jad n rich

Aint that the truth!!

The happiest people we know, are the ones who still live with close family around, very close to where they are from.

Travel, often makes you want what you cant have

Beoz

Are you serious. Sydney may well be more expensive than Brisbane but its ten times better and comes with bigger salaries. First part is just my personal opinion of course . Second part is fact.

verystormy

The first thing to consider are visas and do you qualify for one - do not trust on line tests as they are often wrong. A good migration expert will usually give an initial consultation for free.

Then the bigger question - why do you want to move to the other side of the world?

You need to sit down with your husband and go through the pros and cons of what it involves. For example, 250k sounds like a lot of money, but it is, in most Oz cities not going to buy you a house in the city - you will still need a mortgage.

Think about job options - research jobs for your skills. Some teaching subject find there are plenty of roles, others have big numbers of unemployed.

Work for your husband is going to be similar to the UK - unskilled tends to be badly paid.

You both need to do a lot of thinking and talking yet before you commit to what is both an expensive and stressful process

Dorothy

I pass those online things and I'm over 50 with few skills. You need to look at Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection to see what you might qualify for. Although, from what you've posted I don't see anything jumping out at me visa wise.

chicaescocesa

I think that is very sound advice, we will do some more research and thinking about it.

What are the main criteria for gaining a visa? Age and qualifications?

Dorothy

A skill on the list, age, medical history, criminal history are the main ones.

chicaescocesa

Thanks Dorothy I'll check out the link. I think I would qualify for a skilled visa but obviously not 100% sure as I've just started looking in to it. Reasons for moving; lifestyle, weather, opportunities for our daughter to have a healthy life, we have just come out of a very stressful few years with the DH's family business and would like a 'fresh start'. Reasons for not moving: my job, family (though we are not really close with the exception of my parents), friends, stress of moving to the unknown as we are not spring chickens any more!

Dorothy

What lifestyle are you thinking you'll get in Australia you won't get at home? By weather do you mean the 43degrees they had in Perth yesterday or the 41 with devastating bush fires in Adelaide or the 100% humidity in Queensland? Honestly, your daughter will have as many opportunities as you afford her - here in Australia or in the UK.

Don't get me wrong...I don't regret moving to Australia, but I did it without rose tinted glasses on and a healthy dose of reality. Take a read of some posts in the Moving Back to UK section on this site to see the other side of migration.

chicaescocesa

I will do. At the moment we are merely considering it as an option. Yes the extreme heat is definitely a concern, but bear in mind we have had minus 16 here in recent winters and our school was shut for a week due to snow a couple of years ago! So we also have extremes. We also have sunrise at 8.45am and sunset at 3.30pm. It is joyous! Lifestyle differences, you tell me? Does your lifestyle differ much in Oz than in the UK? I am thinking mainly of being able to get outdoors - weeks can pass by here when I can't really get out with the wee girl as the weather is so wild/cold/windy/wet. Maybe a holiday home in Europe may be a better idea for us, I don't know. I get the impression (maybe wrongly) that the economy in Australia is pretty good with still some chances to exploit mineral resources etc whereas in the UK a lot of these opportunities are long gone.

Geordie George

From your posts it seems that you expect a certain level of financial lifestyle that you want to maintain. In addition to Dorothy's advice, I'd also do some research into cost of living here. While salaries are high in my part of Aus (Sydney), it's because COL is also high. For example, if both you and your husband are wanting to work full-time, childcare might start at around $600pw for your daughter (that figure based on my son's daycare rates). You need to weigh up whether the sums work for you; what your potential incomes are and what your likely outgoings will be based on where you might want to live. Then factor in whether being 12,000kms from everyone and everything you know is worth it. For us, it is, so I'd definitely not try and put anyone off. But go in eyes wide open as to what you're considering.

ETA: Just to say also, it's school holidays here. My daughter won't be allowed outside after 11am (just as my son's daycare don't allow them outside between the hours of about 11-3); the risk of burning is too high. An outdoors lifestyle it aint in summer!

chicaescocesa

I will do the sums. I guess childcare will be expensive but only for another 2 years until she starts school. It is around £800 per month here for full time nursery/childminder which we don't do as we try to work opposites and my mum takes her 1 day per week. Yes you would be right about a certain level of lifestyle. We are not flash by any means though and it's taken a battering in the last few years due to the economy over here being so bad, hubby has just had to part with his car for a more affordable model! I will check out jobs I think I could apply for and also see what the possibilities are for DH. I thought we might be better off if he retrained in a shortage skill
over there than over here but I would need to look into it more.

Geordie George

Again, it depends on where you're wanting to settle, but certainly in my part of Sydney, redshirting is common (holding your child back a year). Lots of children don't start school until the year that they're going to be turning 6.

If your husband retrained over here, he'd need to factor in fees. From memory, even if he was PR, he'd not get help with those. But, as a PR, at least he'd be charged domestic, rather than international student rates. (Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong on that!)

chicaescocesa

Gosh, if we stay here she'll be starting school at 4 and a half! Yes re-training and living costs would need to be factored in as unlikely he'd be able to earn at the same time. Although I am thinking more of a manual job rather than an academic qualification if that makes sense? I have seen a teaching job advertised in Bermuda which has caught my eye...might be a better bet for a couple of years! We could just rent our house here out and I could probably get a career break. As you can tell my heads all over the place but good to be considering all the options I think.

Grayling

You complain about it getting dark early in the winter but, at least, you get the late summer evenings.
Here is is dark early every night of the year...the latest maybe around 7.0 pm....and that is in the height of summer

To be honest the weather is one of the main reasons we are going to return to the UK.

Bring on some weather which will allow us to get out and about.....without cooking or slathered in suncream

BTW my grand daughter in Cambridgeshire is always out and about and always has been...she is now 5....where do you live where the weather is so awful?

chicaescocesa

Well...we are in Scotland!!