dking

Since the down turn I've pretty much been living month to month. Surviving but with no real quality of life. I'm married with a 2yr old son and with one on the way.... I've a longing to set up a new life in Australia and to give my family a better quality of life and provide a better future for my children.

I have an Hon. deg in IT and have a number of skills that appear on the SOL. A friend with an identical deg recently obtained a 4 yr business visa without much problems so would hope I would be in a similar boat...

Basically I'm trying to find out info from people in a similar family situation who moved to OZ, how did people find the move. What are the pros/cons? Was there one person in the relationship who was more keen on the move - and how did you decide to make the leap of faith?

Also, what would the average monthly expenses be taking into account rent, food, childcare etc... Is there anywhere were i could find prices of the above?

I'd love to hear your experiences...

Bermudashorts

Good grief, you have a wife, a child and another on the way but you have no quality of life. I hope your wife doesn't read this

Whether you will have a better quality of life in Australia or better opportunities is debatable and opinions of those who have been there and done it vary. I am not one of the Australia sceptics on here, I am enjoying Australia but nevertheless I would hesitate to suggest to anyone that Australia provides these things.

On the visa side of things, many IT people emmigrate but not sure what he means by business visa. Perhaps the temporary employer sponsored? I would suggest a skilled migrant visa would be a good option for you, have a read on www.immi.gov.au. I would think it would be pretty hard to find a willing employer sponsor in IT whilst you are still in the UK.

Australia is not a cheap country to live in. We pay a third of our income on rent, in the UK about an eighth went on the mortgage. Our disposable income is down considerably because of this, although we find it is swings and roundabouts with many other things.

DownUnderPaddy

The best advice I could offer in relation to this particular point is to not make the move unless you are BOTH 100% committed to it.

I'll repeat that, as I honestly believe it is the most important point to reflect on above any other advice you may get here.

It's a tough transition to move with your partner and young kid to the other side of the planet, away from family and friends and it does take time to adjust to that.

Unless BOTH you AND your partner are 100% dedicated to giving the move a red hot go, it is not wise to progress further.

Good luck with your research and eventual decision.

lynetteh

My hubby is in IT (business intelligence). We moved over from the UK with our 2 yr old and have a second baby on the way. Australia is not cheaper than the UK, much the same really, with the exception maybe of housing depending on where you live in the UK, def cheaper than London. (But even if housing costs the same it will be bigger here!)

But we definitely feel that it is a better quality of life for the following reasons:

More free stuff to do outdoors - brilliant parks, beaches, camping etc

More good weather in which to do outdoor stuff - i dont camp in the rain :-)

Better options in terms of education - in UK our local choice was between state schools with very scary hoodies or completely unaffordable public schools, here we have well respected state schools and much more affordable private schools. Teenagers are definitely less scary here!

Strong focus on sports - already my 2 year old is handy with a cricket bat and a golf club - our house in Oz is big/open planned enough that he can still "play golf" indoors when it is raining. Oh and real golf is cheaper here so hubby plays more often too!

Strong economy. Hubby had 4 job offers after 2 weeks of job hunting, and now has a job he loves. The people he works with are really nice, with a good focus on worklife balance and all seem up for a laugh or a BBQ. He had some great collegues in the UK too but city types were much more all work and no play.

I would also echo the fact that it is important that both people be 100% committed and excited about the move. Moving is stressful and expensive. It is also, in my opinion, particularly hard on the wife if she is
a) a stay at home mum - takes longer to make friends and there is not the disctraction of a new job so lots of time to pine for home
b) or has moved children away from grandparents. Not only do I feel so bad for both kids and grandparents, but also not being able to call up mom to watch the kids while I run to the dentist etc gets very exhausing and depressing, especially if that is what she is used to .

Good luck

eddie007

Average monthly expenses depend upon too many variables... Where you live, lifestyle, expectations... How long is YOUR piece of string?

as for making the move... Both of you have to WANT to come and make a go of things... It'd be hard for a young mother with a toddler and a baby moving anywhere new, let alone to the otherside of the world with NO family, friends and support network... makes your relationship VITAL...

My OH WANTED to come witha capital W... i facilitated it... I have no regrets now... Our children were a bit older... When we came... Wish my eldest had been younger, 17 is a hard time for any kid... 12,000 miles and 17 was doubly difficult...


Actually I do have one regret......... That we didnt do this YEARS ago

diddy

You will probably find loads of links like this if you do a search - it comes up alot. I think you have a quite complex situation. i would advise Australia over UK for lifestyle every time and have no intentions of even visiting the UK again. For me life here is not even comparabble to the UK, but many people move over and end up going home. I suggest you do a reccy and visit before you make a decision - I know it's expensive but it may save a fortune in the long run.

dolphindiva

Hi,

I agree with the other posters that it's vital to do your research and make sure you both want to do the move. We moved over last year with a 2 and a 5 year old and we've all found the transition fairly easy. It is hard without grandparents and friends but as long as you prepare yourself for doing more things as a family and less things as a couple its ok. You meet friends and gradually meet people you'd be happy to have look after the kids for a few hours. It sounds to me like age wise it would be great as you haven't got children in the school system or with proper friends that you need to remove them from and children of that age pretty much accept what's happening and get on with it really. However all that being said its not a cheap move or one that should be done without checking out job situations etc

em

h2oskineil

Very good advice....... READ IT!!

SamG

I completely agree with previous posts - I won't repeat their points but absolutely endorse them.

One thing I'd like to add though is regarding making friends as a SAHM. We moved over when we had 3 children (aged 4, 2, 1) plus one on the way. My husband already knew a few people who worked in his sector in Sydney but worried about me and whether I'd make friends or not. Well, 6 years down the line (children are now 10, 8, 7, and 5) he pretty much knows the same few people as friends and I know hundreds of people and have a very strong support network.

It was tough when we first arrived but if your partner is prepared to get herself out there (look up and go to local playgroups, go to parks and get chatting, take your children along to preschool activities) then things will soon fall into place. It's actually a pretty good time to go as you'll meet other families as your children go through preschool and school together. Once they get to the older end of primary/high school it'll get much harder as parents just aren't as involved in their children's lives!

In my experience it was much easier to make connections with people in Oz than when we were living in England; I don't know if that's because they're inherently friendlier or because more people are without family support so they're quicker to make friends out of necessity.

I don't know if that helps you - good luck with your decisions!!