mazzab2004

Hi.... Just after a bit of advice. Myself and hubby have been seriously considering emigrating to Australia. We have always known that one day we would end up living and working abroad as I have always travelled throughout my child hood and hubby has always wanted to; but then children come along and mortgages and resposabilities etc. We have now come to the conclusion that it's now or never. Life is just too bloomin short. Our plan initially was to sell up lock stock and barrell and use the equity we'll be getting from the house sale to start again, but I must admit, I have been getting niggeling doubts mainly from reading some of the messages posted on here We have established that we would be able to get a PR visa on state sponsorship basis. My husband is a joiner and builder. This would mean we would have to settle in south Australia. However, my husband fancies Perth. My idea is to rent out our house here in the uk and spend a year in Oz, and get a feel for it. Of course we won't have anywhere near as much money behind us but it just provides that safety net. Would we have more chance of getting a PR visa if we went out there first on a work visa then applied after when hubby already had a job there? Would we be able to stay in Perth? I'm 31 and hubby is 38.
I must admit, I've never heard so many negative comments about Australia as when I came on this site. I know many people who've been and the all say it's fab!!!! Could it be the moaning Brit sindrome?

All they ever do here is bloomin moan....." The weather's terrible "
or " It's too hot"
I dispair......
Any advice from the experienced would be much appreciated.
From a confused Maria x

Bordy

Nothing wrong with South Australia, I'd say come on your sponsorship & do your two years in Adelaide or wherever. You can visit Perth & make your mind up if thats where your destiny lies.

Megalania

How would your fare in a building down turn in Aus and in UK?

mazzab2004

So could we get a two year Visa then apply for permanant residency if we decide it's for us?
Where abouts do you live?
Black Rock sounds a really nice place to be....
What is the work situation like out ther for joiners etc??????
Cheers, Maria

Bordy

I can't see there being a problem for joiners in any state in Aus, why can't you go for PR now???
I'm in a wee place called Ferntree Gully in suburbs of Melbourne.

DagBoy

You have to take the messages on here in context.

A lot of brits who come here find things are different (not better, not worse - just different). They often want to talk about that - about the loss of familiarity in their new lives, the "strange" things in the shops, the "crap" television etc.

The problem is - who to talk to?

If you mention it to your new Aussie work mates that you cannot buy booze in the supermarket they will just look at you funny as if to say "yes, of course, and ...?". You explain that "well in England ....." which may just be an observation but comes across as an unfavourable comparison and gets you labelled as a whinger. Bad idea.

You could ring "home" and tell your family about the differences and the frustrations but many people have had a hard enough time convincing their families that it will all work out just fine and do not want to risk an "I told you you would not like it ..." type comment.

So, they come on here and vent their frustration and confusion and loneliness and homesickness etc. It is great. Not only is it pretty well anonymous if you want it to be, but almost certainly they find that they are not the only person feeling this way, other people found the same, other people can tell them the homesickness gets easier etc. etc. People like to talk on here because they can talk to people with similar experiences, feelings, concerns, worries, frustrations etc. and suddenly it is not so bad.

The many people you know who have been here - were they here on a holiday, or a long holiday or a working holiday or are they people who sold up, emigrated, started a new life? The two are very different. You write that you know many people who have been - that rather implies that they have been, but they are not still out here. If it is so fab why did they go back?

By all means get the positive views from those who have visited and loved it, but use these fora to get the balance. There are some very positive posters on here as well as some very negative. I think that the majority of us are actually somewhere in between - we will post from our experiences - both positive and negative. If there are specific things that have been posted on here somewhere that are concerning you, ask for more detail in that thread or start your own.

Cheers,

the eternally upbeat and optimistic DagBoy

mazzab2004

Whats it like to live there? How long have you been there?
Are you from the UK origionally?
Sorry for all the questions, but I think we really need to speak to someone who's been there and done it...

wmoore

Very well put. I'm gonna have to learn to bite my lip so I don't say things like the above. I'm sure it will be difficult bacause saying things like that is not really whinging but I'm sure will be taken so by many of the locals. I used to work for a guy (a Brit) who had spent 20-odd years in NZ (came home because wife was homesick) and he was forever coming out with "well in NZ, this was much better because....". Rather grating.

