Olibeneli

Hi all,
I'd like to sound out some more info from you all.

I have searched a few websites and see that accountants jobs are advertised anywhere between AS$50k to AS$80k.

Lets take AS$65k as an average - so that's around £26k and way down on what I earn here in the UK.

So how does AS$65k compare to salary for a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, solicitor, bricklayer, plumber, etc.......?

Perhaps I should re-train to do something else....like being an estate agent - is it money for old rope like in the UK ? Why do they earn lots in Oz compared to what I think are jobs that require more skills and the like.............is it just because house prices are going up so they get a % of a bigger number ?

Based on some replies I have read and other posts I'm being turned off Oz before I even apply because they just don't need folks like me.

Someone posted a good note to ask why Oz needs loadsa nurses.....is everyone (home)sick down there ?

Also - having a pool but not being able to put water in it kinda defeats the object.......

Lastly - anyone in perth tell me what the golf courses are like ?
Are there plenty of courses and how much for 18 holes?

sorry - I am a golf nut.

louH

Don't think you can compare what you earn in £ to what you earn in $'s - its a bit apples and pears if you know what I mean.

If your going to Oz to make your fortune - don't think its gonna happen! Want to earn lots of cash come work in the city and enjoy 50+ hour weeks

What about the other things you can't measure?

WBB

not the bricklayer thing again.......lol

Olibeneli

Understand your comments, but I don't expect to make a fortune or retire at 45 years old............

Sure, how can you measure sunshine and nice beaches.......but unfortunatley being me means I gotta work at just about the only thing I know and that has to come top of the list.

No job = no life outside work and I'd don't want to be a Pommie sponger in a strange place - especially Oz as I'd get eaten alive.

If my only work prospects in Oz put me in a place in society that equates in the UK to what I call border breadline then no amount of sunshine is gonna make up for it.

I wish I trained as a builder/painter/decorator/plasterer/electrician/plumber because it sounds like that's what Oz needs the most based on some threads here.

Where is the demand coming from for building work and the demand for health workers/nurses......as I asked, are Ozzies really that sick?

cheers

WBB

the demand comes from the ever growing immigrant population, they all need health care and housing but not everybody needs a bean counter.

good luck.

Pookin

"Lets take AS$65k as an average - so that's around £26k and way down on what I earn here in the UK."

Doesn't seem to work like that or I'd be expecting/need to earn about $60k here (I wish!) and have worked out that to maintain a similar standard of living to the UK, I would need about $40k. That's a 70% ratio rather than using the 2.5 currency rate.

Have a look at the cost of living calculator:

http://www.gomatilda.co.uk/calculator/index.cfm

Olibeneli

So it's all the immigrants getting sick then !!!!!

...is it caused by stress from having no job prospects !!
....at least they'd have a nurse from back home to care for them !

Understand what you mean about bean counters......I don't care for my job much but it's all I know..........I'd advise anyone to steer well clear of a career down my old path.

My three sons...............the future bee gees (they emigrated to Oz from the UK years ago)...........one hit record and we can all retire early.......that's what I need.

It's a good job they're all handsome...........our milkman did a blinder.

......not the average bean counter.

tinaj

Most people tend to move for a lifestyle change rather than to secure the same level of earnings.

If you have any equity in your property over here this could substantiallly decrease your mortgage out there. Obviously you would not need to earn as much to pay it off.

I would expect the shortage of Nurses is for the same reasons as in the UK- poor working conditions, low pay, no recognition in society. This is a lot more likely than more people getting sick!

Trademen are needed to build and supply the ever-increasing supply of housing. They granted 100 000 viasa last year. (all classes) Remember some of these visas are per family as well, that means a lot of extra homes are needed each year.

chippy

If you're sick of bean counting Olibeneli, I may consider you for an apprenticeship if you go to Brissie. Send me your cv, I'll mull it over..

salonit

cant really compare the salaries/lifestyle as u ecrtainly wont earn the same ..i will be earning less than half of what i do over here and so will my partner ( dentist) but we know that and are moving for the lifestyle...not money...most definitely earn a lot less ....so make provisions before you go!
salaries around 70k for pharmacist ( peanuts compared to uk) and 85k ( dentists also half of uk) ..but u probably want need as much money unless u plan at lot of international travel!
good luck.....saloni

