Yes it is totally doable to live reasonbly well and save on that salary. And if your husband proves to be reliable and a hard worker your salary will go up from there because the miers don't want to lose good people and have to fly out more staff on 457 visas. The FIFO arrangement can work well because your husband is back for a whole week without having to work...plus there is skype. Join mother groups where you can take your kids along...great way to make friends....being away from your support network is likely to be your biggest challenge...

Great post mate, we expect to earn a tad more than this between us, so it's nice to know its possible to have a decent lifestyle, cheers.

Forget the idea of traveling back and forth between oz and the UK. It would cost a fortune and be hell.
If he comes on his own for a while you need to factor in that as well as still providing an income to you and paying the bills he will have to have somewhere to live.
The offer isn't bad. But the question you have to ask yourself is why you want to come to oz?
Also factor in that the mining industry is going through a slowdown and people are losing jobs. If you are here on a 457 visa and he loses his job you only have 28 days to find another or leave the country.

surely losing his job won't happen?? On a 4 year contract?

It would be very rare for a company to guarantee work for 4 years, so yes redundancy is always a possibility.

Of course it could happen. It happened to a woman I work with and her husband. They came over in 2008 on a 457. They were here for 3 weeks (4 year contract) when the company was bought out and he was made redundant. The company did it's duty and informed DIAC, who gave them 28 days to PUFO.

They're now back on another 457 (since 2010) and are hoping the company he works for now will sponsor them for PR early next year.

My husband also employs quite a few guys on 457s. If they don't perform or their work isn't up to scratch they're let go. Just like any other employee. Contract or no contract.

When the mining industry took a dive in 2008-9, there were loads of 457's that suddenly found themselves on a plane back to the UK.

There are several people i have come across recently that were supposed to be coming over to work for FMG. Visas in place and everything. One had sold their house. Then last week FMG made 1000 staff redundant and cancelled everything.

That is the known risk with 457's. I was very very lucky myself. We landed in Sydney in 2008 on a 457 visa, started work and did my first 2 week stint to get a call that the office was being closed down with immediate effect. Luckily i found another role. A lot of others were not so lucky.

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