Wendy66

This site at times can be so helpful to people but at other times the answers are negative.

Can you not remember back to when you wanted to migrate to Australia and wanted lots of information and help - I can think back at times sitting in the UK reading this site worrying at some of the answers..........

Surprise, surprise......... you can live 4 hours inland and cope quite well with the infrastructure and all it has to offer it's not the 'outback'; you can live in Perth, a beautiful city and love it; you can live on $80k; you can live on one wage; you can buy a house and acreage for $300,000 in a nice area; you can buy lettuce cheaply and so on.........

Whilst realising it is a forum and therefor opinions will vary...........For goodness sake try and just give unbiased helpful advice and then let people research for themselves and make informed decisions based on their situation and what is right for their family......maybe think before you post and just remember back to when it was you wanting advice and help.

moneypenny20

Sometimes though the most honest and factual answer is a negative one. Personally, when I was researching I appreciated the negative just as much as the positive.

It's more a matter of delivery than content imo.

roaringmouse

Judging by some questions that come up, there's quite a lot of people who don't seem to do much (if any) research of their own.

EvannTel

I think people do?

By definition, people will give advice based on their own experience. How can someone who cannot even dream let alone afford a $1M plus inner suburb house give advice on just that subject? Some on here are doing very well, others are not. The reality is, Australia has dramatically changed over the last few years and is moving ever closer to a nation of two halves, sadly the have and have nots.
It can be tough for migrants now what with exchange rates, the jobs market, house prices etc.
Its NOT what it was 4 years ago.

I think thats the reason for the change in "tempo" not the posters themselves.

Grayling

Indeed

Since moving here three years ago, myself and my wife have lost about 40% of our various incomes from the UK (on exchange rate changes).

Fortunately we are still pretty well off but if I had known this was going to happen then we may have reconsidered.

There are just the two of us so I dread to think what it would be like for a family on an 'average" income.

I have just returned from a long trip to the UK and realise that we would be far better off there at the moment but are unable to move because of complicated family circumstances.

There is some compensation in that the stirling value of the money we brought with us has increased massively

To point all the changes and problems out to people is not being negative.....for the most part it should be seen as being helpful albeit not what people want to hear.

slapphead_otool

This is just a personal feeling so please don’t hammer me to a wall and throw rocks at me, but I think many of the people on BE are in some way still connected with the old country – after all it is a British Expats site not a New Australians site.

Expatriates are defined as being “a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country”.

This tends to make them in some ways biased in comments, opinions or thoughts. I railed against the Australia bashing at first, until I thought it through and understood it. Now I pity people who find themselves somewhere that they don’t want to be.

On the other hand some potential migrants just do not seem to understand the magnitude of the undertaking, and think it will be a walk in the park. I think migrating to Australia probably knocks 5 years out of your life financially and socially.

Going back to the UK probably knocks a further 2 years off you financially. Socially you are probably ok, your old friends would welcome you back.

brits1

The internet was not Up and Running when we migrated to Aus and in some ways that was a blessing as we found "our own way around" and made "our own mistakes" and learnt from that...well most of the time..lol...whenever asked for help with migration at times I was loathed to offer advice as I did not want to sway people with what happened along our journey...but I certainly offered (only when asked lol) with help about Centrelink, tax file numbers, temp accommodation...I would not say as you have "yes you can live etc...etc...or live on blar....blar....blar...." because each to earn their own...for one I could not live km's away from Perth CBD....and I know my friend laugh's at suggestions of living on 80,000 per year....that's peanuts to her lifestyle.lol....As for 100% positivity...well that's a perfect world and alas not a true world....me..well I always encourage people to do what they want in life and I try not to be biased....not always easy...lol..but I try. Good luck to anyone who wants to try something different, you only live once.

mvagusta

Everyone is different with different ideas and values not to mention circumstances.

Whilst I like what some may call negative replies it does give you a valued opinion that not everything is rosie. Your are never going to get all the posters to agree on any subject and that's a fact.

Something that may cut down the negativity maybe be more stickies on various subjects as this will give a balanced outlook of both positive and negative.

To name a few that would have helped me would be Lafha and Tax files.

Pollyana

The Mods often consider the "sticky" angle and whether it would help people more, but to be honest the majority of posters don't read the sticky threads anyway.
There's one called To Do List.... in the Aus forum, we often point people to it when they ask about lists of things to do before moving, and there's one on passport renewal - again most people miss it. There's one in the Immi forum even called "Please read this before posting" and I reckon you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who actually read it before we tell them to do so!

EvannTel

And you have to wonder how the hell they got a visa!

mvagusta

Pollyana

In some cases yes, you do have to wonder! Its like some of the posters in the Immigration forum, you just want to say to them that if they can't even find their way to www.immi.gov.au then either give up now or get an agent!

isgraham

I wouldn't agree with the last couple of paragraphs from my own point of view moving to Australia probably added 10 years to my life expectancy as I learned how to live more and work less. That changed with longer hours and more crap at work to deal with.

Moving back to the UK has been easy and 8 months in I've saved more than I did in 5 years in Australia and I haven't really bothered with old friends much although I probably should when I get a car next month and can travel more easily.

quoll

One man's constructive comment is another man's negativity, unfortunately, especially when that constructive comment batters against some rose tinted specs. I think all new migrants would do well to adopt the "expect the worst, hope for the best and take what comes" adage because forewarned is forearmed in this world.

isgraham

I know when I was planning the move I couldn't be advised that Australia was anything other than the best place ever. I used to scoff at the likes of Mike Stanton and his comments. I saw them as purely negative from a failed migrant. I have a different perspective now though. Not agreement with him but not dismissive either. You live and learn though.