Hello everyone!

[Ofolopomus]

Hello everyone,

I've just joined the forums as my partner and I will be moving to Adelaide in March 2018 and I was hoping to make a few friends before we land. I am soon to turn 30 and my partner is 37. We like dining out, films and cricket (more him than me!). Any recommendations, advice or friendship would be gratefully received.

Ofolopomus

[snifter]

Hello and welcome

That's not that far off now! It'll soon come round. 

I'm a bit older, in my 40's and married with a child so possibly a bit out of your age range?  I know @scooterdan and his partner are always happy to meet new people and are very welcoming. Perhaps give him a shout? Or he may see this thread when he next checks in and say hello himself 

Also a few people moving over or not long arrived have posted here. You are welcome to post replies or start a thread there to see if anyone is about. 

https://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/27-recreation-amp-socialising/

Hope to see you around

 

[Curly]

Hi and welcome to the forum. 

Me and our family moved out to Adelaide November 2016 so still quite new ourselves. We are near your ages and would be happy to meet up when you arrive we have met a few people off this site. 

Its a shame that your husband will miss the Big Bash league as you will arrive not long after it finishes. My wife is not a cricket fan but she loves the big bash and good atmosphere. 

If you arrive early March you might get the end of the fringe festival which is amazing. 

Hope all is going well with the move so far and like snifter said it will soon come round. 

Keep in touch and we will meet up when you arrive. 

Curly 

[scooterdan]

Hey! March is a crazy time to arrive in Adelaide.... but will an introduction!! As mentioned above, we are more than happy to haves beer and schnitty with some newcomers. We have made some great Friends! Send us a pm and we'll sort something out for the future.... March seems a long time away but it will fly!

 

As for the cricket , well I can't stand these test matches but 20/20 is a revelation.... great stuff. We also enjoy the AFL, I'm a crows member and that's a great game but take some time to get to grips with!

 

Dan

 

 

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[Ofolopomus]

Thank you all for your kind messages.

We're both really big foodies, so we've heard about the festivals and all the different restaurants and can't wait to get out and about trying everything!

For now we are very early in the visa process, so it's hard to nail down dates, etc, but I sure am grateful for the invites to meet up. 

Do any of you have any advice / words of wisdom about anything you learned during your own moves?

 

Ofolopomus

[scooterdan]

Can't really talk much about visa process, as it changed so much since we've been here! Perseverance, patience, everything right first time make the process easier! As for coming here.... it is a new life, and takes time to adjust..... it is defo not just the uk with sun! But it's more than worth it if your willing to enjoy the Aussie way of life.......


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[Curly]

The Visa process can be long but patience is the main thing. You can't rush the Aussies as you will find out when you get here haha. 

We wasn't sure what to expect at first when we arrived and does take time to settle in. It's very daunting at first and lots of things to sort out when you first arrive. 

I'm an electrician so I needed my temporary licence, sign up to Medicare and Centrelink ASAP, activate the Australian bank account. we hired a car for a few weeks and then bought a cheapish run around. Public transport is good also and reasonable price if you get a metro card. 

My wife struggled at first but now she loves it here. I got a job after a few weeks which helped and then made a few friends and things just sort of drop into place. 

Like scooterdan said you still have to carry on life as normal paying bills, food shopping etc but if you make the most of what you have around you I'm sure it will fall into place. 

Not many places in the world where they have public barbecue in parks. 

Just enjoy it as much as you can

[Ofolopomus]

We are trying to have the right attitude about it and want to experience it for what it IS not what we WANT it to be. Also, we are prepared for hefty bills and unexpected costs along the way. We have employed a migration agent and we intend to do the same with a company for the cats, so we get everything right without missing something along the way. Additional costs, but something we see as absolutely necessary.

My partner has taken a job as a GP in Para Hills, so knows he has a 4 week wait when we land before he gets his Medicare provider number and can begin to actually work. Least we got the heads up so we can prepare financially and we have the added bonus of exploring Adelaide together when we first get there. Has anyone got any absolute favourite things that they would recommend for when we first get there? 

