So you are teaching in Australia and want to know where to stop in? Have you already checked out China? Vietnam? Other countries?
Don’t forget before you leave – Purchase the Japan Rail pass! You cannot get this once in Japan.
If going for 5 to 7 days, we recommend starting in Tokyo and heading down to Kyoto as well.
Day 1: Tokyo
Fish Market; Meiji-Jingu shrine, shopping for electronics in Akihabara, and that night, heading to Shibuya Crossing for all the lights, busy street corners etc.
Day 2: Road trip to Kyoto
You can stop to see Mt. Fuji but in the winter, you might not have much luck seeing it! Once in Kyoto, head to Nishiki Market; and the Ponto-cho (night market).
Day 3: Kyoto
Go to all the Temples in S.Higashiyama. Also go to the Imperial Palace and the Gion region for the Geisha dancing.
Day 4: Kinosaki
Head to Kinosaki from Kyoto for the Onsens (hot baths!). In this town, they have 5 hot baths in the village that anyone can go to, plus you can get a private hot bath in certain accommodation.
Day 5: Tokyo
Head back to Tokyo. Fit in any more temples, markets, museums, etc. that you can!
6) A Backpack – so often when I pick up teachers at the airport, they show up with big refrigerator size suitcases. What you will find out quickly is that having a backpack when travelling in Australia is essential. It is not like Europe, most attractions in Australia are outdoors and require hiking, walking, swimming, etc. Not an easy thing to do with a rollie suitcase! Save yourself having to buy one, and make sure one of your bags you pack for Australia is a backpack.
7) Electric converter – If you didn’t know, Australia’s voltage is 220V but more importantly, the spokes are angled. You don’t need a large one if you already have an adapter on your laptop (which most do!). Also DO NOT bring a hair dryer or hair straightener. Doesn’t matter what you do, it will blow up! So leave it at home.
8.) Laptop – or any other technology. If you don’t know, electronics in Australia are super expensive so come prepared!
9) Mobile/Cell phone – If you have a phone with a SIM card, get your phone unlocked and bring it with you. It will save you from buying a phone and you will only need to buy a SIM card.
10) Bring half the stuff, double the money – this is usually the advice when going on holiday, but I think it is even more important when moving overseas. Although you want to make sure to have the critical things, there is no point bringing everything but the kitchen sink! There will always be things you will need as you get used to the climate and the type of activities you are doing.
We hope this has been helpful for you.
If you have other things that you found helpful when moving to Australia or something you know you won’t leave home without, let us know!
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!
All you need to know about the Working Holiday Visa when coming to Australia:
You must be under 31 to be eligible for the Working Holiday Visa (WHV),
Only certain countries are eligible (go to www.immi.gov.au) for more information.
It is a one year visa and you can only work with one employer for up to 6 months (this means if you get hired with a school then you can only work with them for 6-months and then you would need to have the school sponsor you (457 Business Sponsorship visa) if they wanted to keep you longer.)
To get a second WHV, you must work a minimum of 3 months in an agricultural setting in Australia while on your first Working Holiday visa. It will need to be signed off and you then can get a second one-year working holiday visa.
The WHV is the only visa you can work as many jobs as you want, so take advantage of this (ex. you could be teaching in a school, tutoring on the side, working at a bar on the weekends, working at a surf shop over the school holidays).
The WHV can be applied for online and doesn’t take too long to get approval.
Keep your approval email somewhere safe, as you might need your visa details if you do end up applying for any other visas.
For any additional information, go to www.immi.gov.au. We also have other information on what to consider when moving to Australia and more specifically to Melbourne.
In July it is Winter in Australia which actually means great things when it comes to travel. Not only as teachers do you have 2 weeks off at the beginning of July, but you have so many places to choose from to visit.
In this series of blogs we will discuss a number of good places to visit in July. If you are interested in any of the places or tours, then contact us and we can help you arrange a memorable trip!
