I realized it would be prudent if I had some training on this new stuff, before arriving there.

So, there is it. These are the resources which are helping me to enhance my Australian Communication Skills.

Accent

Although listening to radios is not the best way to learn their accent, due to the very clear English the radio professionals speak, it is still an alternative. Specially because you some of them allow you to download their Podcasts and listen everywhere.
Follow my preferred radios:

Australia Now
Talks about Australian culture, geography, immigration and politics.

http://www.abc.net.au/ra/podcast/australianow/podcast.xml

Tech Stream
The subject here is technology.
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/podcast/techstream/podcast.xml

AUS Radio Stations.com
It is a list of all OZ radio stations

http://www.ausradiostations.com/

Radio Australia Podcasts
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/subscribe/

Youtube
Browse for Australian Accent.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=australian+accent

The Angy Aussie. Not that I really enjoy all that  he says, but it  is a really rich source of vocabulary and the channel is updated very often.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AngryAussie

Slang
http://www.upfromaustralia.com/aussieslang.html

Overview

I don’t think taking classes is really necessary. If you have discipline, the entire preparation can be made through books. On the other hand, if you have time and money, an English Teacher is definitely the better alternative.
I do English classes in a regular basis  and I had 8 months to do the test, so I did 8 months of English classes focused on IELTS.

During the classes the book we used was “Focus on IELTS“. It is a nice book if you want to study for a long term. It is focused on IELTS, but also in other aspects of the English language.
In addition, I would say that all that we learned in the classes is covered in a 80 pages book, called “Target Band 7“. This is the Book I have used as a reference guide, during the last 3 weeks of preparation.
During the preparation, another important tool was the IELTS Blog. It is a blog full of essays with their grades. you can submit your essay to them and they will give you a grade, which is very handy if you don’t have a teacher to review them for you.
Finally, I got the exercises from the Cambridge IELTS Series.

Summary

- If you don’t fell totally comfortable with your English, hire a teacher experienced on  IELTS.
- If you want to practice general English speaking while you practice for IELTS, use the book “Focus on IELTS“.
- If you have fluent English, at least take a look on Target Band 7 book and make one full set of exercices from the Cambridge books.

- Finally, write essays, record your voice, train your memory for the listening part and be fast in the reading part.

FAQ:

- I already speak English fluently. Should I study before the test?
At least read the Target Band 7 and make some example tests. IELTS can be trick even for native speakers.
– Is a teacher really needed?
It depends on your level, time and money.
– How long the certificate is valid?

- How to book the exam?

- How much does it cost?
Around U$200,00

Reading: 8.5
Listening: 7.5
Speaking: 6
Writing: 6
Average: 7.5