Never knew it would be this tough
May 30th 2006, 11:37 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Wakerley, Bayside, Brisbane QLD
Posts: 157
Never knew it would be this tough
We have just recently emigrated to Brisbane about 3.5 weeks ago to start our new life. It has been the longest and hardest 3 weeks of my life and i thought i would let people thinking about coming know what to expect.
We are staying with family while we find accommodation which is helpfull but with a 3.5 year old on tow also very hard work, So far my time in Aus has consisted of job interviews, searching for cars for myself and my wife and trying to get a house to rent. All sounds quite simple but be prepared for a hard slog. Car dealers as anywhere are full of **** and it takes a while to find one you will trust enough to buy a car from and they are not cheap compared to UK, luckily we already knew this by checking out prices before arriving. One good place to check prices is on www.theage.com.au on their drive section. We have eventually got 2 nice cars that we are happy with.
Next was the interviews for work, as an aircraft engineer i had a few doors open to me but doing about 10 interviews in the first 2 weeks is a killer and mentally draining and extremely time consuming to say the least. I was sensible enough to sort out a few interviews before arriving but still found myself driving around all day most days to interviews and then getting stuck in traffic on the way home. This of course affects your family who are trying to adjust to this completely new way of life as you are hardly there. I eventually got a job with Boeing at Amberly and about 4 other offers so the hard work paid off in the end.
Now the fun part trying to rent a house, my god was that an impossible task. We constantly searched on the net and on the phone to all the agents. As soon as you see one you like it is gone. We phoned to view 3 to be told there are tenants in it and you cannot view it but you can rent it if you like. You can imagine what my answer was. When you try to get a viewing they say we will call you back with a time if you believe that you will believe anything. You have to hassle them constantly and a lot are done on open days which is a mad rush to get the house you like with all the people applying so your chances are slim. Luckily i had a good job offer otherwise it would have been tricky. We have eventually got a nice 4 bed place in wakerley in bayside but we are now trying to get phones, electric , broadband etc connected and thats another epic.
The things i haven't mentioned are the opening of bank accounts ( and getting your head round their stupid fees for looking after your money ! ), finding schooling for your kids and sorting out doctors dentists Medicare child benefit etc etc. Luckily i have a very efficient wife in those matters and we are almost there now.
Then there's the hardest bit of all saying goodbye to all your relatives, i was in the forces for 10 years and moved all over the place but at the end of the day i was always going home. This time we are not or at least not for a couple of years anyway. My daughter has had many a day in tears missing all her school friends and family back in UK which believe me makes you feel like **** and i must admit at one point i could quite easily have booked a flight home without a second thought. You will feel homesick and its not nice, i thought my wife would suffer a bit with this but i am afraid to say i have had it bad on the odd day or 2.
We are now coming through the toughest bit and I am about to start work, get in our new home and start this new dream life i promised my family. We are sure it will work out fine in the end and we are quite excited about it all but if i had realised quite how hard it was going to be on all of us i would have thought twice about it believe me.
The tips i can give to people about to take the plunge are do your homework on jobs in the area you are moving to, the area in general get as much info as you can off sites like these. Make sure you have plenty of money to start with cos it goes like stink in those first couple of weeks. We got our daughter into a childcare centre after 1 week for 2 days a week for her to have some kids to mix with and to give us chance to get things sorted. She has loved it and we have got loads done. Be prepared to be patient because the way they do things out here is very very different from the UK and i guarantee at times you will be tearing your hair out. We took a 3 day break to the sunshine coast after 2 weeks which is a good idea. Lastly try to enjoy it and have a supportive wife cos i have and at times i think she could have strangled me quite easily. I am not trying to put any of you off coming here but just to warn you be prepared for a long hard slog when you get off the plane and i would like to thank all those who have helped on this site and Bayside brits site because we would have been lost without your help and we are now looking forward to chilling out a bit at last and good luck to all who are making the move soon.
Greggsy
We are staying with family while we find accommodation which is helpfull but with a 3.5 year old on tow also very hard work, So far my time in Aus has consisted of job interviews, searching for cars for myself and my wife and trying to get a house to rent. All sounds quite simple but be prepared for a hard slog. Car dealers as anywhere are full of **** and it takes a while to find one you will trust enough to buy a car from and they are not cheap compared to UK, luckily we already knew this by checking out prices before arriving. One good place to check prices is on www.theage.com.au on their drive section. We have eventually got 2 nice cars that we are happy with.
