dave99

Hiya, I have been in Melbourne 11 weeks (after being in perth for 2 years this second time out here) and I am wondering if I should leave, I would appreciate some peoples ideas if you can spare a minute.

I have a tiny bedsit in the city center, near queen vic market. After struggling to find a job I finally got one and started last week. The agent said it was 3 months trial then perm but when I started I was introduced to people by the manager as the 'temp whos here for 2 months' and I have challenged the agent but he maintains it might be perm, maybe, the manager has made it clear 'I wont be there for long'. The place is also strange, I was showed to a desk and chair and left to it, with no one willing to spend time to show me around or train me up on their systems to get me started, in fact people barely speak to each other, its a tense awkward atmosphere. I also have to commute out of the city by train for an hour from flinders st which makes it a very long day.

So I am a bit dismayed by this job going wrong and how long its taken me to get one, but more important than that I think I have had enough of melbourne.

The city is very European/English like in lots of ways and I think to myself I might as well just be in England. The city is always crazy busy and I dont like being shoulder to shoulder with crowds of people everyday when I step outside my door. If I move to the suburbs then I will probably end up having to commute in to the city on one of the very packed trams everyday as I will possibly end up working in the city. Just like people do to get to london, I have never done that nor would I every have wanted to.

So I am just thinking to myself, whats the point of being in Melbourne really. Its the same and in some ways worse than england.

I feel like telling the agent that the jobs not what I wanted, although I am not sure how that will go down as they asked me to sign for 3 months, and then maybe breaking the lease on the apartment, which I guess I will have to pay until they rent it out and then jump on a plane and go back to england to stay with family for awhile.

I have been wrestling with what to do all week I could really appreciate a fresh pair of eyes on it, thanks

Bermudashorts

Why did you move from Perth? What brought you to Melbourne! I feel like I need that information.

I don't like Melbourne myself either, only visited for a couple of weekends and stayed quite central, but I find it an ugly and grungy city.

GarryP

Hang on. You live in the middle of the CBD, complain about the crowds; commute to the outskirts, complain about the commute?

Why wouldn't you live and work on the outskirts - no crowds, lower cost of living, near job so little commute.

Melbourne is a city, with everything that implies. If you arrange things such that you are in the area you don't like and have to commute long distances of course you're not going to like it - it's your own silly fault!

You're the master of your own destiny.

And the quid pro quo is that being a city, there's lots going on (much more than Perth). Therefore you have greater scope to do different things.

Personally I think arranging it so you live and work in the suburbs, but can travel into the city in your leisure time, is the best bet.

dave99

I disliked the heat the most but I just kind of felt perth wasnt a good fit for me. If your not into beaches, surfing or camping you can quickly run out of things to see and do.
Everyone would tell me melb was fantastic so I figured, why not give it a try

dave99

Good point when you phrase it like that. Imagine arriving and not knowing anywhere, I figured I will be working in the city so I took a small place in the city.
After months of trying to get a job I am getting desperate so I accepted the first one that gave me the chance, which unfortunatly is far south.
But your right, I have no one else to blame.

I have a few options now,
1. I could quit the job and try to find something in the city so I dont have a long commute and hope something comes along before my money runs out. But will I be happy here in the long term, if I got a place in the suberbs I would have to commute in crammed into a tram everyday
2. I could throw in the towel and leg it back to the uk, not sure how long it would take me to find work there but at least things would be familier and make sense
3. I could carry on in the crappy job which I am not suited for, do it for a few months and save the money and then decide what to do

eddie007

If everyone told you to jump off a cliff??????

Seriously... You don't sound happy and that's a worry... Have you given it enough time?

What WOULD make you happy? (that's not a rude comment, it's an invitation for you to explore what you want from life right now and in the future)

Bermudashorts

Well good on you for giving sonething else a try. But unless you are going to try every city, perhaps you need to make a call that Australia is not for you, it isn't for everyone.

But still it has not been long and maybe you need to give it longer if only so you don't look back and think "I didn't give it long enough". I would set myself a very definite date in the future (say 6 months, a year) and make a decision at that time and not before.

commonwealth

Girlfriend, Utopia doesn't exist

You only got 2 options:

(A) take it
(B) leave it

spouse of scouse

I think Dave's more likely to be a boyfriend

Dave, I think the best thing is to leave the job if it's making your life miserable and keep looking hard for another one that you will hopefully like. And if that doesn't eventuate - well the decision's made for you. You can't live without money or support.

It really sounds to me as if you've 99% made up your mind to go home. If that's the case, I'd just do it.

quoll

If you've got the money, move on! No point in staying in a place which isn't meeting your needs. You had a gut feeling IIRC that it wasn't going to be right, well you've hung in for 3 months, struggled to find a job and it still isn't right. Move on - you could sample every Aussie city to see if there is one that floats your boat or you could move on elsewhere. Good Luck! BTW I think Melbourne is much overrated too but there ya go!

BadgeIsBack

Dave?!

Spring is on the way. See what you make of it when it warms up nicely.
This is advice given to anyone in a city coming out of winter.

Buzzy--Bee

Dave, you've been whinging non stop since you got here. Just go back to England. You'll be happier.

Melbourne isn't for you, and nor was Perth by the sound of it.

BB

Perpetual Tourist

I think the above is true. I cannot help thinking that perhaps you haven't given Melbourne a fair chance. It sounds like your time there so far has been very stressful, consisting of searching for accommodation and work. It also sounds like you've been very unlucky with your current job. And perhaps living in the CBD is not for you. If you are looking to work in the CBD, why not look for a flat in one of the surrounding suburbs, e.g. Richmond, Fitzroy or South Melbourne?

Perhaps you do need to take stock of what exactly it is you would like to get out of your life in Australia - before you take any major decisions?

bcworld

I'm sticking with my original advice...go to Brisbane.

RedDragon2008

Why would Brisbane be any better? He already stated he hated the heat of Perth so Brisbane would be worse