Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Mar 27th 2016, 12:00 am
#31
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
LOL, I splurted coffee all over my iPad when I read your opening sentence - no, teaching in Australia is no more family friendly than teaching anywhere else in the world - and only 55 hours a week? I am long retired (thank heavens) and not a classroom teacher but what with out of hours meetings and appointments, special projects and my core work I'd say 55 was a good average for me and I can't imagine things have got any better since I left. Having a sick kid to care for and no extended family support elicited absolutely zero sympathy (not should it!) so, no, leave provisions and flexibility aren't exactly key features of an educational setting (it was much easier for my public servant husband with flex time). Increasingly, too, teachers are finding that their "12 weeks holiday" (ha!) is very much a thing of the past with the 4 weeks rec leave over Christmas being essentially sacrosanct but the "stand down" periods are now being used more and more for various school related activities - especially if you have any sort of ambition.
Getting a job is the challenge which is why so many new young teachers are unemployed or using their skills in other careers - it's definitely not a career I would be steering my kids towards in Australia at all. The general rule of thumb is that there are teaching vacancies sure - in places that no teachers want to live (and from your comments on the weather you would die a thousand deaths within the first couple of weeks - some of those places can be harsh. However there are usually hundreds of applicants vying for positions in the nice coastal "family friendly" places and those positions are often short term contracts with the cheaper applicants getting preference so the schools get more bang for their buck.
Rather than focusing on exchange rates when considering your income, look at how your income compares with the national average age - in Australia the national average is around $80k compared with £26k - so you are quite a bit above average in UK but would be quite a bit below average in Aus.
$250k isn't going to get you much of a house anywhere (not one that you'd want to live in and certainly not a nice modern townhouse in a place where you might scrape by with a job) - Australian small towns with supermarkets bear little resemblance to English small towns with supermarkets - most Aussies live in the cities but from one side of the major cities to the other is many many miles!
In not saying don't do it if you have a yearning for adventure but I would suggest that if you are comfortable where you are, have stable jobs and a nice home it would be a huge gamble - you said you had no savings yet - its going to cost you many thousands to make a move so effectively you could be seeing your £25k house equity all gone just to move and set up again (you won't be driving a nice Alfa at the end of it , that's for sure!). You're both young enough to take a career break (don't quit your current jobs whatever you do!) and try a working holiday for a year before you have kids - you probably wouldn't get any teaching jobs but it'd give you a chance to see what the country is really like and whether you could cope with the weather, the isolation etc.
Getting a job is the challenge which is why so many new young teachers are unemployed or using their skills in other careers - it's definitely not a career I would be steering my kids towards in Australia at all. The general rule of thumb is that there are teaching vacancies sure - in places that no teachers want to live (and from your comments on the weather you would die a thousand deaths within the first couple of weeks - some of those places can be harsh. However there are usually hundreds of applicants vying for positions in the nice coastal "family friendly" places and those positions are often short term contracts with the cheaper applicants getting preference so the schools get more bang for their buck.
Rather than focusing on exchange rates when considering your income, look at how your income compares with the national average age - in Australia the national average is around $80k compared with £26k - so you are quite a bit above average in UK but would be quite a bit below average in Aus.
$250k isn't going to get you much of a house anywhere (not one that you'd want to live in and certainly not a nice modern townhouse in a place where you might scrape by with a job) - Australian small towns with supermarkets bear little resemblance to English small towns with supermarkets - most Aussies live in the cities but from one side of the major cities to the other is many many miles!
In not saying don't do it if you have a yearning for adventure but I would suggest that if you are comfortable where you are, have stable jobs and a nice home it would be a huge gamble - you said you had no savings yet - its going to cost you many thousands to make a move so effectively you could be seeing your £25k house equity all gone just to move and set up again (you won't be driving a nice Alfa at the end of it , that's for sure!). You're both young enough to take a career break (don't quit your current jobs whatever you do!) and try a working holiday for a year before you have kids - you probably wouldn't get any teaching jobs but it'd give you a chance to see what the country is really like and whether you could cope with the weather, the isolation etc.
I am a little confused (it doesn't take much!) about this part...
