Hi all, I am a complete newbie and just thought I would dive right in and see what your opinions are on the situation...

My hubby and I plus our 2 kids (3+5) moved from Northern Ireland to Cyprus about a year ago, hubby has a good job and we are renting a nice place with the kids set to go to the local greek school in september.

However....I am really not enjoying it here, due to several reasons...
-it is more expensive than NI, and this is causing a bit of pressure
-the language is such a problem and as cypriot is totally different to greek the phrase book just doesnt help
-IN MY EXPERIENCE the local people are not quite as friendly as they would have you believe when you are spending money in their shops/restaurants. I have found them to be rude, racist and extremely sexist on various occassions
-There is not a good provision of play areas and such like for children

There are other things and of course some people will think i have came here with my eyes closed and without research but this is not the case believe me.

My husband is a butcher and has always wanted to try to get to australia. Cyprus for him was the 2nd best thing as I did not want to move so far from family. Circumstances have now changed and I am more than willing to give it a go. What is our next step? Can anyone tell us info about cost of living/education/jobs/general pros or cons???

Please help as our heads are really pickled and with our boys due to enter the greek education system in september it is just a nightmare we are having at the moment. Please help.

The first thing you need to do is see if you actually qualify for a visa. Have a read of www.immi.gov.au

Hello....and Welcome! You've come to the right place!

I have sympathy with you and have first hand experience of a lot of the issues which you mention. When Cyprus had 'the pound' it was about the same as the UK for living and socialising expenses. Then they went into the Euro!! As you are aware, the cost of living shot up! It affected tourism greatly and a lot of the bars and 'other' estabishments (ahem!) were taken over by Russian 'mafia' types who ran them as a 'tax dodge' or money laundering facility....thus causing normal holiday makers to take their holidays else-where!
The Cypriots lost a lot of trade and this is where you find that many people will try to extract as much money from you as possible (whether it be a shop keeper/bar owner/satalite tv man/painter & decorator) and you feel continuously ripped off!

We have not lived in Australia and I know a holiday is far different than having a life there. But we found it very different to Cyprus. Of course you will get people being rude.....and sexist! But believe me, not to the degree that you have it in cyprus! It's also slightly easier to deal with when you can understand and stand up for yourself because it isn't a strange language (hmm...slightly strange maybe! haha!)

All of the issues that you have will be better/easier in Australia...I can't think of any 'cons' coming from Cyp to Aus regarding education (except that they won't learn Greek maybe!).....your boys will have a much better start in life in australia and I believe they will have more prospects too!

We sold our house in Paphos about 2yrs ago now....and have our flights booked for our new lives in Perth for 8th Sept!

I honestly don't think you will regret it if you give it a go! Have you enquired as to whether you will be eligible? You need to visit the immi site or call an agent for a chat. Some of the websites you can access will tell you that you have enough points but when you officially enquire it can be harder than you first thought!

Take care....come back for a chat anytime! You can PM me too!

Lisa,x

Hi Lisa, thanks for the encouraging reply - it is so good to know it can be done!! To be honest I am just so miserable here but going back to the UK is not an option.

I have filled out various online forms which sound very positive about our eligibility but as you say I will not take this as gospel! My husband is a Butcher which gets us more points and I am a Nursery Nurse which apparently gets us more points too(?) Of course there is so much more to it than this but my hub will chat to an agent later or tomorrow to see if we can actually do this. If not we have to find another way to move on...

I totally agree on what you said about being able to stand up for yourself as it is so difficult here and frustrating, especially when I am trying to explain things in greek the best i can and people just walk off!!!

To be honest we said how good it would be for the boys to be bilingual but not if that means making their mother look stupid at the school gates and getting bullied for being so different to the greek kids (blonde hair blue eyes)

As for the racism and general rudeness I am aware that there will be such people wherever you go, but being as I am from Northern Ireland the last thing I want is for my children to grow up narrow minded....

Can I be a pest and ask about the education system in oz and the general cost of living?

It really sounds like you have made the right choice and cannot wait to be there!!

You're not being a pest...this is what these forums were set up for!!

