jad n rich

If the OP posts what occupation and what area hes thinking of, most likely people on this forum will be able to give quite specific information, which is far more useful than looking for sparkle which is probably best left in the 6 year olds crayon box

You can get great info on here ( and total crap ) just give some detail of what you need to know.

BadgeIsBack

Exactly - it might turn out that the Op's trade is low pay and he'll have to jump through hoops (etc)...nothing wrong with sparkle or dreams though.

Geordie George

Welcome to the forum.

First of all, I'd question why you have the impression that Aus will give you a better lifestyle than you currently have. Especially if you currently have a good career and the benefits that brings.

Australia isn't really all that different from the UK: there's a good standard of education, there's a good level of employment, housing is expensive, safety is about personal perception - it's not a safer place to live if you look at the stats.

Which really means questioning what changes you'd want to see to your lifestyle and whether Australia could meet those expectations. It's not a cheap place to live and you'd be wise to really think about the cost of living and how it would impact your lifestyle. And just because Aus has a skilled migrant program does not mean it's easy to find work, nor that any work found will pay well enough for you to enjoy the lifestyle to which you aspire. As for better weather, it depends where you're planning to move to. But remember that heat and sun can be as restrictive as cold and rain (it's not pleasant trying to do outdoors-y things when it's simply too hot and the UV level is too high). And sport, yep, that happens. But what if your children don't like sport or aren't good at it - it can work against as well as for.

I wouldn't try and deter anyone from coming to Aus. It's a beautiful country and has lots of great things going for it. We're happy here. But the more realistic you are, the greater your chance of succeeding if you decide to make the move. Don't make it about dreams - look at the cold, hard figures, do your homework and make an informed choice. Good luck.

Pollyana

Come to sunny Queensland, wonderful weather, dry and sunny.....

fish.01

I think Australia is more centered around children. Better parks, swings, more nice days to enjoy them, more child friendly restaurants, more take the kids camping opportunities etc. Feels more child orientated than the UK. The UK is better setup for adult indoor pursuits.

I am obviously just talking relatively though rather than saying one country or the other has a monopoly on these things.

Weebie

What better opporunities in Australia?? Everyone in this country would kill to study and a top British University!

moneypenny20

Everyone? Hardly. Just because you can't see opportunities doesn't mean they're not there for others.

Petals

Never noticed any sparkle to dull.

Aus is Aus different to the UK, those that like difference settle and like it, those that want UK with sunshine and family round the door do not settle well.

Education is good and the unis are good otherwise our graduates would not be working overseas doing research.
Education is one of those things, some like being educated some do not like it whilst at school, once they leave school they come back to it later.

Some say Aussies are too laid back, but inside they are a seething mass of energy and innovation

I like it as we have so much diversity here.

I also like it because when the time comes for me to have a walker to assist me getting around at least there is room on the pavement here.

Dorothy

What? Oh my God! I better notify the university to cancel my application so I can try to get into a top British uni. You better let me know who to kill to get in, though.

moneypenny20

I've got just the person...... Hold on, actually I've got a couple of names, if you're interested......

Dorothy

Yes please. Apparently I'm going to have to kill some people so I can go to a decent university, so it may as well be people who deserve to be killed.

neil248

5 years in for us and it has not lost it's sparkle.

sa2uk2oz

We have been here coming up 4 years this July and are still very happy to live here.. for us it ticks 90% of the boxes

Sherlock Holmes

Nearly 5 years now. I like it. But then I married and Aussie and was semi-retired and have no debt. I also visited six times before moving over. I realise that not everybody has that luxury.

I have stolen the below from an article by joepublic, B.E. member. It was actually written about Canada but it matters not. The full article is called Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail.

3. Open mindedness.
You’re not in the UK anymore, even if everyone does speak English. If you want rolling countryside, real ale, village pubs, decent bacon etc, then stay where you are. You’re in a foreign country, embrace the culture (what there is of it), speak to the people (don’t wait for them to speak to you), go with the flow and don’t try and swim against it. You’ll only end up failing and annoying everyone in the process.

4. Discontentment with the UK.
If you love your life in the UK then you’re probably wasting you time moving – enough said.

5. Independence, i.e. not tied to family, friends, social circles etc.

Sunday lunch with Mum & Dad every weekend?

You’re the nieces and nephews favourite ‘Uncle Pete’ and you know all their birthdays?

It’s your turn to host the weekly dinner party for your extensive circle of friends?

You get homesick and ring your wife 8 times when you have to stay overnight in a hotel with your work?

If you see yourself in any of the above, then unpack your bags now. Watch an episode of 'Wanted Down Under,' you'll soon see what I mean.

Thorough research.

Believe it or not there’s more to a PC than Facebook. If you haven’t spent months on end researching and emailing about property, jobs, community, shopping, laws, medical, tax etc etc then you don’t know enough and about what you’re getting yourself into. You final decisions should be a series of ‘down selects’, not merely a wet finger in the air. Following that, a physical visit to where you intend to settle would be a must in my opinion. You never know where the enemy may be hiding?

The full article is here: http://britishexpats.com/articles/ca...il-to-prepare/

Weebie

Clown. Figure of speach