Australia is truly an amazing country, a land of awesome natural beauty, economic prosperity, and friendly everyday people. It’s no wonder that millions of people from other nations want to come live Down Under and enjoy the good life it offers!
If you are someone interested in making the move to Australia, you should know that there are going to be some bureaucratic hurdles to jump before you can begin your new life. The best thing to do is seek the assistance of an immigration law firm in Sydney that can help you to navigate the often tricky waters of visa requirements so you can make a smooth entry into your new life.
Before you come to live in Australia, it’s a good idea to brush up on the social etiquette and culture first. Australia is generally a very welcoming culture, after all so many of the citizens came from other countries themselves, and expats shouldn’t be overly concerned about committing any grievous taboos. Australia is well known as being an easy-going, free society that values optimism, honesty, friendship, and equality.
Australians are a humble people, and that is reflected in their social interactions and business culture. The people are by and large down-to-earth people and don’t have big egos, or feel superior to others. Because of this, Australia is a truly classless society. The people are very sincere and disdain arrogant, egotistical, and pretentious behaviour. Australians are fun-loving, and will quite often make fun of themselves, their self-deprecating humour is disarming and charming, and they don’t have anything to hide and are mistrustful of those who brag about themselves or like to show off- that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any people who do those things, but for the most part Australians are authentic and relaxed, so you should try to be, too.
When Australians meet and greet each other it is usually a casual affair that reflects the overall unassuming and relaxed culture. If you are too formal or stiff in your greetings they will find you standoffish and may feel awkward around you, so don’t be too serious. This doesn’t mean you should walk up to your new boss you’ve never met before and shout “G’day, Cobber!”, good manners are still in effect and appreciated, but once that polite initial intro is over your boss is likely to say “Just call me by my first name, everyone does!” and if you are invited to, you should, too! Most Australians prefer to interact with each other on a first-name basis, and rarely use titles, even when they are meeting someone for the very first time!
When you do meet a new person, or even a friend or a colleague, it’s the custom to give them a firm and confident handshake. Be warned though, you are still a foreigner, at least to begin with, so don’t try to use an Australian accent, and please don’t say “G’day, mate!”, it could easily sound like you are mocking them. A nice, cheerful simple “Hi”, “Hello”, and “How are you?” are the right things to start with until you have settled into the culture and feel more comfortable.
So, relax, smile, and enjoy your new life in friendly Australia!