I am long retired (thank heavens) and not a classroom teacher but what with out of hours meetings and appointments, special projects and my core work I'd say 55 was a good average for me.
I was under the impression that you either are or have been a teacher before.
Also, if you weren't (& I mean this in the nicest possible way, unfortunately you can't convey tone in written mediums) how can you comment on what is normal for teachers if you aren't/weren't?
Obviously if you have been a teacher or know one then totally ignore that comment. You just seemed to have a bit of an extreme reaction to it & your poor iPad seemed to have suffered as a result, lol.
In the UK we most certainly do not get all of our holidays either. This has been the case since I've been a teacher. Again though, it seems to have got worse the longer I have taught because in general workloads have increased. To be honest, I do tend to get most of the summer holidays. About 5 weeks.
But during our one week holiday periods I maybe get 3 or 4 days off (out of 7) & in a 2 week holiday, it really depends on how much I have to do, but I do seem to work for a minimum of 3 days, usually more like 4. During Easter I always go in for at least 1 day & do revision with Year 11's as well.
But I also have to say that I also spend A LOT of time sleeping during my holidays because I am just exhausted. & I have to work for about 6-8 hours every Sunday.
I do appreciate your comments on how hard it is to find work though. To be honest I think it is very much the same here with respect to getting jobs in decent schools, unless you teach Maths, English or Science.
But (as I have said in another post) without being told these things, I have no idea what the reality is for finding work abroad. Lets face it, agencies tell you a load of rubbish most of the time. So I appreciate your honesty.
Again, with the same token I appreciate your advice on the housing & wages situation.
We do have a pretty comfortable life & that is why I am really trying to do my homework now. I would never make the commitment without getting as much info as possible. I've been very lucky that a few of you have really given me some good advice & taken the time to give long replies.
You're both young enough to take a career break (don't quit your current jobs whatever you do!) and try a working holiday for a year before you have kids
This I agree could be a good idea for us & something to look into. But I just don't think that it will be an option.
I'm not sure if I could get a years unpaid leave from work, but I am pretty certain that my husband can't. In all fairness though it is a much bigger problem for us for me to be out of work.
I haven't even heard of anybody doing this who is a teacher here & I don't think that schools would be very keen in all honesty.
But hey, I could be wrong & it is always worth considering.
We also don't have any savings & would have to live off the rent from our house. I'm not sure how feasible this would actually be.
Oh & by the way my Alfa wasn't that expensive. I actually went in wanting to buy a 1 year old DS3. The Alfa was cheaper because they had reps in from Italy & they got a big kick back based off volume of sales. So I got a REALLY good deal. It was actually a better deal to get the Alfa. Just so people don't think I'm trying to show off, lol.
Thanks again.
Mar 27th 2016, 12:05 am
#32
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
The vast majority of us on here are either in or from the UK 
I can't recall any active posters in Tassie at present, but I have spent a lot of time there over the years and can give you some snippets of info.
It IS more like the UK in that the cities are a lot smaller, half an hour from Hobart's CBD and you are definitely out in the countryside. Only two main cities, Hobart and Launceston, the rest of the state is much smaller towns and villages. It is a stunningly beautiful place to live, but on the job front, being so much smaller, people do tend to struggle.
Tasmanian Government Jobs is the link for Tassie government jobs (including public - state - schools)
The climate is probably the closest you will get to the UK. Fair amount of rainfall (though nowhere near enough) - snow in many places, even down to the harbour in Hobart at times. There are also periods of heat in the summer, generally shorter iived than the mainland, you rarely get over 30 for more than 2 days in a row but the ozone layer is thinner and the sun is much harsher - sunscreen is an absolute must Even I catch the sun there just in a few minutes and that's the only place in Aus where that happens!!
Its also pricier in many ways than the mainland as everything has to be flown in or brought on the Spirit (large ferry from Victoria)
I'd move there in a heartbeat, but the issue is employment. If you can score a job there, go for it!
I can't recall any active posters in Tassie at present, but I have spent a lot of time there over the years and can give you some snippets of info.
It IS more like the UK in that the cities are a lot smaller, half an hour from Hobart's CBD and you are definitely out in the countryside. Only two main cities, Hobart and Launceston, the rest of the state is much smaller towns and villages. It is a stunningly beautiful place to live, but on the job front, being so much smaller, people do tend to struggle.
