ABOUT AUSTRALIA
Geography and climate
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world and has the lowest population density per square kilometre. It is made up of 6 States and 2 Territories and has a population of just over 21 million people.
Australia’s scenery is as varied as beautiful: it ranges from amazing beaches, tropical rainforests, deserts to mountains.
Its mild climate allows you to enjoy outdoors activities such as walking on the beach, camping, fishing, swimming, sailing, etc. the whole year around.
Lifestyle
Australia is famous for its hospitality, friendliness and multicultural background. The country is a real melting pot of cultures and nationalities; most Australians arrived in Australia as migrants, whether recently or at the time of settlement.
The Australians are very easy going, open and cheerful, and will make you feel welcome. It is easy to make friends and settle in this beautiful country where everyone is welcome to start a new life!
The living standards in Australia are very high, with a significant part of the population owning their own home and with a very low rate of unemployment (only 5,7% in 2012).
More than 80% of Australians live less than 50km from the coast. The beach has therefore become an essential part of the “Aussie lifestyle”: meeting with friends for a surf, then having a BBQ on the beach. This is how a typical Sunday looks like! If you have a family, you will also find that Australia is incredibly family friendly, with ramps for prams, changing rooms and playing areas everywhere!
If you love sporting, Australia will welcome you! Whether you love swimming, snorkelling, cricketing, windsurfing, sailing, playing golf, football or even skiing, you will find all you need to nurture your sporting passion.
If you have school aged children or if you consider studying in Australia, be reassured that the education system is excellent! There are numerous choices of Public/Private Schools for your children in each State and the Universities and Vocational Education and Training Providers are internationally recognised (please read below).
Last but not least, Australia is a very safe environment to live in, with plenty of resources that guarantee a prosperous economic activity for the years ahead.
Economy
Even in these hard times, Australia’s economy remains strong with a very low unemployment rate of 5,7% in 2012.
Australia is rich in natural resources, such as wheat, wool, minerals, iron-ore, coal, uranium, gold, etc. which contribute to its strong and competitive economy.
Even though the economy is prosperous, there is an important skill shortage in Australia. Therefore, overseas skills are very sought after.
For example, the following skills are very much in demand right now in Australia:
Nurses, accountants, Secondary School teachers, IT professionals, engineers, electricians, plumbers, motor mechanics and many many more. To find out if your skill is required now in Australia, check if your occupation/trade is on the Government’s Skilled Occupation List (SOL).
Whether you are a professional, a tradesperson or a businessperson, you will undoubtedly find very interesting job and career opportunities in Australia!
Real estate
With such a little percentage of people per squaremeter, there is a lot of space! As a consequence, almost everyone in Australia lives in a house with a garden.
To give an example, the average price of a house (3 bedrooms) in Joondalup (Northern suburb of Perth), close to a beautiful Regional Park at only 5 km distance from the Indian Ocean: AUD 460,000.
For more information on real estate in Australia:
-http://reiwa.com/ (for Western Australia only)
-http://wa.professionals.com.au/ (for Western Australia only)
Education
SchoolsThe school system is managed by each State and Territory Government. There are public and private schools in each State.
Find out more about each State and Territory education system:
Universities and TAFE'sThere are Universities in each State.
In each State, there is also a Vocational Education and Training (VET) or Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system, which prepare people for work in a career where a University degree is not needed. A VET/TAFE course usually takes two years to complete and is recognised in each State.
TAFE Western Australia also see Central TAFE WA
TAFE Australian Capital Territory