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

I don't think it is any better in the UK. My nephew had applied for well over 100 jobs in the UK in the space of a year. He took a job paying 30% less then what he was getting paid before, but as he see's it, a jobs a job (for now)

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

I agree it probably is the same, I've just never been in this position before where the competition is so high! I think it's the area I'm living in. If I moved back to the UK I could probably get back into what I was doing before but more than likely starting from the bottom again.:(

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

Coastal area's often have higher unemployment. Moving to Brisbane may help.

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

You're a clever bloke Ozzie. Far cleverer and more successful than your unskilled assertion lets on. You seemed to move from a white collar job in the UK to blue collar work which you have also done well by your own admission - inner city living on the Post - how many 25 year olds could do that now. The super you talk about..the mates who are getting lump sums...

My view is that people need to get into engineering etc good jobs. There are all sorts of tales on this site. For years it was all about the trades and professionals were screwed and many professionals were full of angst.

There were self-confessed, self-asserting gun budding CEOS (well mostly accountants infact) on here many years ago on this web site who would tell you professional life is terrible here. But now it seems better. Apart from FIFO it now seems in recent years professionals do well. Most people I know in true professional life - or in white colllar specialist roles or in middle mgmt are doing very well. Those in skilled clerical white collar work not so well - this is where the battler mentality of Australia seems to start hitting. I think it explains the disparity in so many poster's lifes.

In Australia you may not earn that absolute top dollar - or rather, literal rate which translates from the UK. Ask yourself how important this is.

Lesson for me: I want to get my sprogs into the trades that really pay, or established and supported professions - medicine, law, engineering, the Armed Forces, design, arts. Even IT if they are desperate - (takes a swing at himself) but my advice is that they need to develop as all-rounders first so that they can turn on cruise-control. Life is not all one big battle. There is room for life's riches too...:)

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

Hey just thought I would chip in. My husband works in the mines and we live in Singleton in the Hunter Valley (NSW about 2 1/2 Hrs North of Sydney)

He works 12 days in 21, comes home every night and earns around $140k
We love our lifestyle - it may not be for everyone but just pointing out working in the mines doesn't have to be in WA nor does it have to be FIFO.

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

But of course please bear in mind that if you can get a mining job, in many (though not all) of the mining areas the accomodation provided is very poor and there are areas of little or no facilities (although I hear exotic dancing pulls in quite a bit of cash in those areas!) the accom when found is usually exorbitant as not much choice up there so you can spend a fair bit of your money on accom or find yourself sharing....

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

Paul, you guys have been through so much, maybe now is the time when things are actually a bit settled and thats why areas such as disliking workplace etc have risen.
Maybe Nic needs to stop and take stock of where shes at, what she wants to do for her future career.
The kids are going to flee the nest at some point - you are just preparing them...its tough for kids to chose what they want to do as careers, maybe your daughter should look at any job, admin jobs are so highly in demand, but any job would do whilst she got more life experience.

At least the sun is shining there, its raining here....
keep looking at options mate and hang in there xxxx

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

Oh well, cards marked now!

Turned up for work today and was took straight into a meeting with the boss.

My supervisor was told by a fellow collegue that I was gonna chuck a sicky (oooo, an australian grass someone up? ... nooooooo!) and as a result I've been given my first warning. 2 and I'm out, so don't need to be a rocket scientist to see where this is goin!

2 (TWO) people I told. TWO so called friends! ... but I think I'm learning about 'friends' here ... :rolleyes:

Oh someone please get me out of here!!!

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

My teen is currently trying to get part time work, he must have applied to every big name co in australia:rolleyes: plus dropped 100 odd flipping resume off in the local area.

Nothing, thats for a kid whos wages will be about $9 an hour. There is hardly anything right now.


On a different note, these threads often mention the 100k mark as 'big bucks ' retire at 50 if you earn that:confused: as if you earn that staying in OZ will be worth it/wonderful.

It really isnt that much after tax medicare private health cover.

It isnt enough to set you up:confused: let alone make you happy in the raining cash sense, in fact throw in a couple of hungry teens :lol: and you need a second income, i cant see how a few years on that would set you up for life, maybe if your some 23 year old single bloke who wouldnt blow it, but for a family its peanuts.

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

In my office people let on they are going to chuck sickies all the time, they are open about it.

I am having something delivered on Monday and needed the time off, my colleague said 'throw a sickie'. Mr PP got the time off in the end but I cant believe how open they are about doing it.

What are you going to do? I guess keep your head down till it all blows over but dont trust your colleagues which is a shame.:huh: But I suppose if you can prove your supervisor wrong and not take any time off then it should all smooth over.

Then I would piss in your colleagues tea for being a snake in the grass.:frown:

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

Cards marked Sam, seen it here before. If a certain person doesn't like you then you get moved on. All this 'warning' bollox is just to cover their back when they sack you (reasoning).

The last guy this mob did it to wasn't worried AS LONG AS HE WAS SACKED as you can't get dole otherwise!

That's what I've come to! ... sitting tight 'hoping' to get the sack! ... ****in bollox and am over it now.

