Relocating to a new country is a huge decision, and can be very demanding. Thankfully we are here to help. The details here will give you a better understanding of what to do when relocating to Australia and when to do it.
Discover your chances of employment
Finding out the availability of employment opportunities is essential to achieving career stability. Study the market. Certain jobs and skills are in popular demand while others are not in Australia. The more information you come across, the more likely you are able to have a fair idea of where you stand in the Australian job market.
If you possess skills that are in high demand, such as e-commerce and digital skills, you might find it very easy to find a job according to the head of talent acquisition and global opportunities for Michael Page; Abigail Carradice. If you are willing to work in an urban area, you have fewer people applying for such jobs.
Securing accommodation
One important piece of information is that there is no rent control in Australia and large quantities of empty houses kept deliberately by investors and developers who are not willing to sell or rent them. This has created an artificial scarcity and has led to hikes in rent prices. These properties known as “speculated vacancies” in Australia and usually owned by foreigners are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. It’s created a price bubble that could collapse at any moment.
These market conditions make it necessary to explore all the available options to find accommodations which are affordable and of acceptable conditions. Narrow your search to public transportation routes along your commute to work and also close to the railway lines that do not need a car or bus transits to reach them.
Choose your bank before you arrive
It’s important you study your options before signing up for any banking services. Are you looking to transfer money to a bank in Australia? Skip the crazy bank charges and transfer your money with services such as currency fair. The advantages of currency fair include 5 free transfers for new users and eight times cheaper than a regular bank. Do your research beforehand.
Inform your local bank about your travel plans ahead
This is necessary if you do not want them to block your accounts or your cards while you are away. It’s a very horrible experience to have to call them to explain questionable transactions and the time difference will make it even more annoying.
Income tax rates in Australia
The tax rate for working holidays is different from Australian citizen tax rates. Until you are earning $37,000 your tax rate is 15%. Australian residents enjoy tax breaks for up to $18,200, while you pay 19c for each $1 over $18,200 from $18,200 up to $37,000. Then $3,572 plus 32.5c for each $1 over $37,000. You can get a breakdown of the tax rate here.
Stay on your left
We all know Australia use the left-hand drive system but what we may not know is Australians also walk on the left. It’s actually a very effective system and we would love more countries to Incorporate it. Orderly road system falls apart for pedestrians in places like the UK where you can walk on whatever pavements you want to. Thank heavens for Australia’s pedestrian traffic rules. Walk on your left hand-side unless you are overtaking on an escalator. No one will arrest you for working your right, but everyone would look at you funny.
Jaywalking is a criminal offence
Unless you want to enjoy the duration of your stay in a prison cell do not cross the road whenever you think you can. Got you! There is no jail term, just a fine that will set you back AU$70. Over 10,000 residents of New South Wales were fined for jaywalking between 2014 and 2017. You must use a designated crossing area. It could be a zebra crossing, pelican crossing or pretty simply keep walking until you see one, no matter the distance. Australia has a pretty relaxed environment and has a reputation for being chill but obviously, that does not apply to walking. If you’re not going to walk right, then just stay in your house!
Catch up on slang words
The official language may be English but Australians use so many slang words you might as well be learning a whole new version of English. One important rule is the remove the latter half of most words and add ‘Y’ or an ‘O’. So U-turn becomes ‘yewy’, ambulance becomes ‘ambo’, afternoon is ‘avo’, while ‘fiery’ is used in place of firefighter. You get the idea?
There are some weird slangs that you might not quite comprehend. ‘Thongs’ are flip flops, broken things are referred to as ‘cactus’. Bedsheets are ‘Manchester’. ‘Furphy’ is a rumour and to go swimming is ‘bogey’. If you hear anyone call you ‘drongo’ or ‘bogan’, it is an insult. One person comes to mind whenever we hear ‘Kylie’ but in Western Australia, it means boomerang. Like boomerang isn’t a cool enough of a word.
Of course, there are many other things you need to know and many more that you will have to experience yourself to know. Just do the necessary research, pages such as www.ausmove.co.nz/moving-to-australia/perth provide ample information to give you a good start, or heads up at least. Remember to sort out your finance and accommodation beforehand, know punishable offences and avoid breaking them and go with a very open mind. Do these things, and you will be fine, as many people have become.
