Moses2013

That is a fair point to be honest. The problem with posters like Howzat is what he wrote i really dont care about individual sob stories or some irrelevant germans in Majorca.
It is clear that he hates the UK and loves Australia and this is great, but he will only consider his view and life. The point I was trying to make is that each individual case is different and one has to look at all points. Unfortunately this is also a big problem in Spain and it is worth nothing if the wealthy retired couple with a healthy pension pot and villa tell the young family with kids, who have no Spanish skills and no job prospects how amazing it is. At least the OP here has done research.

carcajou

I love it here.

But preparation is the key - and treating it like a business deal. "Lifestyle" doesn't mean anything without the cash to access it - and "so the kids will be more outdoorsy" etc is a fairly shallow stereotype of what life here is like . . . and just because teacher is on the "shortage" list doesn't mean there is any actual shortage. Just an imbalance between rural and urban as rammygirl pointed out.

Migrating halfway around the world is going to be the most challenging thing many people ever do, rellies in Brisbane or not, and I don't think it's a service to posters, to sugarcoat that.

brits1

I think the first reply was a fairly accurate and a.mon bias reply, teaching is very competitive in some states as are other skill sets, being on holiday anywhere does not really give you a true sense of lifestyle as you are on holiday, nowadays. If I were to move anywhere either here or overseas my first call would be money/work and everything else is a bonus. Good luck with whatever you decide

Pollyana

My reply is not meant to be negative.its realistic.
I cannot return because I have no money. I do not own property here and all I have in my future is my super. Which has been almost removed by COVID.
I migrated at the age of 40 to marry an Aussie.When the marriage failed I was left with no money to return and start again. I have a good job here - the only reason for staying. I would not get a job like this back home at my age. And now, with no super to fund my planned retirement to the UK I am probably stuck here for life.

If you feel I am just posting a sob story then fine. Go ahead and take the mickey, I am so far down the depression road that one more nail in the coffin really makes no difference now. Everyone I love is on the other side of the world. I cannot even visit them because the government here will not let me leave. And even when some restrictions are lifted my medical conditions mean I will still not get permission to fly.

I have many friends who have migrated and now live happy lives here - lots of those friends were on BE before the Aus forum became a political battleground They no longer post but are still happy. And good luck to them. I hope future migrants are as lucky.

However unless you have walked in the shoes of another migrant, please do not judge them. You have no ideawhat some of us have been through.

the troubadour

Well it's called a diversity of experience/opinions to which you will on any forum worth its salt, a display of alternative sides of the topic . It is obviously necessary to have this in order to arrive at anything remotely useful in a topic being discussed.
It obviously doesn't infer that all will necessary find it their experience as there is no right or wrong, unless of course vested interests are being expressed for own profiteering. Easy done in the guise of
passing on information and/or reacting to realistic experiences of others in something akin to a defensive stance.

The fact is loads of migrants return to their home country over the course of time. A third of British migrants I believe at one time retuned to the Motherland. I personally know many. More Europeans, but many Brit's as well. It should be pointed out, that a number were 'happy as Larry', over early years, but the mood changed over time. Sometimes a considerable time.

Loneliness often given in part anyway as a factor. Once kids left, life appeared somewhat mundane for many living a suburban existence. Options more limited. I can give a host of reasons over the years given from better health and pension options for Europeans, too not wanting to get old in Australia for Brit's. (have heard that last one quite a lot. Is UK really better in the age?, well travel is easier and some I guess crave familiarity and imagined life of another time still existing)

Australia is very far removed from the country it once was, where a UK immigrant could be reasonably assured of a better material life than home. Most things are pretty much on par these days. People in both countries are seen as increasingly 'disposable' on the work front, with nothing much laid back about most Australian work places, where some of the longest hours anywhere are worked and job security far from secure in many instances. Lots of 'who you know', rather than best qualified for position and quite a lot of bullying within the work place.
A lot of the ever growing 'mental health' toll being a result of work stress related issues.

It's best people get all sides to the equation but my feelings are, it won't make a lot of difference anyway. If one as something in their mind like moving to Australia, they will be more likely to seek out the positive post in order to support their desired reading than something likely
to challenge their 'dream'. Only reality will confirm or question the wisdom of their initial decision making, usually after a shed load of money has passed through different hands (cost to migrate being a business these days and expensive) as to whether it was worth all the effort or not.

Sometimes I'm convinced a year or two away seeking adventure with a back pack in Africa or Asia or South America would provide better returns in the adventure stakes and allow a return to familiar life on conclusion. (some claim to immigrate to Australia for an adventure? Really? )

Moses2013

You are probably very right with this and it can even be worse for people who spend holidays somewhere and fall in love with the country. They are even more likely to make the move, no matter what the cost.
I remember a time when everyone wanted to move to the US, especially after a holiday in Orlando and the kids loved Walt Disney World. Even highly educated people were investing in burger restaurants to get that golden visa, until reality hit them of course.

the troubadour

A bit like several who have crossed my path over the years, that came out as Back Packers, several years prior to immigrating , seduced by' other times'. , Obviously when younger and part of a tribe, in a matter of speaking, arriving after immigrating that the realisation that 'real life' is very different away from the Back Packer bubble.

abner

I'm frankly surprised at the degree of negativity in some other replies on this thread.

