umm i have a stupid question so i apologize if it doesnt make sense.... how hard would it be for someone to study there as in college obv? and if i was attending a community college here in the states how would one go about finding out how to trasnfer to a decent uni or college there? and how hard would it be to get a job as a teacher once i finished school? i guess i just want out of the states and i wouldnt mind living and going to school in australia as i think that would be pretty damn awesome

This is not hard at all: Education is Australia's 4th largest export industry.

There is some specific terminology here, so let me explain it:

a) Some institutions run a study abroad program: one semester at another place, and you get your qualification from your home institution. This most commonly involves no large additional fees (the home institution typically covers a chunk of this)

b) Some instutitions run a full exchange program: one or two semesters, and you get your qualification from your home institution.

c) The final option is to transfer: Cease studying at your current institution, and you'll apply for credit and end up with a qualification from your "new" institution. (This involves full fees: no subsidies, etc.)

In the first instance, I'd suggest you check with your college to see if they have advice or options: I have no idea what sort of facilities US colleges have for this stuff.

The second step should be to either follow their instructions, or, if they have nothing, you should look at an Australian institution, probbably through their website - they'll all have facilities and advertising aimed at international students like yourself.
This will vary from state to state, but if you're competent, it shouldn't be too hard, I imagine. I don't know much about this in great detail, but Google should assist further here.

Forgive me if I missed this somewhere in the thread, but I have a question about Aussie tourist VISAs.

My plan is to head over for 3 months and if I enjoy it potentially stay for the whole winter. I wouldn't mind heading over to NZ for the APPT there too. Can I do this with a ETA Short Stay VISA?

http://www.visabureau.com/australia/tourist-visa.aspx

"An ETA Tourist Visa allows you to stay in Australia for up to 3 months on each arrival within 12 months from the date the visa was granted."

I think that means I can leave/return as much as I like within the 12 months so long as I don't stay in Aus longer than 3 months at a time.

I emailed them but they've still not got back to me ;/ Just want to be sure... ty!

That's my understanding (this is not legal advice, get an expert, etc.)

Sweet ty for the reply.

ty josem

I´m planning to go to Australia from Oktober- Christmas.

Where is the best place to stay from the Weather/ Beach side: Cairns, Surfers Paradise or Sydney?
In which range is the rental for a room in a shared House or 1Bedroom condo on this locations as nearly as possible to the Beach. ( Not Baller ^^)
I can see many prices on the Internet but doesn´t know if they are ok.

Cairns doesn't really have a beach. The beach at Surfer's Paradise is nice and the nightlife is good, but the town is kind of overdeveloped and lacks character. However, since there are so many large buildings across from the beach, this might be your best bet for finding a condo to rent. Sydney has nice beaches and plenty of other stuff to do, but will be on the more expensive side. You might also want to look into Byron Bay--great beach, cool town, etc.

Thx slickpoppa

I have Cairns in my List because a friend of me was there and was absolut excited. Especially about the many Work&Travel Girls who partied very wild because nobody knows them there

Bayron Bay locks awesome too. ( Like nearly every town there on pictures)^^

Surfers Paradise was my first favorite because I like the large Buildings direct at the Ocean. But I´m not shure if a smaller town would not be better.

So what did you Guys think is overall the best place to stay on this points:
Weather (Okt-Christmas)/Beach, Girls, Nighlife, Cost for rent and Living, availability of rooms/condos.
Live Poker is not a criterion because I play only Online.

Byron Bay

I haven't ever been to Byron Bay, but from what I hear, it is perfect for what you want, imo.

If you're willing to sacrifice the girls/nightlife option, and want cheaper rent, there's a million towns on the east coast between Newcastle and Brisbane that would make you happy.

Assuming cost wasn't an issue and girls (18-24) and nightlife was the primary concern. Where do you point someone? Still Bryon bay?

I assume Bondi Beach is pretty much perfect for this - lots of young 20-something year olds from across the world hang out there. Gold Coast if you want more Australians.

josem where are you from in sydney? and what do you do for a living ( sorry if you have already stated this )

yes i am from syd, do you go to star city at all?

I now live in Chatswood.

At the start of this thread, I lived in Newcastle, then moved to Wangaratta for much of 2007, and then moved to Sydney in early 2008.
I now work as a Game Security Specialist for PokerStars.
Not much.

If you ever wanna join a very small stakes poker game, send me an email - I host a 25c/25c NLHE game most Friday nights.

Chatswood, .. , I'm just moving from Wollstonecraft to Kirribilli.

Small stakes poker on friday nights? ... PM sent.

really? i spent 10 weeks on the gold coast from late march to the end of may and we hardly met any aussies. majority of ppl we met were canadian (i am canadian) and some euros from britain, germany, sweden etc. there is a school there called griffiths where they get a bunch of students from canada studying abroad. so going to the bars and clubs at night in the gold coast ur going to meet alot of canucks (at least in my experience). also the gold coast is cluttered with japanese tourists walking amlessly through the streets so be on guard as they do not look to see where they going.

i was thinking about going to Australia later in the year. im ok about visa etc as i can get a 1 year working visa. Im a 24yo male and will probably be going with my gf. But i was wondering what is the average wage for bar workers etc. Does it work like USA where tips are majority etc. What about Labouring etc. I was thinking of staying in the bondi beach area. Although i am open to suggestions

I don't know the answer, but Google says this: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...4022956AAQhT6r

The minimum wage is higher in Australia than the US, and tipping is not as prevalent.

You can probably look at a jobs website like seek.com.au and find info on wages etc.

Average pay for someone working at a bar would be around $20-$25 an hour, depending on where it is.

Thanks for the help guys. Its appreciated. Im actually suprised its so high.

I think i can afford it with part time work + savings + poker. I suppose my biggest problem will be getting accomodation. Im assuming most landlords dont want short stay tenant and those that do will charge highly for it.

Iv searched for accom on domain etc. any other tips or advice for someone looking to do this.

thanks guys

Actually finding short term accomodation shouldn't be so big a problem - at least if you are fine with sharing a house with other people. If you want a room for you and your gf and decent accomodation (plenty of mini-rooms for rent) you'll have to think 300-350AUD/week in Sydney, probably 50AUD less in other cities.

You won't get any tips btw. Tipping is virtually non-existent in Australia outside of 5-star hotels and strip clubs.

Labouring pays far, far better than bar work.

http://www.homehound.com.au/ is a good place to look for accommodation, with handy maps.

+1

Byron Bay is a hiddem gem in Aus. and the world imo

it's so awesome there, I can't wait to make it back

It's definitely not a hidden gem to people that live in Australia, but i agree that it is a great place. Music festivals held each year in Byron Bay such as the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival and Splendour In The Grass are huge, with several thousand people attending.

Maybe 15 years ago it was a hidden gem, but nowadays it is very much a mainstream tourist spot. Definitely worth a visit though - nice beaches, Scandinavian backpackers, great nightlife and cool shops