Deancm

That is just not true. Most (not all) IT roles pay much higher in the UK as do professional occupations such as law, accountancy, aviation etc.

You would be surprised how many professionals migrate to Australia only to return to the UK with the main reasons being 1) more career opportunities in the UK and 2) more money in the UK.

Hairdressers will get paid more in Australia. So will cleaners etc.

So, the message is unless you are an unskilled/blue collar worker, don't move to Australia. That is, unless you are not bothered about career and are looking for a complete change in lifestyle.

Deancm

And chance are, now you are living in Australia you are probably not travelling anywhere near as much as you could if still in the UK. It costs a lot more in Australia and Australia is SOooo far away from everywhere.

Olibeneli

Have you got one of those bumpers stickers....."f off we're full"

Nice.

Hutch

This is often mentioned. People bring up the 'proximity to Europe' thing when discussing the advantages of living in the yookay. And yet I didn't know anybody who jetted off to Prague at the drop of a hat for an impulsive weekend city break. I didn't know anyone who'd hop on the Eurostar for a day's shopping in Paris. I lived in a very affluent town in the Cotswolds - lots of ex-home counties types, several fields full of pikeys and the occasional local. The majority of them got one holiday a year which they often took in the UK (Devon or Cornwall). I don't think they were untypical. So I feel that the proximity to Europe is, for the most part, irrelevant and people do not, for the most, travel any more than they do here. The costs of such trips is irrelevant - time and more iimportantly, the inclination, is the issue.

Hutch

Eh?

MartinLuther

It's funny when people say one of the best things about living in the UK is that it's easy to leave and go somewhere more interesting.

Deancm

That all depends on the circles you mix with. I think whether being single/attached or married also has something to do with it.

From my point of view while living in London, I would regulary (once or twice a month) take a long weekend and head to the continent on the Easyjet/Ryanair specials, and so did the people that I knew/my social circle and people I worked with. And this was even more frequent in the winter.

I think the group that doesn't take advantage of proximity to the EU are the ones that primarily have family commitments.

Deancm

It's easy to explore new and interesting lands/cultures.

MartinLuther

Yeah. I know. I've done it. And it wasn't as cheap and easy as people make out.

Deancm

Oh it's definitley easy (from London). Tube/train to airport and off you go. Cheap? Well it's not as expensive as getting a flight from Australia.

ossigeno

Some people prefer the proximity to Asia than Europe. Each to their own.

Deancm

Yes but the cost of travel/flights in Australia is still prohibitive to many people, even to NZ or our Asian neighbors.

ossigeno

I have held jobs in Australia paying much higher than I ever earned in London. I am in IT. I have walked away from jobs purely because I did not like the role. You can't base your entire life decisions around money. It would be quite sad to do so.

Deancm

I did say most, not all. It really depends on which area of IT you specialise. I get people jobs in IT. There is far more opportunity in the UK in IT than there is in Australia. The Australian market is just not big enough.

ossigeno

I think the budget prices are pretty good. Prices will never be as low as UK because of the distances involved.

Air Asia: Melbourne - Kuala Lumpur $199.
Tiger: Perth - Bangkok - $190.
Viva Macau: Sydney - Macau - $343.