Tashka

Hi, I've got a slightly different question, i.e. not about how to requalify or get a visa.

By way of a background, I am a solicitor with just under 1 year pqe. I am considering the move, however I realise that my motives primarily lie in the fact that 2 of my very best friends have just moved to Melbourne and the life became so empty and dull without them! ))

So I have started thinking of relocating myself (I am single, so apart from requalifying, this should be quite an easy thing to do). However, having done some research, I now have an impression that:

1 - lawyers get paid much less in AU, even in absolute terms (i.e. if I take the exchange rate 1:2, and the fact that, overall, cost of living is generally the same in both countrie, i.e. bread would cost £1 here and 2AUD there, logically if the salary is Y, the salary there should be 2xY, whereas what I could see on different websites is more like 1,2xY or 1,3xY.)

2 - The main reason of moving for me (apart my my friends) would be the Aussie famous "lifestyle", however having spoken with a number of my colleagues who have come here from Au, it seems that lawyers in Au work the same hours as we do here (which for me is 12-14 hours day, and I am already tired of this!) but for much lower salary.

The question is, why do you guys want to move?

(sorry, I know this is a very general and in a way stupid question, as of course everyone has his own reasons, but may be someone will be kind enough to share...)

Red_V_Roger

So you want more money and less hours, I think its not going to happen!

Tashka

Well, I would accept the same money and less hours!
Or even (slightly) less money and less hours!
But I am worried that the hours will be the same and the pay is much less...

Petals

If money is the main object for you then you probably are better to stay where you are.

We have been here for over thirty years and we would have been just as well off had we stayed in the UK as here if not better off. However that is not the reason we came. Weather was one however neither of us likes heat all the time so we came to Melbourne which has four seasons of the year. Owning our own land and not having leasehold was something we wanted, free title. Being able to have a large block of land another reason. Being able to drive out of the city for an hour and have peace and quiet and reduced traffic. Going onto a beach and not seeing anyone else.

Solicitors who work in firms do work long hours as they are trying to get the kudos towards associate and partnership and its expected. Solicitors who work for larger firms and the gov however work ordinary hours. My daughter has a friend who works in gov and she is on what I call good money for nine to five ninety thousand a year.

Just depends what you want not what I or others want, but if you compare before you come you will compare when you are here and be disappointed as so many are because Australia is not the UK

Bonnie65

I think it's like anywhere - you have to pick your employer carefully

I know that I work bloody hard over here. I'm actually only 3 days a week but quite often put in 9 chargeable hours on those days I'm in. (Much more than I did in the UK)
I'm only just now (3 years after arrival) earnng the same as when I left the UK. However I have only just re-qualified over here.

Saying all that though, I'm still glad I made the move. I can work part-time - I never found an employer who would let me do that in the UK. I am back doing personal injury work which I enjoy and for which there seemed to be very few senior level jobs in the UK. I have a 15 miute commute to work on uncrowded roads. The people I work with are lovely. We do have a better standard of living - mainly because we have no mortgage but our money also does seem to go further.

And of course the sun shines (well not this morning actually but most of the time!)

lapin_windstar

Are you in NSW? I keep hearing fearsome things about the Civil Liability Act and how it crushes plaintiff's chances of getting anything more than a bag of chips. Is the situation really that bad?

Famous 5

I moved to Oz to try something new - it wasn't about earning more money (I'm on the Sunshine Coast where salaries are diabolical compared to London, where I worked previously) and I knew from former Australian colleagues in London that even in the cities the salaries are nothing spectacular. It wasn't really about lifestyle either as I had a great life in London - I've gained lots of things here and I've lost others - I still find it hard to be so far away from family and friends, but I don't regret moving here and I'm staying put for now.

Like anywhere, your hours of work will depend on whether you are in a city or regional firm, the type & size of firm you are working for, the type of work you do and the partner you work for. Having said that, within any one firm there are always differences between departments in work/life balance depending on the approach of the partner(s) in charge.

I can't speak from experience in Oz, however, as I have been on "sabbatical" since I moved to Oz almost 3 years ago, although I did requalify just over a year ago. From lawyers that I have met, there are some who work lengthy hours and others who seem to have a better balance. I'm just about to dip my toe in the water again so I guess I'll soon find out about life/work balance.

Finally, on the cost of living, for me I've benefitted from lower housing costs on the Sunshine Coast (a lot lower than in London) and cars/petrol are cheaper, but because salaries are so much lower I think any real benefit is lost. And of course in Sydney and Melbourne there will not be such a difference in housing costs so you could find that you would be worse off because of the lower salaries.

Tashka

Petals, Bonnie65, Famous5 - many thanks for your replies!

I should, probably, seriously reconsider my plans - I would be prepared for a drop in salary if my work-life balance would have been significantly better, but from what I understand now (after your post and after reading forum yesterday), it is the same as in London - city firms pay more and work you harder, etc

I have to say, being an immigrant myself, I totally understand the point of mving somewhere just for the new experience, not for salary or lifestyle. This is exactly what I need when I relocated from Russia to the UK, being a qualified lawyer in Russia and having to do the whole process of re-qualification (GDL, LPC and training contract) in the UK again, working as a waiter to earn my living. Now I am qualified in the UK, but it took me 6 years to get to this point.

I am a banking lawyer, and I am really enjoying working on huge international deals in a magic circle firm , however my hours are killing me - I get to the office at 9 and leave after midnight, and this happening everyday, plus I work most of the weekends. I spoke to my friends in smaller firms, they work less hours, but their work seem to be much less interesting. So I was hoping, that moving to Melbourne (where my best friends are, who have just moved back home from London, and whom I really miss!) will help me to stay on the cutting edge of the profession (working in of the the biggest firms) but at the same time will give me more time for myself.

It seems this isn't correct, or did I get the wrong message from you / other threads on this forum?