Everyday Life in Australia after you have arrived in your new country

TotoyOZresident · November 2011

Everyday Life in Australia
link:http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/everyday-life/

After you have arrived in your new country, there are many things to learn. The links below provide help on many aspects of everyday life.

1. Education
The education system in Australia is open to all people. It offers an opportunity for all age groups and levels of ability. You can get into any level of education if you have the entry requirements. If at first you do not reach the entry standard, then you can do other study to get to the standard. Help is available for all people who suffer disadvantage.

School is compulsory for all children aged between five and fifteen years. These ages may vary slightly in some states. The government provides public schools. Churches and other groups provide private schooling. Public schooling is free and users pay fees for private schooling.
Note: Students holding temporary visas may be required to pay full school fees. Check with individual schools for details.

The positions in higher education have entry levels that students must achieve to get them. The people most likely to succeed get the positions first. Some students start when they finish school. Other students start study later as an adult.

Many employers provide training that helps their employees to do their job. You may do a study course for interest only. People living in Australia are encouraged to join in and gain more education throughout their life.

2. Family life
In all parts of Australia, people place a lot of importance on family life. We value family and the family regulates much of the way we live our day-to-day life. There are many groups close to where you live that offer help for families. The groups are government, church and community based. The support services that are on offer relate to all aspects of life and are too many to list here. Instead, this page gives you some useful links to web pages where you will find more links to further sources of help. You can also search on Family or Community in the yellow pages to find details of services in your part of Australia.

3. Health
Australian people enjoy a high level of good health. The nation has quality housing, water and sanitation, and an adequate supply of food and medicines. Health care in Australia follows western traditions with technical and scientific skills used to prevent, examine and treat ill health. People coming to Australia have health checks before entering the country as another way to keep us as a healthy nation.

You can find details of medical services listed in the Yellow Pages telephone book under the name of the service you seek.

You can access emergency ambulance help by ringing 000.

You can use interpreter support when you deal with health services. The health service will arrange the interpreter for you if you ask for such help.

4. Housing
Australian cities offer a wide range of housing options. The range is from a single house on a block of land in the suburb of a big city or a flat in a high-rise block in an inner city area to a house on a large block of land in a rural area. Typically, Australians want to have their own house and land. They will often rent before they choose to buy a home or decide where to live. The price of housing will vary a lot between cities and within each city. Most people live in the suburbs of the state capital cities. They like to live close to where they work, go to schools, access community facilities and use leisure areas.

Country towns and regional cities are smaller and widely separated. Life in a country town is more relaxed and less expensive than in a big city. Housing is usually more available for people who choose to work and live in towns away from capital cities.

5. Recreation
We live in a country of wide-open spaces with a good climate that makes outdoor pastimes easy to enjoy. Sport and outdoor recreation are a way of life to share with family and friends; a way of life that is a healthy balance between work and play. We live in a country of cities with theatres, museums, sports fields and galleries; where people can meet to enjoy sports events and artistic shows. We are a land of people who have come from other countries and brought their music, dance, art and other fun parts of their culture with them.

The recreation and cultural pastimes on offer to us are many, diverse and are too many to list here. Instead, this page gives you some useful links to web pages where you will find more links to further sources of help. You can also search for 'Recreation' or 'Tourism' in the yellow pages to find details of services in your part of Australia. Local media will advertise current events held where you live.

6.Transport
Australia is a vast nation with many of its cities and towns separated by large distance. Even within cities and towns, there is a need for transport to get from place to place. Public transport is transport that someone else owns and you pay to use it for a set journey. Many forms of public transport exist. They are easy to find, to access and at a good price. Private transport is transport that you own and use as you wish. Most Australians have cars and motor bikes that they use with our road system, for private transport. Walking and cycling are other options that you have. Most people regard hitchhiking, that is getting a free ride with a stranger in their car, as an unsafe form of transport.

7. Work
Everyone in Australia has the right to share in and enjoy the Australian lifestyle. This includes the right to work and earn wealth. That wealth helps you to enjoy the pleasure of a free and equal society. We all expect each other to contribute to and share in Australia's wealth. The government taxes the income that you earn to provide for the common good of all Australians.

The Australian labour market can be very competitive. How quickly you can find a job in Australia depends on economic factors, qualifications and skills, the type of work you are seeking, and particular circumstances which may affect the availability of certains types of work in different parts of the country.

The government sets laws on wages and work conditions. The laws ensure a fair and just work life. The laws are about the types of legal agreements that define the work relationship between employers and employees. They vary between collective bargaining of unions to individual common law contracts. The agreements determine the amount paid to an employee, the hours worked and conditions such as safety, leave, allowances, training, anti discrimination and more. Australia has a long tradition of strong support for work laws. This makes the work place fair, safe and productive so that both employers and employees earn rewards for their effort.

