After High School or

Country People Going To The City

Introduction

The purpose of this page is to provide a useful check list for people who leave school or move to another area.

This information is mostly from the book produced by the young farmers Inc called 'city guide' and some of my own insights. Being a traveler for most of my life, I always appreciate the difference there is in the communities I move into and the simple difference of living in a small town versus life in larger communities.

Other sites do exist to help young people settle into their new life. for example Ucan2. Ucan2 's about us says this about the web site:

"Ucan2 has been developed by rural people in western Victoria. It was initiated and part-funded by the Uniting Church and has also been funded substantially by the School Focussed Youth Service, Wimmera and Northern Grampians Regions. The project has consulted with students, teachers, parents, student welfare workers, youth workers, university staff and others in preparing these resources."

The change from high school or university to the community lifestyle may be quite a shock. A similar situation can exist for the country person who moves to the city.

A city person may also get a shock when moving to the country. Everything cost more and some of the foods  and items that can be bought in the city is not available. Entertainment in country towns is different also. To a city person there seems to be less entertainment because there may be no cinema, big name bands, casinos and so on. The county in fact has many pastimes the city does not have because of its' open spaces. Also dust storms, droughts, bush fires, snakes and common power failures can be quite unexpected events to the city person.

A cafe on the river bank in the country is not that impressive as it would be in the city. Water skiing, cross country motorbike riding, bush walking, hunting, looking up at a star filled night sky, seeing wide open spaces and knowing everybody in town is not the usually daily event in the city.

For those who have moved from overseas, you may also find some of the information here relevant.

If you do not like the community you are living in now or you have moved into a community that you find difficult, my advise is to move to a different area in the larger communities or cities. Moving to another suburb can almost be like going to anther country in most cases because the people there can be very different from the other suburb.

Apart from very poorly run small country towns in WA and QLD ( I am not familiar with towns in SA, NT or Tas. )  most of the towns that the locals call a hole are in fact not the worst places in Australia to live.

