Fiona67

Does anyone have any opinions about a family of 4 making the move to oz when the parents are 44 soon to be 45 this year, 43yrs old and the kids 16 and 14. Is it really too late to try? Hope to hear from those who left it a little later in life before they took the plunge.

Twinsdad

That's still young ! Go for it - if you have the opportunity or are able to create the opportunity then have a bash while you can - within a few short years the kids will be off and making their own adventures, have some as a family before it's too late. Good luck

quoll

You will need to contribute pretty heavily into your super fund (ie over the mandatory 9% or 12% whatever it is now) and expect to be working well past retirement age (they used to reckon you needed 25 good years to build your super for retirement).

Also be aware that getting jobs when you are past 50 (unless you have a particularly in demand skill set) can be a challenge even for the most skilled so only move if you have a job to move to where you can establish yourself and maybe move on with Aus experience if necessary.

Moving a child at 16 can be a bit fraught. The school leaving age in all states is now 17 and kids will be leaving school with year 12 certs for the most part. The year 12 assessment is the culmination of a 2 year program so a kid would really need to be beginning year 11 of the year that they are just 16 or just about to turn 16. Far better from an educational point of view to leave the kids until they have done A levels if you can. The 14 year old would be OK unless it all went pear shaped and you felt the need to return to UK for whatever reason in which case they will have stepped off the GCSE merry go round and will find it hard to get back on it.

Good luck with your decision

paulry

Overall we were even older than that. Our only regret is we wish that our kids had spent much more of their childhoods here. Provided you have a good bit of money to support yourselves for at least a year I'd say plan well and go for it!

Fiona67

Thanks for the replies, it is obviously a lot to think about re kids and jobs. I'm a nurse and oh is a roofer/slater so hopefully there would be jobs at least in my recognised field. It is a worry about pensions and the like but as it goes I'm gonna have to work until I'm 67 in this country if the new retirement age goes through which will be hard to stomach wherever you are in the world!!

Grayling

There are a lot of nurses working here way beyond that and itis becoming more common due to Superannuation shortfalls and cost of living.

It will be difficult to get a PR visa beyond the age of 45.

lindseymac

we are on our way out after selling the house. We are 45 and 43 with 2 children aged 6 and 2. I secured a nursing job through an interview in Uk and have a PR ENS visa. I have a NHS pension in UK and would have to work until I dropped thanks to DC, so fully expect to have to pump money into any pension.
Getting a nominated/sponsor job is your only way in really after 45.

Margaret3

We left at age 44 (now 48), and to be honest i think it was too old for lots of reasons.

We cant afford to buy, but had our own house in Scotland, kids were happy and receiving a decent education (a decent , non-private school here is hard to find). Education and health in Scotland are a 1000x better and more advanced than here, inmho. Am so jealous my bros two kids are receiving a free uni education.

As everyone does we took a big hit financially and being older i cant see us ever recovering from it.

On a positive note, my girls were 15 and 8 when we emigrated and funny enough the older one settled quickly , took the little'un a bit longer. My older girl is doing fantastically at uni and working away to support herself. Although she will leave uni with a shit load of debt.

Of course, it all depends on what your coming from, leaving behind, etc and your personality (I know i am a glass is half empty kind of person, although i try not to be)

Goodluck

Margaret3

I was working with a nurse who was 72 ffs shoot me now if am gonna be working at that age.

Margaret3

Also think about education, will you have to pay for it on the visa you may get?. If children go to uni, will the be citizens , otherwise they will have to pay a shit load (and its a fortune for citizens, so i cant imagine what the cost will be for non-citizens, although someone on here may be able to give you an idea. We were lucky and got in just within the time frame for our daughter to become a citizen and therefore could go to uni. Our friends son, started and had to leave for approx 3 years until he was a citizen, although he is back at uni now and doing well, but was a pain in the arse for him and his parents.

Grayling

We recently had a student nurse aged 72 at one of the Brisbane universities

Margaret3

no-way r u taking the piss

Grayling

I am serious.

I work for the same university.....there are a number of 'elderly' students each year.

the troubadour

A decade or so ago I wouldn't of thought anything at all of moving over in mid forties or even older. Especially if having real estate in UK to sell. It was very easy to up grade the material side of life rather substantially.
I am afraid those days are gone. With some of the most over priced real estate on the planet, high rents, a life that increasingly revolves around work and money, a poor exchange rate for UK and European immigrants,plus numerous other concerns around pension, medical etc, one may well conclude,why bother?

I would be looking at working another ten years max and an early retirement in a cheaper country.Or a less material,simple life in your own country.
What is this life now that they are trying to sell us about the necessity for many to work to they drop?

the troubadour

Best I can come up with a woman of 65 not long into her two years work placement in order to get registration as a psychologist. In a shall we say, rather stressful work environment resulting in rapid staff changes as well.
I must be a slacker...but no thanks not for me at 65.