Before you come.

Ok, so everyone knows about the TTMRA (Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement) Licence Conversion but what about everything else? Like did you know that in Australia you will need a Dangerous Goods Certificate? An ASIC (Aviation Security Identification Card) is pretty much mandatory for employment and although it's well and good having your NZ Class 1 Medical Certificate valid until the first expiry, then what? Let's run through some basics. Dangerous Goods Awareness Certificate (DGAC). In Australia this is mandatory, it's just a bit ironic though that you need it to work for a company but a lot of their SOP's don't allow you to take Dangerous Goods anyway! However it is what it is. A DGAC is valid for 2 years from the date of completion, it needs to be CASA approved and it generally costs just under $100, don't worry if you're not the smartest cookie when it comes to remembering things as it's an open book exam and it's all done online, resources and all! People generally do it within a day and almost all companies have handbooks for Dangerous Goods, for when the day comes that you are faced with the situation of, Can I Fly This? I recommend this company for Dangerous Goods - https://www.conair.co.nz/Courses/. They're a NZ based company so everything is in NZ dollars, just remember to click the Australian Dangerous Goods Course! ASIC's, I think these are every pilots worst nightmare in Australia, they again are valid for 2 years and pilots must display them at security controlled airports, a lot of operators require you to have one before they employ you, some will be a bit kinder but it depends on the location of the job. An ASIC costs around $280 but here's the catch - you must pick it up in person at a designated post! There's heaps around Australia but doesn't help the kiwi much! My advice would be to organise the collection in a major city I.E. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth as there are direct flights to these locations. Now there are plenty of websites you can do an ASIC through but I use the CASA service - https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/aviation-security-/-card-asic-application

from what I've heard though you can only use the CASA website if you're in the country, there is another option and that's Veritas - https://www.asic.net.au/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5pPnBRBJEiwAULZKvoHR-dO6dDlwW7hE8n-E2zBT3uy5CBtZ2bdMScmlhu9J6HxWu6SByBoCE-0QAvD_BwE, it costs a bit more from what I hear but you can have it all sorted before you get over here.

Lastly your medical, I can't recommend David Payne enough - https://www.pacificmedicalexams.com. He knows everything when it comes to the medical. Now just some quick facts to know, if it's been a while since you did your initial class one there's a good chance you'll need to do; New Bloods, Eye Sight Test & Hearing Test. On the plus side the fee to CASA is around $80, you fill out a form on CASA's website called MRS - https://www.casa.gov.au/licences-and-certification/aviation-medicine/mrs-online-medical-records-system, before you go to the DAME (designated Aviation Medical Examiner). CASA in my opinion are stricter than the CAA when it comes to medicals, so get it done at least 6 weeks before you make the move to Australia as the initial can take a while to process, on the plus side though it does come to you by email. So that is what I recommend you do while you're still at home with maybe some kind of a job living at your parents. Australia is a big place to travel with limited services in some towns so having this all organised before you come over will take a lot of stress out of things and let you really focus on finding a job!