Wage drop!!
 

Any one found the drop in wages a problem? (leaving UK wage and then taking lower Aus wage). :rolleyes:

Re: Wage drop!!
 

For me, the reverse was true; I had a well-paid government job back home in Australia, but when I came to the UK I found that all the experience in my previous job was simply ignored (still don't know why; I was simply told "Well, that was in Australia, not the UK - so it doesn't count" :confused: ) and I had to start on a pittance.

First job paid minimum wage. :eek: I took it because I had no other option.

Nearly two and a half years on (and quite a few temp jobs later!) I am now in a permanent position with a large multinational, earning substantially more than I earned in Australia. Doesn't pay overtime (unlike my job in Australia) and I only get 4 weeks of holidays (I received 5 weeks back home) but hey, you have to make a few sacrifices when you move to a different country.

Feels great to be sitting pretty at last, though it was a hell of a ride to get here! :p

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Vash, is it unusual to receive 5 weeks hols in Oz, especially in private companies? It seems most places only give 4 - can you negotiate more?

I currently get 5 weeks and I would prefer not to spend less time with my children in Oz.

Thanks

Buzzy

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Just curious - would you go back to Aus to live ? : :eek:

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maybe you could better ask, does Oz want him back ? :scared:











just kiddin Vash :D

Re: Wage drop!!
 

When I finally get to Oz, I will be taking about a 25% drop.

I don't personally give a damn. I want less stress, less hassle, a bit more space and I hope a better life, and i'm not the only one.

I do have the advantage of having some savings, but it's definitely not enough to stop working thats for sure !!!!

I'll let you know in about 8 months if I made the right move.

Don't forget, It's not all about money, Most people moving to Oz decided initially because of : space/stress/weather etc. Not money.(that came later :D )

Re: Wage drop!!
 

No, it's not usual to get 5 weeks for private companies; 4 weeks the standard allowance.

I was only given 5 weeks because I had a government job. :o

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Absolutely! I'd go tomorrow if I could! :)

Currently planning to return with the missus somewhere around the end of 2008.

Though of course, now that I am a British citizen, I can stay for as long as I like... :D

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but don't forget, even convicted criminals don't get deported nowadays. :mad:

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Yes, makes a change from the old days, doesn't it! :rolleyes:

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touche !

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:D

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Same with Polly,TOH, had 14+ years working admin for police in UK, came to Australia and finally got a job with the Qld gov't, though had to start on the bottom rung. However, overseas admin experience apparently doesn't count (for that matter Oz either) as there is an inground culture of "you are this level not that level, so you can't do that job", even though in the UK she was doing work sometimes at a higher level. I find this applied not only in the workplace, but as a motorsport official it occurs even if I 'm sure I could do the work just as well as others.
She has now found niche job but has to apply for it, even though she has been doing that job for over 12 months but still has no guarantee of getting it permanently.

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I've had to take a drop of 3hrs/week in o/t pay(@double time) since the new workplace regs came in and there's nothing I can do about it. Really hurts the bottomline, and I'm from here.

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Now under the "reforms" by Little Johnny Howard, I believe they don't even have to give you that many hols, depending on how the "agreement" is worded when you first join.

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You have my sympathy; I know just how frustrating it can be!

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That'll be something to keep an eye out for in the small print when I finally go back home, then.

Thanks for the tip. :)

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God only 5 weeks! I get all the school holidays :D , but once in Aus I doubt I'll be in the same line of work so will lose out :(

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Both my hubby and I are on about 50% (pro rata) of what we were earning in the UK. I'm a solicitor and, until I re-qualify, probably won't be able to increase it. He used to be in the Navy but is now doing casual work as a welder.

Having said that, we are lucky enough not to have a mortgage and we no longer pay private school fees which we did in the UK. We both work 3 days a week and really enjoy having the extra time at home.

We've only been here 3 months so it is difficult to tell how things are going financially as we are still spending lots on stuff for our house. But, if it wasn't for hubby's service pension, one or both of us would definitely have to work full-time, even without a mortgage. It has been quite a shock going from being comfortably off in the UK to really having to count every penny. Still love it here though :D

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Yes, any new employees at my workplace and R's workplace will not be paid any penalty rates for overtime, shifts etc.

As for holdays, even before workplace reform 30%/40% of employees were casually employed, even long term employees, they didnt get get holiday pay/sick pay etc anyway. Now with workplace reform that figures certainly not going to improve. Employers seem to be catching onto the new workhouse, sorry worplace laws very quickly :rolleyes:

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Friend of mine found out that he was too qualified for some temp work!
In the end he came back to the UK because the work was not there!!
I reallly don't want to be in that situation.

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My OH is in a pre-press/graphics job and is getting the same as he did in the UK - but big difference is in the UK that was with loads of overtime and in Oz it's just his basic. So he's happy!

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I'm taking a significant pay cut moving to Aus mainly because I am having to drop 2 grades. I aim to work my a$$ off for the first 6 months and get promotion back to my UK level asap. I can't complain about them starting me lower because 12 months ago I recruited an Aussie and did the same to him! :)

Only 20 days holiday too instead of 28! :(

Re: Wage drop!!
 

