April 2007

HI THERE,

Welcome to the Network Migration Services April newsletter. Easter and school holidays are upon us this month so I am sure that some of you are traveling domestically or maybe even internationally to Australia, Canada or New Zealand especially if you are job hunting. In this month's newsletter, our Job Search Consultant, Lorna Brink has given you some (add information).We wish everyone a safe holiday period.

Public Holidays – Please note that the Network Migration Services Offices will be closed on the following dates in April:
Good Friday Friday 6 April
Easter Monday Monday 9 April
Freedom Day Friday 27 April

Tipping In Canada - Tips or service charges are not added to the bill in a restaurant or hotel unless the management states that it is their specific policy to do so. However, a tip is expected as part of the salary of the waiter or waitress, or hotel employee. It is customary to tip 10-15% of the total bill, unless you are dissatisfied with the service for some reason. In that case, you can leave a smaller tip, or none at all, depending upon the circumstances. Tips are not expected in cafeterias or fast food places. Taxi drivers are also tipped 15% of the fare.

Relocation Workshop Durban 24 March 2007 – Last weekend we hosted our relocation workshop down in Durban. We had over 100 people attend our workshop. The feedback that we have received from both our service providers and attendees has been very positive. Our next workshop will be held in Johannesburg on Saturday 12 May 2007. We already have a number of bookings already for this workshop so if you would like to pre-book a seat please email relocation@netmigration.co.za or call 011 4637060 and speak to Ian. We have uploaded photo's from the Johannesburg and Durban onto our website. If you would like to view these please visit our website www.networkmigration.co.za and click on the seminar tab on the right hand side then select seminar gallery.

Planning your move – from Greg from Kings International Removals - In planning your overseas removal it is important to be able to budget for your moving expenses and you will thus require an all inclusive door to door quote. Your removal quote should include export packing, transport, port dues, customs clearance, delivery, unpacking and removal of packing debris. However, all quotations will EXCLUDE the following:
1.quarantine inspection fees in Australasia as this is payable on arrival and dependant on time taken and services requested by the Quarantine officiers
2.Insurance
Please check that your quote includes “ port dues “ ( approx R 800 ) which is a South Africa harbour tax often left off quotes much as the “ airport departure Tax “ is often omitted from airfare prices.
What is a good job for me to move into? Many people we work with ask “What is a good job for me to move into?” Only you can answer that question.

Job Search - Some of the people we work with who are thinking about immigrating, think only about the jobs that are ‘good’ because that means they will have a job to secure a work permit and facilitate faster immigration. It is a much better idea to think about the types of jobs that are going to give you the most satisfaction so that you can enjoy your new life, and you need to keep in mind that with a work permit you are tied to that position for a certain amount of time, so choose wisely.

You are the best person to be deciding “what job is good for ME”! It is important to keep in mind what your family and friends suggest, however, try not to choose a career based only on their views. Practical things to think about when making this decision include:

Will the job facilitate a Work Permit application for my country of choice, and in the long run lead to Permanent Residence?
Am I able to go for interviews if and when necessary?
Do I have the skills to do the job?
Is there room for career development?
Will I be happy in this position for the given amount of time – bearing in mind that the family and I are going to be under all sorts of different pressures?
It is also important to think about the emotional aspects of making a career choice. This means, “What are my own personal needs, as well as the needs of my family?” This is often a hard thing to think about and to keep all the issues and information straight. As a result people often find this the most difficult to tap into and therefore overlook this, until later when they realize that they didn’t actually move into a job that they could be happy with for the necessary period of time, but rather they moved into the first job that came along. You need to take everything in to consideration, and bounce your ideas off the NMS team whenever you want.

If you take into account the practical and emotional side of making a decision with the suggestions of the people around you, you are more likely to gain a better picture of what jobs would make sense for you and your immigration process. Remember to forget about ‘what is good’. It is not about going with what is good. It is about finding out what is going to be right and the most satisfying for you, both now and in the future. You need to do research yourself though, and not just rely on the people around you!

Processing Times for Australia – Current processing times for priority applications at DIAC (formally DIMIA) which are currently having Case Officers allocated are August/September 2006. Priority cases are applications with a profession on the MODL list for Australia.

Exciting new service providers – We would like to announce that we have joined forces with a promenient healthcare recruitment partner in Australia who will be able to assist our registered nurses Nationwide. All current job vacancies will be loaded onto our Hot Jobs link on our website www.networkmigration.co.za .If you are currently in the process or considering moving to Australia and are a registered nurse, please contact Lorna Brink our job search consultant on jobsearch@netmigration.co.za.

English Language Tests at the British Council – From our relocation workshop we had numerous queries around the IELTS Test. Currently there are no bookings available at any of the Centres in Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town for the period of April – May 2007. Bookings at your nearest centre re-opens on:
12 May 2007 – Cape Town
02 June 2007 – Johannesburg
21 July 2007 – Durban

To apply to a test centre to take an IELTS test prior to the test date. Applications are made on an IELTS application form which you can send or take into a test centre, along with the test fee of R1,633.00 and two passport sized photographs. You will also need to include your passport number, or in some circumstances a national identity card number, on the application form – check with your test centre. Payment can be made into British Council's bank account (banking details on www.ielts.org) prior to submitting you application and the proof of payment can be submitted when you make your application. Credit Card payments are accepted by the British Council as well. An application can be downloaded (www.ielts.org), or you can call the 086 0012233 (Call Centre) and an application form will be faxed to you on request. Once you have applied, the test centre will confirm your IELTS test date and time within 2-3 days of receiving your application. On the test day, make sure you bring the same evidence of identity as the number entered on the Application form. Your results wil be issued within 14 days of taking the test. On your request a copy of these results will be sent to you and to the relevant authority.

And now something for all you die hard sweet tooth people out there! - This recipie is from Howard and a retake on Nigella's deep fried Bounty Bars and has an Easter touch on it.
Deep Fried Cadbury Cream Eggs
Cream eggs 1 tsp baking powder
1 egg 1 ½ tsp sugar
1 cup of milk 1 tsp salt
1 cup of flour

You could use you own batter recipie or Nigella's, but to make this one, just combine all of the ingredients apart from the cream eggs, dip the cream eggs in the batter, and simply deep fry them. Be carefu, the insides of the eggs, get quite hot! ENJOY

Warm Regards
The Team at Network Migration Services
Telephone: 011 4637060
Fax: 011 4632021
Email: nms@netmigration.co.za or relocation@netmigration.co.za
Website: www.networkmigration.co.za