ImmilBees

I've made a massive boo boo!! I have a gut wrenching feeling whilst clearing out and packing things in boxes (we're moving in with parents to save money) I accidentally threw away my university certificate of graduation!! Im currently sorting my stuff out for my ANMAC assessment, and it says there's a form you can complete if you can't find your certificate. But what about once I want to get a job in Aus? I assume like the UK they'll want to see evidence of my qualifications??? anyone know what I can do?

Ha ha thanks guys, think I was feeling quite sorry for myself when I posted this, I did suck it up and get on with it in the end. Bibbs kudos to you 15yrs without a sick day. This is probably the first time in 3 years I've had a "day off" I say it in quotation marks as I'm on Mat leave. I just worry about these things, but it's unnecessary worrying, we're so close knit I know we'll muddle through x

Hi all I'm in the process of doing my ANMAC assessment, I have everything now apart from the reference from work. I'm on maternity leave and feel uncomfortable ringing my boss to say can you write me a reference so I can leave the country!! I'd at least like to be back for a couple of weeks first (February i'm due back) but my husband is worried that we'll run out of time on the ANMAC application. I know you have 12 weeks from receiving results to registering the EOI. But does anyone know if there's a time limit on how long you take to get the info together?? Thanks Claire

This may be better in the expat part, but today I've been beaten by my cold, I ache, I'm cold and shivery, sore throat the lot. My husband has had to come and get the kids and drop them at his mums and I have taken to my bed! But what do you do when you're on your own?? This is one of my worries, we live an hour away from family anyway (luckily hubby works near them) I suppose he'd have to stay at home and take the day off, or my oldest will be in school and the baby will be at kindy by then and I won't have to worry anyway! I try not to rely on family at the moment as it's just ammo to show we might not cope. I'm guessing your friends become your people to fall back on. Let's just hope I've made enough friends before I need them! Or that I just don't catch a cold in the Aussie sunshine!

Forgive me for being a bit dim here but, of all the options given I think I only know who or what a magistrate is! Who did you get to sign your declaration for ANMAC and how did you go about contacting them? Thanks in advance

Hi Lauren from what I have read and heard experience counts for nothing. They want the degree, though my friend I worked with in ITU who recently got turned down for her registration was offered the bridging course that she could do in this country. She said it didn't look like it took too long, but as she's close to completing her degree anyway she turned it down. it took them a year though to let her know of the decision, so it's worth applying ASAP to find out where you stand xx

Ashen Louise and Clairej456. I too have had this discussion with my husband we've also decided that if worst comes to it I will work as an NA while I do my bridging course, but just to let you know, my friend who is in this country still has just got her reply after a year from AHPRA which incidentally was a no due to being diploma trained. They offered her the bridging course and she said it looked like it didn't take that long to complete (less than a year) and can be done from this country. She turned it down though as she has almost completed her degree anyway so is just going to reapply. We're not hoping to make the move until Feb 2016 so I'm going to apply for my pin in the new year and see what happens xx

Thanks, she's hell bent on the fact that she won't visit, so I don't know, luckily we're only at the beginning of the whole process, so she's got time, to at least come round to the idea even if she can't accept it. That must be really hard for your children, to feel like that. This is what i'm trying to get across to my mum, she has another grandaughter and all the time she's saying things like, her life will be empty, and I don't know what it's like to have your grandchildren taken away. It's just going to make my niece feel rejected. And then she really will have no one. I'm hoping she will come and visit and see it was the best thing, but at the moment she won't even contemplate the plane journey let alone a 4-6 week holiday with us.. because she has the dog!!

Hi all just wondered if any of your situations have changed?? Mine hasn't at all, it got to the point where I think my mum went into total denial, she didn't bring up the issue, and neither did I thinking that allowing her time to get her head round it might help....Well I was wrong she started making plans for the future like building a summer house for the kids and asking about schools etc, so eventually I had to put her straight and subtly said, I cant make plans yet as I don't know what country i'll be in. She started crying again like it was brand new information, again saying do i realise i'll never see her again if i go, and that i'm breaking her heart doing this. I tried to get her to see the positives, and the opportunities we could be giving the kids. But she said she can't think like that, her life will be empty (despite she has another grandchild 5 minutes down the road) all she can do is cry and she'll never get over this ever!! so that's that what more can I say or do?

