Relocation guide
🇦🇺 Moving to Australia: Language & Your First Week
Moving to Australia means learning English — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are your Tax File Number (TFN) from the ATO and Medicare enrolment if you're eligible, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.
Australian English is famously informal and abbreviation-happy — arvo, servo, Medicare, super (superannuation), Centrelink. The accent is broad but easy to follow; knowing the system words for tax, health and renting is what gets you settled in Sydney or Melbourne.
Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's English curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →
Which app should you use to learn English for moving to Australia?
Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to Australia, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the English that decides your first months: your Tax File Number, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.
- Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
- Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
- Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 English pointed at settling in Australia, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
- 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.
What to do in your first week in Australia?
- Register your address / residency — your Tax File Number (TFN) from the ATO and Medicare enrolment if you're eligible.
- Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
- Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
- Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
- Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.
Visa & permits: Movers hold a visa such as the Skilled (189/190), employer-sponsored (482), student or partner visa; Medicare access depends on the category and agreements. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.
What do expats say about language in Australia?
- Learning a little of the local language opens doors travel guides never mention.
- Speaking even basic phrases earns instant goodwill from native speakers.
- Short daily practice beats long rare sessions for memory.
- Mistakes are how the brain locks a language in — say it wrong, then right.
- Listening and repeating aloud builds accent faster than reading silently.
Land in Australia ready.
Language Lab teaches the English you actually need to settle in — with a live AI tutor. Coming soon.
Join the beta →