Tasmanian Government Jobs is the link for Tassie government jobs (including public - state - schools)
The climate is probably the closest you will get to the UK. Fair amount of rainfall (though nowhere near enough) - snow in many places, even down to the harbour in Hobart at times. There are also periods of heat in the summer, generally shorter iived than the mainland, you rarely get over 30 for more than 2 days in a row but the ozone layer is thinner and the sun is much harsher - sunscreen is an absolute must Even I catch the sun there just in a few minutes and that's the only place in Aus where that happens!!
Its also pricier in many ways than the mainland as everything has to be flown in or brought on the Spirit (large ferry from Victoria)
I'd move there in a heartbeat, but the issue is employment. If you can score a job there, go for it!
I do think that if we were to make the move to Aus, the only realistic option for us would be Tas.
I will try starting a new thread just in case there are any people from Tas on the forum. I was under the impression that not many Brits went to Tas. But I could be wayyyyyyyyyy off base there.
Mar 27th 2016, 12:34 am
#33
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Looking at you household bills, they look comparative to Oz, my electricity per month is higher than you gas & electricity combined ! I pay $600 per quarter. Rates are about $700 per quarter (inc water) for a detached 4 bed bungalow.
Also dont forget that many Australians have private health cover as medicare isnt very good for things like elective surgery, we as a couple pay $450 a month for this.
Going to the dentist is expensive (usually costs me $250+ for a check up and clean, more if you need xrays), food seems a bit dearer here.
Tassie is lovely and very much like England, hedgerows, sparrows, bumble bee's in summer. One of the 2 cities would be best imo both are nice. Unemployment is high though due to lack of industry, but being a teacher (which are needed everywhere like nurses) you may just find a good position.
Also I worry about your lack of money/savings, dont forget you are leaving behind lifelong friends and family, when you have kids you WILL miss them and a tight budget will mean it will be hard to go back to the UK regularly, two tickets to the UK is about $4000 then you need to hire cars, stay somewhere etc etc, this gets more expensive when you have kids !!
Think carefully, you may be better off moving to Scotland, my BIL and his wife moved to Aberdeen and love it, very cheap houses apparently.
As for housing in Oz you can go to realestate.com.au or domain.com.au and do searches to get current prices.
Hope the above helps.
Also dont forget that many Australians have private health cover as medicare isnt very good for things like elective surgery, we as a couple pay $450 a month for this.
Going to the dentist is expensive (usually costs me $250+ for a check up and clean, more if you need xrays), food seems a bit dearer here.
Tassie is lovely and very much like England, hedgerows, sparrows, bumble bee's in summer. One of the 2 cities would be best imo both are nice. Unemployment is high though due to lack of industry, but being a teacher (which are needed everywhere like nurses) you may just find a good position.
Also I worry about your lack of money/savings, dont forget you are leaving behind lifelong friends and family, when you have kids you WILL miss them and a tight budget will mean it will be hard to go back to the UK regularly, two tickets to the UK is about $4000 then you need to hire cars, stay somewhere etc etc, this gets more expensive when you have kids !!
Think carefully, you may be better off moving to Scotland, my BIL and his wife moved to Aberdeen and love it, very cheap houses apparently.
As for housing in Oz you can go to realestate.com.au or domain.com.au and do searches to get current prices.
Hope the above helps.
Our lack of savings worries me too!
However, we are very lucky to be married & have bought a house at our age. Most of friends may have one, but they don't have both.
It is not commonplace here for people to be able to afford both at our age unless you are earning considerably more than we do.
But we've been very lucky to have had a lot of help.
In terms of the bills, I do think that ours are quite low to be honest. Especially the gas & lecky. We live in a new build 3 storey townhouse, but we are also the middle house of 3. Then on top of that insulation is obviously a big thing here for new builds as well. We paid about £100 a month for both when we lived in an older rented flat.
Wow $450 a month seems a lot. I did a quote for NZ which included consultant appts (not GP appts or prescription costs or dental though) & that came in at about $150 NZ for us both.
