Move to Australia
I remember when I got on my first Quantas flight to Australia, I felt really nervous but mostly stupidly ignorant. Probably because I didn’t know what I was going to do when I landed in Sydney.
Amazingly, all that anxiety made the flight rather short – didn’t feel like 14 hours!
Would I hop on the plane again and do it again – “Hell yeah!!!”
But wiser, I would definitely spend more time planning a trip to another country.
It is not easy and anyone who says differently is a liar! Some would say that it is obvious that you should plan – well I agree except I was single (and still are) so the only one I had to look after was myself.
How difficult could that be?
Well that sounds so easy – but you’ll be surprised how difficult it is.
So here’s a couple tips that I can now share with you:
Research your intended destination. Do you have to take a trip there to check it out? No, I wouldn’t bother – pretty much everything about Australia is on the Internet. If you’re using an immigration agent to handle the visa application they’ll say that you must – they just want your money!
Do a detailed job search before you leave South Africa – try Seek or CareerOne. This will pin your possible destination(s). This I did – for me it said Sydney or Brisbane would be a good starting point.
If you want to live in South Africa – then move to Perth! There are thousands of ex South Africans there and so you’ll never be lonely. Personally, I wouldn’t go there because Perth is ‘isolated’ from the rest of Australia. The isolation is in part because of the 2 hour time difference between Perth and Sydney. And besides, most of the population is on the eastern seaboard – Pacific Ocean.
Look on the map if you don’t believe me! Perth is second to Sydney on ridiculous property prices.
Before you leave South Africa, close as many accounts as possible. Cancel stop orders , debit orders etc. This will save you a bucket load of frustration.
Open your Australian bank account before you leave South Africa. All the banks in Australia are very good – they want your business and so they treat you very well.
ANZ was best for me but do have a look at Commonwealth, St George or WestPac
Before you can draw money from this new account, you will have to physically visit the bank and show them your passport and visa.
Make sure you have a tax agent / accountant handling your SARS returns. You need to have a way to synchronize your accounts with the Australian tax year (1 July to 30 June).
If you’re going be working in Australia – get a Tax File Number (TFN) – as soon as you find a place to stay. The TFN requires a physical address located in Australia.
Once you have your TFN, inform your bank so they don’t take tax at the highest rate!
If you plan to be in Australia for more than 3 months, don’t waste a cent on an “International Drivers License” from the AA. Take your South African drivers license card with you when you apply for an Australian drivers license. This way you can skip the learner’s license.
The license card is valid from 1 to 5 years – the duration depends on how much you pay. Back 2005, a 5 year period cost $50.
Keep in mind that all the States have their own driver’s license. This means that a license issued in Queensland is not valid in New South Wales if you stay in NSW for an extended period of time. Should you need to, then you must get a NSW driver’s license.
The Australian drivers license is a valid form of identification. You can open bank accounts, rental agreements – pretty much everything.
But there is some find print! Should you change your physical address, you must inform your state traffic authority – easiest to do this on the Internet. A week later they’ll send you a sticker for your drivers license.
If you don’t do this and you fill in a different address on a registration form or whatever, you run the risk of a $35-$150 fine!
Find a mate. By this I mean a born and bred Australian that is willing to answer all those difficult – tourist like – stupid – idiotic questions that you will definitely have soon after your arrival.
If you’re single – get a flat mate – share accomodation – checkout Seqrents
Don’t bother with a car. The public transport system and taxi service is more than sufficient. For Queensland, visit Translink.
Accept that property prices are ridiculously expensive and with that the rentals.
Deal with the fact that beer is more expensive – say good bye to Castle – and hello to VB, XXXX or XXXX
Manage your money well. The VISA application requires that you have sufficient funds to cover yourself for 3 months. For South Australia and the Northern Territory this more than sufficient, but Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria need a little more to cover the higher living expenses ;-(
Stick to the laws and regulations of Australia. The country is tightly regulated and controlled, but in a good sort of way.
Stick to the speed limits. A mate of mine did 160km/h (speed limit 110km/h) on a brand new motorcycle late at night and got caught. That was a couple thousand dollar fine plus he lost his license – completely – for 7 months! Jay walking gets you a $35 fine.
Drop your cigarette butt in the Queen Street Mall and you’ll cop a $150 fine.
Basically play by the rules and all will be well.
In Australia there is an attitude or saying of “a fair go”. As a foreigner, immigrant – you will have to work your way up to the top again.
It is hard – really hard.
Australia is a really good investment playground – in particular – property. Every couple weeks I go to free seminars that exist to hold your hand and help you make money – maybe that is the ‘fair go’? Many times, these seminars are arranged by the State Government to improve people – the electorate. This is something that is definitely missing in South Africa.
Try to fit in with society. Adapt and blend into the Australian way of living. Take on the lingo – use it and make it part of your normal vocabulary. Loose the “ja” and stop rolling those “r’s”!
The moment you get your first wage – probably fortnightly – put an end to that mental “Rand-Dollar” conversion calculation. Continuing to do so will only depress you!
The grass is greener on the other side if you make it so.
Many times I wanted to just pack my suitcase and hop on a plane back to South Africa – frustrated – pissed off – lost – lonely.
Moving to another country will teach you to appreciate what little you have. You will find tolerance and with that acceptance. Little by little things do improve – but most of that is a mindset. It took me almost two years!
Be Australian – accept that the “barbie” is how you and your mates “braai” downunder.