Are you just moving wards? Your current employer is the NHS, not the ward you work for from a HR point of view. For example, I have just taken 9 months maternity leave, and got the full maternity package despite only being in my team for 9 months, the reason I got the full package is because I have been in employment with the NHS for 8years. That is what they count, not your place of work but the company you worked for. Same as you could work in the planning department for the local council, for 6 years and then move to the finance department for 6 months, but you never left the council, who are your employers. Does that make sense? So if you stay on good terms with your old boss, you could ask him/her to write your reference, on the basis they have known you longer x

OMG yes I had the same thing I originally wanted to be a midwife, but it meant going to a uni away from home, so I got all the emotional blackmail as to how far away it was, and how would I pay for things, and I don't drive so it means I can't get home. I look at my friends who went to university in Wales, or Brighton, fellow nurses who have come over from Ireland to train. Or friends I have that are currently travelling around Sri lanka, Japan, and Canada, and feel a pang of jealousy they have had that freedom. We moved a year ago 1hr up the road and my mum cried for about 2 months over that, and made some snipey remark each time she visited for the first 6 months like there were lots of lorries on the road it was awful or that the weather was much nicer when she left this morning. at the end of the day the more she fights the more she is pushing me away, and if we don't go for whatever reason it won't ne a victory for her as I'd only be remembering the lack of support I got. Hope things make a turn around for you, just remind yourself of all the reasons you're going and keep positive people around you xx

Hi I done the academic version. I got my results I scored 8.5 overall. I think that the listening and speaking test is the same the reading and writing are different. I'm not 100% on that though. Results were available on line after 13 days and I received them in the post 3 days later. From what I've read skills assessments (my one anyway) takes 12-16 weeks. I think as soon as you've got those parts done the decision on the EOI is instant as to whether or not you can apply for the visa. i don't know how long the actual visa takes I'm way off that part

Hi all thanKs for the replies really touched to see how it affects everyone. Yes I do have children, we have 2, one 4yrs and one 4months. I think this is most of her issue, as it wasn't that she'd miss me, it was "you don't know how it feels to have your grandchildren taken away from you" I find that hard to swallow as I think it's not like they're being put into care, and they're not her's to take away from they're my children, and they're not property they're people! Theyre embarking on a new life with their stable loving parents! If she met someone and wanted to move away, I wouldn't cry and say you're taking my mum away. I'd be happy for her that she's found happiness. personally I think it's pure selfishness, she's always been like it, she cried when I told her I was moving out at 18, in with friends, gave me all the reasons why I wouldn't cope how my uni course would suffer, so I stayed, and then moved in with my boyfriend (who is now my husband) at 20 instead. I resent her now as I've never had that feeling of independence of standing on my own two feet dealing with bills etc, having somewhere to call my own. I hope I'm making sense?! And now australia is me making my own decision and not letting her tears guilt me into putting her feelings first. For once I'm putting me first. Yes I have a happy marriage, but we're by no means "comfortable" we don't own a house, we have decent jobs but it's not enough to pay childcare, save for a deposit have a family holiday etc. if There's a chance Australia can give us that(and from what we've researched it can) then I feel she should be supporting not suppressing! She has also said to me that if I go I'll never see her again. Even though we will visit England and we have offered to pay for her flight to us, her response was, it's too far, if we were meant to fly we'd have wings, and staying for 4-6 weeks is out of the question as she has the dog! cant argue with that can I! Xx

@Ammio1, I'm sorry it's got as far as you going and you still can't talk about it. I keep going to say things related to the move and stop in my tracks because I realise who i'm talking to, I just got my IELTS results today and she doesn't even know i've taken the test! If you ever want to inbox me then go ahead. I've decided that I will only resent her if I don't go, and that will be worse as I will still be in this country and not talking to her, so at least if I go I can see for myself whether it would've worked or not. Good luck xx

Hi I can't believe I forgot what day it was today, we went out for the day, and I have only just got in. I got an 8.5 overall 9 for listening 8.5 Reading, 8.5 speaking and 8 for writing, so I get the 20 points I needed for my Visa. Ninny tell your husband, not to be too disappointed though I know how disheartened I would be, a lot of people end up taking retests and end up with much better scores. Jac2011, well done to you too.

Thank you. At the moment she quite clearly said she doesn't want to know, so I don't feel I can even try to talk to her about it, but I am starting to feel if I stayed for her I would resent her, and I know she wouldn't want that. i understand this is a big thing for her, but I feel like she's acting like the only one who's suffering. My dad also had the chance and didn't do it, so did my in laws so they're all really supportive. Even if she doesn't like the idea or accept it, I'd still like to share things with her. Theres 7 steps to the grieving process if she's in denial now I've got 6 steps to go until acceptance!