If you have a good look around the webite you will find many threads and sections with regards to schools and cost of living. Of course the school issue will depend on which area you have in mind. Use the 'search' facilty at the top of the page to search for info or post a new thread.
On cost of living...on a scale with UK I would say from what I saw (although someone will be along to correct me soon I'm sure!!). Some things are cheaper....some things are a lot more expensive (tax for example!). But If you are happier in yourself then the extra cost will be worth it!!

Where in Cyprus are you? A friend of mine hated living in Paphos so much that after 2 yrs she gave her hubby an ultimatum....come home with her or split up! They had a great apartment, he had a job which he enjoyed....they are now in a let's say 'undesireable' part of Oldham in a tiny council flat with 3 small children....and MUCH happier!!

Try not to let the problems drag you down though, for the time being you have to live there....so try to concentrate on the positive aspects of your life!
There are recommended migration agents on this forum that you can call. It is free for the initial consultation. We used ASA. They were good at communication as they use email instead of phoning (cheaper for you too, especially in Cyp) and almost always answered queries within an hour or two!

Good luck...Lisa,x

Hi, I too am from Northern Ireland and am a Primary School Teacher over here, I've already started the visa process to emigrate to Australia to teach. I've heard it's quite different in Australia with regards to the fact that they don't have a set 'National Curriculum' like we have here, it's a little more laid back and standards are apparently not as high as here in Northern Ireland/UK. Then again, if you were a Nursery Nurse here, you'll realise that in general, schools here in Northern Ireland, are very good, and if it wasn't for Ruane (11+ being abolished) then we'd have one of the best education systems in the UK! Schools vary considerably in Australia, lots of people say that Private schooling is much more accessible and generally gets a better name, but if you decide upon a state/territory of Australia, then the next thing would be to research the local schools, and what better place to start than to ask expats on here which schools they've found to be good!

Anyhoo I've dribbled on enough, any questions, feel free to ask, if I don't know the answer, there's sure to be someone on here who does!

Jenny xo

(PS Where in NI are you originally from!?)

Thanks for the replies, I'm in Limassol but originally from Bangor NI btw!

looks like I'm gonna just have to get on with it here anyway til we sort ourselves out with wether its even an option to go to oz. Tbh my hubby and kids dont have a problem being here, it's just me that is so miserable!

As for the schooling, Jenni thanks for the info, I had figured NI was the best place education ways, its just unfortunate everything else sucks!! I do worry a lot about the language thing here tho, they will do some english lessons with their greek schooling but to be honest I've heard some nightmare stories about the grammer they are taught!! At least I will be speaking it to them at home

I think from what little i've learned so far we would be going for the territory areas, but not sure as there is no point srting it all out til we get an answer on the visa thing.

I will let u know how we get on but any other avice is more than welcome, dont feel so lost now

Good luck and keep us posted xo

Hi there, Myself and family know exactly what you mean about being in Cyprus. I have lived here with my wife and 2 boys for 4 years. We leave Cyprus on 9th Aug then fly to Sydney on 24th Aug. I have looked at schools etc and I have found that they public schools have been very open with us and replied within hours of an email. It will really depend on what type of visa application you can apply for. All the best with your application, just remember that Cyprus is slightly better than the UK. By the way, where in Bangor did you live as my sister lives over there with here 2 boys.

Good luck.. Paul and Joanne

I think you need to ask why you want to move to Oz. A lot of the problems that you have in Cyprus exist here. There is blatent racism. Its a very expensive place to live - our food bill went up 4x compared to the UK. Making friends here is not easy as (particularly in Perth) people are pretty unfriendly. Contrary to the myth, Australia does not have great weather. Its stinking hot for three months a year but it is early winter here and i am freezing, looking out at grey skies and driving rain.
Make sure you are moving for the right reasons

We lived in NI and considered moving to the med but choose Australia.

Australia is way more expensive than NI
Melbourne has loads of Kids areas
Schools seem well put together I have no kids so cant go further than that.
mate of mine is a butcher he found work quickly but he is a Aussie and trained Butcher here
yeah the locals are always the locals until your around long enough to be a local.

Best of luck