I have a ton of questions ...

[Gennacy]

Hello, sorry for barging onto your forums, but i know how helpful parents can be.

My name is Jennie, im a sahm to 4 children and im English, currently living there as well :)

My Husband has decided to apply (with my blessing) to the RAAF as he is currently coming to the end of his RAF career.

We are only a little way into the application process but we are very very hopeful we get accepted.

So on to my questions :)

What type of schooling would i expect as a serving person? Ive been told that we have to pay for schooling, is this true of a service family also? if so what could i expect to pay?
My children will be 11, 9, 5 and 3.

That said, what are the stages of schooling? My 5(to be) yr old has finished nursery (optional) and is currently in the 1st year of compulsary education.

My 11 year old will miss her sats exams (another compulsary test) if we move, will their be any exams etc at this age in an Australian school?

What are the general dates for school terms?
for example we have 3 weeks off at christmas and a 6-8 week summer holiday, plus weeks off at easter and 1/2 terms.

Like ive metioned, i currently stay at home and we receive a small child benefit. Is their anything like that is Australia, or should i say, would that be available to me as an "outsider" lol. From what i gather, i would be come a citizen after 2 years? (hubby after 3mnths)
Obviously im not adverse to working, but i havent left my children in childcare before and that is my only worry about moving!

Im currently studying for a business degree with the option of training for accountancy, is this something i could "transfer" to the Australian work place?

I have a major snake phobia, please tell me they are uncommon :) DH has a spider phobia, but we think we know where we stand (he has just come back from Iraq lol, spoiders were rife there apparently)

I am going to assume that military families are entitled to rented accomodation similar to the UK?

Do you move around alot as a RAAF family?
How often should i expect DH to be sent away?
(he is currently a telecomunications CPL{actually i dont know what exactly:o something to do with I.T) i think he would have a similar rank if he was succesfull?


Im sure i have forgotten tons of questions, but thank you in advance for any help given.

And thank you for reading all my waffle, im trying to type this as stealthily as poss, as we are not going to tell the children yet

Jennie

[Shauna]

Hey Jennie, well i cant really answer many of that but what i can suggest is either get onto the DCO website or call them and they can answer any and all of your questions...

Good Luck t both you and hubby!!

[Gennacy]

Thank you, have done a bit more browsing about the school, but still interested in people's iew of RAAF life :)

Jennie
x

[ukmummy]

Hi Jennie

I am also in the UK and we are due to leave for Australia heading for the South Coast, NSW as OH is joining the RAN.

I can answer some of your questions due to the research I have been doing over the last 2 years.

I believe with the public schooling you make a contribution each year of approximately $200 per child depending on school, but I think schools may differ slightly. Think there may be extras ontop of this like books, trips etc.

I also have a child that started school here in September, he isnt 5 until June and I have been told that the cut of is 31st July in NSW, again I believe that this may differ between each state. It will mean that he will start Kindergarden (reception) but be one of the youngest in the class, which he is currently here anyway.

Not sure about the SATS side of things as my oldest is only 8.

I believe that the 6 weeks summer holiday is over Xmas and January. Easter same as here, 2 weeks in July and 1 or 2 weeks in October. I may be quoted different on this.

With reference to child benefit. As your OH will have to have PR you will be entitled to tax credit straight away, if you look at the Centrelink website it will give you an idea how much, depending on how many children and how much you earn.

Not sure about the business degree or the child care but would imagine it is probably similiar to here. I think there is child care facilities for defence families called ABC.

Ive been too Australia twice, the 1st time for 4 months and didnt see any snakes or spiders but it was their winter. The 2nd time for 10 days and we had the most biggest hairiest spider climbing on the car which gave me a huge fright. Have learnt a lesson, never to park a car under a tree at night and I shall certainly be getting my house sprayed. I have heard alot of horror stories about the camel spiders in Iraq as my OH has been there also.

We are able to choose a defence house now on the internet and they look great, 4 beds, double garage and seem very modern. I have never lived in a defence house here so cant compare but most we have seen are nicer than the house we live in here. Rent is very cheap also.

The rest of your questions I cannot answer yet but Im sure there are other people on here who will, they seem a helpful bunch.

The other thing is usually you have to go down a rank when you transfer over.

Hope this has been some help to you, feel free to PM me if you would like any other help and good luck with the transfer process its very long and very stressful.

Lisa :)


Hello, sorry for barging onto your forums, but i know how helpful parents can be.

My name is Jennie, im a sahm to 4 children and im English, currently living there as well :)

My Husband has decided to apply (with my blessing) to the RAAF as he is currently coming to the end of his RAF career.

We are only a little way into the application process but we are very very hopeful we get accepted.