If you do not already have a source of income or a job available, and provided your visa allows it, you will need to look for work. Approval to migrate does not guarantee a job.

tootzkie · November 2011

very informative.

mimaahk · November 2011

thanks for the info @totoyOZresident!

RClem · January 2012

To those who are already in OZ, what are the several hard things you got accustomed to?

ethanjacob · August 2013

To those who are already in OZ, what are the several hard things you got accustomed to?

I would say a bit of culture shock slapped us after arrival. Although we have done our homework and read as much as we can about OZ before moving in, iba pa rin talaga ung first hand experience. Dito very straighforward mga tao, especially at work- my point being wala silang pakialam kung mapahiya ka o masaktan damdamin mo so you have to develop a "very thick skin" otherwise, you will fall victim to your own feeings. Another one would be communication skills. Alam nating magsalita ng english (that's why we were able to come here anyway) pero iba ang accent ng mga aussies, more like british. I used to speak with a flat american accent pero hirap sila makaintindi minsan and their slang is endless so you have to deal with every slang one at a time. Nakatulong sa akin ung workmate kong madaldal and who loves to have conversations about anything under the sun, though mostly political and technical so I learned a lot from him. Best advice, practice learning their accent and slang by constantly speaking with aussies.

So you won't end up speaking what you want to say in your mind (in tagalog) then converting it to english with your mouth :-t

nfronda · August 2013

To those who are already in OZ, what are the several hard things you got accustomed to?

I would say a bit of culture shock slapped us after arrival. Although we have done our homework and read as much as we can about OZ before moving in, iba pa rin talaga ung first hand experience. Dito very straighforward mga tao, especially at work- my point being wala silang pakialam kung mapahiya ka o masaktan damdamin mo so you have to develop a "very thick skin" otherwise, you will fall victim to your own feeings. Another one would be communication skills. Alam nating magsalita ng english (that's why we were able to come here anyway) pero iba ang accent ng mga aussies, more like british. I used to speak with a flat american accent pero hirap sila makaintindi minsan and their slang is endless so you have to deal with every slang one at a time. Nakatulong sa akin ung workmate kong madaldal and who loves to have conversations about anything under the sun, though mostly political and technical so I learned a lot from him. Best advice, practice learning their accent and slang by constantly speaking with aussies. So you won't end up speaking what you want to say in your mind (in tagalog) then converting it to english with your mouth :-t

Like this one.. True, pag palagi kang nakikipagconvo sa mga aussie madali kang matuto at makakaintindi sa mga slangs nla. One of my example na lg is mga nkakabatang kapatid ko. Both of them are in high school, sobrang bilis nlang matuto sa aussie slang kasi kausap nla palagi is mga aussie. Also sa sister ko, she is working in a cruise ship at lahat ng kasama nya aussie, magalng na sya mag aussie speaking kahit kmi kung minsan hndi na makakaintindi sa kanya. Pro ang dad ko na 4 years na dito, hirap pa rin sa aussie language kasi halos lahat kasama nya sa work ay pinoy.

TotoyOZresident · August 2013

To those who are already in OZ, what are the several hard things you got accustomed to?

I would say a bit of culture shock slapped us after arrival. Although we have done our homework and read as much as we can about OZ before moving in, iba pa rin talaga ung first hand experience. Dito very straighforward mga tao, especially at work- my point being wala silang pakialam kung mapahiya ka o masaktan damdamin mo so you have to develop a "very thick skin" otherwise, you will fall victim to your own feeings. Another one would be communication skills. Alam nating magsalita ng english (that's why we were able to come here anyway) pero iba ang accent ng mga aussies, more like british. I used to speak with a flat american accent pero hirap sila makaintindi minsan and their slang is endless so you have to deal with every slang one at a time. Nakatulong sa akin ung workmate kong madaldal and who loves to have conversations about anything under the sun, though mostly political and technical so I learned a lot from him. Best advice, practice learning their accent and slang by constantly speaking with aussies. So you won't end up speaking what you want to say in your mind (in tagalog) then converting it to english with your mouth :-t

Well done Mate!

bananapeel · August 2013

Dito very straighforward mga tao, especially at work- my point being wala silang pakialam kung mapahiya ka o masaktan damdamin mo so you have to develop a "very thick skin" otherwise, you will fall victim to your own feeings.

you're right, they are straightforward and pinoys are not used to that. but based on my experience, they do not mean to offend or hurt you, in fact, words are carefully chosen in order not to come up too strong. i guess it's only the way they say it and ye, at times pinoys can be very sensitive.

