Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Couple who moved in over the road a couple of months ago do the FIFO thing. Two weeks there, week here and so on. They both used to be teachers, sold a large-ish house and moved into a much smaller one. Are saving their pennies, building up a nest egg and plan to retire by the time they're both 50. I suppose it's one of those 'eyes on the prize' things - if you have a specific goal (being mortgage free for instance) then I think it would be easier to put up with the inconvenience of it for a few years.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

You know that as you've been away from the UK for more than 3 years, she'll have to pay International Fees for studying in the UK? Get her the citizenship and then she can study here using HECS.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I'm afraid it's just 'one of them tales'. $140ph, doing a 4+2 rotation, is nearly $300k a year - no way Jose. More like $75-80k during training, $100k on completion, rising to $150-175k tops - still good candy but not that good!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

When we lived in Carnarvon the school cleaner left to be a bus driver at the Mines further North.
She told hubby she would be getting 100 thousand a year driving, a big improvement on her cleaning wage.
She got the job via a relative and said its often not what you know but who you know with mine work.

Gems

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I'd be up for that!

Oh study here I meant, but that's if she can get to 21 without throwing the towel.

As I thought, but yeah still good candy

Isn't that the case with pretty much everything here?

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

If you go back to the UK would you buy in the same area you moved from?

Mr PP and I were talking about this the other day, we reckon we dont 'fit in' with UK life anymore.

Good job we like it where we are or we would be a 'badly fitting jigsaw' :eek:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I honestly dont think moving state would change things. As you know Paul I'm quite happy in Aus. However my best job was in the UK, I was treated much better there, and even 30 years on, I still have tinges of regret about leaving my work situation.

I am honestly settled here, enjoy life... but all the negatives you say about jobs happen to me as well. I cannot easily choose my holidays... told almost when to take them, We can only have 2 fulltimers off at once out of 20 fulltimers, so it's up to us, the employees, to sort out who takes when, as you can imagine the Women at our work have the school holidays locked in Stone most of the time X that by 12 months and you see the dilemma... Oh and 4 weeks out of our 5 must be taken in one block and the extra week we can take only if it fits in with Aus posts schedule..

I laugh at those cheap airline fares in the paper, as I could never legitimately take advantage of the time off, as I would be told "it's not operationally viable" Strangely I would easily get away with taking a week of sick though to take the holiday... as long as the employer never found out about it, and this is Aus post.

.. There again I'm paid close to 40 pct more (if you include the 9pct super) than the same employee doing the same job at Royal Mail in the UK would get. I actually went on their jobs mailing list and checked, (circa 75k including super)

My Wife has a job where she is required to work one day every weekend. Although she is quite well paid and enjoys her work. All of my Daughters when working in Retail, could never choose their hours... in fact if they were rung up for extra hours and didnt go in, even at 2 hours notice, they were put bottom of the queue for extra hours... and it was made known that that was the case. .

This will happen Aus wide.

I couldnt believe it when you went back and did some cabbying and earnt megabucks for a few weeks work.... I thought to myself.... what I would give for that lifestyle...... to be able to go back and earn enough to take the next couple of months or more off.

You live and you learn.... and I know from life experience that now personally with my unskilled background, that I cannot possibly do any better than I'm doing currently wherever I move..... Even though I'm fairly sure I could retire to Wales easily at present. There again I'm not complaining about it... we are doing far better than the majority of working people.

You'd earn more cabbying than in the mines... You almost certainly cannot take kids to those places.. it would be like living in an open prison for them. I reckon you'd be better off earning your 12-15K Aud per month in London and travelling back and forth. I would jump through hoops to have had that lifestyle....... Or so it seems from where I sit right now :unsure::sneaky:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Don't know Sam, just don't know anymore! ... altho am pretty sure 'buying' would be a thing of the past for us now.

I hear you, and if I thought I'd get me badge back easy enough I'd be looking into it, but think it'd have to do the knowledge again and once was hard enough!

Oh and that return trip was in December (busiest time of the year) ... and the economy seemed decent enough, people were spending! ... but I can guess it's flat as a pancake there now.

With a lot of things here we're all VERY happy, but it's just one of the biggest factors (work) in it all we're just having no success on the Goldie! ... :(

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Then maybe it is a change of location & not country that you need Paul!

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

If you do move, it would probably be a job orientated move..... which would have to be Melbourne or Sydney, and wherever most jobs are in those places..... Not exactly a perfect lifestyle choice.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

There has always been a time where either Mr or Myself havent been happy with our jobs, at the moment I am doing OK and he is alright but far from perfect.

Take the kids out of the equation as they could well spread their wings anyway and will no doubt have several jobs in their young adult life that they wont be happy with, I guess its how you and Nic feel - if you can weigh it up to moving back to the UK and get the ideal job there and rent a house which you may or may not be happy with, or you keep plugging away and at least have your investment in the form of property here.

Is there anything Nic could do in the way of setting up her own business?:)

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I am writing from my office in the northern goldfields WA at one of the largest gold mines in Australia, so hopefully i can dispell a few myths.

Firstly, very few people in mines earn the legendary big dollars. I am a proffessional (Geologist) and i will be seriously struggling to buy a house in WA. There are a few skills that do, the one that comes to mind is a jumbo driver who can easily earn $200k. However, few miners will ever become one and those that do have worked there way up for a lot of years. Most do not earn six figures. I am not saying the money is bad, but it is vastly exadgerated

However, one of the things that attracts some people to it - including myself as i did until recently do the same job for the same company but based in Perth and going home most evenings. I prefer the fifo work because it gives more quality time off rather than a weekend spent recovering from the week. Now i go to worth for a week and have a week off. If i want to take holidays, i take a week of leave but have 3 weeks off.

If you want to work in mining then go for it, but dont come in with dollar signs flashing as you will be disapointed and it isnt a job for everyone. A lot of people dont like spending there days deep underground

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

I agree with what you say but most mines in WA - and the rest of Australia for that matter - are surface/open cut.

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

A change of head more like!

Dunno if we could do the winters in Melbourne, or Sydney! ... :o ... but at the same time will we find happiness there?

Don't want Perfect altho it would be nice. Just 'ok' would do for either of us right now. I know MOST people don't like their jobs, and I was lucky to actually have a good year or so where I DID enjoy my job (current) and still do! ... but ...

Oh there's that word again! ... :thumbdown:

Re: Try another state, Work in mines, or return to UK ?!
 

Have been talking to people in the uk and they reckon things are pickin up slowly. It wil take time but if you have a recession here i reckon i would be better of over in the uk. Also reckon that if you are not happy here now is a good time to return as house prices are stil low. If the uk economy picks up this wont last long.