tiredwithtwins

hello again!!
I think what people are telling you is to look at your Aus income in perspective. If you are earning average $65k, your wife is a midwife so she should be somewhere around $40k+, you will have an income of over $105k a year which isnt a bad income in oz!! If you are taking the equity in your uk house with you, i would imagine life wouldnt be too uncomfortable for you even with a mortgage. If you look back on some of the previous threads about cost of living etc, you wouldnt be THAT hard up! You need to stop thinking the way a brit does, most people would advise you to avoid thinking in English money - dont convert everything back to £££'s!
As for retraining, I think you need to actually look at the length of time you would be spending doing the training - its not a case of going to nightschool 1 night a week and coming out of it 12months later with a trade certificate!!
I would imagine australia does need 'bean counters', and if you are good at what you do then you will be in demand.
I beleive that oz is short of nurses for all the afore mentioned reasons, but mainly because Australian nurses are the same as Uk nurses - they have a highly regarded qualification which gives them the opportunity to work abroad; the opportunities are there, why not take them. life is for living...
good luck,
Sue

podgypossum

My husband is a nurse (psychiatric) He is a New Zealander who has managed to travel the world due to his qualifications. There is a global shortages of nurses everywhere. This means he is damn near guaranteed entry to any ccountry he wants to go to. This is one of the few good perks of nursing.

It doesnt matter which country you pick...ALL have nursing shotages, i think its mainly due to the low wages in comaprison to the long studying and effort it takes to qualify.

Still...i'm glad he came to UK to work for a while...he picked me up on his way through and swept me off my feet...LOL

downunderpom

Over the last year we've kept an eye on what we call 'buying power', i.e. what it costs to live compared to the UK. This being because of the massive drop in income I took in order to come out here - something in the region of 50-70% - meant a reassesment of what was important. I have my own reasons for being willing (even happy) to take this hit, so it's not an issue.

What we've found is that the 'buying power' here in Sydney equates to approximately $2 to the pound. What I mean by that is that a grocery bill of 100 GBP will be $200 here. Some things are cheaper, like meat (I got 750 grams of lean topside steak for less than $10 on Saturday), and petrol (currently under 90c a litre in Sydney, so call it 37.5p by the exchange rate, or 45p in 'buying power'.) Some things are more expensive. We currently pay $220 a week for a 2 bed townhouse (renting unfurnished). In the UK, we had exactly the same (2 bed terrace) for which we paid 675GBP per month. In buying power our rent is 476.66 GBP equivalent, whereas if I converted at $2.40 to the GBP it would seem to be 397.22GBP. I look at it as 476.66, because that's the chunk of my buying power it takes to rent each calendar month.

We feel that this is a much better indicator of the standard of living you can expect than a straightforward exchange rate comparison. Hopefully an accountant will appreciate some numbers to get his teeth into!!

chris hogan

Hi Oli you have the opportunity to show your boys a different way of life,unless you are guarantied they have absolutely perfect futures here in the U.K.go to Aus to at least suss it out for them!
Try not to compare the Dollar to the pound being a "bean counter "you should know this better than anybody.As for the nurses I would of thought that the influx of new immigrantswould need an equal ratio of skilled people to keep up with demands/pressure,on the health services etc.I am lucky that I can turn my hand to most jobs(except anything that involves figures.Horses for courses etc)and am prepared to shovel shit if that is what it takes to give my kids any kind of future chances no matter where in the world.

HiddenPaw

Oops - I didn't mean to alarm you with the water shortage thing - you CAN fill a pool in Melbourne, you just need a permit.

What are your primary reasons for wanting to come to Oz? If you identify these then it will help you decide whether emigrating is the right thing, and if so, where you should live. E.g. you want a pool, you've mentioned coming to Melbourne, but is the weather really important to you? If so, Melbourne is probably not the place. Don't get me wrong, we had a great summer last year, but the winter and spring have been very cold, windy and wet - if I had a pool I don't think I would have used it since last April or May! I still have the heating on in the house.

If earning power is of primary importance then you will probably need to head for the city - but then you have city cost of living to go with that. House prices are cheaper in Adelaide & Perth - but there will be fewer jobs to choose from (I moved to Mel instead of Adelaide because my job prospects were far better - would have loved the smaller city). $65k is not a bad salary in Oz - you would be in the higher tax bracket for starters. Your employer must pay 9% superannuation for you - some job ads quote this in their salary, some don't (in other words, $65k might actually be $59k salary + super). You would have a great start on your mortage with the money you have - you need to work out what, monthly repayments would be on say, a $300k mortgage and what chunk of your income that equates to, rather than worrying about what $65k is in £. Unless you're sending your salary back to the UK don't even bother to convert to £ - you'll be earning in $$ and spending in $$.

By the way, my accountant has just charged me $200 to do my tax return. Also $200 for my husband's. We were in and out of his office in less than an hour and in that time he got all the info keyed in and the return submitted there and then - $400 for an hours work is not bad in my eyes!!!!!