australia has changed me a lot. i've mellowed down. sa pinas kelangan madalas palaban, pero dito chill lang

share ko lang experience ko sa work. diba sanay tayo sa pinas that when we need something we chase it by making follow ups, as in kukulitin mo. nun bago ako, me kinulit ako dahil kelangan ko sa report ko. hala! kinausap ako ng manager ko kase nagcomplain daw na hinaharass ko sya

( and so i learned that you make gentle follow ups, kung wala e di iescalate mo sa higher ups, wag ikaw ang mangulit.. kaya chill lang lagi para no stress

TotoyOZresident · August 2013

Dito very straighforward mga tao, especially at work- my point being wala silang pakialam kung mapahiya ka o masaktan damdamin mo so you have to develop a "very thick skin" otherwise, you will fall victim to your own feeings.
you're right, they are straightforward and pinoys are not used to that. but based on my experience, they do not mean to offend or hurt you, in fact, words are carefully chosen in order not to come up too strong. i guess it's only the way they say it and ye, at times pinoys can be very sensitive.

australia has changed me a lot. i've mellowed down. sa pinas kelangan madalas palaban, pero dito chill lang

share ko lang experience ko sa work. diba sanay tayo sa pinas that when we need something we chase it by making follow ups, as in kukulitin mo. nun bago ako, me kinulit ako dahil kelangan ko sa report ko. hala! kinausap ako ng manager ko kase nagcomplain daw na hinaharass ko sya ( and so i learned that you make gentle follow ups, kung wala e di iescalate mo sa higher ups, wag ikaw ang mangulit.. kaya chill lang lagi para no stress

Pero kapag sila naman nangulit sabihin mabagal ka sa work. Hehe... ganito technik dyan kapag magbibigay ka ng work isulat mo ang Date sa gilid sa front ng papel kung may mark-up ka. Gawa ka ng sarili mong record book lagay mo dun date at time kung kailan mo binigay ang trabaho sa kanila. Sa umaga ka magtanung kumustahin mo muna sila bago mo kumustahin ang work nila. Dapat in a nice way ang pag follow up iwasan ang pagka aggresive na tanung at kilos. Always says Thanks kada makikiusap ka at kung natapos ang kanilang work sayo always says "fanstatic" "great" "well done" "very good" "awesome" "Thanks". Kung mali ka man dapat mag Sorry ka lagi or apologies. Sabihin mo agad kung priority or urgent yung trabaho para kung urgent man yun ang kanilang uunahin. Kaya ko naman sinabi na maglagay ka ng date kulay red pen para malaman nila kung kailan mo binigay sa kanila ang work. Para kapag tinanung ka ng supervisor mo at least may patunay kana yun ang date na binigay mo sa kanila. Kapag mabagal sila ang supervisor mo ngayun ang kakausap sa kanila. Cheers

bananapeel · September 2013

what i do now is when i make a gentle follow up at walang action, my next email will cc their managers. and it works because i report directly to the GM at sila ang sisitahin pag di nila napakilos ang tao nila.

sa totoo lang, madaming tamad esp mga puti kaya dapat tamang diskarte . wala sila ng "malasakit sa trabaho" na innate sa mga pinoy. di naman siguro lahat, but i have encountered a lot in the past.

nfronda · September 2013

@bananapeel..yes I agree with u, most of the puti are tmad.. sila ang tipong utos d2 utos dyan.. nangyari na sakin how many times na ngkasagutan kmi ng senior ko ksi wla na sa lugar ang utos nya.. den after how many times na naulit ang sagutan namin inereport ko na sa manager ko.. ayun, after nun hndi na naulit at hndi nya na ako inuutusan ng mga gwain na wla sa duties and responsibilities ko.. Dati kasi sunud sunuran lg ako ehh..Pro ngaun hndi na..

icebreaker1928 · September 2013

hmmmm... parang kabaliktaran naman sa workplace ko...
mga officemates ko masisipag lalo na mga puti...
straightforward din sila magsalita pero iniisip nila sasabihin nila in a way na hindi sila makakasakit.

nfronda · September 2013

hmmmm... parang kabaliktaran naman sa workplace ko...
mga officemates ko masisipag lalo na mga puti...
straightforward din sila magsalita pero iniisip nila sasabihin nila in a way na hindi sila makakasakit.

Swerte m at masisipag kasama mong mga puti.. Anyway, my masisipag at my tmad din.. Cguro hndi lg ako maswerteng nagkaroon ng masipag na senior. Even one of my workmate, sinasabi nya na tamad silang mga puti, gusto nla holiday lg plagi..

Ang maganda namn sa aussie boss ay my consideration at nasa kanila talaga ang mind your own business na motto. Wla silang pakialam sa gnagawa mo at kung anu ang gusto mong gawin as long na hndi sila ma agrabyado sa mga gnagawa mo ok lg sa kanila. Den, kng magkakasagutan mn kayo, after dat wla na.. Ok na ang lahat.

avelinodg · October 2013

Middle East Dubai V.S Australia....... Difference?