 

Ofolopomus

[snifter]

I love the Botanic Gardens for an amble, then lunch at one of the cafes around the parklands or nip into the CBD for a bite. Then check out Central market and perhaps hit the museums and State Library. I love wandering all those and they are close together. 

Also things like the Adelaide Oval tour can be really interesting. My son and I really enjoyed it. 

As said, if you arrive in March then the Adelaide Fringe should be on and its well worth spending some time checking out acts and the gardens they set up for all the performers. 

[Ofolopomus]

We've been told about the Fringe before and now my partner is hankering to get over there earlier!!!

Thanks for letting us know about the Oval tour. He was keen to get a membership to the cricket anyway, but is really intrigued about the tour. Looks fun. 

The Botanic Gardens has me interested, I like a leasuirely wander somewhere pretty. Am I right in thinking they offer afternoon tea there too?

 

Ofolopomus

[Debs]

Hey! How are you getting on in the moving process? Hope all is going well.. I'm  planning a move to Adelaide - Port Noarlunga - in August 2018. My self and my partner have had a long distance relationship for too long and so we are at last ready for me to make the move.. He is in Real Estate and knows lots of people but I am keen to get out there and meet new friends. 

Debs 

 

[Caroline T]

We've been here 5 years, but the things we enjoyed in the early days are still some of our favourites.  Walking from Hallett Cove to Marino on the boardwalk watching for dolphins and seals, (we cheat and sometimes take the train back), Brighton Jetty Road for nice cafes and watching the world go by, Botanic Gardens, Cleland Wildlife Park (to hand feed the kanga's), Belair national park for koala spotting, Morialta falls for a splash in the river and walking trails, coffee shops all over Adelaide, McLaren Vale for wine, Barossa for more wine....If your partner wants some info on healthcare in Australia I'd be happy to correspond.  I work as a physio and have helped a newbie GP with some information.

[MarieT]

On 20/07/2017 at 11:19 AM, Curly said:

The Visa process can be long but patience is the main thing. You can't rush the Aussies as you will find out when you get here haha. 

We wasn't sure what to expect at first when we arrived and does take time to settle in. It's very daunting at first and lots of things to sort out when you first arrive. 

I'm an electrician so I needed my temporary licence, sign up to Medicare and Centrelink ASAP, activate the Australian bank account. we hired a car for a few weeks and then bought a cheapish run around. Public transport is good also and reasonable price if you get a metro card. 

My wife struggled at first but now she loves it here. I got a job after a few weeks which helped and then made a few friends and things just sort of drop into place. 

Like scooterdan said you still have to carry on life as normal paying bills, food shopping etc but if you make the most of what you have around you I'm sure it will fall into place. 

Not many places in the world where they have public barbecue in parks. 

Just enjoy it as much as you can

Hello,

I noticed in your post that you are an electrician in Adelaide. My husband is also and we have recently submitted our VISA so are waiting to hear! We have heard that there aren't many jobs at the moment for Sparkies, especially those without a license. If you don't mind me asking, how has your experience been and do you any advice we can glean from your experience?

Thanks so much.

Marie 

[Curly]

Hi Marie 

firstly I have a couple of questions for you. 

Are you coming over on your husbands skilled Visa?

the reason I ask this is he would then be completing his Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR). This is probably one of the most important things you will need?

I will run you through the rest when I find out what situation you are coming over on. 

Dont worry about what people say there being no work out there because there is. 

It is harder having no licence but when you are on a restricted licence you are classed as a Trades Assistant. 

Is your husband a domestic, commercial or service electrician?

when I first arrived I got a job with a servicing company but I work in construction so was looking for other work while I was there. I found a job as a Trades assistant and completed all my college work and now work for the same company as a spark. 

I found the company I work for by chance as a lot of the bigger companies don't advertise too much on Seek or other job sites. 

Over here it is more of who you know than what you know but I could help point you in the right direction when you arrive with a list of company names or even just before you arrive to put the feelers out. 

