When it comes to migrating to Australia, if you do the research, you’ll know exactly what you need to budget for. Usually it’s the big ticket items – visas, medicals, English tests, skills assessments, agent fees, flights, and shipping are the common expenses associated with moving to Australia.

But what about the hidden expenses of moving to Australia? The things you didn’t know you even had to budget for?

Here are some of the hidden expenses of moving to Australia so you can make sure you plan for them well in advance.

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One of the hardest aspects of migrating to Australia is finding a job.

Your resume (aka CV) is often the first thing that recruiters and employers will know about you and that’s why it’s crucial to make sure your resume is in the best shape possible.

Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid on your resume in Australia.

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If you’re just starting to investigate the process of moving to Australia, you’re probably just as overwhelmed as I was at the number of hoops you need to jump through in order to get here.

From medical tests, English exams, and skills assessments, it’s really not the simplest process at all. What’s worse is that, depending on what skills you have and what specific visa you’re applying for, the criteria and supporting documents required can be totally different from one person to the next.

In order to help you understand more about the skills assessment process, I’ve partnered with Australian Construction Training Services (ACTS) and will be bringing a series of blogs out which should help you get your head around it. This one is all about how to get an Australian skilled visa assessment for trades. Continue Reading

Emigration is not for sissies.

How many times has someone said that to you?

One of the biggest challenges you’re likely to face is the expat blues. Feeling sad and depressed is par for the course. You are not crazy. You are not inadequate. It’s completely natural.

Even when you know you’ve made the move for all these positive reasons, the expat blues can sneak up on you and surprise you when you least expect it.

I remember talking to one woman who said she almost broke down in the supermarket because she didn’t recognise a single brand of anything and had no idea what to buy. Seemingly simple tasks you take for granted can snap you in two like a little twig.

But never fear – I’ve written the ultimate guide on how to survive the expat blues.

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There are many similarities in Australian and South African culture and this also extends to their schooling systems. I thought I would share some of the key differences and similarities between the South African and Australian school systems.

As a parent, when you move to Australia you might have concerns about the schooling system in Australia.

You’re probably asking yourself questions like:

Is it the right time to uproot my children?

Should we wait until the end of the school year before we move to Australia?

Which year will my children go into when I move?

To help you prepare for school in Australia, here are some of the key differences and similarities between the South African and Australian school systems. Continue Reading

If you’re on any of the Facebook groups for South Africans in Australia, you’ve probably seen so many posts lately from people talking about travelling back to South Africa on a foreign passport.

There is so much uncertainty around this, but really the law couldn’t be simpler, so I wanted to write a blog that people can refer to when they’ve got questions about travelling back to South Africa on a foreign passport.

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