As much as in some respects we are very lucky to have the NHS in this country, I have been waiting 4 months to have a test done. They suspected that my brother had cancer (luckily he didn't) last summer & he waited 2 months despite the fact that people are supposed to be seen within 2. & we really do worry about what state it will be in in 10 years time.
We have thought about the family & friends. Obviously this is huge. But I think for the moment we need to decide if it something that we can/are willing to do before we then put that into the equation.
We could look into Scotland but we really don't want to go where the weather is going to be even worse than here, lol. I may not like it really hot, but I certainly don't like it really cold either.
I also don't know if it would give us a better quality of life.
We both love our house so cheaper housing isn't necessarily something we need (although extra money is obviously always welcome).
We could have bought a house which was about 25k cheaper than ours (& it was a big detached 3 bed) but I didn't like the area as much & our house just felt right, so we went for this instead.
However, if your BIL thinks that the quality of life is much better then maybe we should consider it?
Mar 27th 2016, 12:58 am
#34
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Thank you Kevin, that is very helpful advice.
Our lack of savings worries me too!
However, we are very lucky to be married & have bought a house at our age. Most of friends may have one, but they don't have both.
It is not commonplace here for people to be able to afford both at our age unless you are earning considerably more than we do.
But we've been very lucky to have had a lot of help.
In terms of the bills, I do think that ours are quite low to be honest. Especially the gas & lecky. We live in a new build 3 storey townhouse, but we are also the middle house of 3. Then on top of that insulation is obviously a big thing here for new builds as well. We paid about £100 a month for both when we lived in an older rented flat.
Wow $450 a month seems a lot. I did a quote for NZ which included consultant appts (not GP appts or prescription costs or dental though) & that came in at about $150 NZ for us both.
As much as in some respects we are very lucky to have the NHS in this country, I have been waiting 4 months to have a test done. They suspected that my brother had cancer (luckily he didn't) last summer & he waited 2 months despite the fact that people are supposed to be seen within 2. & we really do worry about what state it will be in in 10 years time.
We have thought about the family & friends. Obviously this is huge. But I think for the moment we need to decide if it something that we can/are willing to do before we then put that into the equation.
We could look into Scotland but we really don't want to go where the weather is going to be even worse than here, lol. I may not like it really hot, but I certainly don't like it really cold either.
I also don't know if it would give us a better quality of life.
We both love our house so cheaper housing isn't necessarily something we need (although extra money is obviously always welcome).
We could have bought a house which was about 25k cheaper than ours (& it was a big detached 3 bed) but I didn't like the area as much & our house just felt right, so we went for this instead.
However, if your BIL thinks that the quality of life is much better then maybe we should consider it?
Our lack of savings worries me too!
However, we are very lucky to be married & have bought a house at our age. Most of friends may have one, but they don't have both.
It is not commonplace here for people to be able to afford both at our age unless you are earning considerably more than we do.
But we've been very lucky to have had a lot of help.
In terms of the bills, I do think that ours are quite low to be honest. Especially the gas & lecky. We live in a new build 3 storey townhouse, but we are also the middle house of 3. Then on top of that insulation is obviously a big thing here for new builds as well. We paid about £100 a month for both when we lived in an older rented flat.
Wow $450 a month seems a lot. I did a quote for NZ which included consultant appts (not GP appts or prescription costs or dental though) & that came in at about $150 NZ for us both.
As much as in some respects we are very lucky to have the NHS in this country, I have been waiting 4 months to have a test done. They suspected that my brother had cancer (luckily he didn't) last summer & he waited 2 months despite the fact that people are supposed to be seen within 2. & we really do worry about what state it will be in in 10 years time.
We have thought about the family & friends. Obviously this is huge. But I think for the moment we need to decide if it something that we can/are willing to do before we then put that into the equation.
We could look into Scotland but we really don't want to go where the weather is going to be even worse than here, lol. I may not like it really hot, but I certainly don't like it really cold either.
I also don't know if it would give us a better quality of life.
We both love our house so cheaper housing isn't necessarily something we need (although extra money is obviously always welcome).
We could have bought a house which was about 25k cheaper than ours (& it was a big detached 3 bed) but I didn't like the area as much & our house just felt right, so we went for this instead.