Next was the interviews for work, as an aircraft engineer i had a few doors open to me but doing about 10 interviews in the first 2 weeks is a killer and mentally draining and extremely time consuming to say the least. I was sensible enough to sort out a few interviews before arriving but still found myself driving around all day most days to interviews and then getting stuck in traffic on the way home. This of course affects your family who are trying to adjust to this completely new way of life as you are hardly there. I eventually got a job with Boeing at Amberly and about 4 other offers so the hard work paid off in the end.
Now the fun part trying to rent a house, my god was that an impossible task. We constantly searched on the net and on the phone to all the agents. As soon as you see one you like it is gone. We phoned to view 3 to be told there are tenants in it and you cannot view it but you can rent it if you like. You can imagine what my answer was. When you try to get a viewing they say we will call you back with a time if you believe that you will believe anything. You have to hassle them constantly and a lot are done on open days which is a mad rush to get the house you like with all the people applying so your chances are slim. Luckily i had a good job offer otherwise it would have been tricky. We have eventually got a nice 4 bed place in wakerley in bayside but we are now trying to get phones, electric , broadband etc connected and thats another epic.
The things i haven't mentioned are the opening of bank accounts ( and getting your head round their stupid fees for looking after your money ! ), finding schooling for your kids and sorting out doctors dentists Medicare child benefit etc etc. Luckily i have a very efficient wife in those matters and we are almost there now.
Then there's the hardest bit of all saying goodbye to all your relatives, i was in the forces for 10 years and moved all over the place but at the end of the day i was always going home. This time we are not or at least not for a couple of years anyway. My daughter has had many a day in tears missing all her school friends and family back in UK which believe me makes you feel like **** and i must admit at one point i could quite easily have booked a flight home without a second thought. You will feel homesick and its not nice, i thought my wife would suffer a bit with this but i am afraid to say i have had it bad on the odd day or 2.
We are now coming through the toughest bit and I am about to start work, get in our new home and start this new dream life i promised my family. We are sure it will work out fine in the end and we are quite excited about it all but if i had realised quite how hard it was going to be on all of us i would have thought twice about it believe me.
The tips i can give to people about to take the plunge are do your homework on jobs in the area you are moving to, the area in general get as much info as you can off sites like these. Make sure you have plenty of money to start with cos it goes like stink in those first couple of weeks. We got our daughter into a childcare centre after 1 week for 2 days a week for her to have some kids to mix with and to give us chance to get things sorted. She has loved it and we have got loads done. Be prepared to be patient because the way they do things out here is very very different from the UK and i guarantee at times you will be tearing your hair out. We took a 3 day break to the sunshine coast after 2 weeks which is a good idea. Lastly try to enjoy it and have a supportive wife cos i have and at times i think she could have strangled me quite easily. I am not trying to put any of you off coming here but just to warn you be prepared for a long hard slog when you get off the plane and i would like to thank all those who have helped on this site and Bayside brits site because we would have been lost without your help and we are now looking forward to chilling out a bit at last and good luck to all who are making the move soon.
Greggsy
May 30th 2006, 11:40 am
#2
Bitter and twisted
Joined: Dec 2003
Location: Upmarket
Posts: 17,503
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
My son used to work for Boeing at RAAF Amberley.
G
G
May 30th 2006, 11:42 am
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: at the bottom of a wine glass
Posts: 28,176
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
God, sounds like you have a bit of a hard time of it. :scared:
I think it's great that you've posted about it though as it will give those of us who think it's just a case of getting off the plane and stepping into a new life a bit of a good old bump back down to earth.
Well done to you for staying sane and for God sake, take a bit of time to chill, you certainly sound like you need it.
I think it's great that you've posted about it though as it will give those of us who think it's just a case of getting off the plane and stepping into a new life a bit of a good old bump back down to earth.
Well done to you for staying sane and for God sake, take a bit of time to chill, you certainly sound like you need it.
