 Education. In Australia, there are many different education opportunities for both children and adults. You might be able to access part-time study or evening classes if you have work or children to look after during the day. Be patient and don't be afraid to ask someone to help you understand the education system. Learning English. Learning English will be your first step towards settling in Australia. English can help you find a job and settle in the community. In Australia adult migrant English programme classes are free and are a great way to meet new people. Peter is an English language teacher. My advice would be to make the most of your English classes because life can be much more difficult if you don't speak the language in Australia. Learning English helps you to find a better job. It helps to make your life easier every day. There are many students who go to work part-time or even full-time and they come to study in the evenings. Just because you have a job, it doesn't mean that you have to stop studying. You should enrol in English classes as soon as possible. Speak up. Ask your case worker to help you find English language classes for you and your children. We most know English. Without English, we can't live in Australia. You need English as simple as that to go and buy something from the supermarket. Whether it's a milk or a yogurt, you've got to know the name. But the larger part of English is if you want to get a job in Australia, you have to learn English. When you learn some more language and you pick up more English language in this country, you get more confident, you have more conversation with other people and you might enjoy your life in Australia. I think learning English is very important. I went to CIT to learn English. So I started English very, very hard. I learned new English every day, 25 new words. Going to school. In Australia, all children attend school. Schools provide a safe and secure place for your children. For starting school, most 4-5 year olds go to preschool. This helps them develop physically, emotionally and socially in the year before school and helps them get ready for school. Primary school is for 5-12 year olds. High school is for 13-18 year olds. Children are placed in classes according to their age, not by how much schooling they have had. Your children may be behind in the Australian school system. Children start school at around 9 in the morning and finish around 3 in the afternoon. You can take them to school and pick them up or they can walk, ride, catch the bus or train. But young children should not walk to and from school alone. You should make sure your children eat a healthy breakfast before school and pack a healthy lunch that they can take to school with them. If your children are sick and cannot attend class, you need to tell the school. Your children need to be on time for class. You may have to pay small sums of money for tuition and things such as school uniforms, books and excursions. If you are having trouble affording these things, talk to a teacher at the school. They may be able to help. You need to be patient with your children and with the system. They might need to get used to different teaching methods in Australia. Your children may need to make extra efforts outside school time in order to catch up. In Australia, children learn how to socialise with people their own age. They learn how to work in a team, complete projects and recognise the strengths of different people. Schools also encourage independent thinking, sharing opinions and open discussions. Many children are also involved in school sport, which is a great way to make friends. School children will usually be assigned homework. Ask your settlement service provider or your children's teacher about local homework clubs to help your children with homework, especially if your English is limited. Diane is a primary school teacher. We always talk about values, about respect, about responsibility, about valuing friendship. Bullying is something we don't accept. It's very important if someone is being bullied that they come and talk to someone that can help them. Children who are being bullied should talk to someone they trust like their teacher, school counsellor or parents who can try to help stop the bullying. Teenagers in particular can find it difficult to adapt to their new school. They need support and encouragement while they settle in. In Australia, parents are often involved in their children's school. Most parents attend parent-teacher interviews to talk to their child's teacher about their progress at school and any problems they might be having. The school might ask you to help out in class with sport or at the school canteen. This is a good way to get involved with the school and meet other parents. Schooling here is a partnership between parents and the teachers. And going to school and meeting the teachers and other Australian parents will teach you a lot of things. If you're going to school and meeting other parents, you'll learn lots of things that you'll not learn from your own community. Further education. There are three main options for further education after completing school in Australia. These are going to a university, studying at TAFE or completing an apprenticeship to learn a trade. All Australians have to pay for further study and you must apply and be accepted into a course. There are government loans that can help pay for your further education. You may have to complete a bridging course to be accepted into further education. Remember, some people are more suited to becoming a professional like a doctor or lawyer. Others are more suited to trades such as becoming a builder or mechanic. Different employment options require different types of training. Think about the most suitable job for you and the training you may need. Yachty has been in Australia for eight months. Studying at TAFE is quite good and it is completely a different type of environment. The teachers are just treated as friends. They are called by their first name. Lay has been in Australia for eight months. The teachers are friendly and they have a lot of experience in teaching from other country students like overseas students. They are great. Ask your settlement service provider to help you find out more about your education options. And remember, there is no age limit to studying in Australia.