Wanderlust

Hi all,

My other half is a Businessman, lived in London all his life. He's only going to Oz because I am - I doubt the thought ever crossed his mind before we met. How will he cope with Brisbane?
Anybody out there from a similar background? How did you find it? Just worried that he'll hate it after 3 months, and he'll have lost his great job, sold his home, etc. all for nothing.

Concerned about choices,

W.

thnx4allthefish

Hi,

It depends what sort of Guy he is. It's a big decision, even if you both want to go. I think it's going to be what you make it, he could find he has some great business opportunities, or he wants to do something completely different. I'm going over with the intention of sticking with what I know, and then seeing if I can change to something else.

I think you both have to be sure it's what you want. At the end of the day you can always come back, but it will make for an easier ride if your both up for the challenge.

As for Brisbane, it's almost similar to London, but nicer, so he might not feel too detached from that kind of atmosphere.

Andy

SteveBannister

In our case it was my other half's idea so I was the other half. But I'm doing all the work to get us in so she's the other half again. We're both very keen though. All the hard work takes away some of the excitement but we know it will be worth it. I'm an elctrician and she's a hairdresser so we'll both have plenty of work (fingers crossed).

Steve.

dotty

Having lived in Brisbane, and born and brought up in London I would have to disagree that Brisbane is anything like London. I would say as different as chalk and cheese.

You will love Brisbane if you like
Quiet life
Country town like feel rather than City
Limited shopping Theatre etc
Close (one hour to nice beaches)
Hot and very humid weather
Suburbia, lots of it
Generally safe atmosphere daytime, but pretty rough at night
reasonable priced housing still could buy for $300,000
McDonalds

Hate it if you want
Stimulating intellectual conversation
Travel
Money
innovative modern thinking
Dressing up and going out
Big paychecks
Theatre/Arts
Organic food
Fast paced hi energy people
To dress in anything trendier than thongs and shorts (ugh)

London it is NOT

Andy_Hanrahan

Call me an old fuddy-duddy but i think I'm gonna love it then. Sounds like my kinda town!!!

Andy

tinaj

Trust Dotty to come on and cheer us all up again!

Scoops

Steve.

I too am a qualified electrician and my wife is also a hairdresser.

Do you have any ideas of expected salaries for both professions?

Is there plenty of work for both?

Scoops.

thnx4allthefish

I guess it's just peoples different opinions. I've lived and worked in different parts of London, but I've only visited Brisbane. All I can say is -

Had stimulating intellectual conversation.
Innovative modern thinking (I couldn't see Southbank working in London)

Dressing up and going out (Did several times)

Theatre/Arts - Attended an open air Opera concert, and what are the Expo centre and Sun Metcorp arenas for ?

I thought the pace was pretty fast in Brisbane, though perhaps I'm just very laid back

Never found it rough at night.

Thongs and shorts - I'll have to concede on that one !!

You've obviously got a very different opinion of London as well.


Different people, different experiences, different outlook.

Andy

Gibson

My husband has never been either. I lived in Adelaide years ago but I was only little - so really neither of us have actually been and seen!!! I think it adds more excitement to the whole thing. Its a whole new journey for us all to experience, we'll take the good with the bad. We're heading to Perth hopefully September time.

SteveBannister

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Scoops
Steve.

I too am a qualified electrician and my wife is also a hairdresser.

Do you have any ideas of expected salaries for both professions?

Is there plenty of work for both?

Scoops.

Scoops

Steve

Most people seem to say that the salaries will be 20% less, taxes higher and the cost of living roughly the same.

Are you speaking from experience.

regards,

Scoops

SteveBannister

Two electricians I know have been there about 4 years are have done very well since they went. Their salaries have always been about the double mark. The wiring regs. seem less stringent and the job is easier on the whole. Sounds good to me! I've just got a copy of the new Aussie wiring regs, and I'm reading it at the moment.

Steve.

