Annaleigh

Hi all,

I'm new on here and am looking for some words of wisdom/advice if you don't mind. I'm single, 36, and am considering moving to Oz. I've had the points test done and would need to apply for state sponsorship, and that's fine.

My quandary is whether to apply at all. I have a good life here (apart from the single thing!), a good job, great friends, and I wonder whether I'm be making the right decision in emigrating. I love the idea of the sunshine (it's so bleak here in winter!), and have a friend in northern NSW who says I can stay with her, though she's in quite a small community, so I'm not sure how easily I'd get work (I'm a social worker).

I just wonder what people's thoughts are about moving, whether they're glad/regret it, what I should think about, whether it's easy to meet new people, what the lifestyle's like, etc. Just some words of wisdom would be great. While I am terrified, I know the best things in life are scary, and I think I'd regret not trying it, when I'm 90 and looking back on life!

Any thoughts would be most, most welcome!

Thanks
Anna

Pollyana

You'll never know unless you try it, and if you can get the sponsirship and have no issues like health, convictions etc then it sounds like you have looked into the visa side of it.
You need to weigh up how easy it would be to go back and fit back into the job market if you don't like it here - nurses for example can usually move with no problems either way, many of the rest of us aren't so lucky!
If you aim for a small town you may have issues getting work here though - oh, and its NOT sunny all the time!!

I'll move your thread to the main forum though, you'll get more opinions in there

Annaleigh

Thanks for that...now to find it!

eddie007

Its a lot to give up, a good job, great friends....

Have to ask why would you want to give that up and why do you want to immigrate?

Annaleigh

Really, it's the weather. I get so miserable in the cold, and the wet and the grey. And it's like that a lot in Scotland! I just feel brighter and happier when there's a blue sky and a bit of warmth.

And as a social worker with older people, I see what could lie ahead for me, and the thought of being housebund for months on end, just because I'm scared to go out when it's cold and icy and break a hip! That's a biggie for me.

I guess I just want a better life. Like I said, mine's good, but could it be better there? That's kinda rhetorical, but not if you want to answer it!

eddie007

It gets bloody cold here too... And the houses arent designed for cold... But i see what you mean...

I'd give it a go... But then we did it... Already... With four kids in tow...

There are thousands of people who would love to do it but cant... Coz they dont have what australia needs right now.. You're very lucky to be able to be asking yourself this question...

You can't live life thinking If Only... Better you come and have a go than end up lying in bed one day when you're old with your broken hip thinking If Only...

scrubbedexpat055

I think you have already written the answer.

Give it a go. If its in your system, you may never settle until you have tried it.

Whether it is a good idea from a financial or career point of view is a very different question, which is up to you to balance.

I have done it twice, and while it has cost a lot of money, I am still glad we did it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained etc etc etc ....(drifts off into the corner.....)

Good luck

Bermudashorts

I think I would also vote for giving it a go. But I am a cautious type so I also recommend keeping an easy route back open for yourself, by that I mean perhaps keep your house (if you own one) for a couple of years rather than sell in a rubbish market.

Other people recommend the opposite, they say if you break all ties you are committed to make a go of it. It is a fair point, but I didn't want to commit to make a go of it, I just want to try it out.

I probably would not recommend rural NSW to a single gal, a city might be more suitable. You can jut visit your friend perhaps.

I am not sure about moving for the weather. The weather is pretty brutal here to be honest, UK has a nice mild climate in comparison. Of course it does not get as cold here, but the rain, storms and temperatures are quite extreme. We don't have blue skies every day, it is often cloudy, but I see blue sky more often that I used to and it is something that I like about living here.

paulry

And it can also be said that once you have tried it you'll never be able to settle again

quoll

I tend to be in the "if it aint broke dont fix it" camp - take those nice long holidays to exotic places that you can do from UK.

Some social work experiences here in Aus have been less than ideal and you may want to check that out. They are always after child protection workers - probably because they cant keep them (that may give you a clue).

If you can take a career break and check it out without losing anything and you have an itch for adventure then go for it otherwise remember that no matter how green the other guy's grass looks, it still needs mowing.

Oh, and dont marry an Australian!