Useful basic skills to bring to Australia

When you migrate to Australia you will notice that the cost of services are relatively high. Services like haircut, car repairs and maintenance, plumbing and even small electical works. That is why, I would strongly suggest for you to at least have some basic knowledge if not skilled on these aspects for below reasons.

1. Auto / Car maintenance and trouble shooting. If you bought a second hand car as most of the migrants do during the settlement stage, it will be very handy to have some basic skills in car maintenance and trouble shooting. You should plan when to have your car serviced for preventive maintenance. You shouls at least have a know how on certain parts like fanbelt, top and bottom radiator hose and basic stuffs in service like spark plugs, oils, filters etc...Knowing the basics can save you some amount as getting someone to do these for you will definitely cost you 40 AUD per service at a minimum.

2. Haircut. Having your hair cut will cost between AUD 9 to 25 for men and AUD 15 to 30 for women. If you know the basic in cutting hair, it would save you about AUD 25 to 50 a month. You can invest in a haircut kit for AUD 30 in Kmart and off you go.

3. Driving. If you've been driving for quite sometime, then i congratulate you. That means half of the battle is done, you just only have to adjust for the right hand drive car and the rules in driving in Australia. Hiring a driving instructor in Australia cost about AUD 30 to 45 / hour. The cost include the use of their car and petrol together. If you're driving quite long enough, 2 to 4 hour driving sessions would be sufficient to get you through getting your driver's license.

5. Computer trouble shooting. You may also earn from this like what my cousin does. He earns AUD 30 to 50 per service or repair. If you don't have the time to do this, at least you save the amount by doing it on your own with your computer and not having to get the service of someone to do it for you and pay for it.

These is are the basic ones that I could think of based on what appears to be very vital in Australian living. Definitely once adjusted, we can all afford to pay for the services but what we are after is the savings that it could make doing it on our own. In this way, we can spend the money to some other important things to attend to.

Fight against homesick

Homesick is one of the biggest challenge for migrants to overcome especially on the early years and adjustment stage. There were some migrants who did not successfully battle over this struggle and resorted to go back to their respective home countries. There are some who passed through this and able to overcome though I think that this is a continuing challenge that all of us migrants have to get through each time. We could really not get away with this as it is really hard to forget where you had your roots grew up and where your being was molded. To help you fight homesick, here are few tips that I could share with you.

1. Always think about the reason why you migrated. Having to bear in mind the reason and the goals you set out in migrating could be very helpful whenever you are being attacked by homesick. For as long as you know that you've got so much things to do to achieve all these goals, your mind is kept busy and could block negative thoughts. If you are a parent, think about the future that you can now offer your kids and the global exposure you are giving them.

2. Building relationship to other people. Meeting new people around your area and building good relationship to them can also help out. Having some people whom you can spend some time out and enjoy the company could make your weekends busy and enjoyable. Again, block you from negative thoughts.

3. Keep the communication line open with your family and friends from your home country. There are cheap and convenient ways of keeping the communication line open. You can chat via YM (Yahoo Messenger), talk lively via Skype or even emails. Being updated on what was happening could ease out the feeling of homesickness. Talking to your friends and family very often could make you feel like you are still with them as you are totally filled in with much information about them.

4. Spend time discovering and exploring the country you migrated to. Devoting time to explore and discover about your new home could be a very interesting activity. Everything is new for you. Bear in mind that you have to be socially conscious and aware of your surroundings and event to cope up. There are so much to learn and discover which I am sure you will like especially that you migrated to a first world country.

5. Think about the benefits that you now have which you never had before. These are the things that we should be grateful for and one of the factors we considered before migrating. Examples are government subsidized health care and school fees, family allowances, more organized transpot system, workplace safety and some other free services being offered. Thinking about all these could make you realize how lucky you are to get to wherever you are and that there's no reason to turn back.

There's nothing wrong to be grateful to our mother countries. It will forever be part of who we are and what we have become. This is just a matter of moving forward to where we are better off and where the future looks brighter.