Herman

Ah, but as someone who has lived in London and the Gold Coast whilst working in Brisbane I can absolutely guarantee, cast iron guarantee, that Dotty is 100% correct. Does'nt mean Brisbane is not for you though. If you love being around fast paced, smart, intellectual, innovative and high earning people, are career/money focused and love international travel, then Brisbane may not be for you.
However, if you prefer to have a slower pace of life, love the heat, dont give a rats arse about innovation or intellectual conversation, dont like dressing up for huge nights on the town in swanky trendy bars, prefer a hot days fishing out on the water to a cold rainy day walking in green countryside, like the idea of having a big house amongst a sea of other big houses stretching to the distant horizon, dont regard money/career or international travel as that important then, you'll love Brisbane.

I have a friend who moved to Brisbane from the UK (Bournemouth) 7 years ago and he adores it, he loves his boat, he loves his lifestyle, loves the lack of emphasis on building a great 'career', he loves surfing, his fishing, he loves being suntanned all year round, he loves taking his kid to the beach, he wont even consider the notion of ever moving back to the UK. He lived like that in the UK and found that in Brisbane he could do all the things he loved but bigger, better and warmer. On the other hand my step sister has lived between Brisbane and the Gold Coast for 5 years and works in Brisbane and she has hated it there since about the second year (but her husband has always liked it, so they have stuck it out until now) - she likes good shopping which she thinks you dont get there, she now hates the sun following a skin cancer scare, she has been betrayed by her closest Aussie 'friend' so is now distrusting of Australians, she hates the laid back lifestyle, hates suncream and sun hats all the time, is sick of BBQ's, is fed up with dead end jobs, is fed up with struggling to make ends meet each month and in general describes herself as 'dying of boredom a little bit more as each day goes by' absolutely cant wait to get back to the UK in April. She has a job lined up at the place she left in the UK 5 years ago on 50,000 pounds pa, which she is thrilled about as she has struggled on the $35,000 per year she earns now in Brisbane. She also goes home with 100,000 pounds profit from a property they renovated, so she is lucky not to be financially trapped, which is a definite risk for some.
Awyway, my point is that two people I know well love and hate Brisbane for exactly the same reasons and I am not saying one is right and the other wrong. Just different views, different preferences and different experiences of the same place. I think you'll never know until you have a go as everyone has different experiences wherever they go.

Jaykay

Hi There

We're moving to Melbourne in September. Him outdoors has never been to Australia before either. I lived there for 20 years before coming back home to UK for a holiday 10 years ago. Have stayed here since

Anyway he was the one who made the decision to move, mainly based on the information that I've given him, and also the fact that he wants a better lifestyle for our 4 year old daughter.

I'm hoping that the weather isn't going to be a big factor as he's not too good with the heat, but hopefully having an air conditioned car/house/work will alleviate some of that problem.
He knows he's taking a big risk and I do feel a small burden on my shoulders right now as he's basically relying on me to do most of the groundwork.

I've literally just arrived back home from a 3 week holiday in Melbourne seeing all my family and I'm even more certain now that it's the right thing to do.

Just have to get application approved and then we're off in September. (only waiting till then as I've got a wedding to attend in August).

Good luck with your decision to move.

Dawnie

We made the decision to move for a different lifestyle especially for the kids. I was able to get a job easily with sponsorship so hubby gave up his directors job in a large organisation with a view to getting us sorted out when we got here and settling the kids into school and environment.

After a few months he looked around for a new job - along the lines of what he had been doing (senior management desk job) but he had already changed and his heart wasn't in it.

He decided to do "what he really wants to do" - go back to his original trade of building. He's the happiest he's ever been. Yep having bit of capital helped but it is the difference in lifestyle that helped him make the decision NOT to do what everyone else expects

He has been open minded and positive about what he would do here and has not been disappointed. If your other half has that kind of approach then our experience says you'll be fine.

Dawn