How people on BE toss around these rediculous figures never fail to amaze me Polly Just goes to show what sort of Australia they live in compared to me.

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Im suprised to hear that aus post & hospitals are paying workers in the currency of another country! How does this work? If the ex rate was $2.65 or $3 would the same be true?

He's right. 60-80k is what a skilled office worker gets in the private sector.

Skilled - sort of semi-professional.' Minor accountancy' that sort of thing. Project support. Analysis.

It's a very good 'wage'.

Doesn't stop others from easily earning 2 or 3 times that.

Circa 75,000 Aud BC It actually works out a lot more because of Salary Packaging.... increases the take home pay by around 12 pct. Just worked out that mine is more than 36,000 quid... at 68,000 Aud..... I have to work night shift to get that.

I did say, that currently this is skewed because of the exchange rate. It's end of year tax time, so it's fairly easy to see how much we've earned.

Precisely the point I have been making for some while. You've missed the sweet spot mate. Your sweet spot *probably* is in the UK - some people don't like to be 'told to go home', of course. With different circumstances, and who knows what lies in store for you around the corner, you might hit a sweet spot.

The way people get around it is by starting their own business and using the whole kit kaboodle as a major tax limitation exercise.

Yep, I wouldn't argue that there are many people in this wage bracket, and several on here who frequently remind us they earn far more than that and wouldn't get out of bed for $80k. But at the other extreme I know many middle-aged people who earn $30-40k and realistically are never likely to get into a higher income bracket because of the work they do. Some manual workers, some govenrment admin staff, plenty of people about on that level.

There wont be any Permanent Night Shift Aus post workers that have earnt less than 62,000 K this year.

Opps unless they've been off sick all year.

He's right only in that sector of work!

Not everyone works in an office you know

Aint that the truth

Back to Pro's and Con's

I assume the following statement applies Aus wide though.... maybe not.

Cons... Missing out on my UK family growing, achieving and being there so I could support them in their Sad times as well.

Pro's Becoming financially very secure, especially on the housing front.... House now worth over 700k.... I paid less than 60k in 1984. Plus 30 years of Government Super for the Wife and I each.... It's hard to see how the UK could have given us more, despite the fact that I left professional employment, and became Blue Collar in Aus.

Congratulations.
1984 was a good time to move here i reckon...not so now methinks.

Yeah take your point the Exchange rate doesnt help at present, plus the job situation has changed dramatically. I'll readily admit it's very hard to get taken on permanent Full Time in any job especially down the lower end of the market.


We actually came in 1980.... I had to save 15 pct deposit whilst renting to buy our house.

I started with hardly anything, save the Wife had Aussie family and contacts here. Plenty of places to stay for little if any rent in the first few weeks.


Got to admit, when I look at my UK cousins, around the same age as me, with their holiday Villas and early retirement, I think we've ended up about evens.... we've still got young kids, otherwise I'd be semi retired myself.

No chance of early retirement for 40-somethings now.All governments want you to work till yer 70...nice of em aint it

Yes a dramatic difference in the last 15 years, you never know things may improve.

On the plus side of that, I work in an area where there are lots of 30 year plus employees. When some of these people retire, they only last around 2 or 3 years, before the lifestyle change gets to them and takes it toll. Seems like a hell of a lot of them die early. Not exactly a bright side to staying in the workforce, but true none the less.

I'm not sure as the exact reason for this.

I can quite truthfully say, that there are far more interesting/diverse suburbs in Melbourne than in Bristol. That's what I have to compare - perhaps that's why it works for me