Saving Tips

Most of us migrants are aiming to see some bucks sitting on our bank account. But, how could we do this considering that we are starting a new life and a new living being a migrant? Well, its not easy but its even harder without extra amount to pull out when the need arise. Below are some tips that might help you bring in some excess on your pocket.

1. Be wise in shopping for your food and groceries. Try to shop on wet market for your weekly food. You won't only save heaps but you would also take home fresh goodies. There are also some Asian groceries that offer cheap prices of commodities.

2. Be resourceful in finding the cheapest store for stuffs you need to buy. Compare prices on catalogues if you need to buy something brand new like computers, satnav, and some useful technologies. It often happens that different shops may have different price on the same item and its up to us to find that out. You can also buy some stuffs from Ebay which will truly save you some amount. Buy only those that you truly need at this adjustment stage in migrant's life.

3. Think of a more practical family activity or leisure. Going to some parks and having some picnics could be more practical than going to shopping centres and dining out. Australia, as I mention on my previous article, offers great parks with no fee at all. Plan your destination before hand to avoid going back and forth places to save petrol.

4. As much as possible, save money to buy your own car and pay it in cash rather than pushing through a car loan. In doing so, you are save up heaps from interest as it is not worth paying for considering the fact that cars are highly depreciable.

5. Set up a bank account separate from the one that you access daily for your expenses. If it is possible, plot your weekly expenses against earnings so you would have a clear picture if how much you can save and transfer to the other savings account.

These are some tips that we found useful and I hope that you did too. These may not be applicable on certain cases but at the end of the day, I still believe that you can still think of some other ways for as long as the will to save is within you.

Navigating Your Way

When we arrive in Australia, everything we saw was new for us. Even the names of the street sounds different as what it is in our country. Its hard to travel without the help of a map. In the state of Victoria, we use Melway. For NSW is Sydway and QLD is Brisway. I know there are other maps but these are the more popular ones.

I frequently refer to Melway in Navigating Melbourne. I remember the times when I used it just to go to our local church, Centrelink and Medicare office near our suburb. I use it when I bring my family to the parks during weekends and even more when I am applying for a job. In short, its a must for a migrant to grab a map whatever state you are in.

But now, we can use an even easier, faster and more convenient means of going from one place to another by using a satnav. Satellite Navigation or Satnav for short, uses global positioning system that locates user on the road in the unit's maps database. So when you're driving, you can actually see yourself moving in the screen.

What is very cool in using satnav is the optional voice navigation that you can set on the unit. Just simply input the address where you want to go and the satnav will calculate your route and display the 3d map screen and it will guide you turn by turn until you reach your destination. I remember last April 08 when i drove from Adelaide to Melbourne 750 kms from our place. I virtually relied on my satnav and did not bother to bring the traditional map with me. It was a splendid drive without worries, tensions and stress because when you know where you are going and the satnav is saying that you are on the right track, you can spend your time not worrying but enjoying the sceneries, the music on the radio and the conversation to whoever is travelling with you.

I purchase the NAVMAN S30 Model not only because its one of the leading brand here but it also got a good price tag, more features and a sleek design as well. Its a good product to buy for starters.

5 Important things to do before coming to Australia

At last, most of those who have just received their PR visas are now preparing to come down to Australia. You might be thinking of what you need to do and where to start. Here are some tips that could possibly help and guide you on the way.

1. Settle all money matters. This might include pooling enough money to use while looking for job. Knowing that you still have something on your pocket to pull out could give peace of mind somehow. Cancel all credit cards, if there's any so not to be charged with some fees like annual and membership.

2. Get contact details of those people who you think could be your references when hunting for a job. Let them know that you are putting their details on your resume and that someone might contact them so they could be prepared enough to say good words about you.

3. File all important documents that you want to bring like marriage contract, birth certificate, baptismal, employment certificate and etc. Just think about all documents that you want to have a copy of because you would be far from where you would normally secure them from.