However, if your BIL thinks that the quality of life is much better then maybe we should consider it?
I think if I ever came back to the UK I would take out private cover as I know people who have died of cancer waiting to see a specialist and my own MIL dies whilst waiting for an op for the very thing she died off.
I had a heart valve replacement 3 years ago and I was able to choose the hospital, the surgeon I wanted and at the time that was convenient for me.
Mar 27th 2016, 1:05 am
#35
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Yes the medical is dear....and seemingly cheap in NZ !! you can do a quote for here online with BUPA or medibank. We get Gold Hospital cover, some back for dental & optical but nothing for prescriptions/doctor visits, I go to a bulk billing doctor anyway so I pay nothing. You can see a doctor here same day and if your not happy you can go down the road to a different doctor, unlike the UK.
I think if I ever came back to the UK I would take out private cover as I know people who have died of cancer waiting to see a specialist and my own MIL dies whilst waiting for an op for the very thing she died off.
I had a heart valve replacement 3 years ago and I was able to choose the hospital, the surgeon I wanted and at the time that was convenient for me.
I think if I ever came back to the UK I would take out private cover as I know people who have died of cancer waiting to see a specialist and my own MIL dies whilst waiting for an op for the very thing she died off.
I had a heart valve replacement 3 years ago and I was able to choose the hospital, the surgeon I wanted and at the time that was convenient for me.
I find this very scary for the future as it isn't going to get any better.
I'll be honest, I would be happier to pay slightly less in NI & then get private healthcare.
My FIL has private healthcare through work (although he also has a VERY good job & could easily afford it himself anyway) & had to have an op on his heart. They had to burn something away I think because he had an irregular heartbeat. Anyway he said that the op cost £250,000. I'm guessing that is without anything else like consultant fees etc as well.
He was done in a week.
How the other half live!
Mar 27th 2016, 1:43 am
#36
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
One thing to consider, teachers in Australia need four years of university education, so if your degree is only three years, then you will need to undertake more study before you can make the move.
Mar 27th 2016, 2:12 am
#37
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
That is the same as NZ. I think I'm fine because I did a 3 year BA (Hons) Degree in Business Studies & then a 1 year PGCE.
That should make up my 4 years
Mar 27th 2016, 4:52 am
#38
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
I was a classroom teacher then for the bulk of my working life I was an Ed Psych working alongside classroom teachers but with different roles and responsibilities - I doubt there would have been many teachers who did less than I did - we were all hooked in to a whole load of stuff beyond face to face contact.
You could try a teacher exchange if you couldn't manage a working holiday http://www.cyec.org.uk/exchanges/commonwealth-teacher-exchange
I'm still not convinced that moving to Australia is going to solve all the problems you think you have, especially as you don't seem to have much of a financial buffer behind you - perhaps a move elsewhere in UK would do the job and be much cheaper in the long run.
You could try a teacher exchange if you couldn't manage a working holiday http://www.cyec.org.uk/exchanges/commonwealth-teacher-exchange
I'm still not convinced that moving to Australia is going to solve all the problems you think you have, especially as you don't seem to have much of a financial buffer behind you - perhaps a move elsewhere in UK would do the job and be much cheaper in the long run.
Mar 27th 2016, 5:04 am
#39
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Mar 27th 2016, 5:15 am
#40
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
One more point as the 55 hours comment seems to have caused a lot of comments.
I was using that purely because that was what came from an NUT survey where 1000's of teachers commented & the average was taken.
It also came out as nearly 60 (I think) for primary.
I could write about my own working hours - sometimes less than 55, especially when year 11 leave I would say it is much less, but sometimes more, especially when deadlines are due for coursework or in prep for Year 11 exams. However, that doesn't necessarily reflect the average.
I have to say though, that I would also be interested to know how much people who are being paid for 37.5 hours, but who are working 55+ actually earn & if they get overtime for doing so.
My husbands dad does, but then he earns more than triple what I do.
I was using that purely because that was what came from an NUT survey where 1000's of teachers commented & the average was taken.
It also came out as nearly 60 (I think) for primary.
I could write about my own working hours - sometimes less than 55, especially when year 11 leave I would say it is much less, but sometimes more, especially when deadlines are due for coursework or in prep for Year 11 exams. However, that doesn't necessarily reflect the average.