May 30th 2006, 11:51 am
#4
Love Tiffany's
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Figtree, NSW
Posts: 667
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by greggsy
We have just recently emigrated to Brisbane about 3.5 weeks ago to start our new life. It has been the longest and hardest 3 weeks of my life and i thought i would let people thinking about coming know what to expect.
We are staying with family while we find accommodation which is helpfull but with a 3.5 year old on tow also very hard work, So far my time in Aus has consisted of job interviews, searching for cars for myself and my wife and trying to get a house to rent. All sounds quite simple but be prepared for a hard slog. Car dealers as anywhere are full of **** and it takes a while to find one you will trust enough to buy a car from and they are not cheap compared to UK, luckily we already knew this by checking out prices before arriving. One good place to check prices is on www.theage.com.au on their drive section. We have eventually got 2 nice cars that we are happy with.
Next was the interviews for work, as an aircraft engineer i had a few doors open to me but doing about 10 interviews in the first 2 weeks is a killer and mentally draining and extremely time consuming to say the least. I was sensible enough to sort out a few interviews before arriving but still found myself driving around all day most days to interviews and then getting stuck in traffic on the way home. This of course affects your family who are trying to adjust to this completely new way of life as you are hardly there. I eventually got a job with Boeing at Amberly and about 4 other offers so the hard work paid off in the end.
Now the fun part trying to rent a house, my god was that an impossible task. We constantly searched on the net and on the phone to all the agents. As soon as you see one you like it is gone. We phoned to view 3 to be told there are tenants in it and you cannot view it but you can rent it if you like. You can imagine what my answer was. When you try to get a viewing they say we will call you back with a time if you believe that you will believe anything. You have to hassle them constantly and a lot are done on open days which is a mad rush to get the house you like with all the people applying so your chances are slim. Luckily i had a good job offer otherwise it would have been tricky. We have eventually got a nice 4 bed place in wakerley in bayside but we are now trying to get phones, electric , broadband etc connected and thats another epic.
The things i haven't mentioned are the opening of bank accounts ( and getting your head round their stupid fees for looking after your money ! ), finding schooling for your kids and sorting out doctors dentists Medicare child benefit etc etc. Luckily i have a very efficient wife in those matters and we are almost there now.
Then there's the hardest bit of all saying goodbye to all your relatives, i was in the forces for 10 years and moved all over the place but at the end of the day i was always going home. This time we are not or at least not for a couple of years anyway. My daughter has had many a day in tears missing all her school friends and family back in UK which believe me makes you feel like **** and i must admit at one point i could quite easily have booked a flight home without a second thought. You will feel homesick and its not nice, i thought my wife would suffer a bit with this but i am afraid to say i have had it bad on the odd day or 2.
We are now coming through the toughest bit and I am about to start work, get in our new home and start this new dream life i promised my family. We are sure it will work out fine in the end and we are quite excited about it all but if i had realised quite how hard it was going to be on all of us i would have thought twice about it believe me.
The tips i can give to people about to take the plunge are do your homework on jobs in the area you are moving to, the area in general get as much info as you can off sites like these. Make sure you have plenty of money to start with cos it goes like stink in those first couple of weeks. We got our daughter into a childcare centre after 1 week for 2 days a week for her to have some kids to mix with and to give us chance to get things sorted. She has loved it and we have got loads done. Be prepared to be patient because the way they do things out here is very very different from the UK and i guarantee at times you will be tearing your hair out. We took a 3 day break to the sunshine coast after 2 weeks which is a good idea. Lastly try to enjoy it and have a supportive wife cos i have and at times i think she could have strangled me quite easily. I am not trying to put any of you off coming here but just to warn you be prepared for a long hard slog when you get off the plane and i would like to thank all those who have helped on this site and Bayside brits site because we would have been lost without your help and we are now looking forward to chilling out a bit at last and good luck to all who are making the move soon.
Greggsy
We are staying with family while we find accommodation which is helpfull but with a 3.5 year old on tow also very hard work, So far my time in Aus has consisted of job interviews, searching for cars for myself and my wife and trying to get a house to rent. All sounds quite simple but be prepared for a hard slog. Car dealers as anywhere are full of **** and it takes a while to find one you will trust enough to buy a car from and they are not cheap compared to UK, luckily we already knew this by checking out prices before arriving. One good place to check prices is on www.theage.com.au on their drive section. We have eventually got 2 nice cars that we are happy with.