4. Shop for useful clothes depending on the weather upon arrival. If you think you are arriving in summer, buy more summer clothes that would fit on the allowable baggage. This could help you initially considering that you just came in and still looking for work. It might just be in time when you get your first job and be able to buy new clothes that winter outfits are on sale. In packing for your clothes and stuffs, it's more helpful to use boxes rather than briefcases as the latter will eat up much weight allowed for you.

5. Lastly, enjoy the remaining days and spend time with the people you love as it might take long before you see your mother country and those people again. Take note than when you landed on to a job, days will fly too fast for you because there are so much things to do not only at work but also at home.

I do hope that this list has helped you planning. Start ahead of time to avoid cramming and forgeting some stuffs important for you. As much as possible, do your own list of things to bring and things to do. Happy migrating!

Savvy Phone

These past few days I was too happy as I have discovered a great way to save our hard earned money in communication especially in keeping in touch with all our loved ones and friends from overseas. For those of you who may not be aware yet, I am introducing the Skypephone WP-S1. It was offered for free by Hutchison 3G Australia or 3 on the $29.00 cap/plan. I was amazed by what this mobile phone could possibly do because it does not only make you contactable anywhere you are but it allows you to call anybody who is using Skype on their computers around the world(provided you are within the Skype Broadband zone) and they are also able to call you from their PCs to your Skypephone for no charge at all! Isn't this enough reason for me to be happy about?

We've been using Skype on our laptop to call our relatives from overseas for almost a year now. We found it very valuable because it saves us a lot of money by not using our regular mobile or other phone lines. However, we found it not to be as convenient as the regular lines when calling because we need to be on our computer and access our Skype account before we could get on. Most of the time, our relatives would have to wait for us to come home to access our computer. Now, it got better because of the Skypephone. You could virtually get on to Skype wherever you go and no matter how mobile you are. This morning, I have rang my brother from overseas on his computer and the line is as clear as the regular one. He even called me up a few times on my Skypephone and while writing this blog we spoke for about 30 minutes. It's a nice feeling to speak to someone without worrying about the bills. Agree???

As what is stated on the brochure, skypephone customers got a limit of 4000 minutes of outgoing calls (thats over 60hours per month or 2 hours per day) and 10,000 chat messages (sent and received) per month. For me, 2 hours a day is way too much just to keep in touch with relatives and friends. The other good side of this is your relatives or friends can save money as well by not buying pre paid cards just to call you on your mobile when you are not on your pc. It goes to show how powerful skype is. With over ten million subscribers online, VOIP(Voice Over Internet Protocol) will be the way of the future.

I am not a technically savvy person, that is why when I chose this phone, a silly thought pop out of my mind. Could I still use skypephone to make a call onto other lines like Optus, Telstra and Vodaphone etc...? The answer is yes. It works the same as the regular mobile phones. I've tried ringing our landline and as well as my wife's mobile. It works perfect. The other question is how can I set up this phone to skype? Do I have to manually type in the user ID on my contact list? The answer is no. If you are already a skype user, simply enter your log in details on the Skype screen and all your existing Skype buddies will automatically load into your contact list. It's very much switch on and can be activated in less than 24 hours. The other good thing in switching to 3 is that they can have you maintain your original number regardless of what network it was originally from. This is very handy, though I think some other networks could also possibly do this as well.

Lastly, I just want to pop this question up. Which do you normally go for when choosing for something to buy? Is it style or functionality? When choosing or buying something, I normally go for the functionality before the style. I know that style is cool but on a more important note, most of us migrants should choose functionality because during the settlement stage, every dollar counts. The more you get savvy ways of doing things, the faster you can settle. Using 3 skypephone mobile is definitely a savvy way for a savvy migrant.

An Inspiration for Migrants

My wife and I would just want to share an inspirational message that we have truly liked and appreciated as soon as we got hold of the pocket inspiration that my wife had bought in one of the shops in Melbourne CBD. We do believe that each one of us could cling on to this message to keep holding and fighting. Here it goes:

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you
must not quit.

-ANONYMOUS-

We do hope that we have shared something valuable and will be of essence to how we deal with our struggles being a migrant. Let's NOT QUIT.