So on to my questions :)

What type of schooling would i expect as a serving person? Ive been told that we have to pay for schooling, is this true of a service family also? if so what could i expect to pay?
My children will be 11, 9, 5 and 3.

That said, what are the stages of schooling? My 5(to be) yr old has finished nursery (optional) and is currently in the 1st year of compulsary education.

My 11 year old will miss her sats exams (another compulsary test) if we move, will their be any exams etc at this age in an Australian school?

What are the general dates for school terms?
for example we have 3 weeks off at christmas and a 6-8 week summer holiday, plus weeks off at easter and 1/2 terms.

Like ive metioned, i currently stay at home and we receive a small child benefit. Is their anything like that is Australia, or should i say, would that be available to me as an "outsider" lol. From what i gather, i would be come a citizen after 2 years? (hubby after 3mnths)
Obviously im not adverse to working, but i havent left my children in childcare before and that is my only worry about moving!

Im currently studying for a business degree with the option of training for accountancy, is this something i could "transfer" to the Australian work place?

I have a major snake phobia, please tell me they are uncommon :) DH has a spider phobia, but we think we know where we stand (he has just come back from Iraq lol, spoiders were rife there apparently)

I am going to assume that military families are entitled to rented accomodation similar to the UK?

Do you move around alot as a RAAF family?
How often should i expect DH to be sent away?
(he is currently a telecomunications CPL{actually i dont know what exactly:o something to do with I.T) i think he would have a similar rank if he was succesfull?


Im sure i have forgotten tons of questions, but thank you in advance for any help given.

And thank you for reading all my waffle, im trying to type this as stealthily as poss, as we are not going to tell the children yet

Jennie

[Scout]

I'm having a scan of the net at 6.30am and really should be getting ready for work, so I will try and answer some of your questions (if no one else has, which I'm sure they will) tonight. There are quite a few Defence wives here.

ukmummy is pretty well on the money though.

I will assure you though that in my 35 years of living in Aust that I have seen very few snakes. That said I'm a real city dweller.....

Yourself and ukmummy could probably give me some advice - we will be going to live in the UK for a year in July. We will be living in Shrivenham. I have no idea what to expect but that doesn't matter, we are so excited.

[ukmummy]

Hi Scout

I must admit I have never heard of Shrivenham so had to look it up on the net to see that it is in or near Swindon. One of my old friends owns a livery in Malmsbury and I used to visit her alot, she took me for a night out in Swindon, dont remember much about it though, lots of alcohol involved.

Im about 2.5 hours away from Swindon on the coast in Dorset and my parents live in Somerset which is not far from there. Expect to be in the countryside with lots of horse and cows and there will be loads of pretty villages and lovely English country pubs which I,m really gonna miss. The great thing about the UK is that where ever you are, it dosn't take that long to get anywhere. You could probably be in London within 2 hours (although my geography isn't great) Last year we travelled from Dorset to right near the top of scotland in less than a day, so make sure you use your year to see as many places as possible and you wont be disappointed.

Have a great time, Julys a good time to come, lovely summer nights, light until 10.00pm, gonna miss that too.

Lisa





I'm having a scan of the net at 6.30am and really should be getting ready for work, so I will try and answer some of your questions (if no one else has, which I'm sure they will) tonight. There are quite a few Defence wives here.

ukmummy is pretty well on the money though.

I will assure you though that in my 35 years of living in Aust that I have seen very few snakes. That said I'm a real city dweller.....

Yourself and ukmummy could probably give me some advice - we will be going to live in the UK for a year in July. We will be living in Shrivenham. I have no idea what to expect but that doesn't matter, we are so excited.

[JJJ&D'sMum]

I can't help you with much but I can help you with school terms for all of Australia.

This website will tell you all the dates for school terms in every state of Australia...I hope this helps.
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/keydates/termdates.htm

Good luck,

CC

[samsgirls]

Hi Jenny,

my name is Sam and my husband is in the RAN. We are currently at Cairns, Queensland. I don't have school age children, but i looked on thenet and I have a starting point for you.

Also, i have included some internet sites that will help you with your transition to the Australian Defence and centrelink, the Australian welfare (horrible word) system site.

www.raaf.gov.au (http://www.raaf.gov.au)

www.defence.gov.au/dco (http://www.defence.gov.au/dco)

www.dha.gov.au (http://www.dha.gov.au)

www.edna.edu.au (http://www.edna.edu.au)

www.centrelink.gov.au (http://www.centrelink.gov.au)


I hope this helps you. Please feel free to message me if you need some more info or just want to chat about anything. Good luck with everything.

[Gennacy]

Thank you all for your help :) lots and lots of useful links for me thank you.

Scout i would be happy to answer any questions you have. Im not to sure about the area.

