PaulandNic

Brother says he's struggling back there, and brother in law says he's covering bills. Both have their own businesses!

At least over there if you meet criteria for a job you WILL get an interview. Ok, NO guarantee you'll get the job! ... but you'll get a shot with an interview. Here it's whatever they like. Daughter recently applied for a reception role and was told they had over 250 applications. HOW the hell can you compete with that?

LOTS of people arriving in SEQLD to live I keep hearing, but dunno where all the extra jobs are !? ...

Bernieboy

Retrain as a nurse

ozzieeagle

Thats damn good advice.... even a PCA, especially if you do Pysch. You can choose where you want to live then. How long is the course Bernie.... circa 18 month to 24 months I think ?

Cheetah7

In all honesty though, might be worth asking yourself the following:

1. If Nic had a job she liked would you stay?

2. Do you still enjoy where you live (not where you work)?

3. If you moved back to the UK and you both had a nice job but couldnt afford somewhere nice to live, would the job alone be enough to keep you happy?

4. If you moved back to the UK and Nic had an admin job she liked but you hated your job, would that keep you happy?

5. Do you want to go back to the UK to 'regroup' and see how life is?

6. Is there any way Nic can retrain?

You said you like your job which is something, but I am wondering if you are just unsettled at the moment in which case every minor thing is going to seem enormous (I know that one from experience ).

Im wondering if its worth renting your house out for a year and move back to test the waters.

Gems

You can train as a nurse distance eduction here. So could still earn cash while you did it.

Gems

Cheetah7

Can you really? thats interesting, I wonder how long it takes doing it distance? I guess many people would love to train as a nurse but its the funding that puts them off so distance learning is a great option.

Suni&Jay

I don't think moving will make a difference. There seems to be more to it than just the job. If you do move how will you know it's going to be better?
We had a great life in the UK but thought 'Something' was missing. We moved to oz follow the "Golden Brick Road" only to find that it's not much different to the UK, Yeah you got the sun and that is a BIG plus for us. Dark cold raining days/nights just don't do it for me. We work harder here than UK, miss family loads, but would we go back, No. I don't even want to go for hol's.
Not being funny but do you have many friends? I mean real friends, that is the one thing that has helped us a lot. Keeping your mind occupied and off the topic of being unhappy will help, think of all the positives you have here.
Hope you both can work it out and wish you all the best.

Cheetah7

Good point about the real friends, I have several good friends here that I believe I can count on, well in fact in the past - have counted on.

I find it easier to make friends here than in the UK.

Suni&Jay

I talk to anyone any everyone, not fussed me
We have some very good friends, and a LOT of people who think they're our friends

Boobops

I know exactly what you mean about jobs here. I've been struggling to get admin work for the last six months and the replies I did get stated that they'd had over 150 applicants per job! Like you say how do you compete? The chances of landing an interview are near on impossible!

Suni&Jay

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)

Boobops

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.

fish.01

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

BadgeIsBack

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...

ExSmoggie

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.