Vocational Education is usually for trades certificate (like plumbing, electrician, motor mechanic, chef, etc...) and usually are for people who elect to be a tradesperson. You would normally start after Year 10 and are for people who don't want to pursue University. Pursue-ing a trades profession is not a bad career path as tradespeople make a good living - you can also be your own boss once you have enough experience. One of my Malaysian friend's kids is now a chef and is working as a head chef (Mariott Sydney) and gets very good money (around A$100k) though the hours are not very digestable  . This kid would have done very badly had he gone to University as he was one of the thickest kids i have met (when he was young) so it is remarkable when we heard recently that he is now a head chef.

Definitely agree that another 0.25% cut is coming in the next few months but the Aussie has been very resilent at the US67c support level. I have quite a lot of my investments in International shares (it is performing very well as the Aussie falls) but i also have a defined benefit super in mostly Aussie assets (about 60% of my portfolio) which is locked in until i retire. I have been hedging against a falling Aussie dollar by buying the Magellan etf (ASX code: USD) as i always felt that the Aussie will fall to around US65c.

There are a lot of retirees in Sydney (i know a few myself) who will never invest in equities and would only put their money in term deposits - they are currently suffering due to the low interest rates but i just cannot understand their mindset by investing so conservatively!! I have a very aggressive attitude by nature and even if i retire, my portfolio would still be fairly aggressive. I always believe if you have a good basket of stocks, even if it drops sharply, it will eventually go back up to their previous levels. That is why it is a good policy not to gear yourself too highly.

Retirees who are able to save enough so as not to be eligible for the aged-pension are usually quite shrewd/savvy with their money. If you ask me to spend lavishly to bring my assets down so that i qualify for the aged-pension, i would rather have the security of having money under my name anytime. I would have retired much earlier had i had the mindset to fall back on the aged-pension. My super alone is now way over the threshold but i still want to build on my retirement savings which is why i am working till end-2020 (working half-time from now till end-2020 as i am taking my long service leave as well). I should have retired 3 months ago but i changed my mind as my retirement savings will grown another A$130k by just working an extra 16 months. Once retired, it will be close to impossible to land myself in another similar job (if my retirement plans go awry) because age-discrimination is rife in Aust. That is why i have to be very careful when i stop working as there is no turning back. I am now getting a bit of 'pre-retirement blues' thinking of my imminent retirement next year.

i wish these mindsets can be learned by our next generation.
Having 3 toddlers myself, I always spent on necessities, spending on "need" than "want".

Even when my company is already well established, that I can afford a 4 BR house, i do not even think about buying one because it means showing wealth to friends, and my kids could be questioned by their friends where we live and soon they may start to mingle with the richer kids.

Money comes in a hard way, time and effort. Kids today may think differently, this is why we do not even buy branded stuff and luxrious car.

Sometimes when they mixing with our Korean and Hong Kong families' children, it hurts me a lot when they started asking why we didn't have that and these(they were saying really expensive toys and electronic gadgets).

Of course, we take this chance to teach them about buying necessities, not luxurious brands.

When I retire, I will probably be heading back to Malaysia though.

This is what i have observed with all my older Msian retiree friends in Sydney - they want to be around their children and grandchildren. They say i am so stupid to go back to KL to retire because they would never go back to Msia to retire as their children are mostly in Sydney.

Two years ago (during my retirement planning), i thought i will be pretty comfortable retiring in KL when i retire with what i have. Now i am getting 'cold feet' as i get nearer to my last retirement day which is what i meant by having pre-retirement blues. In my mind, I always concluded i won't have enough to retire on if i retire too early - i can easily add a few hundred dollars (Aussie) to my bottom line by working an extra 3 years due to the compounding effect (provided there is no sharemarket crash). In Sydney, retiring at 58 is a luxury as cost of living is very high and this makes people around me all work till at least 65-67. My friends and relatives are also all advising me to continue working for another few more years at least. This is causing a huge dilemma for me!! I observe myself and can see GREED all written over my body.

We have to plan well-ahead before that eventual day comes when the health starts to fail us. How abt engaging paid help without relying on the children to look after us ?

Hi guys. I've put in my EOI for visa 189 3 months ago with 85 points (with additional 10 points after the Nov 16 changes). Its for non pro rata occupation.

Based on Iscah prediction, my chances of getting an invitation seems grimmer and grimmer... the initial expected invitation date was 6 months after lodging EOI (with my points) but now it has been pushed back to "not before December 2020", that's more than a years wait.

My partner is an Australia citizen, we have checked various options ie partnership Visa, spouse visa and anything similar but all the processing time are 12 months and above.

Does anyone have any suggestion on how to expedite the visa invitation or any other potential Visa that I could get, that is faster than waiting for my 189? Would appointing a migration agent help speed up the process? I'm at my wits end.. 😞

Thanks.

The Stage 2 results for SACE have been released this morning. My boy took Physics and Chemistry at Stage 2 this year, and the results is above average.

He is keen on studying Chemical Engineering.

Any bros or sis here applied for jobs in Chemical Engineering ? What are the chances ?

Is it game over now for IT professionals looking to migrate to australia?

Hey guys, just wanted to ask. Anyone have any contacts in the eductaion sector? Higher education/ vocational?

I'm at a crossroads whether to give up my PR or not. I have till September 2020 to decide.

I'll be honest, I've been putting it off for some time due to monetary commitments here, but its getting worse and worse and I can barely save money to sustain myself for a months of unemployment.

It's pathetic and I'm at an emotional crossroads whereby I'd be open to take ANY job that comes my way, even if it is minimum wage in Aus, just to go and keep my PR.

My main industry is education, but the 2 interviews I've had fell through and I'm begining to lose hope. Again, anything, in either WA/ VIC as it is easier to just bunk in with friends/ family temporarily), that helps, I am game.

Sorry for the long rant. Figured I may as well ask, as I have nothing to lose other than giving up my PR (which is kind of silly and ppl have been advising me against it, after having done it themselves).

Thank you.

Not related to working in Australia, Admin please remove  if this is not appropriate.

Anyone has ever brought in BBQ Dried Meat / Bak Kwa via airport? Last week, I went to Boxhill (eastern suburbs in Melbourne) and didn't see anyone selling it. Since I am back to MY this week, I am wondering if I could hand carry it back?

Hey guys, what's the likelihood of landing a job whilst on bridging Visa with no work restriction? Do employers generally turn away bridging visa holders eventhough they have the right to work full time?

I have a business that can run without 100% hands on. On and off i can go there and look around..so retirement age is not a concern for me. If i really get tired of it i can sell the business. Haha

Malaysia got semi government hospital. Much more cheaper than private. My uncle had operation to remove tumour, private hospital cost him RM60k but semi gov only 5k+. If full government will be almost free but u got to wait.

PPUM. My wife delivered our first baby there.

PPUM. My wife delivered our first baby there.

Interesting, is this what the UM hospital is as well? I've always been told they were semi government hospitals.

The younger generation will probably not put much into super as it may be better off putting the extra money into the mortgage as super money is locked up until you are 60.

Putting money into super is taxed at 15% so someone on A$70k (average earnings in Aust) will save around 19.5% tax (marginal tax 32.5%+2% Medicare levy). For the younger generation, saving 19.5% (for those on 32.5% tax bracket) may not be a great enough inducement to have your money locked until till 60.