AmieJayne

Hi - I'm new!! i'm not really familiar with forums so I apologise if this isn't the right place for this thread....

I'm just looking for general advice really, I'm 24, getting married next year and have a 6 month old daughter...we've recently decided that the move to Australia might be right for us. We have never been as of yet, but we have been told it's a much better place to bring up children. This is one of the main reasons for moving out - I want my daughter to be able to play in a park, without worrying about broken glass, vandalised equipment etc.

SO! We were thinking Perth - any suggestions for nice suburbs with good schools?

We're in the process of finding out if we're eligible - my partner's occupation is listed as in demand so fingers crossed! Also - would you suggest trying to obtain a sponsorship from an employer rather then obtaining a Visa without employment? Is it advisable to sell our house here or keep it for security? Is it difficult to obtain a mortgage? I would imagine you have to wait until you have citizenship before you can buy a house?

seayork2002

want my daughter to be able to play in a park, without worrying about broken glass, vandalised equipment etc.

I have been to plenty of playgrounds in Australia that have been vandalised and have broken glass. There are good areas and bad areas in Australia just like in the UK has. If you are unhappy in the UK then the chances are you will be unhappy in Australia.

AmieJayne

Thanks for your reply....I am expecting bad areas of course - I have spoken to many people that have moved there and in their experience, on the whole it is a much nicer place to bring up children.

I am not unhappy here by any means, I just want more for my daughter. I don't like the society we live in.

Buzzy--Bee

Amiejayne, this thread is very old now, but there is some very useful opinion in it about whether life is better for kids in Australia. Have a read -

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=364535

We find bringing our kids up in Melbourne SE suburbs to be much nicer for them than where we live in the UK, but people from other areas seem to disagree, so I guess pick your area very carefully.

BB

AmieJayne

Thank you Buzzy Bee, will look now

KJCherokee

Any particular reason you are looking at Perth? Nothing wrong with Perth (or WA as a whole) but it is situated on its own 5000km from anywhere else. If you don't have any special reason (work, relatives, friends) to go there I suggest you have a good look at the east coast and SA as well.

Dorothy

What exactly do you think would be better here than in UK? That's not meant to be a sarcastic question, just one that you really need to think about before you decide that somewhere you have never been will be better.

verystormy

I think as others are saying you need to think much more about why you want to live on the other side of the world. A vague notion that it might be a better place to raise a family isnt really enough.

Australia and Perth have there pluses. We get more sunshine. But we get incredible amounts of skin cancer.

We have nice beaches, but were a very long way to anywhere else.

Its a big place with lots of people but you will be away from friends and family.

There is plenty of work here, but the cost of living is VERY high.

I think you would need to visit before you start getting serious and start spending a lot of time and money.

Kelli28

Hi AimeeJayne

Welcome to BE

Perth is a city with many suburbs and my version of nice may be very different from yours. It's best to take a good look round before you decide on a place that's right for you.

mvagusta

It depends on when you want to go as to what type of visa you could possibly apply for. There are quiet a few different ones. The Pr visa can take 18-24 months to get but your free to go anywhere and work for anyone you want. The 457 temp visa is reletively quick upto 6 months but your tied to the employer for 24 months before you can apply for a pr. Mortgages are available to pr visas and I believe you would struggle to get one on a temp visa.
So in a nutshell if you decide that Oz is for you then you need to look at the different visa options first.
Bare in mind the occupations in demand list can and does change so although it's on the list now it might not be there in the future.

Alfresco

Yeah work on the visa first and then plan the area to move to.

We first wanted to go to Perth and then changed our minds to Brisbane as our kids are much older now.

Hi AmieJayne and welcome!

Satch_Boogie

We are also moving over without having ever been. I don't honestly think it is too big of a deal. I moved to the US without ever having been and my wife moved to the UK without ever having been. Life is what you make of it and hope you enjoy your time in Australia if you get out there.

Have you looked to see if your partner's occupation is on the WA SMP?

Expat Kiwi

Find out if he's eligible and then come over for a visit.

We only came from New Zealand and it took us a few trips over before we found the right place.

eddie007

We came blind... never been to australia before... Sorry to those that dont think its a better place for kids... but my experience has been really positive... Our local park in the uk was full of asylum seekers... barred from working due to their status with nothing better to do than hang around and insult and intimidate people... bored gangs of young men from war zones where life was cheap, not all their fault, circumstances... ... and also drug addicts... leaving their used works at the playground... Couldnt let the kids there on their own during the day and at night no one was safe...

My kids have freedom, space and a relative safety... more free family things to do... more outdoors that can be used for more of the year... better sports facilities and opportunites they would never have had in the uk... I mean Gorgeous at 14 has been up North with friends sailing down the coast (Great until the cyclone!!!) Big Fishing trip too...

Its great here for kids