Next was the interviews for work, as an aircraft engineer i had a few doors open to me but doing about 10 interviews in the first 2 weeks is a killer and mentally draining and extremely time consuming to say the least. I was sensible enough to sort out a few interviews before arriving but still found myself driving around all day most days to interviews and then getting stuck in traffic on the way home. This of course affects your family who are trying to adjust to this completely new way of life as you are hardly there. I eventually got a job with Boeing at Amberly and about 4 other offers so the hard work paid off in the end.
Now the fun part trying to rent a house, my god was that an impossible task. We constantly searched on the net and on the phone to all the agents. As soon as you see one you like it is gone. We phoned to view 3 to be told there are tenants in it and you cannot view it but you can rent it if you like. You can imagine what my answer was. When you try to get a viewing they say we will call you back with a time if you believe that you will believe anything. You have to hassle them constantly and a lot are done on open days which is a mad rush to get the house you like with all the people applying so your chances are slim. Luckily i had a good job offer otherwise it would have been tricky. We have eventually got a nice 4 bed place in wakerley in bayside but we are now trying to get phones, electric , broadband etc connected and thats another epic.
The things i haven't mentioned are the opening of bank accounts ( and getting your head round their stupid fees for looking after your money ! ), finding schooling for your kids and sorting out doctors dentists Medicare child benefit etc etc. Luckily i have a very efficient wife in those matters and we are almost there now.
Then there's the hardest bit of all saying goodbye to all your relatives, i was in the forces for 10 years and moved all over the place but at the end of the day i was always going home. This time we are not or at least not for a couple of years anyway. My daughter has had many a day in tears missing all her school friends and family back in UK which believe me makes you feel like **** and i must admit at one point i could quite easily have booked a flight home without a second thought. You will feel homesick and its not nice, i thought my wife would suffer a bit with this but i am afraid to say i have had it bad on the odd day or 2.
We are now coming through the toughest bit and I am about to start work, get in our new home and start this new dream life i promised my family. We are sure it will work out fine in the end and we are quite excited about it all but if i had realised quite how hard it was going to be on all of us i would have thought twice about it believe me.
The tips i can give to people about to take the plunge are do your homework on jobs in the area you are moving to, the area in general get as much info as you can off sites like these. Make sure you have plenty of money to start with cos it goes like stink in those first couple of weeks. We got our daughter into a childcare centre after 1 week for 2 days a week for her to have some kids to mix with and to give us chance to get things sorted. She has loved it and we have got loads done. Be prepared to be patient because the way they do things out here is very very different from the UK and i guarantee at times you will be tearing your hair out. We took a 3 day break to the sunshine coast after 2 weeks which is a good idea. Lastly try to enjoy it and have a supportive wife cos i have and at times i think she could have strangled me quite easily. I am not trying to put any of you off coming here but just to warn you be prepared for a long hard slog when you get off the plane and i would like to thank all those who have helped on this site and Bayside brits site because we would have been lost without your help and we are now looking forward to chilling out a bit at last and good luck to all who are making the move soon.
Greggsy
Welcome to Australia. Grab yourself a cold
and chill out. It gets better and better believe me. It's always stressful for the first few weeks. Once you get all settled in you will be posting another thread on what a wonderful new life you have
Good luck.
May 30th 2006, 11:56 am
#5
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,337
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Never gunna be easy for some , with jobs , etc , but i think everyone should download the settlement booklets from the dimia web site as they are a great for knowing what to do on arrival .
May 30th 2006, 12:18 pm
#6
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 10,158
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Hey Greggsy... Been where you are just 6 weeks ago now and at first it wsa damn difficult at times, esp the banks and cars... It does get much better very quickly so hang in there. Don't get too frustrated if things are slow at first.
Cheers
Cheers
May 30th 2006, 12:31 pm
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 246
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
[QUOTE=greggsy]
Sounds like you've had it easy to me
There's plenty been out here months, still looking for work, somewhere decent to live, funds running low and only a daft forum for entertainment cos the telly's so crap.
