student visa and bringing a young child

happychild · December 2013

Hi!

I am applying for a student visa and I'm planning to take my spouse and my 1 year old child with me. My concern is who can look after my child when, for instance,I'm in school and my spouse is at work. Is it feasible to take turns with my spouse in babysitting our toddler when were expected to be tied up with work and schooling? Alternatively, are there affordable and reasonable options for us in relation to this matter? I know for a fact that a lot of people would choose to leave their young children in the home country where family members can take care of them. However, I am not amenable to that idea at all.

I need your advice.

thanks.

stolich18 · December 2013

Hi @happychild! It's certainly doable. You just need to plan ahead.
First things first, do you already have your schedule, as well as your husband? And in which state are you going to settle?

KG2 · December 2013

Saan ba ang destination niyo? I am in Darwin, NT and I brought my child and wife. If you and your spouse are both going to school, mahirap yan(if unable to look after themselves pa anak niyo). Childcare is payed on a weekly basis and nasa 300 AUD per week yata or google or look for it on an australian "yellow pages" and inquire about the price in your locality. We tried to look for a child care facility that accepted part time but it was not easy, you need to have a car for that because you have to pick up your child at a predetermined time and the child care just in front of the house we live in does not accept part time child care. They do accept part time, but you have to pay like you had your child in there full time.

One thing you can do is reach out to some Asian friends(Filipino, Chinese, Taiwanese etc.) and ask if they know someone who can babysit. Or look at gumtree.com.au, or you can post too if you like. You will be paying 10-15AUD per hour for babysitting i guess and depending on the locality. So its really up to you if you find it cost effective or not and if you feel that it is not too risky.

So, what we are doing now is work out shifts with an employer where we can alternately look after our toddler. My job for now is a casual staff, and the job entails me to accept or reject shifts assigned to me by my employer, no questions asked if you accept or reject a shift. Many part time jobs here are pretty flexible too, so it could help you with the situation. I can't guarantee it will work the same for you though.

At some point, one of us may give up our jobs. For example, at this point in time I am waiting for a FIFO job(fly-in/fly-out). It is 10 days on and 4 days off and I have to leave my family behind for 10 days. However she was able to work it out with her boss that she can work 4 days so she can look after the little boy. It will depend on your employer if they are also flexible enough to accommodate your needs and if your employer finds you reliable, then the employer can give you a chance.

It is hard to pag meron anak in tow, however I would not sacrifice leaving my child in the Philippines. If we had left our child in the Philippines, we could have gone crazy here because when Yolanda struck, we could not contact our relatives who were supposedly the people we were planning of leaving our child with. Having said that, you won't be able to make more money if you have your child tag along, however, it is for me a risk not worth taking. Just work it out and focus on your child and not the money if you really don't want to leave your child behind. Besides, your child is more prone to getting sick in the Philippines than in here, my child had a few bouts of cough and colds but not diarrhea since we came.

Anyhow, I understand what you feel as a parent. We have the same sentiments about leaving a child in the Philippines. I hope this helps. Just PM me if you have more questions.

danyan2001us · December 2013

My wife gave birth to our little boy last year Feb and she brought him home by September. He is presently staying with my in laws since no one will take care of him here. We planned to bring him back here hopefully after she finishes her course next year. In life, at times we need to make sacrifices (with due recognition of one's priorities as well)...

happychild · February 2014

@stolich18 Hi! Sorry it took me a long time to reply. We are done with the medical requirement and are now waiting for visa approval. Please help us pray for our application. . Is it feasible to be on a student visa in Australia, work and do babysitting duties all at the same time? Perhaps you have gone through the same thing yourself or know somebody who has. I need your advice on this situation. Thanks!

happychild · February 2014

@KG2 Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience. Greatly appreciated!

happychild · February 2014

@danyan2001us Really? So he was 7 months old when you took him back to the Philippines? But it's understandable though considering that, like you said, nobody can take care of him there. Did you ever try requesting for flexible working arrangements like what KG2 did? I am curious kasi as to what extent it affects your earning capacity considering that you still have to pay for your tuition fee, home rental and food.

stolich18 · February 2014

@happychild kaya naman but medyo challenging lang.. hehehe Hindi ako nagstudent visa. While working, I have to put my child on childcare. Tapos kase normally til 6PM lang ang mga childcare centres so dapat makauwi na agad from work para masundo ko agad ung baby (2 years old) namin.. hehe tapos sa umaga naman kelangan maaga rin sya gumising kase kasama ko din sya sa city. Yung childcare nya kase nasa city... Pde rin naman na wag ichildcare if for example may mag-aalaga sa knaya, palitan na lang kayo ng spouse mo, pdeng panggabi sya tapos ikaw regular hours... Medyo tricky and challenging lang but you will get by.. Kaya others prefer na isa na lang nagwwork kase medyo mahirap ung arrangement, or others bring their parents here to look after their kids..

happychild · February 2014

@stolich18 I see. parang napipicture out ko ang situation niyo. How much does childcare cost? Do you think its more advantageous on your part in terms of affordability ng childcare kasi nga like you said you're not on a student visa so there won't be tuition fees to pay and there's no limit on the number of working hours? And if you do bring one of your parents there, how long naman are they allowed to stay there on a tourist visa?

stolich18 · February 2014

childcare depends on the location. Typically mas expensive sya in NSW compared to VIC. When we were in Melbourne, it's 110 a day pero it's in the CBD already. Here in NSW, it's also 110 a day pero inner city suburb (around 20KM from the city). If sa Sydney CBD, around 138-160 per day ang cost ng childcare. May mga less than 100 din naman like 70-80 or sa mga family day care, 7-9 dollars and per hour (so multiply by 8-10 hours per day). Yup I'm not on a student visa pero pag sa childcare, you will still pay the daily rate, since it's not yet a formal school. Government will provide support up to 50% ng childcare costs, but there is a 7,500 aud cap per year. yes pag non-student visa (ie. PR in my case), walang limit sa working hours. Sa parents naman, depends sa decision ng immigration. Pdeng 1 year na visa but 3 mos maximum stay lang or pde rin 3-5 years na visa pero 1 year maximum stay. pag 3 mos max stay, normally di kelangan ng health insurance/medical exam ung parents but more than that, they would have to undergo medical and pay for their travel health insurance.

stolich18 · February 2014

^ yung 70-80 per day na childcare cost, mas malayo na sya sa city, so depende yun kung san kayo magssettle. You can check careforkids.com.au to get some ideas on the rates and location, and also the availability. Mahirap dito sa Sydney, ang tagal ng waiting list lagi. Normally walang available and you would need to enlist your child and wait for a couple of months before he/she can be accommodated. Blessing na lang tlga sa amin kase may nagbukas na CC dito malapit sa bahay namin.. Maraming vacant sa city sa start of the year (actually in most Childcare centres, ung start of the year ung maraming vacancies kase ung ibang bata pumapasok na sa school) kaso nga lang super mahal naman hehehe I think we waited for around 5 months din before nagkaroon ng available na CC. my husband is working from home and my mother-in-law was here for the last 6 mos (umuwi sya sa pinas after 3 mos tapos uuwi na sya ulet)...

yhanie_17 · February 2014

^^ Over pla sa mahal no.

happychild · February 2014

@stolich18 Very helpful po yung mga shinishare nyo. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. Ok na po yung application namin, thank God. We got the visa already.