Can someone help re Perth please?

[HerRoyalNotness]

I'll try to keep it short, but fear this will get long as I need a rant too.....

We are in the US just now, DH works on a project based north of Perth. We had an horrendously crappy year last year, and we were looking forward to 2015 to be a year of healing, and happier things coming our way. I'm not happy at my current company, and was hoping to go back to my previous employer who DH happens to work for, he put in my CV, and the mgr of my dept asked if we would move to Perth. I said no, it's too much stress to move, we've only been in current location for 17mths (bought a house, car on finance, kids in school settled). I'd have to reset everything again, take 2 mths of work for the move and finding a place etc... you get the picture.

So DH is on a call to the Perth office the very next week, and it turns out they're looking for someone for a mgmt position. DH without thinking OR discussing with me, put himself forward. It's now at the point where they thnk he can do it easily, and the PM will speak to him about it next week as a final kind of "interview" for the position. If they offer it, he will have to take it and I feel very cross with him as we can't be seen to be mucking the company around. That normally doesn't end well.

So where do I start? I've worked in Australia before, but only in Qld, and NSW. Have never been to Perth.

I understand that we'd have to pay $6k towards state schooling (2 DC), do any expats get this reimbursed by their employers?

Last I lived in Oz, families were getting $3600 per mth for housing, not sure if this has increased or what other benefits we'd get (I asked DH to get the benefits pkge but he hasn't yet). We'd need min 3bed, preferably 4 bed, with good primary schools, good commute into the city, would like a pool, and neg. with landlord to include pool service, gardening, and pest control in the rent. Which areas would be suitable for us?

Is there good mass transit into Perth downtown, or does everyone drive? I presume we'd need 2 cars there, as I hope to get a job also.

How about before/after school care? What is the situation with that and cost? Do schools provide it there? Or do you have to find an outside provider, is it well catered for?

Does anyone use an after school sitter that could pickup DC from school, take them to our home, do homework, supervise and perhaps do their dinner?

Is there a bus service for the schools (we're in the US so get the yellow buses), or is it very much get yourself to school? What hours generally are the primary schools?

I almost feel now, that's easier for me just to stay at home with them, but we'd lose 40% of our income and things would be tight until DH gets a few more promotions.

I really just do not need this now, nor do the DC, but he is so thoughtless and now we're on the juggernaut of a move.

Can't help with a lot of your queries I'm afraid but I do live in Perth (UK expat) so didn't want to leave you with no answers! Sounds horribly stressful, feeling for you.

Perth is a renters market at the moment. It's expensive compared to the UK though, not sure compared to the US. Saying that, there are lots of houses and landlords needing renters so you'd be in a good position coming over soonish.

Re transport, Perth is definitely a car city. We get by with one as DH cycles to work but pretty much everyone has a car each. Public transport is rubbish compared to the UK although it is cheap - fine if you are commuting right to the centre of the city but hard to get around generally just on public transport. The trains into the centre are fast and easy but packed at peak hour, as with everywhere.

But - some nice things to say - I love Perth and it's a great place to raise a family. It's got amazing beaches close by, food is good, weather is beautiful and people are friendly. Plus it's a chilled out city, high rises are just in the city centre and nearly everywhere else is one storey houses with gardens, parks, rivers etc, which I like, not being much of a city person.

Hope some of that is helpful anyway. Surburbs with nice schools (don't know what your budget is but this includes the most expensive): Churchlands, Floreat, Subiaco, Shenton Park, Mount Lawley, Wembley Downs. If you're not bothered about being in an exclusive suburb though (Perth can get v hung up on this), suburbs further up the coast by Joondalup have lots of Brits and good schools too.

PS yes there is a designated school bus service, lots of kids use the regular bus service too (stops are organised round schools). Some kids even have a short ferry trip as their school commute across the river which I always think sounds rather nice.

You need to find out what your relocation package is.

I don't know what the $3600 is that you mean, unless it is, again, a relocation cost paid by the company your h is hoping to go to, but you make it sound like a state benefit of some type & I have never heard of people getting money for housing here, except rent assistance, which is for low income earners who privately rent & certainly isn't anywhere near the figure you stated.

Benefits depend on your visa type, I believe.

Thanks both.

That's from our company, for housing. They will pay our move as well. A mth short term housing and car hire. In Houston just now and family homes are 2-3k rent a mth. We bought so have the hassle of selling too. Argh! Hopefully with oil prices that might bring the prices down over there for rent, we're on a project mid build that definitely needs to keep being built.

Any specific schools to recommend?

Does anyone know if the child care rebate can be used for out of school and vacation care? I'm trying to decide if I should renew my NZ passport as I was in Aus prior to Feb 2001.

No childcare rebate unless you have pr.
I think from the experiences with patients nz visa or citizenship only gives you right to remain and work, not any benefits.

If you are eligible then it's for any childcare.

We have just relocated to Perth from Sydney and have just found a rental. $3600 works out at about $800pw (all rents are pw here) and that's a very healthy amount.