Can't even say "at least its warm here" anymore
In future, please try to think of some proper depressing stuff to post because (so I'm told) there's always someone worse off than you and I'm frantically looking for him/her to cheer me up
Sounds like you've had it easy to me
There's plenty been out here months, still looking for work, somewhere decent to live, funds running low and only a daft forum for entertainment cos the telly's so crap.
Can't even say "at least its warm here" anymore
In future, please try to think of some proper depressing stuff to post because (so I'm told) there's always someone worse off than you and I'm frantically looking for him/her to cheer me up
May 30th 2006, 12:49 pm
#8
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Monterey Keys.
Posts: 711
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by Perthforme
Never gunna be easy for some , with jobs , etc , but i think everyone should download the settlement booklets from the dimia web site as they are a great for knowing what to do on arrival .
Can anyone give me a link to the settlement booklet because i can't find it.
May 30th 2006, 12:53 pm
#9
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: at the bottom of a wine glass
Posts: 28,176
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by stacey and jordan
Can anyone give me a link to the settlement booklet because i can't find it.
http://www.immi.gov.au/settle/booklets/
May 30th 2006, 1:03 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Monterey Keys.
Posts: 711
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by WendyC
May 30th 2006, 1:05 pm
#11
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,337
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by stacey and jordan
Thank you Wendy and i hope it all works out well for you in the future Greggsy, keep my fingers crossed
May 30th 2006, 1:09 pm
#12
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: On the edge of the Dandenongs, Melbourne
Posts: 2,387
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
[QUOTE=bramptonbrian]
Sounds like you've had it easy to me
There's plenty been out here months, still looking for work, somewhere decent to live, funds running low and only a daft forum for entertainment cos the telly's so crap.
Can't even say "at least its warm here" anymore
In future, please try to think of some proper depressing stuff to post because (so I'm told) there's always someone worse off than you and I'm frantically looking for him/her to cheer me up
I have to agree - I think the poster has done extremely well and I know we all experience things with differing degrees. We have been here 3 months and have found it fairly easy - though it took us 5 weeks to find a rental (still I quite liked the caravan park - call me trailer trash!). There are of course different procedures to understand, which can be frustrating esp when you don't have your trusted advisors/contacts to hand. We didn't rush to get everything set up within a certain timescale - apart from bank account and car.
We have experienced stress - namely OH being sacked
Luckily he was offered a higher paid job that very afternoon! We also had terrible problems with our neighbours (absent parents and lone teenagers) - very loud band practice in the garage next door - but the Council and police sorted that out very quickly and efficiently.
Good luck to all - research as much as you can and use this forum for everything you can think of and more - it's been a Godsend to me
R
Originally Posted by greggsy
Sounds like you've had it easy to me
There's plenty been out here months, still looking for work, somewhere decent to live, funds running low and only a daft forum for entertainment cos the telly's so crap.
Can't even say "at least its warm here" anymore
In future, please try to think of some proper depressing stuff to post because (so I'm told) there's always someone worse off than you and I'm frantically looking for him/her to cheer me up
We have experienced stress - namely OH being sacked
Luckily he was offered a higher paid job that very afternoon! We also had terrible problems with our neighbours (absent parents and lone teenagers) - very loud band practice in the garage next door - but the Council and police sorted that out very quickly and efficiently.Good luck to all - research as much as you can and use this forum for everything you can think of and more - it's been a Godsend to me
R
May 30th 2006, 9:39 pm
#13
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Wakerley, Bayside, Brisbane QLD
Posts: 157
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Didnt mean to sound too somber we are actually enjoying aus and the challenge just wanted to give people coming out a true version of what might be here for them in the early stages. Probably didnt help our daughter has been ill with a severe cough and we have been too and fro from docs for blood tests for allergies and whooping cough they now think its asthma but i am not convinced.
I would still say to everyone who is thinking of making the move do it or you will always think what if and the beer is a big bonus to help you chill out and they even do guinness thank god havent found any murphy's yet though
mark
I would still say to everyone who is thinking of making the move do it or you will always think what if and the beer is a big bonus to help you chill out and they even do guinness thank god havent found any murphy's yet though
mark
May 30th 2006, 9:46 pm
#14
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: On the edge of the Dandenongs, Melbourne
Posts: 2,387
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by greggsy
Didnt mean to sound too somber we are actually enjoying aus and the challenge just wanted to give people coming out a true version of what might be here for them in the early stages. Probably didnt help our daughter has been ill with a severe cough and we have been too and fro from docs for blood tests for allergies and whooping cough they now think its asthma but i am not convinced.