Phone call tonight to see if I can get my licence back and depending on what's involved, I could be returning to the UK again soon ... lovely!

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

and normally snapped up! Macca's and alike will employ a trillion of these type as it's often 2 or 3 for one!

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

I agree they are bad are dobbing here. Especially compared to Londoners at any rate.

Although those warning you get, from what I've seen they do carry credence and are usually bona fide. You can carry on past them if you want. Just means you cant take a Sickie without a doctors certificate as back up and the possibility of your employer phoning the doctors to check. The Warnings generally mean you cannot repeat the same behaviour twice... if your next discretion is different then it's the first warning for that kind of new behaviour.

I would be going for the Licence though.

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

Will you rent your house out or sell it? Its a lovely house, you would have no probs selling that on.:wub:

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

I was bought up to NEVER grass on your own, NEVER!

Dirty lot of bastards if you ask me.

Pop the keys thru the letterbox on way out I reckon. I've paid almost $10k for some insurance policy to cover this.

****in gutted Sam! LOVE my house, love a lot of things here, but some of it stinks soooooooo bad ... :(

Beggars liars and thieves!

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

I was taught never to grass unless it was something really bad as in to do with kids, in which case if I knew a mate was a kiddy fiddler then his arse would be grassed with no hesitation..

Has your dog had his rabies shots to get him back to the UK?

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

From what I have seen you couldn't be further from the truth. The mine sites that I have been to are fantastic - great accomodation, facilities, food, electronic entertainment. In fact, the mine village we are designing at the moment will have 100Mb internet in every room - 4 times the speed that the rest of Australia gets! Sure, there is not much to do but then you are in the middle of a wilderness. There are some dodgy sites in Port Hedland, Karratha etc but there also some nice ones.

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

I'm sorry to hear about your situation but this has not been my experience here. I have had shit jobs in Australia but I had those in the UK and South Africa. If I don't like a job I move on - you should do the same. It's only a job.

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

Am looking with open eyes. All I see is black tho!

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

Would you consider renting out your house, if it doesnt work out in the UK then you have the option of coming back here to your own property.

That would be harder if you just handed back the keys:(

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

Do you know what (and no insult intended)? I reckon you are a prime candidate to become a ping pong pom!

Think long and hard about your next move my friend.

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

Agree, if your going to leave you have to plan it properly, tying up all the odd ends - you never know. It takes more time, I should know:rolleyes: ( 18 months till we have a gap in kids education now, been counting down for 2+ years - agony. But I couldnt stuff up the kids education, couldnt live with the guilt.

However when we go it will be neat and tidy, frankly I doubt if I would ever return even for a holiday, unless my nightmnare happens and one of the kids decide to stay here OMG please NO!!


However one day I might decide OZ is paradise:lol: and return - yeah if hell freezes over :rofl: but I might, none of us really know :eek:

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

I can remember thinking when I first saw one of those report in phone lines... for whatever it maybe... Driving I think were the first ones... "as if that would work" I thought to myself. Boy did I call that one wrong. You've had a awful learning curve to go through. I think it's supposed to come under the banner of character building. ;)

Still I'm proud to say, even 30 years on, thats one part of Aussie Culture I'm not taking on.

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

Hi Paul.

From a recent pin-ponger, it's not greener. ;) I know our situations are quite different (in so far as Mr GG and I always planned to move back to the UK for a couple of years, then back over here for good), but going back is hard. You don't necessarily pick up where you left off. Things change while you're away - people move on. Question what's wrong and whether it really is down to location.

Can't type more - world cup sweepstake about to be drawn. :D But good luck deciding!

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

You see ordinarily I wouldnt do it but as I said if kids were involved then I would, without even a second thought.

Mind you, wouldnt we all?

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

Totally different story when it involves innocents. :thumbup:

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

I couldnt imagine there would be many people that would protect a 'mate' for doing that. That would make them equally as guilty.

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

We've lived on the Gold Coast just over 2 years now.

Kenny has over 20 years experience working in open cut mines and it took him 9 months before he was offered his first job in an Aussie mine (which happened to be across the other side of the country).

It took me a year to get an admin job even with over 20 years experience. My daughter gave up after 18 months and has gone back to Scotland. She even got the excuse of there being a language barrier!!!!! from an employer. :confused:

Most employers don't even thank you for your application here.

After 12 months of Kenny working over in the mines in WA (it wasn't a family town!), and us existing here on the Gold Coast, he packed in the job and came home to us. He has now spent the past 6 months looking for work on the east coast of Australia in open cut mines without much success. AND THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY! Many people think getting a job with a great pay in the mines is easy!

Even so, we love it here. We're lucky that we have a bit of savings (not a fortune though!) that we can live off while waiting on the next mining job coming along - whenever that might be. We are open to re-locating within Australia to where the work is but not until my son finishes school (he's in year 11). So at the moment Kenny's on the look out for FIFO work. Fingers crossed something will come up soon.

It's such a hard slog for all of us to get over here in the first place. It's a shame when things don't work out the way we all had them planned. But life is not like that! We have to take the rough with the smooth.

