gabyjane

I would just like to say thanks for all the help/support you guys have given me with all my questions on here..it has helped me no end sit down and write lists of how and what to do..one one side my brain is saying 'take a risk and go for it you will never know' the other is saying 'dont be daft you have a comfortable life here' etc! SO

After all my posts sat mulling over for the last couple of days with my head everywhere!..i sat and thought about what was important to us and what wasn't etc..jobs, money, dd, poss college when there, selling our house and lots of the contents, not seeing family again for ages/ever..could go on but wasn't sure if i could ever go through with it..

Then today dh brought it up as i have actually shut up about it for the last few days! and said he was still really interested in the idea..hmm we then went for lunch and had a huge chat about basically all the things that could go wrong! maybe the wrong way to look at it BUT if we could conqure those then we would be ok but i am a worrier anyway and just at times can't see it working.

Dh has decided he is a chef and he would be happy to carry that on abroad, however here he feels a new job would be starting from scratch for probably rubbish money..the police option is just too hard due to his age and he doesnt want to join where we live now so?

I wouldnt be able to work at first as i am a childminder so would have to look into that when there or get something else..who knows how long it will take? i would do anything else but not sure if it is that easy..?

Our house..to me is a huge part..one half of me says we will never own it so move and rent if need be..one half says i dont want to rent and we will be losing our long worked for house and never get on the ladder again..is a house that important? I love the security so? I think dd thinks we are going to move into some house like off the tv with pool and when looking online we saw that most apartments/houses etc in our budget arent that nice..poss spending quite a lot of time at home i would want it to be half decent!

DD when/if we move she will be 16..what will she do? has anyone ever moved there with a 16 yr old and how did they get on?

Cost..if we put our minds to it we can save..enough im not sure..but if we got there what happens if you lose your job after a few weeks and cant pay the rent? here we would get Housing benefit..there? nothing i suspect as why should we?!

SO i am so so tied..if we didnt have to consider our life savings on the visa ide feel a bit better..then it may be the best move we ever made..

HELP!! how did you know it was the right thing and how many risked everything to go?

Sorry its all doom and gloom too but no late thinking about things after!!

Thanks

rahrah

It is a huge decision to unpick your life and embark on building a new one in another country - pretty daunting if you are established and have dependants to consider! You do have to look at what you stand to lose and what gains there are, and if they outweigh the risks - No mean feat, eh?

We ummed and Ahhed for 4 months constantly - but for me once I'd seen Oz the 'love affair' began and it wheedled itself into my brain becoming the 'itch that wouldn't go away'. So we've took the plunge and will have to see if it all works out.........! and once we'd made a firm decision to try for it, have really been looking forward to the challenge ahead!! Going onto the DIAc website made the process clearer and gave the confidence that we were eligible to forge ahead - lots of useful posts on here might dispel some of your fears also, as you will see many 'shared' worries.

Noone can help you make that decision - it has to feel right for you! I think you've pretty much thought of all that could go wrong for you - but maybe spin it on its head - What can you gain?? and does this outweigh the 'could go wrongs'. Moving to another country is not for everyone, but try thinking of it as a very exciting, scary adventure and all you will gain from that. You have to be realistic - Oz will not be the 'land of honey' and there will be challenges and hardships whereever you are - but you will know in your heart of hearts what to do, when you are ready to go!
Good Luck to your family whatever you decide

suzyambrose

That's very good advice, the only thing I would say is if everybody dwelled on the things that could go wrong no-one would ever go. As the saying goes - 'you don't know until you try'.

Alfresco

Our daughter will be 16 when we move in September. She's itching to go, although she has picked up a boyfriend here now.

Damson

Can't help with the decision part as have been through it and are in the final stages. After looking into this for a few years, with the exchange rate being what it is, things just aren't so simple any more. Your post could have been written by (and I'm sure you've seen many similar ones on here) me a while ago, it really is a horrible, horrible situation. I too am a worrier and am not 100% convinced it is the way to go (who is?) but have gained some really valuable advice from this forum and simply wouldn't have gotten this far without it.

You could ask what you have to gain by staying I guess. I must admit that we are worried about the financial situation for us in the UK funnily enough, and more particularly our kids for the future. If labour get in again, we're off in any event! How much will be left in pension pots by the time it's our turn (means testing of state pension?). Also, with the slashing of funding (and consequently available places) for universities I am resigned to having to pay our kids right through uni anyway. The thought of paying back the taxes and debts that we have here is a worry. I certainly don't think the country is "over" or bankrupt as some people describe it, but it is pretty poorly and taxes are really going to hurt ... a lot. It will be costly to move, we all know that, but advice I have been given is that money shouldn't necessarily be a deciding factor, unless you are on a really tight budget. If you are, I would be inclined to stay, but then as you read so many times, what if it is really great and you love it. Decisions, Decisions.

