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Thinking of moving to Australia or New Zeeland - Any tips or advice??

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Author:
Graceh_Face

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So I live in Quebec right now and the school system is really odd. You graduate high school after grade 11 but you more or less have to go to “CEGEP” after that for either 2 years (pre-university program) or 3 years (career program). CEGEP is like a mix of high school and college and the closest thing I can relate it to is community college. If you choose a career program (for example, graphic design), you graduate CEGEP and are ready to look for a job. If you choose a pre-university program (for example, Social Sciences like I’m in), you graduate CEGEP and go on to university but you start in your second year. It’s really weird and seems pointlessly complicated for no reason. Anyway, that’s my rant about the Quebec scchool system.

In any case, I’m going into my last year of CEGEP and was thinking about taking a gap year before university. My boyfriend (who graduated CEGEP in June) and I were thinking of going to Australia or New Zeeland. SWAP (www.swap.ca) offers a chance to combine the 2. So, our rough plan is to go for the “South Pacific Combo” and spend roughly 6 months in each country. I will of course be doing my own research on the places. But in the meantime, are there any Aussies, Kiwis or any TCKs who have lived there themselves who have any advice or tips to offer us. Any comments are appreciated. Share your experiences in the countries, your favorite things to do there, the cost of living…ANYTHING!

Thanks a bunch! :)


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August 7, 2008 | Filed Under General Forum 

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6 Responses to “Thinking of moving to Australia or New Zeeland - Any tips or advice??”

  1. 1
    Unregistered
    Graceh_Face Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 5:22 am

    P.S. I originally spelled Zealand right, but my spell checker said it was wrong, so I changed it. I now know that it is, in fact, ZeAland. Sorry for the mistake :)

    (Is this spam?)

  2. 2
    mariefromoz
    mariefromoz Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 6:12 am

    Hi Graceh_Face :)

    I didn’t know the school system there was like that, what a trip! I spent many happy years in Australia. Beautiful country, beautiful people. Great laid-back, relaxed attitude. I have never been to NZ but my aunt lives there and says it’s fantastic. Good luck with your choice!

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  3. 3
    Unregistered
    mish.wsl Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 6:49 am

    Hey there. =) If you’re thinking of moving to the Australasian region, think more along the lines of Melbourne and Sydney, and New Zraland would be a pretty cool place to go too I reckon, but I haven’t actually been there unfortunately. XD It depends I guess, because Perth is kinda dull. If you like the fast paced, city life more, then, best to choose Melbourne/Sydney. =) Good luck with the decision!

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  4. 4
    jerry
    jerry Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    If you like the big city feel, go for Auckland. We hear Wellington’s pretty cosmopolitan, but haven’t been there, and Christchurch is fairly sizable, but seems less “cityish”. Dunedin (where I’m at) will not give you a big city feel in any sense of the word. Whatever city you pick, there are LOADS of beautiful places to check out within driving distance.

    Let’s see… you can assess rent via the web pretty well. I don’t know how it’s handled in Canada, but down here, rent is all by the WEEK! (we were accustomed to by the month) Food here, like the rest of the world, is on the rise. 2 liters of milk is closing in on $4. Petrol is currently $2.02/liter (all in NZD of course). The currency exchange rate fluctuates pretty regularly. It’s not too hard to come by a decent, reasonably priced older used car.

    The big expense down here that we’ve found is the cost of home heating. When looking for a place to live, ask about this. Heat pumps are largely considered the best heating option down here. Most houses are NOT insulated. A decent wood stove is ok, but getting decent dry wood can be tough. Electricity (and electric heaters) will make for a big bill in a big hurry.

    I’m sure there may be more things I could tell you about that would be helpful, but I’m drawing a blank at the moment. :-)

    (Is this spam?)

  5. 5
    Unregistered
    MsMerising Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 7:10 pm

    I think New Zealand people are more interesting and waaaaaaaaay more soulful so I would go over there. Good luck!

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  6. 6
    Unregistered
    Graceh_Face Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 6:28 am

    Thanks for all the responses, guys! It’s nice to get some feedback from people who know the places first hand. It all helps a lot, thanks again.

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