The Basics

• Moving: don't forget to tell everyone who sends mail or telephones you to you that you have moved. The post office also provides a mail re-direction for a cost so that you do not miss out on any mail sent to your old address. Also you may be able to keep your old telephone number in some cases. You will also have to register to vote in new area, possibly exchange your drivers license for a new license of the state you now live in,
• APEX Australia can be found in the city and may be a familiar icon you can call on if you need help.
• There are a heck of a lot more people in the city. There are always going to be people with problems, disabilities (or enabled people), life styles or behaviors you will find strange. It is wise to try and stay out of their way until you can understand what they are about. The real life situations are so varied it is hard to give any good general advice.
• Exercise: in cities there is a general lack of large open spaces. You may have to pay to go to a gym or use a much smaller area to exercise then you are use to. Pollution is also more significant. On hot days you can literally see a haze of pollution over the city centre. Public parks may also have the occasional people around them that ask for money.
• Entertainment : Check out www.sport.vic.gov.au , clubs, music, radio, sport, skating, blading, movies theatre, galleries ( www.ngv.vic.gov.au  ), youth clubs and organizations like Freeza ( www.freza.vic.gov.au  for alcohol free events).
• Beggars: the sight of beggars in the central city streets seems to have become more common. Some are genuine while others are not.
• Aggressive sales people: occasionally you may find people that want to get you to visit their store, hand out literature, talk about religion, have you take part in a questionnaire, sell something or get you to sign contracts. Often it is best to say 'no thanks,' but if you enter into a conversation with such people you may end up with the odd angry stare if you say 'no' to their incredibly generous offer. On the good side there are some times people doing product launches and handing out free drinks, confectionary or some other free thing (like CD's), they are probably one of the few sales people you will be glad to see.
• Get a map of the city you live in. For Melbourne it is the Melways street directory. You can also get a good guide from ' www.whereis.com  '.
• If you have finished high school, then there are often useful information handed out near the end of the year. Take the time to read them or get a copy if you missed out. These include things on the law, job searching and useful phone numbers. A good general site to visit is this is a information service for Australians. 
• At the stage when you are at the final year of high school you may also appreciate a basic book like 'the little red book' or some other book of that nature that covers the basics of sex and how to deal with friends, parents, authorities, the law and so on. A lot of things are going on in your life and you may find you have to make lots of decisions while often being tinged by many strong emotions. It is always a good time to take stock of who you are and what you going to do in the next few years of change that often follows finishing high school.
• I remember one young girl asking me if she was a 'loser.' In life there is no such thing as loser. If you fall, you pick yourself up and move on. If you make decisions that you are happy with; live life to the best of your abilities and learn to be happy, I believe that you will enjoy the path you are on and that is all that is important in life. I always like being in the company of some one that is happy with their life, somehow it makes me happy too.
• www.reachout.com.au for when you are having a rough time in life and can not talk to friends or family.
• In big cities there are often information centers that give out information for free much like the tourist place in smaller towns. Buses and Train stations also give out information or sell things like maps for a very low cost. It is a good idea to visit these places. The internet also provides a lot of information on public transport, see: ' www.australia.gov.au ; www.vic.gov.au ; www. metlinkmelbourne.com.au ; and www.vline.com.au  '. If you are a cyclist you may want to look at www.bv.com.au and www.bikepaths.com.au. In cities you can rent cars and bicycles. Avoid hitch-hiking as it can be dangerous, especially when alone.
• Public transport: you may get discount fares if you have a heath care card or are a senior citizen. This discounts only apply for the state you live in usually.
• Get to know where your local library is. Libraries can be a place to read the newspaper and get a chance to spend some time on the internet for free.
• If you are unemployed, Centrelink will often ask you to join a job network member who will assist you in finding work by provide internet services, photocopies, telephone, resume/CV advice and even pay for any stationary, envelopes and stamps you need to make the applications for employment. Not all job network members provide the same level of service or treat you in the same way. If you do not like one, then try another because it is best for you to feel good about yourself as you look for work. Look out for shonky job advertisements that are too good to be true because they often are job watch.
• If you are working, it is hard to advise you as currently the workplace is undergoing massive changes. In the past you could talk to unions, look at selected legislation (the rules the government puts out about working conditions), and even talk to your employer. If you start work now days you may be asked to sign an agreement. If you are unfamiliar with the 'legal language' in a work place agreement, you might study this topic before being presented with one. One handy place to get information is 'wageline' to check if your pay rate is appropriate for the job you are being asked to do. Also Australia is a equal opportunity country http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au.
• Mobile Telephones and other electronic gadgets. Be careful about these items as they may cost you a lot more then you expect. You will often be asked to sign a contract that will involve a fixed cost plus the call cost you make. Often at the end of the contract you will end up owning the electronic gadget (i.e. mobile phone).
• Throwing away electronic gadgets that are out of date or not functioning. My advice is to put it out the front of your house if the council collects rubbish off the curb ( as people will cruise around and take it away before the council gets it) or to dispose of it as advised in the literature you are given with the device. Things like mobile telephone batteries are often not good for the environment.
• Cars these days cost a lot of money to run. If you are intending to buy a car, take the time to think about the costs. Things like petrol, insurance, registration, loan repayments, repair costs and what will happen if your income changes or if you crash the car. I have heard of people crashing their cars and being asked to continue making repayments on their loan regardless of if they have a car or not. If it is your first car, you might want to buy a cheap but reliable car.

Accommodation

It is best to find new accommodation and then move out. You can find new places to live in by looking through the news papers or the internet. Places that have very cheap rent may be in locations where the area is very rough. Do your home work and check out if the locality you are moving into is okay for you. Don't take one persons word for it, ask locals, public transport drivers and shop keepers what they think of the area you are moving into.

Real Estate Agents may expect the following, so be prepared:

