which is supposed to drain the excess fluid, was full & needed replacing.

Being the ungrateful git that I am, I, of course, complained about the quality of the care to the hospital management, who go out of their way to send a letter of apology to me, explaining their extreme problems sourcing properly skilled staff - I mean, I should surely understand their problem & can only sympathise. Also, they sent a bottle of wine which more than made up for the extreme discomfort that my wife endured(sent via one of their porters & it doesn't matter that it arrived opened & half empty, cause neither of us drink wine anyway)

Eskom?????? Not a problem, my wife had a hysterectomy & too much TV isn't good for the kids - you can live around it!!!!

Schools?? My daughter was in Gr 1 last year & they had appointed a new gr 1 teacher from the 2nd term. Halfway through the year, I realised that things weren't quite right - my daughter's reading wasn't even close to where it should have been & there was absolutely no structure to the books she was reading. I investigated & found that it was the new teacher's first posting after completing her studies & because the department had some problem getting her appointment registered, she hadn't been paid for 3 months. The headmistress was casting a blind eye to the fact that she was working as a waitress at a pub after hours - The poor girl had to survive for goodness sake!!

Anyway, being half Boer, I made a plan & my wife & I started spending additional time with her in the afternoons, teaching her how to read

You know, some people just know how to make mountains out of molehills!!! ... there's no such thing as a problem, just an opportunity for a solution!!!

I think I've gone on for long enough & I'm just being unfair .... there's no way in hell that life in Aus can be as good as we have it here - the availability of challenges & opportunities for solutions are boundless & where else can I be treated as a king, unless I live amongst fool & incompetents???

.... I just don't know how I'm going to tell the wife that I've changed my mind - any suggestions?? .... do you think I'm gonna convince her if I get her to read about the other side of the coin in Aus ..?

Edited January 30, 2008 by JanCpt

[Are we there Yet?]

Sometimes I think about the people to want to, but cannot ever get out of Africa.My view is that you really need to make the best of the situation be it good or bad.When you immigrate there is no "red carpet" waiting for you,you get no special attention or preferance because you have had to uplift and move your Whole family to their country. Fit in or fall out.Yes there are things that irritate you ,but there is a life here filled with opportunites and no fear!

You cannot even try and compare yourself financially with the Australians whom have been financially successful , unless you by some luck win the lotto

Even if My DH and I never see the financial gain or success we aspire to achieve at least we have; and our children will have been given equal opportunities.

[Spider]

i was quite entertained by your post Jan

[RoMar]

Me Too (hee hee)

RoMar

[Nilo]

Me three!! HA ha ha ha!! Sob!

[jozigirl]

me four with an attitude like that Jan , you can survive anywhere. Go for it

[brisbound]

Hey Jan

I am also in Pinelands. I was fortunate enough to be able to empower some previously disadvantaged South Africans (poor dears) in November by giving them my car and everything in it for free. I felt so fulfilled afterwards, as I feel that I have really contributed to the new South Africa and will try and claim some BEE points under social welfare. I don't know why they had to put a gun to my head in the driveway that night though? Perhaps the unfortunate wretches were badly treated as children and just needed a shoulder to cry on, but didn't know how to ask due to an inferior education thrust upon them by the nasty colonialists. I am sure that the swanky leather jacket that the one wore was also a handout as I can't believe that they had any option but to resort to a life of crime to put food on their tables.

OZ must be hell! Imagine not being able to give handouts because there would be nobody to feel guilty about? My life would be empty without the adrenaline rush of fear you get everytime your wife or children have to drive somewhere in the dark. My house looks pretty with all the trellidoors and I think our houses have so much more character than those safe boring neighborhoods in OZ. I can't imagine the frustration of seeing my taxes pay for things like state funded schooling and medicare! I also fear that in OZ my romantic life would end because you would have lights on all the time and the distraction of modern conveniences that actually had power. The dark is so much better. Think of all the employement created by having to fix all the broken appliances blown by the outages. What a wonderful idea by Eskom and much better than anything they could have come up with in OZ.

As for education, at least here our kids are assured that everyone will get an inferior product, and stand no chance of getting into a proper university afterwards as priveliged non disadvataged types. This takes all the stress out of having to do exams and get a better job later. After all, why study hard only to be denied the job because of their pale skin colour in this non racial democracy of ours.

I too will have to re-think my decision to leave now. Think of the stress and money I will save by not applying? Perhaps I can give this spare cash to other deserving causes instead. If I am lucky perhaps the opportunity will come again soon, and I will be "asked" for more of my hard earned possessions.

I am sure that the good news is just going to get even better over the next few months and years, and we wouldn't want to miss all the excitement by living in a stable 1st world country now would we?

Regards

Brisbound

[briggs]

oh brisbound

i have to say that u made me laugh. Well put hahahaha

briggs

[Tobold]

Brisbound, you beauty!

In the 20-something years since I last saw you, I had, on occassion, chalked the rapier-sharp wit I remembered up to primary school silliness. I see that the years have not dulled the rapier, but honed it to an even finer edge!

Fantastic read, as always, inspirational even. You stay strong, and we'll be toasting our move somewhere over there before too long. What a way to re-unite after so long!

[Kilemim]

Well Robert, Even voting with feet may seem unpractical in my circumstance...If you were in my circumstance, with a child that is just entering High School, and with a Child that is about to start university; Im not playing the blame game, as many out it; even the host of this site stated that I will get 'shot down' If I post negative experiences Of this land. You are certainly not in my position to criticize; Many expats think that Milk and Honey is the profound sense of facilities in this country, for you and many other that maybe, but for the working class man, it may not. Robert, why dont you become a teacher, in my circumstance?

Many people imply in a sarcastic and vindictive manner, that, by me suggesting that this country does have its faults, I am spoiled sport, or a 'spoilt sucker'-my true position.

Violence in many parts of SA is exaggerated, well most of the time it happens; when lats say 'high class' or wealthy people are affected, then it easily makes the headlines; when a layman or people below the poverty line are affected, no one seems to care;

Nevertheless, it is all a smear campaign to dethrone the biggest sporting competition on earth to be held for the first time in Africa.

The rugby and cricket has been hosted with ease, if not with an air of success, was violence the issue then, for many of you, who try to make a mockery of my comments?

Edited January 30, 2008 by Kilemim

[brisbound]

Hi Kilemim

Please don't misconstrue the nature of the posts. It would be wrong for anyone to criticise your valid concerns and indeed I (and I am sure most others) welcome the views of those who have not found OZ to be paradise. All of us need to be shown both sides of the fence as emigrating is an incredibly tough decision to make. Please don't take our negative posts as being aimed at you personally. We all like to vent a bit of angst

SA has changed alot since you left and we are all facing up to a rapidly deterioting situation and the task of getting our families to safety. This is depressing for all of us and we must be sure that we leave for the right reasons. I sincerely hope you find the perfect job in a place of your choosing so that you can reflect on your move as being the right decision to have made.

Regards

Brisbound