Due to recent changes regarding applications for International nurses to Australia and the combining of the nursing boards to one central nursing board in Australia AHPRA I have started a new thread for people to discuss the new process on working in Australia.
Currently New Zealand is not accepting new applicants from International trained nurses except those that meet the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement {TTMR} this will be updated once the New Zealand nursing board reopen their books to International nurses.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency AHPRA
I know I'm getting ahead of myself as I still need to get my eligibility letter from APHRA, but I really need to be clear on how much will be my take home pay because I wanna know what I'll be getting into if ever I get a loan for bp.
1) Warning: Do not totally believe the figures/estimate of income you will receive based on what "consultants" or "agency" will tell you.. 99% of the time it is wrong.. As what Cerdiwyn mentioned, watch out for the key word "gross".. better know the "net"..
2) If you will be paid as a "year 1" RN.. then you will have a tight budget..
3) Big chunk of your expenses will be house rent.. the lower rent you spend, the better you will be.. i am renting a 2 room flat with car port for $110 a week.. but i live in rural area.. the rent in urban area is high..
4) For the purpose of doing a very conservative estimate, your NET pay could be as low as $3,000 a month.. less your $1,500 financing repayment, equals $1,500... assuming you work in urban area then i guess (others may correct me) your weekly rental will be between $175 to $250.. you have to pay for monthly health insurance of around $90.. pay for internet and mobile expenses.. tranportation... food... if you work outside of NSW then you have to pay around $50 per month nursing federation membership (inclusive of professional insurance)..
5) if ever assuming you will be receiving only NETof $3,000 a month, then make sure your rental should be less than $150 a week.. in this case, you will survive...
6) and mate, if this will be your situation, you better take care of your health, otherwise, tsk tsk tsk..
BY THE WAY, TO ALL NEW Aus. RNs here: I assume and i expect that you are now or have already applied for membership in your state's nursing association (except for NSW).. i will be scratching my head if you are not a member yet.. becoming a member is the logical and cost-efficient thing to do.. otherwise, you will lose your license if you will get caught..
Thanks Cioman, you and Ceridwyn's information had been really helpful to me this past week (I tried to search for answers to my questions but Im afraid some of the info I gathered were a bit outdated, hence my post)
I totally agree with your warning, that is also the reason I wanted to have a confirmation from the experts here as well as from those who have undergone the same process that I'll be going through.
I really appreciate your kindness in replying, I know some of the info you have provided me were already discussed in previous posts, but I want you to know that my need for clarification will also enlighten others who are planning to take the same path as me.
If its not much of a bother, can you kindly provide me a link or tell me the topic name and page of your post that has a breakdown of expenses in Oz. I know you wrote one, I just can't find it anymore, and I was not able to bookmark it.
If its not much of a bother, can you kindly provide me a link or tell me the topic name and page of your post that has a breakdown of expenses in Oz. I know you wrote one, I just can't find it anymore, and I was not able to bookmark it.
Thanks
are you referring to monthly living expenses in Oz? or expenses related to BP and related expenses?
The government provided more money and more places for student in nursing courses.....thats what responsible government does and how a profession is supposed to govern itself.....too many....cut down on university places.....not enough.......more university places....
The other is over the years, Australia has welcomed many overseas nurses of all origins, work experience or not and now there is not a shortage of inexperienced nurses our own graduates are finding not as easy as it use to be. Australians have never throught of nursing as a golden ticket to leave the country. Nurses take on nursing because they have made that choice themselves with no parent involvement with the intention to stay in the country as it was always thought that you would always have a job if you are a nurse, not to leave the country permanently.
Not many go to the Us of A because it is never usually an Australians' intention of moving permanently out of the country and its too dam hard to get registered over there and America is usually considered a place to visit not to live....got dam they have enough of other people wanting to live there!
The UK is often a place of destination for Australian nurses, but only to visit, because it is often more friendly towards registering Australian Nurses and many british heritage nurses have family and love the culture over there, but due to all others, now we are considered international trained nurses and have to jump through the hoops like everyone else, including the IELTS. Though many can live and work there with no permits because of the heritage visa!
So the few hundred nurses that did leave the country temporary every year are not leaving the country anymore......things cost more, jobs are harder to get........and nurses that you consider old, are remaining on the job and working longer hours than they did before.
and no, we don't all retire after 5 years......many stories from overseas nurses to back home are usually blown out of limits. Some nurses do go on family leave and return after many years. Some do go off and pursue other jobs, but not in big numbers.
AS for mining areas in Western Australia......how do these mines cause nursing shortages, they have been open since the 70's? ...by the way....we do not have a nursing shortage...except for specialty nurses.
Why would Australians want to live anywhere else? We love to visit but not live and raise a family anywhere else. The reasons are the same as why everybody else wants to live here.
Not many Australians emigrate permanently, I saw a link I now cannot find...apparently it something like 1800 a year.