To whoever had authored this inspirational message, HAT's OFF to you. We truly adore your piece and had really made a significant impact to our outlook. DON'T QUIT.

Tips on How to Settle Fast in Australia

I would like to share with you a few tips on how migrants could settle faster in Australia. The following are sorted out based on their importance.

• Courage and Positive Attitude. There are various challenges migrants will face in their settlement stage especially if they do not have friends and relatives to guide and support them. Things like finding a job, securing a property to rent out, knowing what bus to get on to, applying for a driver's license and applying for TFN#s(tax file number)... But with courage and positive outlook in life, we will surely get things done. Don't give up. You can do it. Just take one step at a time.
  

• Be humble and be open for help. No man is an island. Some people will be glad to help you when they know that you are basically a newly arrived migrant in some ways that they can. They would be open to help as they were once on the same shoe as you are back then. They knew about the challenges and the pains you are going through. It's not surprising that some of them will give you kitchenwares, beddings, used clothings, furnitures, pram for the kids and even money. Be humble enough to accept it and thank them. That way you are about to build relationship with them. Be sure to accept their invitation for a lunch or dinner at their respective houses. Just think about this..You will be able to return the favor soon by doing the same thing to other migrants.
  

• Get a job as soon as soon as you can. Most of the challenges in the settlement are basically financial matters. Once you got a job, things will be lighter. Suddenly, you might think that you can now get a car for your transport, secure property to rent out, treat your family for some movies and nice All-you-can Eat restaurants like Smorgy's.

• Search for ways to accomplish things faster. Time is gold specially if you're living in a first world country. A good example would be having a system to pay your utilities and expenses via internet. You can set up an online account with some of the big banks here like ANZ, NAB, Commonwealth Bank & Westpac to name a few. I personally use ANZ bank for my transactions. Though i have not used the other banks, I found ANZ quite easy to use. On the other hand, Commonwealth bank is everywhere if we speak about the visibility of the ATM machines. By using the internet you can also browse some sites that of concern to you like the Australian Tax Office, Centrelink, Medicare, Vicroads or the licensing authorities in your state etc..Get all the information before you personally come to those offices so you would know what to bring in as to not waste your time.

• Be frugal. Always remember that during the settlement, everything should be basic. Don't buy luxurious things like expensive cars, LCD or plasma tv, brand new lounges, designer clothes etc... Start cheap. I recommend you to try cash converters. They are a second hand store that sells appliance like TV, DVD players, mobile phones, computers, kitchenwares etc... The price are very reasonable and suitable for a starting migrant. Ebay is also a good online auction site not to be missed. You can buy car seats for babies at bargain prices. This will save you heaps of money than buying a new one in stores. Don't also forget to book your weekend mornings for garage sales in your area. Don't be late so you could get the chance to choose. Early bird catches the worm..
  

Do all these sound FUN for you? I tell you..it may look difficult but just have some fun doing them and you won't notice that you get them all done and over with. GOODLUCK!

Migrants Watch Your Health!

New and not so new migrants in all countries are experiencing stress and sometimes depression as they adapt to the many aspects of their settlement. Factors like homesickness and lack of social life as they just starting back again. Missing friends and relatives that they left behind and also the foods and places they're used to go to. As they long to gain some new friends in their new country, its also hard to gain a good one because of cultural diversity and communication barrier.

Today its 8:40 am on a lovely Thursday morning. I am not at work but instead I am at our nearest medical center for a blood test. Yesterday morning at around 9:30 am at work, I was rushed in by my Australian co-worker to this same center and headed straight to the lab room to get my blood pressure and ECG test. The ECG test seems OK but what a shocker when I saw my blood pressure reached 160/100. That is why my face and hands are feeling numbed, i cant focus on my work, a feeling of lightheadedness and seems like i want to vomit. Immediately the' doctor gave me a free medicine to lower my blood pressure and advise me to rest until Friday.

It finally came to me that we should never ever neglect our health. I believe in the saying that health is wealth and that a migrant such as we should make health a paramount specially that we are all striving and working hard for our family's future. We should check and monitor our health as frequently as possible to avoid further ailments.