Did anyone else fall out with family or have family just refuse to acknowledge your decision to move? Of all people my mum is making this very hard for me, I go through different emotions of anger how can she be so selfish, stubbornness thinking im not backing down as she'll win, to guilt is it really worth it to loose a member of your family over? When we told her, she brushed over the subject, so I told her again a few weeks later, she cried, she begged me not to go, asked how I could take her grandchildren away from her. She didn't talk to me for an hour, told me it was a stupid idea. (I wish my husband was there too now to back me up) Then that was it, we haven't spoken of it since, it's like this big Australian sized elephant in the room, I want to come out with things like I done my IELTS test and our plans and I don't. To spare her feelings I suppose. But then I think she's not sparing mine making it this hard for me. We offered to pay for her flight over to visit she didnt want to know, we said she can get a holiday visa and stay for 6-8wks she said that wasn't possible because of the dog. The flights too far she'll never see me again! (Despite the fact we will be visiting UK) People say oh she'll come round, but My nan asked her what she knew about our plans and her response was, I don't know, I'm not interested in what they have to say, I don't want to know so I don't ask, I don't want to talk about it! its been 5 months now, I'm not saying she should be putting on A party but at least accept it's happening!

Only 2 days to go. I counted the days wrong (good job it wasn't a maths test!) I'm gonna be checking that website from midnight!

Lying in bed working out at what point we need to send our shipment container to Oz how do we know where to send it to?

Well when I was talking she kept writing 8.5 down so I'm hoping for speaking I got an 8.5, the writing maybe lower, because I'm not sure I answered the question right so maybe an 7.5/8 again on the reading I'm hoping for an 8 but that was my weakest one so maybe at least a 7.5, the listening I'll be disappointed if I didn't get a 9 as for me that was by far the easier. It sounds silly to say they were hard, I would say tricky, I'm so glad I revised and read the advice parts, which I recommend you do. I done the Academic one, and only need a 7 for my skills assessment, but the higher the better for my visa. We'll see I'll keep you posted.

Hi I too done my test on Saturday, as above said you write your answers in the question booklet, and then transfer them over at the end. 10 minutes is plenty of time to do this. It's not a case of a,b,c some answers are words some are numbers some letters. Also the speed at which it is spoken surprised me, I don't know why as I done the practice tests. Also so I would advise with the reading, that you read the first two to three questions then scan the paragraphs for your answers, the questions are in order that the information appears in the paragraphs. This tip was given to us by the examiner, and people that chose to read all the text first then answer questions, we're told to start writing answers down or they would run out of time. I took their advice and done it but by bit, and just about had 5 minutes of checking time left over. An hour to read 6 pages in total, plus re scan that information to answer 40 questions goes quicker than you realise. The writing the only advice I have is that you don't lose marks for going over your word count, you do for going under. And the speaking threw me the most, they just advise that it'll be a conversation, they actually asked me opinions on political subjects! And I wasn't prepared for that. I panicked and waffled on the question they asked me, but I think they allow for you to pause and think of an your answer, so breathe compose and then speak. good luck x

All great advice thank you guys. I didn't think of the fact Aus homes are bigger, so yes that's a good point bringing it all might actually save us money in the long run x

Ok, thanks, I know sometimes with these things you might be lucky and they tell you 13 days as a max but post results after maybe 6 or 7! Suppose I'll have to find something to fill the time x

Oh great thanks guys. I mentioned my thoughts to my husband and he agreed we may end up taking more than we bargained for. But that if we took a container though we might as well take the old stuff to fill it. So I'll let him know about this. Thank you much appreciated xx

We're early on the process yet, but I'm wondering if we're making the right decision to take nothing with us. We're basically taking pictures without frames, (only special ones) and clothes. We're renting and planning on going to a holiday let to start with which will be fully furnished. Then once we've found a long term rental, going out and getting everything we need (we have factored this into the amount of money we need to take) All of our stuff is old so if we were moving to a new house we'd be buying new anyway so we figured why bring an old bed and mattress and pay for the container when we can buy new. Same with sofas. We rent at the moment do don't own a fridge/freezer washing machine etc, so again would have to buy new anyway. So all that leaves is the telly really can't take the sky box, and again it's not worth shopping a TV over. I want to take bedding, I'm also thinking my little girls toys and teddies. Now I'm thinking what else may I regret not taking? Did anyone else go with nothing but felt they should've taken more. I'm thinking sentimental really xx