I think we all know deep down if Australia is the place for us or not and no-one can change your mind. We're staying put. Love it here. :thumbup:

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

I remember before we got our visa, there was some serious shit going on in our lives back in the UK, work was awful and I mean vomit inducing awful and I remember Mr PP and I wanting to get away from it all, this was when we thought we would never get the visa.

I guess if things became that bad again, we would brace it because wherever you live, wherever you work - there will be at some point stuff that is hard to stand and it isnt easy.

But I compare where I live and work now like a marriage - for better or for worse:eek:

Some days I do not enjoy going into work but I see it as they pay my mortgage and when I get home I can shut the doors on it all and concentrate on what matters.

However, it took a long time for me to get to this state of mind and my mind has had more states than Australia recently.:o

Paul, try and hold off making a decision until you are happier - this could be a rough patch in your job, if you chuck in the keys to your house and go back, the decision could be impossible to reverse.

Even if you go back for a year and rent your house out you dont burn your bridges to the country you fought so hard to get to.

Its hard making a major decision when you are not happy and you mentioned your depression in the past, I havent had depression but do have PTSD:( and when I am going through bad times with it, I try not to make any decisions that could have a huge impact and there have been times when I have wanted to do various things but when my mind has been more clear I have thought 'thank God I didnt do that/say that'

Everything seems crap when things dont go our way, and its normal to want to remove yourself from the situation, but more often than not its worth at least trying to change something - anything to see if you can make life easier where you live now before you add to the stress in huge doses by moving country again.

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

Well I bottled out of phoning the taxi place about how to get my licence back last night so no further on that one. To be honest I let it go as I deep down DON'T want to leave this place. Ok, a lot of unhappiness with work here, but a LOT that we love! I think of all the reasons we left the UK and how they're all gonna be the same. We CAN'T go back as we'll ping pong for sure ... I know that, and I cannot afford that either!

We've GOT to just tell ourselves that it's pretty much just work environments that drive us mad, NOT the place! We can't take a decent job from the UK and bring it here, like we can't take the decent weather back there!

I think I've learned that these mining jobs are pie in the sky so ....

Put up, move on, or shut up Paul!

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

I think you should stay. Change jobs, things will get better.

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

I make you right.

I'm gonna grit teeth and hold in tight with current job. Make no mistakes as after all I DO have a job!

One day the economy will pick up and instead of me boss getting people with heaps of experience phoning daily looking for work, they'll be doin their best to keep ya, as after all my field is short when everything's on track.

Sun's out, skies are blue, and tomorrow is another day! Easy to say when you've got a few days off work and not due back till tuesday, but goin with it for now.

Thanks for the wise words everyone ... :)

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

Glad to see you are looking on the bright side. Monday off for Queens b'day, You wouldn't get that in the UK would you:thumbup:

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

Glad to hear you sounding so much more positive:fingerscrossed::thumbsup:

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

From my experience 'grassing' is a great Aussie tradition.

Mateship my arse :thumbdown:

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

?????
would u have to pay inter school fees after 3 yrs for a uk primary or secondry school?

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

I have found wherever I live if a few people work together , they just cant keep things to themselves.

However I cant imagine you can be disiciplined for something you have not done? So I would agree this job sounds like sh1te....

Well done for keeping positive Paul.

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

No, it's only for higher ed - College, uni fees.

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

Awww Paul, I remember your thread when you went to London to drive a taxi for a few weeks one December (long time ago now!)

My thoughts then were that you were a man who really wanted something and was prepared to make big sacrifices to get it....

Having a pants job doesn't do you any favours really, and if you're all feeling awful it may make the UK seem very attractive.

I'm not saying that it's a perfect solution, but it has already been mentioned on this thread.... Bite the bullet, enquire about your licence. If you can get it back without too much drama (ie not doing The Knowledge again!) then apply and perhaps go back and do a bit of work for a month or so... Maybe Nic could get herself signed off from work (:ohmy: did I say that out loud!?) and come with... No commitments, but then you could have a little 'test drive' to see if it 'fits' If it doesn't then your taxi driving should pay for the trip and you'll be no worse off, if it does then you'll have made a decision based on what it really feels like, not what you imagine it will be...

I know that you have a job here, but if it's really that bad then giving it up won't be too much of a loss and if/when you come back you'll be able to look with your eyes wide open and a new positive attitude, because you've chosen your location and it's what you really, really want....

A quick check on kayak.com has shown flights going out on 8th August with Royal brunei for $1073 return. (just so you can cost it up... I'm not saying you should do as I suggest!:o)

I wish you all the best, whatever you decide to do Paul, your posts have always been interesting and informative.

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

My Husband works in the power station just out side of karatha and stays at fortascew mine camp. He is at the top of his game in his trade, he works 4 weeks on 12 hr days 13 days straight, and 7 days off, the pay works out about 170K a year + pip, Its hard work, he has been doing it for 6mths now but plans to finish by oct, There is a new mine opening in QLD, they are looking for the trades to start nov.