I AM a registered nurse who emigrated to Australia in 2005. I wish to reply to a letter, published in the Paarl Post on 8 January by “Luckily not a nurse”.
I have been working as a nurse for the last 21 years. I lived in Melbourne for two and a half years and paid a minimal amount towards school fees, but since I moved to Queensland we do not pay for school fees at all.
My daughter completed a one year diploma in International Business Law. We spent less than R10 000 for the course.
Childcare is very expensive and I will always inform my friends interested in emigrating about it. I do not know about the waiting list of three years, because I have friends with kids and they did not wait that long.
As far as I know you will receive a government rebate for child care if you are an Australian resident.
People interested in emigrating to Australia have to make sure that they do their homework properly about all the rules and regulations.
My gross pay as a trained nurse after tax is more than $4000 per month and I was able to provide for my family, whilst my husband was not working.
I don’t know if it is true about the maximum allowable working hours, because I am working 74 hours per fortnight.
It is true that there is a shortage of nurses and that some work under difficult circumstances, but the same is happening in South Africa.
My advice to anybody interested in going overseas is; do your homework thoroughly, gather as musch information about your job and the country as possible and the most important thing is to make your own decision based on the facts you gathered on your own.
I am an Australian citizen now. I am very happy in my job and I will only return for a holiday. I thank God for walking this path with me.DC