While waiting for my turn, i found this cholesterol awareness campaign leaflet and was terrified by the statistics that:

• One Australian dies every 10 minutes of cardiovascular disease.
• Around 25% of those who have a heart attack die within an hour of their first ever symptoms.
• Heart, stroke and vascular diseases account for 37.6% of all deaths.
• Over 51% of Australians over 25 years have cholesterol levels of 5.5mmol/L or more.

And the biggest surprise is You don't have to be overweight or unwell to have high cholesterol. You may look fit but aren't well.

Being a savvy migrant, we should always be guarding and be vigilant with our health. We still have a long way to go. Click here to send you to the cholesterol awareness campaign.

Savvy tips in Applying for a Job in Australia

One of the most frequently asked question by an aspiring or new migrant in Australia is the availability of jobs or work for them for obvious reason of survival. Questions like how long before a migrant can find a job, how do they start and where do they go to usually pop out of their minds. In my case, it took me around about two months to find the suitable one for me. I would say two months of job hunting may either be too long or too short depending upon how you'll look at it. It is definitely too slow for those whose skills are highly in demand like accountants, engineers, mechanics, I.T professionals, electricians, plumbers, doctors and nurses, etc.. On the other hand it could also be quick for a not so in demand overseas marketing graduate like me. Just to give you further information, within that period of my job hunting, I was really taking my time to find the right job for me as that was my chance to look for where I would really fit. My first job was a hard labor one in one of the biggest car companies here in Australia. I am not discounting the blue collar jobs as they are noble and decent jobs also, needless to say that they even earn more than the white collar jobs do at times. The point i am driving at is there will be a point that you need to find better job. Not just in terms of money which is important but a job that will develop or broaden more your skills and experience may it be in communications, sales, etc... Being a savvy migrant is not about getting whatever available job and be contented with it. Its about getting out of your comfort zone and finding what you really want in life and do whatever it takes to get it. Don't give up and pursue to live your dreams. After all, Australia is a first world country and offers lots of opportunities.

A very useful job site is www.seek.com.au and www.mycareer.com.au. These 2 websites often I've used on a daily basis in applying for the job i want. The response is good because upon using these free services, recruitment agents are sending me emails of whether i passed their initial screening or not. If i did, they will organize a best time for you and your prospective employer could meet for an interview. In short recruitment agents will be the one to fix everything right from the start. These job sites are very useful because it doesn't only gives you the latest job listed but also the current jobs which is in demand, the salary rates, and also teaches you to format your resumes. A savvy migrant should looked into in applying for a job.

Pros of choosing to live with Relative or Friends

Pros:

1. You don't need to worry about choosing and getting a rental property.
Its relatively easy to choose a rental property these days because even while you're still not in Australia, you can browse several online real estate sites to get an idea for the rental rates. Among those online real estate sites, i found www.domain.com.au to be the easiest to use. But the difficult part i can say is getting that property that you want. Real estate agents require you to be in Australia and see the property personally before they hand you the application form. Its a must that you have a stable work already for you to secure one because most of the time, 5 or more people are applying for the same property you choose. Its very difficult to get a property if you don't have a job. Real Estate agents will choose the best tenant applicant for their client. Its advantageous if you have a place to stay already because you don't have to worry about it and focus on some other aspects of migration.

2. Relatives or Friends can guide you and can give you precious advices.
While living with them, they can give you advices about the rules of the jungle. They can show you the right things to do especially while you are starting. Its like in the movie starwars. You're the apprentice and they are your obiwans.

3. It can save you a lot of money.
Since you are not renting, you don't have to worry about shelling out money for the bond and advances that real estate agent requires you. And most of the time, if you are really that close to them, they generally don't require you to pay them. Well, for the short term i should say. But its really good thing specially if you're just starting and if you and your partner don't have a job yet. Every dollar counts.

4. Free tour!.... yepee!
Australia is a beautiful country and offers a lot of spectacular views and sceneries that anyone could imagine. I would suggest that you take advantage the first weeks and or months of your stay there. They can tour you to the best spots and restos in town.