Good luck

bluekipper

Speaking from someone who has been and done it, & doing it again in April, it is hard,the hardest bit is feeling isolated, not feeling at home ,missing friends and family loads & loads, we have spent all our savings, have good jobs, and got another mortgage on a house here again, but renting it to my sis so we can go bk to OZ, because my girls now 14 & 19 miss OZ sooooo much as do I & hubby, my rose tinted specs are well & truley off,lucky enough im not materialistic, dont care about owning a house again or getting a job that pays loads(would be lovely tho) just want my girls to have the lovely outdoor relaxed life they had before, thats why we are going back. BUT it deffo aint easy believe me,if you have close family here ,think hard cause it wont be money that bothers you, it`l be missing the ppl you love!

GOOD LUCK

Bluekipper

JenniGee

Same here...our daughter will be 16 & is complete with boyfriend who cannot live without being on the phone to her for 4 hours a day

To the OP...have you been out there on holiday? I know it's horribly expensive, but it was really helpful to us...we had lodged our application, but were up & down about the logistics of it all. Also, we were uncertain about whether the expense & stress would be worth it all....so we packed up the kids & headed off for a look round. It really clarified things for us, because it gave us that one thing that no amount of reading websites & asking other people could possibly give....we needed to know if it "felt right" being there.

And it did... so when we feel that the worry of it all is unsurmountable, we can turn now to the great times we had, the fantastic people we met out there & just KNOW it's right for us.

Of course, it might not be right for you, in which case, far better spend a few grand now on finding that out, than years of visa stress, worry over selling a house you love & losing jobs that are important to you, not to mention the sheer expense of shipping your goods, rentals, months with no work..... you see what I mean?

Best of luck with your decisions - I know it can be tough

quoll

Personally, I wouldnt be moving a child of 16 unless you are cast iron certain that you will be staying here. Even so, 16 is a horrible age to be moving them. Most kids are either just 16 or just turning 16 when they begin year 11 here which is the first of a 2 year course leading to year 12 assessments which are then important for further education and necessary for many jobs these days. If a kid will be 16 turning 17 then they are going to be older than their peers going into those final two years and having been in UK and done GCSEs then they may not want to go back to school for another 2 years if they thought they were done with school back home. Far better IMHO to let her do her A levels which will travel well and still keep all educational options open.

I would be asking what do you expect to be better for you if you moved? It is just another place to live your life in with all the same chores that you have where you are now. What do you think would make it worth your while giving up the good life that you have now? What value added??

As I understand it, the new visa changes may make your decision for you (admit I havent read them other than the news headlines) where the emphasis is going to be on medical and other skilled professionals - would you be able to get a visa anyway?

If what you want is adventure then come by all means but dont "do it for the kids' future" there is nothing magical here for kids that they cant achieve in any other first world country.

bluekipper

I disagree,sorry, my kids who are 14 & 19 are the ones pushing for us to return, they dont feel safe here, have no quality of life really, due to bad weather and high unemployment, granted sometimes it too hot in OZ but they loved that! and yes before you say there is crime and unemployment over there also,sorry but on the scale it is here, no wonder they want to get back to OZ!

Bluekipper

Perry Groves

Does anyone know about imminent changes to the shortage lists?

gabyjane

Thankyou for all the replies..im not sure what to say apart from we take that risk or we dont i guess!..im very confused right now!..dh is a chef for who was asking about career so we 'hope' he would get through to getting a visa.

Can i ask if anyone be it yourself or partner etc went over with no job to go to and no career as such..what did you do for work?
Thanks

JenniGee

We're not over there yet, but I can tell you from reading here & talking to others - lots & lots of families go over with no job lined up...attitude is everything & most who have the determination to make it work will succeed. There will always be some people who don't get on for whatever reason, but honestly, migration is such a deeply personal thing, no-one can really tell you what to feel about it but yourself

Pollyana

See the sticky thread by George Lombard in the Immigration forum - anything official will be in there

quoll

Perhaps another part of UK? Where I hang out the kids seem to have a very good life.

Dont head off to Melbourne this week Melbourne and go on trains whatever you do!

I think in general life for Aussie kids is lazier that's for sure and often kids do like to be lazy and expect stuff to be done for them. Education doesnt have the same pressure certainly and faced with exams or not kids will usually take the least stressful option. However it is interesting that young Aussies leave in droves once they are done with education and of those that can stay away, many do.

teepee

hi. if its of any help... i had never been to australia in my life. the thought never entered our heads until i went to a trade show and an australian employer invited us to mover over. (same job) we gave it some thought over a coffee, yes A coffee. we decided we would give it a go so long as our 15 year old daughter was in agreement. when we told her she said yes because 'all my mates are going to different colleges after GCSE so its a good time to move on'
quite mature we thought. any way we applied and got special permission to come as i am over 45 years old. it went quiet then out of the blue, 9 days after sending our visa application we were granted permanent residency. within 6 weeks i was in sydney with wife following 4 weeks later. the first 4 weeks were really hard cos i was at work mon to fri and then trying to get everything else sorted at the weekends. daughter settled in straight away with fellow students really welcoming and helpful. 18 months later and we are all settled. still renting. unlikely to get a mortgage as running out of years!!! bottom line is you only have one life. take the plunge if it feels right. if you dont like it you can always fly back. its only money, so long as you have your health and each other thats all that counts. if i can be of any more help just pm me. good luck.