Trips in Australia
1) Uluru (Ayers Rock)
2) Fraser Island
3) Whitsundays
4) Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast
5) Kakadu National Park
Watch here for details on each of the July holiday trips in Australia.
When I moved to take a teaching job in Australia with my partner we had no one on the other side to help us. Even though we had each lived abroad internationally previously—and
Flinders Train Station, Melbourne
even though we were moving to an English-Speaking country—it was extremely intimidating. (But that’s another story you can read about in About the Teach’N’Traveller Blog!) We wanted to make sure we had enough money to set-up our new home and to tide us through the months where we might not have any income. We were so glad we did!
Initially I wasn’t making any money:
I signed up with a recruiting company at the time, but found the CRT work they gave me depressing, and in horrendous schools (where there was literally ZIPPO discipline and follow up from the school leadership). Furthermore, I had already done heaps of supply work in Canada as an “Emergency Supply”. I was tired of supply teaching and I wanted the opportunity to develop a rapport and to teach a full course.
If we weren’t making any money How did We Afford to stay in Melbourne?
First of all, there are a number of ways to conserve in cash, keeping money for the important things—like traveling Oz! But we’d planned for our trip overseas to be about traveling (even more than teaching). We brought with us some travel cash and some funds we saved in order to get us through the initial lack of income. There were a few start-up costs/differences to Canadian expenses that we hadn’t thought about either. You can read about those on this blog too.
How Not Planning my Schedule Around The Australian School Calendar Affected my Income:
Another reason I didn’t make any money was that I didn’t know about the teaching holidays when I came to Australia at the end of August. I arrived at the end of Term 3 (so I could enjoy my summer holiday in Canada). Naturally, the schools were going right into a 3 week break in September, returning in October I teach high school. Term 4 is consists of review and exams. (The Year 12s only have 2 weeks of classes!)
I Started Making Money…When:
I had to be a bit more flexible and take a job teaching Year 8 that I wasn’t
My First Adventure, WA
interested in so much—but I really wanted the money and ultimately, it was a great chance to get my foot in the door and get some experience with the foreign curriculum. It seriously enhanced my already-pretty-good-resume.
All-in-All, I recommend:
You’ll have to also plan for the cost of flights and medical insurance. These can cost between $2000-3000. Usually this is the money you save first. If you have been planning to come to Oz, this money will be taken care of already. But what you should also bring is…
Don’t stress about money when you arrive in a new country. Bring about $4000 start-up cash. Remember: you are coming to travel first and foremost. If you don’t have this attitude, you’d be better off staying in Canada to work.
When you sign on a rental lease in Australia, you have to pay a bond. You’ll need to bring some money for this too.
If all this money saving scares you, you probably really need to re-think your reasons for moving overseas.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s TOTALLY possible to save money while teaching in Oz—I’m living proof. But, don’t forget: you probably get a job teaching in Timmins, Ontario – or any other small town. You are moving to Australia to TRAVEL and EXPLORE—do ease your adventurous side. The bang-a-rang kick is: that you’re a teacher, so you can make money in your profession at the SAME TIME! So save the peace-of-mind-cash and come and enjoy yourself. Because, this place is amazing. **NB: You can also save on these funds by coming at certain times of the year. Of course, you can also make more money at certain times of the year. Leading Out will tell you all about how.
On my first day of a Canadian teacher’s college in 2005, we were told that 95% of teachers quit teaching within their first five years.
Consider the differences before you leave Canada
I haven’t had the same experience living and teaching in Australia.
I really believe this is because in Canada, there is so little time to “recover” from long days and 20 week terms. As much as I love teaching, I often feel like an open drain, with a tap constantly running.
The Australian holiday term gives both the students and the teachers more frequent breaks from each other, allowing students to mature throughout the year, and for the relationship to be more productive.
Yet, there are a few differences in the Australian school day that would irk some secondary teachers, unless they are prepared for them.
Three Differences you should be prepared for: (more…)
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…)