I've heard that under the new Industrial Relations legislation, 61% of Aussies can now be sacked for sneezing, 52% get no sick pay, 39% are part time employees, 74% are working more than 50 hours a week, 44% are on fixed term contracts, 26% aren't paid overtime, 88% are no longer entitled to pensions or superannuation, 68% are paid award rates or less, 22% are unemployed, 37% get no holidays at all, 98% can't afford to buy bananas, 8% are paid in fresh vegetables, and 19% live in lakes or shoeboxes in the middle of the road.

It's all so terrible, I think I'll have to remain in the UK for the rest of my life. :)

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Poor vash, no SOURCE, couldnt you find anything on aussies being happy with workplace reform, ;) If it was there you would have posted it.

Never mind vash, I bet the bride is still waiting for you to get off the internet and wave your aussie flag :D

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Will say however, they my employers are at least being fair as things are a little slow, they are trying to keep people on without putting them off.

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I was lucky, I actually managed to get a small wage increase after moving to Oz!

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LOL, why would I try to do that? I'm fully aware that it's an unpopular piece of legislation, and since I don't actually like it myself, I have no interest in attempting to prove that Aussies in general are happy with it because I know perfectly well that they're not. :)

I can, however, find plenty of sources which show that Aussie employers are happy with the latest workplace reforms! :D

Incidentally, while we're on the subject of sources, I can't help asking a few questions about this bold assertion on your part:

You say that 30-40% of employees are casually employed, yet you provide no source for this statistic. I am very interested to know where you got it from, how recently it was published, and the extent to which you believe it reflects the consequences of the most recent IR legislation.

So please, feel free to post a link to your source.

Actually, she was in the process of making me a cup of tea when I posted that. :)

And since I am now a 100% British citizen, I'll be waving the Union Jack as well as the Aussie flag...

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Hi Scott, How did you manage to get a job before going to Aus? :confused:

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Hi just been reading your post and was interested to see that your hubby was in the Navy. My hubby is just coming to the end of his time and we are looking at moving out to oz. Did you apply on your skills and how long did it take you? He is also thinking of joining Oz Navy to make the move over (not that I want to be left on my own for months).
Thanks for any info you have.

Re: Wage drop!!
 

I took a small paycut and my other half ended up with a reasonable payrise but for us the big advantage over London is the hours are shorter and even on a long day I finish just after 6 (and my other half finishes at 5). Our holiday is a week shorter than it was in the UK but we see each other in the evenings which we couldn't often manage in the UK and we don't spend Friday evenings stuck on the M25 when trying to go away for the weekend.

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The other advantage is that you are now nearly 20,000 kilometres away from London. :)

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What's the minimum wage in Australia?

Here in NZ it's about $10. :scared:
I'm a qualified PA/Secretary and got $21 on the central coast; here it's a struggle to get $14 an hour!
I'm seriously considering jumping back over the ditch.

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Australia's minimum wage is $12.30 per hour (Australian dollars.) This translates to $15 per hour in NZ dollars.

:)

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Thanks for that Vash. Just call me a boomerang!

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It's a bit of a long story :D
Originally we applied on the basis of my hubby's skills and he was assessed by the TRA as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical). That took us about 3 months to put together all the documentation and then the TRA itself was about a month. (This was back in 2003)

However, in the end our Case officer agreed to treat me as the main applicant since I was younger than hubby and got 5 more points (didn't need a bond).From lodging our visa application to approval was 13 months.

Hubby looked at joing the RAN too but at the time they didn't need anybody of his trade. I believe that is different now as we do know of somebody else going through the process now.

I'm glad he didn't go that route as he can now be totally flexible about what work he does. (Mind you it does help that he is a qualified welder and blacksmith as well as an AME.)

Happy to help if you have any other questions :)

Re: Wage drop!!
 

I am taking a small drop in wages.....but only for a short while - - My prospective employer has told me that once I'm there i can apply for the higher level jobs that are more comparable to what I earn here.
(Nurse btw)

xRachx

Re: Wage drop!!
 

I find it difficult to do a direct comparison without weighing up other factors such as cost of living, lifestyle changes, job satisfaction etc.

On a purely Dollars V Pounds basis, I took a 6% drop. Doesn't sound much, but we found ourselves going from having a lot of disposable income to having very little. The pay drop and increased costs of living in a big city both hit in the wallet.

Estimating an average pay rise in the UK over the last 2 years (and seeing what's being offered in the market) compared to the above average pay rises I have acheived since arriving; I'm now earning an equivalent wage $ to £.

Re: Wage drop!!
 

Cheers, mate. :D

Re: Wage drop!!
 

well if it helps anyone... and keeps the happyness in the forum..

i took a wage increase.. im not yet over here.. but im being paid in pounds as a UK contractor until i can get the house and everything sorted out. this translates pretty well for me and considerably more than i was on as a Permanent employee in the UK. once over here i think it works out to about a 10% increase. (depending on exchange rate) so im quite chuffed.. its a bit different to contract work wages which i have been doing most recently in the uk... but then if i got a permanent job in the uk again... i wouldnt get near contract rates.

if anyones interested im in perth (currently but going back to the UK and working from home for a short while until everything is sorted out house wise) and working as a mechanical design engineer. i actually found the wages in sydney to be slightly worse than in perth! not quite what i was expecting :)

Thanks

Steve