The company I work for now and some of the bigger companies go to employment agencies which are always advertising and what they class as a TA is probably not what me and your husband would. Some of them have no experience in the industry but still find jobs so your husband would be highly desirable in the agency's but would still be best to find a permanent job. 

Just as a rough idea a TA can earn $25-$30 per hour and then when he obtains his licence can earn $30-45 per hour depending on what area he works in. 

The college work is a pain and can be drawn out and will take at least 6 months to complete because he will need to log 6 months worth of Australian work. 

Like I said if you let me know your circumstances I will try my best to point you in the right direction because there was not much help when I got here just word of mouth and research but hopefully I can help you get through the process quicker because the faster you get things done the better and easier it becomes. 

Sorry for rambling on but there is a lot of things that need to be done that the migration agents don't tell you  

Look forward to hearing from you

Craig

[MarieT]

Hello Craig,

Thank you so much for response we are very grateful for your time replying and has released some anxiety for us moving over. Alastair is very appreciative - so thanks for that.

My husband is self employed, mostly the domestic side as that suits his interpersonal skills with people, but he can do commercial and industrial installations. 

We are coming over on a subclass 190 visa with Alastair as the main applicant - we've been invited to SA so would like to honour that and stay there for the first two years at least... he has completed all the skills assessments required for the visa. He has his OTSR certificate through Future Skills and will need to apply for the provisional electrical licence. We've been given a website www.licencerecognition.gov.au 

Thanks again Craig 

Alastair and Marie

[Curly]

Hello Marie

Thats good that you are coming over on a PR visa it will help with a lot of things and also good that your husband has already gained his OTSR. 

Tell your husband to go on the website Skills SA and explain the circumstances and skills as he should qualify like I did for funding on the work ready program. This will then cover all the college fees for getting his Aussie regs sorted. 

A couple of colleges to speak to would be PEER and the one I did mine with was Training prospects. This will take at least a couple of weeks in college and unfortunately there is no way around that. 

He will also need a white card to get on any building sites and work ready might pay for that also. I did mine on line but some sites don't like them not sure why. 

I know a couple of guys who work in the domestic installations and they are flat out at the moment and could always pass the number on when you arrive. 

Have you given any thoughts on where you are going to live? 

You will be busy when you first arrive getting all things done like Medicare and licences. 

Craig

[MarieT]

Craig, you have been so generous with your time and information - this has been so helpful to us. We are very grateful to you. Thank you!

Alastair didn't realise there was potentially funding available and he is really taken aback by your comments here.

 We don't know what suburb yet... it's all a bit of a minefield at the moment. We have some research to do!

Thank you and it would be awesome to touch base when we have heard about our Visa and set a date for coming over. 

All the very best and we shall be in touch.

Marie 

[Curly]

Hi Marie

You are welcome always happy to help if I can and glad it was helpful to you. 

I was unsure about the funding also and just seen it on a website somewhere that's why I'm happy to help because there are a lot of things you need to do that you don't realise. 

If Alastair speaks to skills SA they will set up an interview when you first arrive but they just want to see things like visas and OTSR just to check all eligibility. I also got my restricted  licence sorted out on the same day as the offices are close to each other in the city. 

If you have any other questions or things I may be able to help with just let me know and I will try my best to help.

Good luck with the visas and hopefully they won't take too long. 

Speak to you when you know more.

Craig

 

[MarieT]

Thank you!

We shall be in touch nearer the time.

All the best

Marie 

[Naomi]

On 18/07/2017 at 7:35 PM, Ofolopomus said:

Hello everyone,

I've just joined the forums as my partner and I will be moving to Adelaide in March 2018 and I was hoping to make a few friends before we land. I am soon to turn 30 and my partner is 37. We like dining out, films and cricket (more him than me!). Any recommendations, advice or friendship would be gratefully received.

Ofolopomus

My husband and I are both doctors in our early 30s and moved to Adelaide 6 weeks ago! We'd be happy to meet up and show you around when you get here.... hoping to have settled in more by then! We are not cricket fans but have ashes tickets for next weekend... so thing might change!