• An application form or references from previous places you have lived in.
• A condition report to be filled in
• For you to read and sign a lease agreement of 6 months to a year often. After this period the real estate agent may allow your tenancy to lapse into a periodic payment agreement. This means that you no longer have to sign a tenancy agreement for a set period after the first one.
• Bond: Depending on where you live bond is often the equivalent of two weeks rent or one months rent. The bond will be returned to you if you follow the rules in the renting agreement booklet that is given to you by the landlord as required by law. Bond is held by a independent body called the 'Residential Tenancies Bond Authority.' You pay the bond to the landlord or agent.
• You may be eligible to receive a Bond Assistance from the Bond Loan Scheme if you are receiving payments from Centrelink: create your future website gives examples of what occures in each state or you can use the links provided below.
  1. Victoria; Australia.
  2. New South Wales; Australia.
  3. Queensland; Australia.
  4. Northern Teritory; Australia.
  5. South Australia; Australia.
  6. Western Australia; Australia.
  7. Tasmania Australia.
  8. ACT Australia.
• Some benefits including Youth-Allowance and Newstart will give out rent assistance. Rent assistance allows you to afford more expensive rents, this allows you to choose from a wider selection of rental properties.
• For short term accommodation you could try a youth hostel www.yha.com.au or some emergency type accommodation such as front yard www.frontyard.org or www.hanover.org.au. Some of the emergency accommodation can be located in the rougher parts of town, so take care. I often like to stay in caravan parks on the edge of town where it is cheap. People that live in caravan parks are a mix of really nice people and the few nasty people (who may seem very friendly at first), so it is often wise to keep to yourself if you are only going to live there for a few days or you will be dealing with issues you wish you never had. Of course, keep in contact with the relatives, friends and family to let them know what is going on with your life.
• There are also special accommodation services like the 'Koorie  Information Centre' and 'Young Woman's Housing Shopfront' to name a few that cater for people that have special needs or have their own community that is willing to reach out to you when things get difficult or you need friends.

Shopping

• Supermarkets, markets, second hand shops, and garage sales are often good places to get cheap stuff. Things like the Melbourne Queen Victoria Market are not typical things you have in a country town and they are open most days of the week.
• Some shops give you a discount if you are employed locally, have a health care card, are a regular customer or are a member of their organization.
• Food is important to you. There are plenty of good cook books out there. Food can also make you sick or worse if you do not handle it properly or do not have a healthy diet.

If you want to get to know about cooking, I would suggest the following book:

Cookery for the hospitality industry; Dodgshun & Peters; Cambridge Press, Melbourne [1999].

This book includes information on personal hygiene and good food handling practices. It also gives you some basic nutrition guidelines and several good recipes.

Large communities such as ones in cities also give you the chance to try out new types of food you have never tried before.

Eating out

The costs of eating out vary considerably. It pays to shop around for quality and good prices. There may even be books discussing cheap places to eat as well as restaurant and cafe guides.

Health

• Get you own Medicare card www.medicareaustralia.gov.au  .
• Centrelink may also give you a health care card if you are eligible.
• You can find out where community health services, hospitals, doctors and alternative health care, relationships councelling is by searching through the white or yellow pages or searching on the internet.
• For drug problems or needle exchange contact a place like www.buoyancy.org.au .
• For drug information contact www.adf.org.au .
• If you have been sexually assaulted, after informing the police you may want to contact some organization like  The Royal Women's Hospital ; CASA stands for Centre Against Sexual Assault.
• Adolescent Health: check telephone book or internet.
• Disability: www.vicnet.net.au/~dina and www.disability.vic.gov.au.
• Gay and Lesbian: check telephone book or internet.
• Lifeline also handles many issues and they can be contacted 24 hours a day. Check the internet or telephone book for their telephone number.

Legal Services

www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Finances

I am sure most of you will have a rough idea of how to make up a budget. I will give you a example below:

Income

1. Government Assistance        $___________
2. Government Rent Assistance $___________
3. Allowance                           $___________
4. Wages                                $___________

                            Total Income $___________

Expenditure

1. tax on total income           $__________
2. superannuation                 $__________
3. Rent                                $__________
4. Food                                $_________
5. Cleaners, toilet paper etc  $__________
6. Gym cost                          $__________
7. Replacing worn out stuff    $__________
8. Entertainment                   $__________
9. Phone, gas, elec., etc       $__________
10. Insurance                          $__________
11. Loan repayment                $__________
12. Registrations                    $__________
13. Education Costs                $__________
14. Petrol/public transport      $__________

                       Total Expenses $___________

Savings = Total Income - Total Expenses

This will give you a rough idea of if you can afford things. If you are moving to a new area you might want to get an idea if you can afford all the costs of living in the new place. You might also try out various scenarios of is you are employed or unemployed.

To find out your consumer rights www.accc.gov.au  . There are also organizations like WIRE (Women's Information Referral Exchange) that is a women's only service.

Conservation

While it may not be a big deal in the country, conservation can be quite organized in the city. Things to watch out for are:

• water use and when water restrictions are in effect
• separating recyclable, garden and other waste into separate bins
• car roadworthy including pollution controls
• Conservation ideas

Finally

Good luck on you life after high school or your move to a new area.

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