I have to say though, that I would also be interested to know how much people who are being paid for 37.5 hours, but who are working 55+ actually earn & if they get overtime for doing so.
My husbands dad does, but then he earns more than triple what I do.
People are generally expected to do whatever hours are required to do the job and what the contract states in terms of hours is pretty irrelevant. This general rule would apply no matter what the salary level is, it would apply to a fresh recruit who may be earning below national average earnings, just as much as to the CEO.
To the best of my knowledge, overtime is something that is paid to certain public sector workers e.g. police and to non-professionals in the private sector e.g. somebody working on a checkout or in a call centre.
Mar 27th 2016, 5:57 am
#41
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
This from Tasmania last year http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-27/teacher-graduates-struggling-to-find-work-slam-government-cuts/6502116
And from 2012 http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1883539
Doesn't sound like there's been much improvement in the interim.
And from 2012 http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1883539
Doesn't sound like there's been much improvement in the interim.
Mar 27th 2016, 6:00 am
#42
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Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Hi all,
Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read my post
I need some advice on moving to Australia.
I'm 29 & a Teacher from the UK. I have 4 years experience (at present).
My husband is 27 & is a Pharmacy Assistant (basically a dispenser).
We are considering emigrating.
The biggest reason is for a change in lifestyle. Although I love teaching, I am starting to question if I can continue to teach in the UK. To put it simply, it is starting to make me ill & we are also considering how we will be able to have children in an environment where work is expected to take precedence over everything else. By this I mean that in the UK the culture in teaching is not family friendly at all.
So far I have done lots of research into New Zealand and that is an option for us. However, we also want to look into Australia because quite simply we aren't sure if we could afford to live in New Zealand with the increased living & housing costs. Wages are the same as what we earn in the UK.
If anybody could answer the following questions that would be really helpful:
1) How likely is it that I will get a teaching job in Aus?
We were thinking of NSW & Victoria in terms of areas to live.
I teach Business Studies, ICT & KS3 (years 7 & 8 in the UK) Computing.
2) What is my salary likely to be?
I've been teaching for 4 years, but it will be 5 once we move.
I have a degree in Business Studies (2:1) & a PGCE in Business with ICT.
3) Where are good areas for me to look into for housing?
I don't like really hot weather. So although I appreciate that Aus will be hot, where is the weather coolest?
As I said, we were thinking Victoria & NSW, but I'm concerned that it will be nigh on impossible for me to get a job there.
We are also not looking to live right in the city. We would prefer an area outside of the city, maybe 30 mins away.
As long as we have basic amenities like a Doctors & supermarket where we live, that will be fine.
3) Our mortgage at home is £600 a month.
How much would it cost to rent somewhere modern with 1 or 2 beds?
4) What are living costs like in Aus?
I currently earn £28,000 & my husband earns £15,000.
Although in September my wage should go up to around £30,500.
We currently spend around £75 a week on food (2 adults & 2 cats)
Gas & electricity is £75 a month (for a 3 bed, 3 storey new build townhouse).
Council tax is £120 a month.
Water is £25 a month.
Car insurance is £40 for me in a new Alfa MiTO (driving for 10 years) & £35 for hubby (driving for 8 years) in a 2012 Corsa.
There are of course, lots of other bills (eg. life insurance) but really those are the main ones.
However, I've heard that although wages are higher in Oz, that there are a lot of 'hidden taxes' which we don't pay in the UK, but you pay in Oz.
4) If we wanted to buy (which we wouldn't until we'd lived somewhere for a while first) would we be able to buy a house with a 10% deposit?
We have about £25k equity in our home at the moment (more hopefully when we actually look to move). But we will need to use some of this equity to move with. We recently got married and have no savings.
Realistically we are hoping to have around half of our equity left for a deposit on a house.
So would we be able to buy a fairly modern house in a nice area (it does not need to be in a city, we are quite happy to live in a smaller town as long as it has things like a supermarket, Docs etc) for around the $250,00 mark?
5) How easy will it be for my husband to find work?
He is prepared to take a minimum wage, full time retail job to start with & then try & get into a pharmacy role or look at other options later.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read my post
Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read my post
I need some advice on moving to Australia.