The biggest thing is where EXACTLY DH would be working in Perth. Traffic here is grim mainly because there are so many arsehole drivers who believe that indicating, speed limits and checking blind spots is for other people. We chose to go for a worse suburb (but excellent local school) to give dH a 10 minute commute.

I would look at the suburbs listed above but add Applecross,city beach (though budget is probably too low there tbh),
Cottesloe and surrounds. Churchlands/ nedlands/ woodlands are lovely.

There are a couple of websites that are worth a look. Look at domain and realestate for rentals but you or your agent must view a property before you can put in an application. Somewhere on the Realestate website is suburb profiles and info which may help (median rental profiles etc).

Also Google the WA schools website - you can input a prospective rental address and it tells you what school is your local one. Useful as sometimes one SIDE of a street is in a catchment but the other isn't. There is another website for school rankings based on NAPLAN results. Applecross and church lands ranked very, very high if I remember.

One thing the be aware of is that gardens are getting smaller and smaller and landlords often pave over the back yard entirely. New builds often have tiny yards too.

For pools you may find yourself looking further out of the city in order to get the space.

You really need two cars here. There is no way we could cope without one each for day to day life where as we managed fine in Syndey with only one car for over a
Year.

I'm afraid I can't answer questions about after school care as a sahm.

Renew your NZ passport. You are entitled to childcare rebate and medicare on that passport. If your kids are eligible for it get them one 2 that would also mean no school fees on a 457 visa. Life is a lot easier on a New Zealand passport then on a 457 visa. Our school does before and after school. No buses like the ones in the states.

Thanks, good info there. Yes will get the NZ passport redone, I've just checked my CV, and I definitely quality for the special category visa, protected status they give Kiwi's as I was in Oz for the qualifying period.

Thanks for info on suburbs and schools too. Office is on st on georges terrace.

Conditions show 4700 now for housing, but prefer not to spend it all, as we get it as lump sum cash payment.

So DH has been accepted by the Proj Mgr for the job, and they are putting together a package for us both. I burst into tears tbh. Oh I know it will be alright once we're settled, but it's the stress of moving I can't face just now and resettling the DC. I also planned to be pregnant in the next couple of mths, so would not be worth me starting work when we move there, as by the time I get the DC settled and housing sorted etc... I'll be ready for mat leave. Argh! And the timing will mean we'll have to cancel our planned trip to the UK in June, double Argh. PIL and DCs will be so disappointed.

... the other reason I wanted to enter on 457 with UK passport is that I'd be able to take my super fund when we leave. As a Kiwi, I can't do that. Still have quite a bit there from last time I worked there.

In addition to the aforementioned suburbs I would add these SOR suburbs to your list to look into:

Willetton, Riverton, Shelley, Rossmoyne and Bull Creek.

Lots of houses around there with pools too.

Thanks hermaj

digger my current commute is only 13m, but it's along the biggest freeway in the states, 20 lanes across. if I leave at 5.50am, it takes 20-10 mins get to work. Leaving at 7am takes an hour at 10-20m per hr. They are terribly shocking drivers here too. Especially when it rains! But no one beeps anyone in case the other driver pulls a gun on them.....

*20-30mins

Ah ok well if he works there and you live in a central suburb or near a train station you probably could cope with one car tbh.

Do not come to australia without pr, there is no reason why an employer can't give you ENS immediately and I would insist in that.
I've been made redundant 4 times in 2 years, not been paid even the 1 weeks notice most contracts stipulate, not had super paid and basically on a 457 nobody cares. There are redundancies cropping up all over town right now hence rents are dropping.
The economy is screwed and so many people are leaving, however if you can keep your job you're in a great position as things are getting cheaper by the day.

Also what do you do for a living ?
My ex has applied for over 200 jobs and not got one since Christmas. If you HAVE to work it might be tight for you at first

Thanks shenton

It's an intercompany transfer and the project is in the middle of construction and needs to be completed. So we are ok there, and if it does go bad, company will transfer us somewhere else.

Probably I mean, intra company, any way I'm sure you get what I mean

I know what you mean ??
What about you though ?

Thankfully I've done up a budget and won't have to work as we'll be back on expat conditions. I'm hoping to work though, and am just now trying to get a job with the same company. I know they need people in my dept, and it was their suggestion first off that we move to Perth as that's where my dept would be based. On one hand, we could pay off a chunk of the mortgage if I get a job, on the other, I could spend my days pootling around, at the beach, running, volunteering at school and doing the school run. Both equally appealing to me at the moment.

Have not heard much back so far, have seen the conditions again, and they will also give us a relocation specialist.....if the company wide policy comes in before we move . Still waiting for them to actually do the contract and set a date. In the meantime we're doing the odd job around the house to fix a few things for the potential tenant.

Can you believe I've put up with a kitchen tap squirting water everywhere for 15mths? The metal had actually erroded along the shaft of the tap . There is now a lovely, shiny new, non squirting tap installed.