Paula H

Just a bit of advice please.

Has anyone moved to oz with not a lot of money behind them with kids?

we have recently lodged our 175 visa online and im now a daily visitor to this website for help advice etc.... we will look to sell our house once we have done it up a little and hope to come away with 20k or so.... but that is all we will have at a push and if we can sell.

my question is, can we really afford to move to oz? if it is just my OH working (carpenter), will his wages support EVERYTHING? im a bit worried

asprilla

Paula - it can be done but you'll really be scraping by, with the cost of living as it is right now.

GBP20k = roughly $30k. Your partner will need a work vehicle and tools. You'll need to find accommodation, short term first, then rent. Then get furniture. Your partner will need to find work, he may need to train first and get qualifications.

You will need to work out how much this will all cost. It's all here in the forum, just takes a bit of searching.


This is my personal opinion only - I'd want to have at least GBP50k in the bank for this kind of move (not including airfares, or the cost to set up your husband).

Paula H

Thanks,

He has a recognised oz carpentry skill (Vetassess passed last year) all his own tools, will he still need to train? He is a carpenter (15 years) and has managed various jobs too.

we will fill a container to the brim

thanks for your opinion.


I guess i have tons of research to do

Fluid36

20k is more than enough, just scrimp and save until you find work - no probs.

bcworld

A lot of tradespeople find (and get quite frustrated by the fact) that although they passed a skills assessment and qualified for a visa based on it, that when they arrive they are unable to work straight away due to certification and/or licensing requirements.

You need to check this out depending on where you are heading as it varies state by state. From what I can see carpenter generally may not have the same requirements as some trades, but in some states it might have some depending on the $ value of the job...that's just a maybe, not sure.

Bob Tonnor

Hi Paula

It can be done with that or less, i know i did it. But i reckon one of the first questions you have to ask is where do you want to live? I imagine there will be plenty of work up in Queensland at the moment, but its a big place so theres plenty to choose from, have a look at Brisbane first http://www.locationlowdown.com.au/se...s/QLD/Brisbane see if you can find some work first and then look for a rental, you can do all this before you leave.

Anyhow good luck

Bob

Steve2009

As a matter of interest, how much are you spending on improving the house? Also, are you in a falling market? Essentially I'm asking if it's worth waiting around to improve the house.

Jon77

I have done it on VERY little but I have close family and friends in Australia.

I would be a little worried about doing it on little money if I didn't know anyone over there.

I am not saying anyone bailed us out financially, because theye didn't, it was just comforting to know that if the worst happened we wouldn't be alone.

Margaret3

My only advice would be to make sure you have enough money for a 'get-out clause', just incase things dont work out

eddie007

We did it on less and survived... For the first three or four months my OH was a house husband... I felt the pressure of being the only income earner very keenly and with little backup money it was mentally quite challenging

We rented and once he was working too, saved a considerable amount of cash in the first year because we were used to living cheaply... Having brought, extended, renovated and put a pool in we're now back to belt tightening for a bit... But its not hard...

hantsfamily1

He can work straight away for companies but would need a license in the future for any of his own work. Not hard to do but better to do it here after settling in. Thats in Queensland but not got a clue about other states.

Simple blue card health and safety course which costs about $100 and off he goes.

Good luck, lots of people say about the cost of living which is pretty high but everyone here gets by.

Paula H

we have just spent 1500 on the bathroom, all the other rooms need a coat of paint and the kitchen is in bits. I am not keen on doing it up but my OH thinks it will be more sellable if it is done.

Paula H

Thanks Bob,

I feel a pull towards QLD (cant explain), we would consider any nice area though, initially where there is a job for Paul, not too far from a beach, have three kids, 11, 9, 2 so schooling is important

thanks for the web address

Trixietoes

Yes £20k is enough to start your new life. As with all situations you have to cut your cloth accordingly.

We won't be going over to Sydney (one of the most expensive places to settle) with that much... BUT OH will start a well paid job straightaway as we will be going on a 457 visa.

We also won't be taking out 'big' furniture with us as we have calculated it will cost more to ship than replace. We are currently in Poland, moving to Bulgaria then Australia so there are 2 shipping costs for us hence not being worth it - we are leaving it here in Poland and getting a furnished flat in Bulgaria. We'll just be shipping personal items and small kitchen equipment.

Check out accommodation costs on www.domain.com.au & www.realestate.com.au. They cover the whole of Aus.

http://www.cityhobo.com/index.php this can help you in looking at what areas are like re living etc.

I have also done a 'fake' online shop with Woolworths.com.au to get a better idea of how much my weekly food shop would be - we are way off getting to Sydney yet but I like to be prepared.

I have read an update from one lady and her family (4 of them in total) on one of these forums who emigrated with $11,000. It wasn't easy at first but they said their difference in lifestyle was worth it.

hollykimalan

We left the UK with a 175 Visa and £2,500.
Knowing we had little money on the run up to leaving was
really scarey! We intended to have double that but we had
a few financial disasters just before we left. Our house sold for
£60,000 less than we expected, which was less than Actually paid
for it. The day before the sale the buyers tried again to drop the
price 'cos the house had no washing machine ( we had one washing
machine but the vendor asked us to remove this, then changed
their mind!!). Additionally the Banger we bought to tide us over till we
left for the airport, having sold our car and campervan for way less
than they were worth ( at the height of GFC) broke down! So we had little
money and we needed to hire a 7 seater for 3 weeks before we left the uk.
Was God trying to tell us something about the folly of our
Australia plans?
We survived because I am a nurse and had a job with initial accommodation
from day one!
Glad we did it.
Just scarey with three kids!!
HKA