Hey everyone! If you are planning a move to Australia, you should check out these tips before come or know a bit more about this amazing country. I'm going to share some of my experiences as well and hope it helps with your plans.
Australia is huuuuuuge! This country has STUNNING places and beaches with a relaxed lifestyle that you can't find in the rest of the world. But it is necessary to know some information to enjoy this place like an Aussie and live the dream! :)
The life here is great, and it's possible to enjoy the Australian lifestyle but it's not easy if you come to study and work. So, let's start this post talking about the visa.
Visa Guide: there's a different kind of visas to come to Australia. It depends on your professional / student experience and also your goals. Some types: working holiday visa, student visa, sponsorship visa, skilled visa, permanent resident...
I came to Australia as a student with my husband. Our first visa was Student Visa to study 6 months of English. It was a partner visa and one of us could study and both were allowed to work part-time (20 hours per week). After 6 months we applied for another student visa where I studied Marketing for 2 years. In the meantime, we applied for our Permanent Resident. So, what I can recommend here: your visa situation is important and every visa will allow you to live in Australia with restrictions or not, so check the best kind of visa before come. For us, as we needed to learn and improve our English skills, the student was the option but if you already have fluency in English, you can check other options.
Check out the different visa types at the Australia Government's Website: https://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/immigration-and-visas
Here's the agency that helps us to come to Australia: http://www.informationplanet.com.au
We had all the support with the guys from Information Planet in Brazil and also in Australia (check if your agency has an office in the city that you're going to).
About the Permanent Resident, we applied with http://www.homemigration.com and you can book your first consultation for free.
Finding a place to live - Since I arrived in Australia, I'm living in Sydney. The accommodation here is expensive because it's one of the most important cities in Australia and the busiest as well. The payment is normally made weekly. There are short-term options available and you can easily rent a shared room or single room in someone's apartment.
My first home in Sydney was booked when I was in Brazil through the Information Planet agency and I rented for 1 month (shared accommodation for students). It is always a bit far from the city or beaches but we had time enough to find our place. We shared some houses with friends before rent our own place. As we were students it was not easy to rent in the beginning but we made it! And I'm pretty sure you will be fine too! Just make sure to always visit the places before rent and always have some contract with the landlord!
City: I remember in Brazil before coming to Australia, I had the same doubt. Which city should I move to? And it will depend on your goals, style and what you're going to do here. But if you are coming as a student I'm going to list some things about these cities. Hope can help a bit...Just one thing before the start, all the cities are beautiful!!!
Sydney: a lot of job opportunities, schools, companies, events, accommodation and it's a big city. So it's busy, many places with a lot of people but you can find some hidden places as well. Expensive city, but everything happens in Sydney.
Melbourne: Smaller than Sydney, flat city and has great job opportunities. Not like Sydney but still good. The weather is the coldest from my list here, but if you like this place can be great for you. The lifestyle is more European. Accommodations are cheaper but everything else is basically the same as Sydney.
Gold Coast: Surf culture, great waves and warm all year. It's more relaxed than Sydney but there are fewer job opportunities. The lifestyle is amazing!
Education: when you come as a student you can study English language, VET (Vocational Education and Training), Post Graduation, MBA etc...there are many opportunities in Australia. Check out the websites to help you to find the best education for you:
Transport: it works really well with buses and trains, but it's expensive - around $3,5 (average) per travel. Ferries also working in some cities - around $7 per travel. Flights: you can easily travel through Australia by Jetstar and TigerAir.
Costs: sum up, Australia has an amazing quality of life, amazing lifestyle, everything works really well as transport, education, health and all public services but it costs. So before come, plan also your financial move and always have some savings because it's an expensive place to live.
That's it for this post. Leave your comment below and I will be happy to reply you asap!
Happy plans!
Cassi :)