I would still say to everyone who is thinking of making the move do it or you will always think what if and the beer is a big bonus to help you chill out and they even do guinness thank god havent found any murphy's yet though
mark
I would still say to everyone who is thinking of making the move do it or you will always think what if and the beer is a big bonus to help you chill out and they even do guinness thank god havent found any murphy's yet though
mark
May 30th 2006, 10:00 pm
#15
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast, Queensland
Posts: 689
Re: Never knew it would be this tough
Originally Posted by greggsy
We have just recently emigrated to Brisbane about 3.5 weeks ago to start our new life. It has been the longest and hardest 3 weeks of my life and i thought i would let people thinking about coming know what to expect.
We are staying with family while we find accommodation which is helpfull but with a 3.5 year old on tow also very hard work, So far my time in Aus has consisted of job interviews, searching for cars for myself and my wife and trying to get a house to rent. All sounds quite simple but be prepared for a hard slog. Car dealers as anywhere are full of **** and it takes a while to find one you will trust enough to buy a car from and they are not cheap compared to UK, luckily we already knew this by checking out prices before arriving. One good place to check prices is on www.theage.com.au on their drive section. We have eventually got 2 nice cars that we are happy with.
Next was the interviews for work, as an aircraft engineer i had a few doors open to me but doing about 10 interviews in the first 2 weeks is a killer and mentally draining and extremely time consuming to say the least. I was sensible enough to sort out a few interviews before arriving but still found myself driving around all day most days to interviews and then getting stuck in traffic on the way home. This of course affects your family who are trying to adjust to this completely new way of life as you are hardly there. I eventually got a job with Boeing at Amberly and about 4 other offers so the hard work paid off in the end.
Now the fun part trying to rent a house, my god was that an impossible task. We constantly searched on the net and on the phone to all the agents. As soon as you see one you like it is gone. We phoned to view 3 to be told there are tenants in it and you cannot view it but you can rent it if you like. You can imagine what my answer was. When you try to get a viewing they say we will call you back with a time if you believe that you will believe anything. You have to hassle them constantly and a lot are done on open days which is a mad rush to get the house you like with all the people applying so your chances are slim. Luckily i had a good job offer otherwise it would have been tricky. We have eventually got a nice 4 bed place in wakerley in bayside but we are now trying to get phones, electric , broadband etc connected and thats another epic.
The things i haven't mentioned are the opening of bank accounts ( and getting your head round their stupid fees for looking after your money ! ), finding schooling for your kids and sorting out doctors dentists Medicare child benefit etc etc. Luckily i have a very efficient wife in those matters and we are almost there now.
Then there's the hardest bit of all saying goodbye to all your relatives, i was in the forces for 10 years and moved all over the place but at the end of the day i was always going home. This time we are not or at least not for a couple of years anyway. My daughter has had many a day in tears missing all her school friends and family back in UK which believe me makes you feel like **** and i must admit at one point i could quite easily have booked a flight home without a second thought. You will feel homesick and its not nice, i thought my wife would suffer a bit with this but i am afraid to say i have had it bad on the odd day or 2.
We are now coming through the toughest bit and I am about to start work, get in our new home and start this new dream life i promised my family. We are sure it will work out fine in the end and we are quite excited about it all but if i had realised quite how hard it was going to be on all of us i would have thought twice about it believe me.
The tips i can give to people about to take the plunge are do your homework on jobs in the area you are moving to, the area in general get as much info as you can off sites like these. Make sure you have plenty of money to start with cos it goes like stink in those first couple of weeks. We got our daughter into a childcare centre after 1 week for 2 days a week for her to have some kids to mix with and to give us chance to get things sorted. She has loved it and we have got loads done. Be prepared to be patient because the way they do things out here is very very different from the UK and i guarantee at times you will be tearing your hair out. We took a 3 day break to the sunshine coast after 2 weeks which is a good idea. Lastly try to enjoy it and have a supportive wife cos i have and at times i think she could have strangled me quite easily. I am not trying to put any of you off coming here but just to warn you be prepared for a long hard slog when you get off the plane and i would like to thank all those who have helped on this site and Bayside brits site because we would have been lost without your help and we are now looking forward to chilling out a bit at last and good luck to all who are making the move soon.