I'm 29 & a Teacher from the UK. I have 4 years experience (at present).
My husband is 27 & is a Pharmacy Assistant (basically a dispenser).
We are considering emigrating.
The biggest reason is for a change in lifestyle. Although I love teaching, I am starting to question if I can continue to teach in the UK. To put it simply, it is starting to make me ill & we are also considering how we will be able to have children in an environment where work is expected to take precedence over everything else. By this I mean that in the UK the culture in teaching is not family friendly at all.
So far I have done lots of research into New Zealand and that is an option for us. However, we also want to look into Australia because quite simply we aren't sure if we could afford to live in New Zealand with the increased living & housing costs. Wages are the same as what we earn in the UK.
If anybody could answer the following questions that would be really helpful:
1) How likely is it that I will get a teaching job in Aus?
We were thinking of NSW & Victoria in terms of areas to live.
I teach Business Studies, ICT & KS3 (years 7 & 8 in the UK) Computing.
2) What is my salary likely to be?
I've been teaching for 4 years, but it will be 5 once we move.
I have a degree in Business Studies (2:1) & a PGCE in Business with ICT.
3) Where are good areas for me to look into for housing?
I don't like really hot weather. So although I appreciate that Aus will be hot, where is the weather coolest?
As I said, we were thinking Victoria & NSW, but I'm concerned that it will be nigh on impossible for me to get a job there.
We are also not looking to live right in the city. We would prefer an area outside of the city, maybe 30 mins away.
As long as we have basic amenities like a Doctors & supermarket where we live, that will be fine.
3) Our mortgage at home is £600 a month.
How much would it cost to rent somewhere modern with 1 or 2 beds?
4) What are living costs like in Aus?
I currently earn £28,000 & my husband earns £15,000.
Although in September my wage should go up to around £30,500.
We currently spend around £75 a week on food (2 adults & 2 cats)
Gas & electricity is £75 a month (for a 3 bed, 3 storey new build townhouse).
Council tax is £120 a month.
Water is £25 a month.
Car insurance is £40 for me in a new Alfa MiTO (driving for 10 years) & £35 for hubby (driving for 8 years) in a 2012 Corsa.
There are of course, lots of other bills (eg. life insurance) but really those are the main ones.
However, I've heard that although wages are higher in Oz, that there are a lot of 'hidden taxes' which we don't pay in the UK, but you pay in Oz.
4) If we wanted to buy (which we wouldn't until we'd lived somewhere for a while first) would we be able to buy a house with a 10% deposit?
We have about £25k equity in our home at the moment (more hopefully when we actually look to move). But we will need to use some of this equity to move with. We recently got married and have no savings.
Realistically we are hoping to have around half of our equity left for a deposit on a house.
So would we be able to buy a fairly modern house in a nice area (it does not need to be in a city, we are quite happy to live in a smaller town as long as it has things like a supermarket, Docs etc) for around the $250,00 mark?
5) How easy will it be for my husband to find work?
He is prepared to take a minimum wage, full time retail job to start with & then try & get into a pharmacy role or look at other options later.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read my post
Best advice I can give you is to research many different sources and if you can afford it, even make a trip out here
Good luck
Mar 27th 2016, 6:04 am
#43
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Seriously, you come out with this every single time and it's still not true. At no point in this thread has anyone been anti Australian. Also all the info the OP has been given so far is looks to be factual. Your second paragraph is a given I would hope.
Mar 27th 2016, 6:07 am
#44
Proudly Deplorable
Joined: May 2003
Location: Alloha snack bar
Posts: 24,246
Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
It's very true
Mar 27th 2016, 6:48 am
#45
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 14,284
Re: Advice needed please for teacher considering move to Australia from UK
Just be careful with what you read on this website as it is, generally, anti-Australian and many opinions (those things that are like assholes) reflect this
Best advice I can give you is to research many different sources and if you can afford it, even make a trip out here
Good luck
Best advice I can give you is to research many different sources and if you can afford it, even make a trip out here
Good luck
Also as you would know, the respondents on the thread are not anti Aussie. There are a couple of posters that certainly favour the UK, but definitely not all.
