Relocating from Sydney - Aus to Cambridge - UK

Top Survival Tips

Things that worked from our experience.
Before you go:

• Get a Visa. You can do it yourself via the UK website but some of the language is a little obtuse so we chose to pay 'Firstchoice', a company specialising in immigration to the UK, a fee to guide us through the process. They were very helpful, all but the visit to the UK consulate in Sydney for the height, finger prints and eye scan was done via email, scanned documents and phone calls. After getting the official documents from the consulate bio test we had to post a mountain of collected documents to the visa processing office in Asia. 
• Once your Visa is approved apply for your National Health Insurance Number. Each person in the family has to have their own one.
• Do a scouting tour a couple of months before the intended move to 

1. Arrange temporary accommodation or if you can afford the extra rent, lease a place a couple of months before the big move. Being able to visualise where you are going to be based is a huge help.
2. Organise schooling. Recently the UK govt. ruled that only students from the EU or accompanying a parent with an Ancestry visa are allowed funding at state schools. If you don't fit this category there are plenty of good Independent schools in Cambridge but fees are high. Look for state schools online that have 'Outstanding' Ofsted reports. Go to the Council on Castle Hill to get a booklet that shows you the school zones or search through their online service. If there are too many students applying for the one school it comes down to the distance from your front door to the school gates.  If your child is in the last two years of school (Lower or Upper Sixth form) there are many Sixth Form Colleges to choose from to do A levels. These are best if specialising in math and sciences - no compulsory English. If intending to be back in Aus for University the International Baccalaureate is a better fit with 36/45 equaling a high 90s ATAR in most courses offered at Sydney, NSW and Macquarie Unis. Impington College and Parkside Community College are the only two State schools offering this course with Outstanding Offstead results - apply for a place early. Reports, references from current teachers, a personal statement written by the student and a phone interview will be required. For anyone younger than Sixth form you will need a residential address 3 months before entry to school if wanting to attend a state school, apply to the council as soon as you have one - they will then allocate you a school according to that address. You can give three preferences and if you don't get the school you wanted there is an appeal process. Independent schools have a variety of fee structures and entry processes. All emails directed to them were answered promptly and with good information - entry seems dependent on the class sizes they have and how much you are prepared to pay.

• Have a pile of Pounds saved - basics aren't cheap.
• Arrange for a stop over break, making a holiday out of the transit cheers you up and makes change an adventure.
• Organise a hire car big enough to pick you up from Heathrow with all your worldly goods. Your Aus license is good for a year, to get a UK one you have to hand in your passport and Aus license with form D1 from the Driver and Licensing Agency (www.gov.uk/browse/driving) Costs 50GBP - if you have a visa you don't need to wait for the 185 days stated as 'normal' but it will take three + weeks. Most insurance companies won't give you car insurance on an international license, we found that Virgin were one exception.  When back in Aus use your UK license to renew your Aus one.
• Insurance! 

1. Very difficult to get travel insurance until you have been resident for 6 months - organise it from Aus before you are no longer resident there either.  We got around this by buying it with our Channel crossing Ferry tickets - they didn't ask! 
2. Make sure you get a certificate from your car insurance company of your No Claim bonus status - some companies here will accept this and it will bring the expensive comprehensive car insurance prices down more than half. 
3. If renting, ask your landlord who they have their building insurance with and try them for contents first - with all the floods a couple of years ago the companies are all demanding flood susceptibility statements which are a hassle to get so if they all ready have a record of the property things will be a lot easier to organise.

Once you're there:

• Find a handy supermarket. The big Sainsbury is at a roundabout off Coldham Rd, Tesco is on Newmarket Rd and there is an ASDA and Marks and Spencers Food in a Homebase type park called the Beehive off Coldham Rd.  There are many express markets spread all over for milk and bread etc.
• Find a Telco. that will give you a good deal on phone, internet and TV.  Getting back online to your friends and family is essential. We had Virgin hooking us up with a great deal before the airbeds had been pumped up! You must have a TV license or face heavy fines - these can be purchased online. We bought phones and computer screens from Curry's(an electrical store - we bubble wrapped and packed our computers, keyboards and mouse') and a printer from Staples so we could scan in signed documents to send where they were needed. M's CIOness was never more apparent - we're quite possibly the only family around with fancy phones that I can page the kids on the fourth floor from the kitchen in the basement with and fully functioning computers without a single piece of furniture in the house to sit on. The box that my computer screen came in is now my office chair! My mouse is being run over the box that new plugs with the UK design for my computer came in.
• If only staying for a little while and not expected to have to entertain corporate clients, go eclectic with your furnishing style and visit one of the many Charity Secondhand stores.  The Blind Foundation on Newmarket Rd has some nice things and white goods if your rental doesn't have everything. Drive down the A10 towards Ely and you'll find a huge Emmaes Store (signs on the left in orange). Both will deliver for a reasonable sum but you may have to wait a week. The B&Q store on Newmarket Rd hires vans if you can't wait. We have managed to get a lounge suite, a two seater recliner in faux suede and a three seater couch plus coffee tables and a huge dinning table for 500 pound - this wouldn't quite buy one couch in normal stores.  They are all clean and functional.  Some in the store look a little worse for wear but they are cheaper and you don't have to choose them! Because Cambridge is a university town the population is quite transient so there is a constant turnover of goods.  For bedding and wardrobes, kitchen gear and mirrors IKEA is cheapest with the biggest range. Be aware that their bed and mattress measurements are different to the mainstream. In the UK what Aussies call a Queen is the King and what we call the King is a Super King. The closest IKEA to Cambridge is an hour west at Milton Keynes. You could use their pick and deliver service - check truck hire prices too.
• Buy a bike. Many stores have a few second hand bikes but if wanting a new one expect to pay around 250 pound for a basic one. The kids love the freedom of getting around.  Helmets aren't compulsory but my rule is that if going along or even over a road it must be worn.  There are plenty of bike paths where there is no car access.  Drivers beware - cyclists do not have insurance and if they damage your car you have to foot the bill for repairs, don't park on the red bits on the road or they'll get pretty uptight!
• Make a list of all the places you want to go to while you're in the UK. Try and visit one on your list every week until you feel settled in and at home - it keeps the feeling of being on holiday going just a little longer.

Enjoy!