When you arrive in Australia, the length of your ‘To Do’ list may leave you needing a lie down. You’ll need to fit your furniture in your new home, make sure utilities are sorted, set up Wi-Fi and register with a doctor. You can do it yourself or get someone to sort it all out before you arrive. A great option is to use a settlement or relocation services. If you choose to go it alone, then we recommend starting by dividing your ‘To Do’ list into these main areas:
- Home – This includes furnishing it, connecting to utilities, fitting in Wi-Fi and telephony set-up.
- Transport – Few of us enjoy the process of buying a car, especially abroad, but hiring can also be pretty expensive. That said, unless you’re based in the city centre, you may find it hard to fit in if you haven’t got your own wheels.
- Health – Registering with a doctor usually requires a visit, but you can do the legwork from the UK by researching local options. Don’t forget that you have to pay for Australian doctors, so this won’t be as straightforward as in the UK. It’s only when you’re a fully fledged resident that you can make use of Medicare, Australia’s free and universal healthcare system.
- Money – Open a bank account before you arrive and make sure your payments are flowing in correctly. If you’re receiving an income from the UK, then it’s best to set yourself up with a decent FX company.
- Schools – You’ll want to choose the best local schools, but finding them can be a challenge.
- Miscellaneous – You’ll need to select a mobile phone provider and buy a Sim card. Then there’s finding contact lens prescriptions, local vets, places to buy school uniforms, your local tax office… the list isn’t endless, it just feels like it at first.
If you need help, then there are plenty of professionals in Australia on hand. With so many of us already using agencies for our Visa application, a relocation concierge for settling in is really just an extension of this. We’ve provided some solutions on who to go to.
The best option is to work with your estate agent in Australia. Raine & Horne is Australia’s leading estate agent, with over 130 years of property management experience and over 68,000 properties under their management. Their property managers can provide a full end-to-end ‘settling in service’, making them a great solution.
Beyond this, you can find several other options. Prices will vary depending on the degree of hand-holding required. Opal Relocations offers a basic settling in service from $400, which includes connecting utilities, hiring cars and providing extensive local information on essentials such as medical facilities and recreation. They also organise furniture hire from $300, giving you a comfortable option as you await the shipping of your belongings.
Ideally, your settling in service will be like an honest but enthusiastic friend. Opal provide orientation tours from $200, and they’ll also suggest clubs and societies you might enjoy. Other companies offering relocation and settling in services include Elite Executive Services and Relocation Services Australia.
Footnotes:
[1] http://opalrelocations.com.au/
[2] http://www.eliteexecutiveservices.com.au/index.php
[3] http://www.relocationservicesaustralia.com/