Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Hi,can anybody help???

im a 30yr old guy with a wife and two sons,billy 6 evan 1,we currently live in wales but have a dream of living in australia,my views are that by moving to oz it will give us a young family a better lifestyle than that on offer here in the uk.
although i have a very good career here with a nice wage and house etc i hope also by moving it will give my boys a brighter chance in life.

can anybody share there views and experiences with us

Many thanks

Darroll

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

My view is that children in Australia have just as good a shot at life as children in UK. Same for adults really. It is just a different first world country and I think this doing it for the kids stuff is a load of codswallop really.

Has it lost its sparkle though? Well I have been here for six months and it works for me, can't see us returning any time soon, although not to say we never will. I don't run down the UK or wear rose tinted spectacles about Australia though.

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

What is brighter, better and sparklier for your kids in OZ??

Its a well used 'reason' but often when you ask, people have no idea whats better:confused: they just think it will be.

If you have a very good job and life, dont just assume its better:eek: a lot of people find many aspects are worse, Check carefully before chucking in.

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Australia has sparkle? Well, who knew?

I agree with the others - the "doing it for the better lifestyle for the kids" is a load of tosh. If you want to come for an adult adventure then come by all means but dont dump it on your kids. It will be different for sure but it is just another first world country and though they wouldnt be disadvantaged by growing up here, neither would they be advantaged (many young Aussies cant wait to escape once they have finished education and many dont bother to return).

You have a good life where you are - if it aint broke, dont fix it!

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

If it's Swansea then I'd start getting busy with the Visa pronto.

<Official Nomination For Most Helpful Poster 2011>

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Reason of why i think my kids would be better off in oz is quite simply the following:schooling,sport,better weather,safety???? are these reasons not correct?
Also i suppose the same reasons for me and my wife,and obviously the fact that australia are supposedly screeming out for skilled migrants?

Is any of the above true????

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Getting Australia to work well for you is getting harder and harder partly due to cost of living and the poor FX rate.

Is there another reason why you want to move - a push reason - because if the pull is not there I would question why you are considering it. Often the push is greater than the pull because once in Australia the average migrant doesn't suddenly become an amazing beach or outdoor specimen!

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Schooling - You get good ones and bad ones, sometimes kids even get murdered at the good ones too (literally, recently at Saint Pats in Brisbane).

Sport - Look at the current Aussie Cricket Team :lol:

Better Weather - Depends on what is 'better', Australia is a big place with a wide variation of climate ... here a sunny summer's day for me generally means covering up and avoiding dying of cancer. Winter is nice though.

Safety - Good areas and bad areas, again.

To echo a previous point, if you are settled where you are and like it then why rock the boat?

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

There are fabulous opportunities if you make wise choices. Australia does some things quite well - it would be churlish to suggest otherwise. Sport, weather yes. It does get hot but you'd know that..

Migrants might be skilled but my impression is that there is nothing special about being a skilled migrant. Many are poorly educated. The skill is just a tick in the box. It does not confer special status. Some migrants feel hard-done by when their pay and conditions are not so good - or have to complete more training.

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Aye, some of the spelling, capitalisation and punctuation is appalling.

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

I am not a parent but I have seen many parents say the schooling is not as good as the UK. I expect the truth is that some Australian schools are better than some UK schools and vice versa. But to say that children have better schooling in Australia is not a statement of fact.

I do think people do seem to play more sport here, however if your kids are sporty they will be sporty no matter where they are. Also whilst I don't want to knock sport, I don't know that my life would be better if I had done more as a child.

As for better weather, have you actually studied the climate charts in Australia. I have just experienced the worst six months of weather in my entire life. I have never known it to rain so hard for so long on so many days. The UK has a temperate climate, Australia has extremes. It is very nice here when it is nice, but it rains a hell of a lot and in the dryer states it can get very hot.

I have no idea about relative safety.

I expect I sound like someone who doesn't like Australia, in fact I really enjoy it here and it has exceeded all my expectations.

It is just these better life arguments and the assumption that everything that matters in life is better in Australia that drives me nuts.

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

Came 10 years ago ...

Off the plane, house pool 4WD and a jetski, all under $200,000. :lol:

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

That's a lot of luggage, did you get double allowance?

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

That is true and is the single reason why for most people Australia is a poor option, I agree. My point about the cost of living. But there are still opportunities for people with niche interests. I know people who came 4, 2 and 1 year(s) ago who have done well but all work in niche fields and are focused people.

Re: Has australia lost it sparkle???
 

No, those reasons are not correct. According to many on this board the schooling is shite. Sport? Yes there is sport, but there is sport in UK too. Weather? Have you looked at the forecasts for the country lately? Massive flooding in Queensland, drought and extreme temperatures in Perth/floods in midwest WA. Safety? What, you think there isn't crime here?

Australia is not screaming out for skilled migrants more than any other western country. Canada, UK, New Zealand, etc are also "screaming out" for skilled migrants. I would check whether you can actually get a job in your field www.seek.com.au before assuming your occupation is in demand.