Greggsy
We are staying with family while we find accommodation which is helpfull but with a 3.5 year old on tow also very hard work, So far my time in Aus has consisted of job interviews, searching for cars for myself and my wife and trying to get a house to rent. All sounds quite simple but be prepared for a hard slog. Car dealers as anywhere are full of **** and it takes a while to find one you will trust enough to buy a car from and they are not cheap compared to UK, luckily we already knew this by checking out prices before arriving. One good place to check prices is on www.theage.com.au on their drive section. We have eventually got 2 nice cars that we are happy with.
Next was the interviews for work, as an aircraft engineer i had a few doors open to me but doing about 10 interviews in the first 2 weeks is a killer and mentally draining and extremely time consuming to say the least. I was sensible enough to sort out a few interviews before arriving but still found myself driving around all day most days to interviews and then getting stuck in traffic on the way home. This of course affects your family who are trying to adjust to this completely new way of life as you are hardly there. I eventually got a job with Boeing at Amberly and about 4 other offers so the hard work paid off in the end.
Now the fun part trying to rent a house, my god was that an impossible task. We constantly searched on the net and on the phone to all the agents. As soon as you see one you like it is gone. We phoned to view 3 to be told there are tenants in it and you cannot view it but you can rent it if you like. You can imagine what my answer was. When you try to get a viewing they say we will call you back with a time if you believe that you will believe anything. You have to hassle them constantly and a lot are done on open days which is a mad rush to get the house you like with all the people applying so your chances are slim. Luckily i had a good job offer otherwise it would have been tricky. We have eventually got a nice 4 bed place in wakerley in bayside but we are now trying to get phones, electric , broadband etc connected and thats another epic.
The things i haven't mentioned are the opening of bank accounts ( and getting your head round their stupid fees for looking after your money ! ), finding schooling for your kids and sorting out doctors dentists Medicare child benefit etc etc. Luckily i have a very efficient wife in those matters and we are almost there now.
Then there's the hardest bit of all saying goodbye to all your relatives, i was in the forces for 10 years and moved all over the place but at the end of the day i was always going home. This time we are not or at least not for a couple of years anyway. My daughter has had many a day in tears missing all her school friends and family back in UK which believe me makes you feel like **** and i must admit at one point i could quite easily have booked a flight home without a second thought. You will feel homesick and its not nice, i thought my wife would suffer a bit with this but i am afraid to say i have had it bad on the odd day or 2.
We are now coming through the toughest bit and I am about to start work, get in our new home and start this new dream life i promised my family. We are sure it will work out fine in the end and we are quite excited about it all but if i had realised quite how hard it was going to be on all of us i would have thought twice about it believe me.
The tips i can give to people about to take the plunge are do your homework on jobs in the area you are moving to, the area in general get as much info as you can off sites like these. Make sure you have plenty of money to start with cos it goes like stink in those first couple of weeks. We got our daughter into a childcare centre after 1 week for 2 days a week for her to have some kids to mix with and to give us chance to get things sorted. She has loved it and we have got loads done. Be prepared to be patient because the way they do things out here is very very different from the UK and i guarantee at times you will be tearing your hair out. We took a 3 day break to the sunshine coast after 2 weeks which is a good idea. Lastly try to enjoy it and have a supportive wife cos i have and at times i think she could have strangled me quite easily. I am not trying to put any of you off coming here but just to warn you be prepared for a long hard slog when you get off the plane and i would like to thank all those who have helped on this site and Bayside brits site because we would have been lost without your help and we are now looking forward to chilling out a bit at last and good luck to all who are making the move soon.
Greggsy
Hi Greggsy,
Sounds like you have had a bit of a nightmare :scared: . I hope you soon settle down and start enjoying your new life here. Have some Karma from me.
Hey, your situation is exactly why people use a relocation company to avoid all of the headaches. lol