Hello po sa inyong lahat;
baka po merong mga kabayan dito na nanggaling na muna sa middle east like UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) Qatar... bago nakapunta sa Australia... ano po ba ang masasabi niong difference sa middle east vs Australia... interms po sa general living with family and kids ages 7 & 1...

We are planning na mag shift kc sa western para maiba naman.... sa Digital Printing po ang nature ng work ko..billboards posters lahat ng klase ng digital prints...

may mga vacancy bang trabaho na katulad dyan sa AU.. malaking tulong po sa amin kung mabigyan nio kami ng idea lalo nasa cost of living monthly, simpleng buhay lang din kami di mahilig gumimik... salamat

KurikongSaTumbong · October 2013

To those who are already in OZ, what are the several hard things you got accustomed to?

Sa totoo lang wala eh kasi puro hirap dinanas ko sa Pinas kaya lahat madali na in comparison haha - ang lapit lang ng trabaho ko sa bahay dati sa Pinas 13 KM lang pero dalawang oras ako nagmamaneho makapasok lang mas matagal pag umambon kasi hanggang leeg ang baha (exaggerated lang hehe). Tapos 1/4 ng sweldo ko sa tax napupunta pero wala naman akong nakikitang napupuntahan ng tax ko napupunta lang sa mga kabit ng politiko haha.

Pero seriously eh first few weeks lang naman mahirap dito tulad ng paghahanap ng matitirahan, ng kotse, pagaasikaso ng mga license, medicare, etc., pagbili ng mga gamit sa bahay at paghahanap ng trabaho. Pag na accomplish na yan madali na pagkatapos lalo na pag sanay ka na walang katulong sa bahay maning mani lang lahat. Yung mga mahilig mag reklamo na mahirap dito eh malamang mga multi-millionaire sa Pinas yan na lima katulong sa bahay at hindi sanay mag exert ng konting effort.

JCsantos · October 2013

Sa totoo lang wala eh kasi puro hirap dinanas ko sa Pinas kaya lahat madali na in comparison haha - ang lapit lang ng trabaho ko sa bahay dati sa Pinas 13 KM lang pero dalawang oras ako nagmamaneho makapasok lang mas matagal pag umambon kasi hanggang leeg ang baha (exaggerated lang hehe). Tapos 1/4 ng sweldo ko sa tax napupunta pero wala naman akong nakikitang napupuntahan ng tax ko napupunta lang sa mga kabit ng politiko haha.

ganda kaya ng traffic sa atin

yung katabi mong magandang babae e pwede mong kiskisan este kilalanin

KurikongSaTumbong · October 2013

Sa totoo lang wala eh kasi puro hirap dinanas ko sa Pinas kaya lahat madali na in comparison haha - ang lapit lang ng trabaho ko sa bahay dati sa Pinas 13 KM lang pero dalawang oras ako nagmamaneho makapasok lang mas matagal pag umambon kasi hanggang leeg ang baha (exaggerated lang hehe). Tapos 1/4 ng sweldo ko sa tax napupunta pero wala naman akong nakikitang napupuntahan ng tax ko napupunta lang sa mga kabit ng politiko haha.

ganda kaya ng traffic sa atin yung katabi mong magandang babae e pwede mong kiskisan este kilalanin

sorry po Kuya wala po akong hilig sa babae. Pag natrapik po ako sa atin eh nag rosaryo po ako ng sampung beses.

JCsantos · October 2013

sorry po Kuya wala po akong hilig sa babae. Pag natrapik po ako sa atin eh nag rosaryo po ako ng sampung beses.

Dinadasalan este nagdadasal ka pala pwede din yun

lock_code2004 · October 2013

Middle East Dubai V.S Australia....... Difference?

Hello po sa inyong lahat;
baka po merong mga kabayan dito na nanggaling na muna sa middle east like UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) Qatar... bago nakapunta sa Australia... ano po ba ang masasabi niong difference sa middle east vs Australia... interms po sa general living with family and kids ages 7 & 1...

We are planning na mag shift kc sa western para maiba naman.... sa Digital Printing po ang nature ng work ko..billboards posters lahat ng klase ng digital prints...

may mga vacancy bang trabaho na katulad dyan sa AU.. malaking tulong po sa amin kung mabigyan nio kami ng idea lalo nasa cost of living monthly, simpleng buhay lang din kami di mahilig gumimik... salamat

i lived in UAE for 3.5 years.. and i must say it is not in any way comparable to the quality of life in AU.. especially for kids..

first check is to read the thread on How to start your application..
goodluck..