Migration may not work out for everyone, but from your OP, you and your family have some key advantages, e.g.:
- Other family members who are already locals. They'll be invaluable on their own, and also a starting point for your own network of Aussie social contacts.
- Portable skillsets in the education sector, that are likely to be at least partially transferable from the UK to Australia. Don't expect an easy ride on this one, for either your partner or you, but the QLD education sector is still rebuilding after being gutted by a right-wing state government a few years ago, and even amidst the current health crisis, the sector is still, very slowly and cautiously, hiring. Expect to have to hunt for the opportunities, expect a lot of competition for each role, and don't expect full-time hours and/or permanent status upfront, unless your UK CVs are truly special.
- Some previous direct experience of the climate and culture in Brisbane, in particular in relation to your children's love of the outdoors.

Brisbane has the nicest weather of any of the 9 cities I've lived in to date (though San Diego ran it close). Mind you, summer can get too hot, too humid, too stormy--I've never seen anything matching a full-on Brisbane electrical storm anywhere else on the planet--but only for a few days at a time in December-January. But spring and autumn are 4-month seasons of "27 and fine", and winter is also nice, just somewhat colder. If you and your family enjoy the outdoors generally, there are few places to better enjoy it than South-East Queensland (Brisbane and its wider environs).

With respect to making new social contacts, the traditional Aussie way is through encounters between parents at school sports engagements that your children become involved in. That has worked OK for us, but our best-established mates have come from our work environments, and through relatives my wife already had here.

In nearly 15 years here, mostly in Brisbane, we have had some rocky experiences to get through, notably a job loss and career change during the GFC, without a "native" social network to fall back on. But Australia is also a meritocratic society, and I was able to establish a second career from scratch in short order, without any contacts within my then-new line of work..

And overall, I've never regretted making the move.

Moses2013

Why is it negativity. People still don't seem to understand that being cautious is not negative and if you moved over 15 years ago, you will also have a complete different life than people moving today. A lot depends on your finances and luckily house prices in Brisbane are not as bad as other cities in Australia. But to give you an example, just to have the deposit for a smaller house, we would have to sell the house here and the house in Spain and would end up with a bigger mortgage than before and add on even more costs. It really depends where you are from and where you move to, but please please look at each individual case. Telling people that the outdoor life is great brings no value. Maybe the OP is from London and has plenty of cash but what about salaries, child care costs compared to their current location? Then again Covid might make housing more affordable again, so this opens new doors. It really depends what one is comparing to.

abner

Well, mate, when I moved here, I was a recent widower and my net worth was roughly zero, due to the costs of my first wife's final illness. I started again from scratch in Oz.

Then I lost my job during the GFC, and had to change careers to recover. For a variety of reasons I won't detail here, this was easier to accomplish in Australia than it likely would have been anywhere else I've lived, and now I have a new family, a nice home, a stable career, and a great set of mates, all built from the ground up, in Australia.

So I suppose I never had to worry about giving up the house in Blighty, or Spain, but I managed to make a decent fist of it regardless.
If you'd read the OP with any care, you'd have noted that the OP made particular reference to her family's enjoyment of outdoor life, with an implicit contrast between UK and Brisbane-area weather. Such considerations clearly "bring value" to the OP.

Moses2013

Sorry to hear and glad it turned out well for you. Just saying that all circumstances are different and with kids it's a complete different story. If you have nothing to lose it won't matter but the outdoor living thing is also a topic in Canada and New Zealand forums. It's often not the country that's the issue but more the location within the country. It's been sunny and warm for weeks in the UK and the same people who moan about weather are still stuck inside. As mentioned, if you want outdoor living for kids one has to consider that it's a huge city and with kids it gets dark very early. Some I know moved to Melbourne because of this and it's just a warning.
This is taken from a thread many years ago
QUOTE]Originally posted by Dean:
Just wanted to post a quick reply here. We have been in Brisbane now for 6 years and I still miss the long summer evenings of the UK. We came back to the UK for a holiday in June/July and it was SO nice to have daylight almost up until bedtime. Yes, people do get up earlier here and yes they do go to bed earlier but maybe because I am more of a night owl than a lark, this is one of the few things that I still haven't adjusted to.

Carolyn

carcajou

Many of us have commented on the partner's prospects as a teacher. I missed in the original post, OP saying he/she is a teacher's assistant. In Australia, that role is called an Education Assistant (title may vary slightly from state to state). Finding work in that role is even more challenging than finding work as a regular classroom teacher. Positions that open, get snapped up immediately, and are held onto a very long time - turnover is low, even in highly challenging schools. It's not a role that requires a university degree and so the pool of applicants is much wider.

Howzat

What a presumptuous tool you are, like most morons you are the one who is making enormous assumptions, you base an idiotic opinion on one post rather than facts, this shows clearly a lack of ability to appreciate opinions of anyone with a different school of thought. I still consider UK home, always will. Australia is good if you do your homework & plan accordingly, I have friends who emigrated & couldn't settle either due to finances or personal reasons & its a massive decision for most people, if it doesn't work out- to blame the country is lunacy, we all make choices in life.
An observation that a lot of negativity is posted still stands, its a fact. If someone stating that triggers you then you really need to improve your life.
on that note i will bid farewell & I'll either be banned or ignore anything further.
.

Pollyana

How about you discuss the topic, rather than resorting to personal abuse?

spouse of scouse me

It'd be nice wouldn't it Polly. And it's not even hard, unless the poster concerned can't express him/herself any other way. In which case they can just go away.

ps this is spouse of scouse, it's a long story!