Grayling

This is a point worth noting.
If you go to say Adelaide in the Australian summer it will seem very sunny and hot.
It is different in the Winter!
Many people go on holiday at the best times of the year.
They are also in 'holiday mode' and can go to the beach when the sun shines.Different if you have to go to work. Different again when you have to leave work in the dark because the days are shorter or when you have to get up early in the morning. It is also very different when you are on a budget.Most people on holiday are still earning English pounds! things seem cheap.Not so when earning dollars.
Hoidays are holidays.That's it.
When you live somewhere it is very different

Look at both sides of the coin

Good luck

G

mazzab2004

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by DagBoy

The many people you know who have been here - were they here on a holiday, or a long holiday or a working holiday or are they people who sold up, emigrated, started a new life? The two are very different. You write that you know many people who have been - that rather implies that they have been, but they are not still out here. If it is so fab why did they go back?

Hi DagBoy,
My sister in law has just been on a visit to Melbourne to stay with a friend. She is a nurse and is planning to go and work there for a couple of years. She had nothing bad to say about it whatsoever.
We have spoken to a couple who have emigrated there. They have just come back to cut final ties like selling the house. They are planning to retire though, a bit different to our plans.
We have also spoken to people who have worked over their for some time. Individual reasons as to why they came back. I suppose it is down to the individual at the end of the day.
My husband would just go tomorrow. He is just so sick of this country, but I want to go into this with my eyes wide open.
If we are going to do it, I want to do it while the kids are still young and we are too for that matter

Should we just go for it and sell up or rent out and sell if we love it??????
Is there alot of demand over there for joiners in the domestic market?
Hubby has never been short of work here. He works for himself.
I suppose we need to speak to people who have done it themselves.
My heart is in it but I want to be completely sure cause it's such a HUGE life changing thing.
Love, Maria x

Grayling

Maria
You say your friend has just returned from Melbourne and has nothing bad to say.
Maybe this is what I recently posted about. It has just been Summer there. Melbourne is very different in the winter.
I was there in spring a couple of years ago and it rained all the time and was freezing.
I had just returned from Brisbane where it was 39.0C and far too hot to work (for me).
Other cities get cold as well.It looks fine on paper but when you get used to the heat it can feel very cold as people who live in Adelaide would tell you.
Beaches,BBQs and pools are no fun in the cold.
I will be in Adelaide in a few weeks.I will be taking warm clothes
There are also the same problems as here. My son in Adelaide had his car stolen recently from outside his house.That is the third time it has happened.Once in Brisbane, once in Sydney and now in Adelaide.
You really need to see for yourself

Good luck

G

HiddenPaw

It's a bit unfair to criticise those who've actually made the move, when you've not yet done it yourself. Imagine giving up everything that is familiar and secure to you...your home, your job, your friends, your family, your whole safety net.......and going to a place where nothing is familiar, you have no job, no home, no security, you don't know anyone, no social life, etc......cos that's what you will be doing.

It's hard work moving to the other side of the world. OK, so how the move affects you and how well you integrate and settle is down to you, but even those who've had an easy transition will tell you there are still times when it is hard.

So what if people complain about the weather, or other topics. Do you never complain about anything? You say your husband is sick of this country? Presumably, he complains about it a lot? What is he sick of?

When you have lived in SA you'll know that it's not always easy to get on with day to day life when it's 45 degrees. Even hanging the washing on the line is unbearable in those temps. So yes, we might complain that it's too hot. Or that it's too cold after going out at 7am for the umpteenth morning in a row in 2 degrees in Melbourne winter. Or that it's too humid and sticky in Queensland, etc etc.

Good luck with your move.

Pollyana

Don't criticise those of us who have moved until you have tried it yourself.
Its nothing to do with moaning.
Its to do with being on the other side of the world. Its to do with not being at your nephew's confirmation service next month, even though he want you there. Its to do with not being at your niece's birthday party and she is too young to understand why.
Its mainly people, not things, and its to do with being away from everything and everyone that is familiar to you, and until you have to cope with it you will never know how tough that is.

I'm not saying Don't move, I'm just saying that you need to be aware of the fact that it can be tougher than you expect.

Pollyana

(trying very hard to live up to her name )

jodie

well said Polyanna

i'm heading home Oz in 3 weeks and my fiance a couple of months later, I know its going to be tough for him as its going to be first time he has had a really extended period away from home...

abergas

I totally agree Pollyanna,

Everybody has a different story to tell about their move to Oz! some people find things fall into place quickly, others may have an uphill struggle. You really just have to try it for yourselves, take on others peoples thoughts etc, be aware of what could happen. Every situation is different.

We are the up hill strugglers, but still glad we are here, and still hanging in there!!

good luck everyone