Mike_Hayley

Hi All

Me and my partner are seriously looking into the possibility of moving to Australia. Possibly WA. We feel our 2 young boys (8yrs and 4mths) would have a much better life and better opportunities out there.

We would appreciate any advice or indicators of areas we may have overlooked when doing our research on this life changing move.

Our initial (and main) problems are:

I am a qualified Domestic Energy Assesor here in the UK with previous experience in retail management and Sales, and my partner is a Teaching Assistant level 3 working in a school with children with special needs. However, it seems none of these occupations seem to have much pulling power in Australia?

Additionally, we would be looking at renting the house in WA initially, does anyone have any experience of this? Does it work similar to the UK rental market?

Any advice at all, on any subject would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

old.sparkles

Are either of you Australian? If not, what visa were you planning on making a move with?

brits1

Hi,


I would first check out if either of your occupations are on any of the States "points" system if you are looking at a Skills Visa and not just WA as it would narrow your options, you need to know just how you can enter Australia first before thinking of rentals but yes the renting system is similar to the UK. Good look.

quoll

If your occupations are not on the list then it's probably a non starter.

What makes you think that life and opportunities would be better for your kids BTW? One first world country is much like any other it's not magically better. And if that is your only reason I wouldn't bother - if you have an itch for risk and adventure then by all means go for it if you can find your occupation on the list, otherwise draw a line and look at what you've got.

deano27

Yeah you need to check the list, age etc and funds to make it happen. It isn't cheap and takes a lot of effort to get down under. Having said that see what the situation is and keep the dream alive.

Dean

evets

As others have mentioned, if your occupations are not on the list probably best to stop thinking of the move. Other than that look to retrain or find an occupation, that one of you could transition into.

You also should look at the job market in WA, as even retraining may not find you a job.

As for better life and opportunities for the kids, maybe while they are young but as adults depending on the career choices they may find it difficult and could end up moving East. Also consider the sun, you can pick up a tan very quickly in WA in the morning. Kids have to wear hats that cover the neck in school, and I think long sleeved tops.

Have you been to Australia, your post is not clear if you have visited WA! Since the mining boom has died WA is experiencing lack of jobs.

Also factor in the high cost of relocating, any return trips with a family of 4 especially during the holiday season's. Do you currently own a property in the UK that you would sell to hopefully have a decent equity to use as a deposit?

The rental market in WA I cannot comment on, but I assume the procedure is pretty standard across the major cities in Australia. They have open for inspection days, in which they list a day and time frame for the general public to view. You then register with the Estate Agent and if lucky, can get an application form if not too many people turn up. Submit the application with all the necessary paperwork and hope for the best.

Depending on what the rental market is like at the time, only going by Melbourne. When I first arrived 2009, lack of properties and you could see queues of people waiting to inspect the property. A good few years later, more properties and sometimes only me turning up. Also another point to note, rentals do not come with white goods, so you would need to consider that initial cost to but F/F and W/M.