Over the years we have had a lot of teachers ask us questions about Australia. One of the biggest is: What should I bring?
The Ten Most Important Things to Bring to Australia
1) A Jacket – not just a thin jacket, but a real winter jacket. Despite what people think about Australia, it does in fact get cold. So cold that those that don’t bring jackets, scarves and a hat, usually buy it or have their family send it over. Learn more about Winter in Australia or Tips to cope with Winter.
2) Electronic Copies of documents- since you will be travelling, you won’t want to carry original copies or photocopies of your documents. Not only as they could get ruined or lost, but also must easier to send to schools/agencies online.
3) A Variety of Clothing- remember not only will you be travelling but you will also need teaching clothes. We suggest packing a number of items that can be mixed and matched to make different outfits. Clothing is expensive in Australia so you don’t want to be relying on this to heavily especially over the first few months.
4) Toiletries– Deod0rants are mainly sprays so if you like stick, then stick with it and bring a few over! Sorry guys but this is an important one for the females you come over to Australia. If you have your favourite types, bring them as they are quite different or old school products in Australia. See Australian feminine products.
5) Photos of Family and Friends – Yes you will have your laptop but there is nothing better than having a few printed photos to put in frames up in your room. Just makes your new place homey and makes your home overseas feel a little less far away. Homesickness is quite common and the 3-month rule will help you see that you are not alone.
Come back here to find out what the next five things that you should bring to Australia when moving to teach! Find the second part of this series here.
Have you thought of anything that we haven’t said yet? Let us know!
As mentioned in one of our latest blogs on the Working Holiday Visa in Australia, it is a one year visa and can be extended by doing particular work for 3-months in your first year. Most of our work is with teachers who want to teach during their first year of the 417 Working Holiday visa, but there are options during the year, where work can be done to get a 2nd Working Holiday visa in Australia.
Why would you want a Second Working Holiday Visa?
We explain to our teachers, that the 417 Working Holiday visa lets them work and travel throughout Australia for an entire year doing whatever they like. The only major stipulation is that they can only work with one employer for up to 6 months. Once the Working Holiday visa is over, it is much more difficult to stay. Likely most will need to obtain a full-time position and get sponsored by an employer. This is called the 457 Business Sponsorship visa and you are then bound to that employer and cannot work with anyone else.
The benefit of getting the Second Working Holiday visa, is it allows you to continue working as many jobs as you want in Australia, while travelling, and you are not bound to any employer. This is fantastic for teachers who are enjoying casual relief teaching, tutoring, holiday programs, and perhaps picking up jobs during vacation at a surf shop or in a bar etc. You won’t be able to do this on the Business Sponsorship visa.
So how do you obtain a Second Working Holiday Visa?
During your first Working Holiday visa, you must spend 3 months doing specified work in rural areas in Australia. For teachers this works well to complete the 3 months over the summer and term holidays.
The Specified work can be found on the Immigration site and some examples include:
picking fruits on a farm or orchard
feeding and herding cattle which are kept for commercial purposes
constructing a house
extracting ore on a mine site.
This work can be paid or volunteer work. Another fantastic organization is WWoofing where you volunteer your time to do work, and your board and food are included. There are many fantastic opportunities to travel and see the country, while WWoofing and making a difference. Plus this will assist you with your 3-months specified work towards a Second Working Holiday visa.
Just remember, the Working Holiday visa is unique and no other visa (as an overseas visitor) will give you the flexibility that you will want while travelling and working in Australia!
If you haven’t used Skype before, then you are missing out especially if you are overseas. We made the conscious decision to start using Skype with Canadian teachers interested in teaching in Australia (and UK and USA teachers) before they arrived, so that they learned about this tool early.
In one of our most recent blog articles, Homesickness while in Australia, we talk about how hard the first 3-months are, but then don’t give you many solutions to deal with this. Well one is Skype! It is FREE for you and for your family, friends, partner, etc. This means that even while teaching in Australia, you don’t have to worry about the expensive overseas calling rates, and can just use Skype. It will become your best friend and to make it even better, you can SEE them too! All you need is a webcam, or perhaps your laptop has a built in one, so it makes it feel like they are right beside you.
My suggestion is, sign up for an account now, and you will be surprised how many people are actually on it, even if you are not overseas yet. This way, when you are already on your computer, you can have a quick chat with someone too!
Ten years ago when I first travelling to Melbourne, Australia, Skype didn’t exist, or Facebook, and I was lucky to even have my family using internet regularly. Now back in Melbourne, having skype to quickly call my friends and family in Canada, makes such a difference to my enjoyment and love for living in Australia.
Have you thought about the East Coast of Australia? If not, then consider Fraser Island, the Whitsundays or the Gold Coast.
Fraser Island – largest sand island in the world
Definitely worth a visit. You get to drive on the Sandy highway, you can go up in a plane to see whales and the sand drifts, swim in a fresh water lake, explore a rainforest. Get on a tour rather than drive yourself because you need a 4WD and if you get stuck, it costs at least $150 just to get the tow truck to turn on its engine!
Whitsundays
Sailing through the Whitsunday Islands is heaven. Make sure to visit Whitehaven beach (one of the top 10 beaches in the wold) where it can’t be built on! The sand squeaks it is so fine, and the white against the turquoise waters is stunning.
We recommend a 2 or 3 day Sailing boat trip around the islands. You sleep on board, there is a captain but you help with meals. A great way to meet people but make sure to bring gravol if you get sea sick!
Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast
If you are looking for a place to chill out on the beach and no do alot, then the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast is the place to be. YOu can explore many National parks and learn how to surf, but many people just relax, take in the suns rays, do a bit of shopping, and eat nice food.
So we are getting close to the holidays – where should you go?
Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock)
Magical! That is how many describe the centre of Australia once visited. There isn’t a place like it, and if you see it the right way it will be a trip of a lifetime.
So what to see and what’s the best way to see the outback?
1) Sleep in a swag under the stairs – there is nothing like being beside the campfire looking up at the stars.
2) Walk around the Rock – they will ask if you want to climb the rock but we highly recommend that you don’t (please respect the Aboriginal Culture). Plus going around the rock is incredible.
3) Visit Kings Canyon – This is a must stop and one of the most beautiful places in Australia. The Ghost gum tree, the beehive geological formations, the hike to the very edge – there’s nothing like it!
4) Valley of the Winds – the hike through the Olgas is spectacular with views of Uluru.
5) Depending on how much time you have either go on a 3-day or 7-day tour. The 3-day Rock Tour is the best value for money and is highly recommended. If you have 7-days then start in Adelaide and go through Flinders Ranges, up to Coober Pedy (look for Opals!) and into Ayers Rock/Kings Canyon/The Olgas and we highly recommentGroovy Grape tours.
Kakadu National Park
Another great place to go and the best way is to definitely go on a tour. Adventure Tours is a good option. Make sure to go to Litchfield National Park, and Twin and Jim Jim Falls.
So what are you waiting for – book your tour today! If you have already been, tell us how you explored the area. Did we miss something?
Interesting in travelling somewhere else in Australia? Check out July Holiday Options and wait for our next article on Fraser Island, WhitSundays, and the Gold Coast.
In Australia, I spent my first job curriculum curving and tuning my ear into their accent.
Fights broke out regularly in our playground, and I was lucky if it didn’t happen in my classroom. My class was a sort of bike-crashed, cut-up and scabbed lot with teeth, and uniform going everywhere, suggesting that they were neither well supervised, nor cared for, at home.
Bar the geographical “Where is Canada?” lessons and the two-three embellished stories about bear chases and skidoo crashes, what did we learn? I used (more…)