If you havent already, this link looks informative of the Village

http://www.shrivenham.org/contents.htm

Thanks again
Jennie

[ConcernedParent]

Hello there,

We have just been posted into Townsville so will help you all I can. I will put my responses below in blue.

What type of schooling would i expect as a serving person? Ive been told that we have to pay for schooling, is this true of a service family also? if so what could i expect to pay?
My children will be 11, 9, 5 and 3.

There are plenty of private and state school options. Private Schools are fee for service, State education is provided for by the State, it is supposed to be free, but you end up paying fees and levies everywhere and anywhere you go. My two youngest are 6 & 4 and are in a small private school. I am very happy with this school.

That said, what are the stages of schooling? My 5(to be) yr old has finished nursery (optional) and is currently in the 1st year of compulsary education.

Stages of schooling:
6weeks - 5years, (after June): Childcare age. This is a fee for service expense, though you can apply for a rebate from the Govt. Without a rebate, the average cost for FT care is around $220 - 250pw. Depending on where you go.

5years - 12/13 years. Depending on the State these are primary school years. Some States start high school in year 7 adn others start in Year 8. Queensland is Year 8.

13 - 17/18 years. Secondary School. These are generally the years of secondary school, or High School.

My guess for your kids is:
11 - Grade 5 or 6 (Primary)
9 - Grade 4 (Primary)
5 - Prep (Primary)
3 - Child Care

Speaking of childcare. Defence has a contract with ABC Childcare. There are also plenty of other service providers, private and non-profit. I suggest you google ABC Childcare and complaints before you make your decision. I used this service and withdrew my kids to take them to a community child care centre.

My 11 year old will miss her sats exams (another compulsary test) if we move, will their be any exams etc at this age in an Australian school?

I think they test kids at Years 3, 5, and 7 at Primary School level. They are compulsory tests called MAP tests. The name can vary from State to State. I am not sure if they do other exams.

What are the general dates for school terms?
for example we have 3 weeks off at christmas and a 6-8 week summer holiday, plus weeks off at easter and 1/2 terms.

Others have answered this question, but generally our summer is around Christmas, where we have 6-8 weeks, with 2 weeks, (usually) between 10 week school terms

Like ive metioned, i currently stay at home and we receive a small child benefit. Is their anything like that is Australia, or should i say, would that be available to me as an "outsider" lol. From what i gather, i would be come a citizen after 2 years? (hubby after 3mnths)
Obviously im not adverse to working, but i havent left my children in childcare before and that is my only worry about moving!

I think the Aust Govt has an agreement with the British Govt so you will still get your SAHM entitlements, but suggest you not take my workd for it and look into this further.

Im currently studying for a business degree with the option of training for accountancy, is this something i could "transfer" to the Australian work place?

I work as a Financial Controller for a group of companies. You will be able to find HEAPS of work. I was looking at another job when someone found out and called me to interview for my current one. Once you get your experience and qualifications out there, they will come looking for you, even if you are not fully qualified.

Study wise - send an email to James Cook University and ask if you can cross credit any of your current studies. James Cook is the Uni here.

I have a major snake phobia, please tell me they are uncommon :) DH has a spider phobia, but we think we know where we stand (he has just come back from Iraq lol, spoiders were rife there apparently)

In my life time, I have only ever seen two snakes, (and I am over 30). I have seen more snakes in zoos.
Spiders are more prevalant. They range in size from teeny tiny to about the size of your hand. If you get bitten by a spider, call an ambulance because we do have some poisonous ones here, which can kill - but you will find out all about that when you arrive. We see the redbacks all the time, but no-one I have ever known has been bitten, (that I know of).
There are bigger ones about but they scare the cr*p out of us too. Basically, they do nothing but look big and mean. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone.

I am going to assume that military families are entitled to rented accomodation similar to the UK?

You will get a military house based on your husband's rank. The newer houses are quite decent. You will probably be entitled to a four bedroom or more, depends on the sex of your children. Eg: M, F, M, F - means you might qualify for a 5 bed, alternatively, M, F, F, M might mean a 4 bedroom because they might think the middle ones can share.

Do you move around alot as a RAAF family?
How often should i expect DH to be sent away?
(he is currently a telecomunications CPL{actually i dont know what exactly:o something to do with I.T) i think he would have a similar rank if he was succesfull?

You could be posted every 2-3 years. We have been posted on average every 3-4.

Im sure i have forgotten tons of questions, but thank you in advance for any help given.

And thank you for reading all my waffle, im trying to type this as stealthily as poss, as we are not going to tell the children yet

Jennie[/quote]

I hope I have helped. Please ask for more detail if you need it. Don't be disheartened if you do not hear from me, I am only on this page on weekends.

Cheers and Good Luck.

P.S. You do realise, once you get over here, you will have to cheer for The Wallabies... It's the law!!