- Thanks for the reply ceridwyn. Mining? According to the speaker from greenhills. He said that when the mines opened before in perth the wives who were nurses came along with their husbands. I think that was his explanation. I wasn't really paying much attention coz I was sleepy. I only woke up when he said it would cost us 20k AUS. eheheehe:eek:
are you referring to monthly living expenses in Oz? or expenses related to BP and related expenses?
to monthly living expenses.. I read something about that, there's budget for food, transpo, telephone, I dont know where that post is anymore, but I know I read it... I'd been googling it and I even use the search field but it just won't pop up anymore.
it is indicated in that post the minimum cost of rent as well, like 80-120 AUD/ week for shared, something like that.
Are consultancy agencies promising some overseas nurses the world, like paying for the bridging program, airfares, accommodation, then are in partnership with some unscrupulous employer that is 'sponsoring nurses on long stay visa's 457 and only paying them some small amount and paying the consulting agency the rest of their money?.........or the agency is paying the nurse to work at a health organisation, something suspicous is happening about who sponsors and the overseas nurse is paid some small wage by the agency.?
This is against the rules of the 457 visa, it is the employers obligation to pay the nurse full wages and not pay out of those wages another person or as immi call it a 'sponsor'.
If these nurses or employers get caught it is against both parties obligations, here is the link to immi.
Here is also the link to the Australian Nurses Federation, it is the union that everyone should belong. It is called a different thing in NSW but it is all the same thing overall and they are all under the one national umbrella. NSW just always likes to be different to the rest of Australia. As you have signed with your application to have professional idemnity insurance, belonging to the union makes sure that you are covered. Some employers have found loopholes and to stretch a point, if legally something happened their employees do not have insurance.
If of course, a consultancy does pay for everything and its is voluntary for you to pay if/when you get a sponsorship and you are to pay back the consultancy yourself out of your full pay, then this is a private matter between you and the consultancy.
I asked a number of people who processed their aphra on their own. It only cost them 450 AUS, like what is said in this forum. If you compare that to consultancies you will save 1,000 to 3,500 AUS depending on the consultancy. I honestly think you will save more if you process it on your own. Besides it's biblical, to work your papers on your own. Prov. 6:6 "Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise". Aside from saving a lot of money, you would avoid other problems-(maybe being scammed in a small or big way). I'm thinking of IDP to assist me in choosing a bp University. I heard from a friend that IDP can assist you but you will do all the work. Although, I haven't tried it yet since I'm still preparing for my IELTS.
to monthly living expenses.. I read something about that, there's budget for food, transpo, telephone, I dont know where that post is anymore, but I know I read it... I'd been googling it and I even use the search field but it just won't pop up anymore.
it is indicated in that post the minimum cost of rent as well, like 80-120 AUD/ week for shared, something like that.
ive mentioned already in the previous post:
weekly rent
required monthly health insurance
required monthly nurses association fee
transpo (depends where you live, others may give you specific answer to this, i ride a push bike when i started working here in order to save money)
food (cook food at house then you will save a lot, much lesser than $100 a week, learn to eat only bread sandwiches during breaktime, then you will save further money, stop drinking softdrinks then save a lot more, go on diet and you will save more again)..
other personal stuff (i do not want you near me with stinky armpits, so must really buy deodorant, soap, toothpaste, etc...maybe @ $100-200 a month)..
my internet fee is @ $30 a month, my mobile phone expense is @ $10-$20 a month..
mate, do not crack your head with too much details... here's the thing:
1) the lowest net pay you may get is $3,000 a month..
2) less $1,500 loan payment (hopefully this is a correct amount!!) and so your net cash inflow is @ $1,500..
3) make sure you get lower rental expense, if you can get lesser than $150 rental a week then that'z great.. so that is $600 a month (4 weeks)..
4) so that leaves you @ $900... you will survive, but it is not a luxurious life, just a simple life.. as ive said, the key is the rental cost, lower that cost and everything will be manageable..
cioman94
1,037 Posts
1) Warning: Do not totally believe the figures/estimate of income you will receive based on what "consultants" or "agency" will tell you.. 99% of the time it is wrong.. As what Cerdiwyn mentioned, watch out for the key word "gross".. better know the "net"..
2) If you will be paid as a "year 1" RN.. then you will have a tight budget..
3) Big chunk of your expenses will be house rent.. the lower rent you spend, the better you will be.. i am renting a 2 room flat with car port for $110 a week.. but i live in rural area.. the rent in urban area is high..
4) For the purpose of doing a very conservative estimate, your NET pay could be as low as $3,000 a month.. less your $1,500 financing repayment, equals $1,500... assuming you work in urban area then i guess (others may correct me) your weekly rental will be between $175 to $250.. you have to pay for monthly health insurance of around $90.. pay for internet and mobile expenses.. tranportation... food... if you work outside of NSW then you have to pay around $50 per month nursing federation membership (inclusive of professional insurance)..
5) if ever assuming you will be receiving only NETof $3,000 a month, then make sure your rental should be less than $150 a week.. in this case, you will survive...
6) and mate, if this will be your situation, you better take care of your health, otherwise, tsk tsk tsk..