TIE ME KANGAROO DOWN, SPORT - THE COMBINED AUSTRALIAN THREAD

[MrsBigD]

Sorry couldn't resist, especially as I'm bored at work and you know... idle hands...

HA! Eids!

Arfy are you telling me that the interweb is available inside the big metal bird these days? And are you going to be in London on Oct 7th for my boozy lunch meetup?

for those who know about eids FIL

update here:

here

hijack over

Hi SW. Yes, interweb is indeed available on the lovely Emirates. Sadly can't make it for the 7th (but will gratuitously drink extra wine all day in your honour), am prob flying in Nov - expect to see webcam footage and a 24 hour thread involving me complaining for 23.5 hours that DD won't sleep.

Have a fab time in London. We expect to see photos of:

a)M&S incl entire knicker section and food hall
b)The grey rain
c)Your breath being all frosty
d)A pub
e)Chippy chips with salt and vinegar

f)Marmite
g)A wine glass served in a pub that holds 375ml of wine (aka a 'normal' glass)
h)Clothes that aren't red or green
i)Lots of plastered mumsnetters

Have fun. When are you off?

Eids - am off to check you FIL thread now.

oooh coming to this thread a bit late, just got back from our holidays in Cornwall

My husband now has a post at the Prince of wales Hospital in Randwick - he starts 24th January

Sydney here we come!

can I just add to that that I have just researched childcare in Sydney and have realised the extent of the problem.....

hardly any childcare places...

I need a nanny-share - anyone suggest anything or anyone in the same position?

Eids, so sorry to hear about your FIL. I know you're all close.
Your poor DH trying to decide when to go over.
It's a total bummer living so far away from family sometimes isn't it?
I'm thinking of you.

Hi Mogs. It's horrendous isn't it?

I know there are places at DD's nursery, but only because it is the most expensive daycare in the whole of Australia . That's the only reason I managed to get a place.

I had my nanny in place before I arrived in Oz so not sure about the best way to do a nanny share. I'll ask my nanny tonight, she might have some good ideas.

Sorry, just seen the post about your DH! Congratulations! Randwick eh?. Nice and easy for coffee.

How exciting!! It's going to be scorching when you arrive.

congrats Mr. & Mrs Mogwai also added you to the STATS thread

Oh boy another thing to add to my list: childcare. Are you meaning to say it's even more difficult/expensive in Sydney to get childcare??? ARGH! (we really need an emoticon for that LOL)

What's it like to get part-time work out there? i.e. work around school hours?

the crazy thing is, I've kind of got the chance of some part time work (I'm an SLT). I'm just in the process of sending my CV out, and I'm wondering whether the childcare thing will be a huge issue.

It would be great to be able to work, not only financially, but because my current employer will be much happier to give me a career break if I am doing some relevant work during the time I'm in Australia.

Fishy...out of interest...how much does your daycare cost? I'm presuming it's in the eastern suburbs??

Hi Mogs, my daycare is $110 per day. .

It's not such a shock if you're coming from London - there I was paying around $120 a day, but on Aussie wages it's a lot.

is that nanny or nursery???

Also daft question, as I'm way too tired at the moment to read up on all those wonderful education authority links I've been given...

Kids start full time school 9-15 (ish) from age 5 like here in the UK?

Oh, yes, it's in Bondi Junction. That's about a 15-20 minute drive from Randwick. I know there are places though (not sure if in all age groups however), I doubt you'll find anywhere else - I was being laughed off the phone when I first arrived in Sydney with people asking if I wanted a place in 2007 or 2008.

This was for an under 3 at the time though, which is much harder, what will you be looking for?

arfishy... if that's prices for eastern subs dare I ask how much it would be for north shores???

DD will be 6 nearing 7 years old and ds about 4 years old. Better start saving now???

Hi MrsBigD, how is lovely SW London?

That's $110 for the pre-school.

I haven't grasped the education system here yet.

I know that the 2 schools that I've looked at take children from 4, but in a pre-school rather than big school. I couldn't get DD into the pre-school at these schools (heavily over-subscribed should have been put down from conception blahdy blah) but she can join in the April after her 5th birthday in the first offical year of schooling.

I think their final year is year 12, which would be 17/18 and that's when they take their HSC, like A'levels.

I'm sure a local will be along soon to explain it much more eloquently.

I have no idea about terms/holidays etc, except they rather sensibly go from Jan-Jan.

Well things are moving. I have just arranged for my boxes to be delivered ready for shipping stuff in October. I need a CRB check to be able to work over there in education- £36! on top of the chest x ray I have already had.
Mogwai- I could have been your childminder for a year if you were a little nearer to us but Revesby to Randwick looks too far. I am a qualified teacher, but love little ones.
Mogwai- when are you flying? We arrive Sydney on the 22 Jan after a month- ish in New Zealand.
It was me that mentioned NSW school fees I'm afraid....

Oooh. No idea. I know the East is expensive, but there are some very wealthy parts in the North too, which always drives up prices.

My boss pays $50 per day for his daycare, which does seem more usual. It's just a case of getting a place in one of these centres - that's why mine is getting away with it, I had absolutely no choice as I had to have an immediate place.

Hi Robinp! How are things? I've just thought that perhaps I should have checked my arfishy email recently. How did you get on with the broadband?

ok so better get dd and ds on waiting lists now eh? Used to that from London though, when registring dd for her state nursery here I did it 1 year in advance only to be told there are 50 kids in front of her on the waiting list! ffs we literally lived opposite the school. Anyways she got in and now is in reception class as those places get allocated by the Learning Authority. Ds will get preferred treatment in nursery access as ds is in school there, however, by that time we're hopefully booked to fly to Sydney

Oh and good news... DH has grumbled that he will do a reconnaissaince trip next year!

Message withdrawn

Thanks bloss so dd would stard year 1 here in the Uk in September and then when we move in April/May go in 1/2 way in year 1? I'm so worried about the kids not making the 'connection' educational wise... though of course they're both geniusses or is that genii? LOL

Mrs bd, if you only need a preschool for you 4 year old (thats the 9am-3pm, 2 or three days per week) you could try registering now with a KU (Kindergarten Union) preschool. They are lovey, and cost about $40 a day. I was told that if you are registered with one KU and end up in a different area, you will get priority at you new local KU. They didn't put that in writing, but as its only about $10 to get on the list, you might as well try it. We plan to be back in Aust for ds to start so we are registering him at oul ex-local one.

Schools: i think this is right:

kids start school at the end of Jan after they are 5, or before they are 5 if they are going to turn 5 before April 30th (not positive on this date) in their first year of school. The first year of school is (rather confusingly) called Kindergarten, and is equivelent to reception. Then its years 1 through to 6 at primary school, years 7-12 at high school. In year 10 they do the School certificate and can then leave school, or continue to years 11 and 12 whe they do the Higher school certificate (HSC)...this is all for NSW by the way - all states are dfferent (just to make it easy!)

TRY this

KU East Killara Preschool Fairbairn Ave Killara 2071 PH 00 61 2 9498 5944

Sorry to hijack but are all you guys in OZ or planning to move there?

Mrsbigd should've known you started this

quokka... some are already there some are planning to move, there's also an Australian Stats thread to give you an idea

Thanks Apostrophe... now my brain really hurts , now to look up where Killara is

yeah sorry, couldn't find one in Frenchs...but if you call Kilara they will be able to tell you where other ones are. My LOs are booked into one called KU Chatswood West, which is lovely, but not near Frenchs (well, its near, but would not be your local) If you end up in Chatswood or Lane Cove you should check it out.

sorry, dd desperate to watch the wiggles, must go...