Originally Posted by thatsnotquiteright

The other thing is, leave no stone unturned, especially initially, as it gets harder as you go further and settle. this applies to everything, and everybody, sports, jobs, hobbies, offers. After 2 years, and in a comfort zone, I might find I can't be bothered to say Hello to someone when after a few days in-country you have nothing to lose..

Those migrants who are happy in the company of a variety of people from different backgrounds and experiences to themselves will also have a 'better chance'.

Back to topic, Mr Eagle.

Originally Posted by thatsnotquiteright

Sorry a few more. There are a load of myths about Australia that are both true and untrue. A lot of people say that there is no work ethic here, or that Aussies don't like achievers. In my experiece, that is not true. People don't mind if you are an achiever, as long as you are nice about it. Seriously!

I find that you need to slow it down a tad. Just a tad. I am so much more relaxed over here it is untrue, even speak a tad slower, and I'm in Melbourne, home to millions of people. I'm convinced all the 'hotshots' who complain about Australia are doing one thing wrong, its simple but a biggy, just talking 20pc too fast. Its the first thing I notice about English people new in country - or who haven't adjusted - they sound kind of 'adverserial' even though I know they are probably OK. It's why their jokes fail too. People from the north of England sound particularly quick. We had a women from the Midlands join our brigade and she put everyones backs out quickly with her "say what I mean, say what I like" style. She probably thought she was 'giving it back' or something, I knew what she meant, but they didn't. Aussies tend to avoid conflict, all things being equal. They like a bit of banter, but also politeness. It's nothing to do with stupidity or small town ignorance, its about convention, manners and custom. People can have a lot of manners here, given the chance. Australians are 'very brash' supposedly, in some ways, but polite in others, be overly aqggressive in trying to 'get even' and they'll think you're weird. "Whats your problem?" Another reason why I think a lot of English people become unstuck, they seem to want to constantly try and give it back - it is often even advised here, my view is sometimes why bother, is someone keeping a scorecard? To be honest, I might get a few pommy bashing jokes a few times a month, and I can't be bothered to even respond, I just grin inanely. Of course, with people I really like, I might rip into ...but maybe I won't.

A lot of the people who hate it here, like to debunk some of Australia's great myths, like its not laid back here, its not this, its not that. I think it is ironic, despite all the problems and the background stuff that new people don't miss, it is still very much Australia, in general people are pretty cool, people are pretty laid back. They really are.

Another myth, I never get it rammed down me how good Australia is; I don't ask for it. The papers are full of cautionary tales of Australian egotism after the commonwealth games, I don't see wall to wall idolism except for that which is deserved.

The myths still stand, and may they continue!

I know someone will rip in to me for this, but frankly, I think I have it pretty much accurate. I can see it now: "What a load of crap". well, let me put it this way, I like it here, and people like me, so I must be doing something right..I think I have the measure of it. The people who disagree probably don't like it here, well sorry(!)...go figure!

Originally Posted by thatsnotquiteright

To be honest, 22K and a 115K mortgage does not leave much. I had a 78k mortgage and earnt 25k at the same age. I was always skint.

Remember, many people are in debt, and people in their mid 20s don't worry too much about what goes on the credit card, even if the trips are dirt cheap breaks to E Europe.

I have more disposable cash here in Australia, I have gone from GBP30,000 to AUS80-100k. All my Aussie peers are cashed up, they do trips to QLD, NT, overseas, they get to Sydney for the weekend. One has paid off his mortgage already and owns his Audi outright.

Originally Posted by thatsnotquiteright

The Aussies have a saying "FIGJAM", it bloody well applies to me!

OK I'm going to tell you abit about myself, bear with me, because what happened 20 years ago applies now. Sorry for the length.

No, I'll be really honest with you, alot of it is luck. But alot of it is just a feel for things, I can't explain it. You either have it or you don't. I'm the bloke that just gets into corners, gets in the right place at the right time. The only thing I stuffed up was not buying a house in the UK early enough lol, and maybe even spreading myself around a bit too much. They say a jack of all trades, a master of none, of me its true. My mother says I am basically a 'salesman' which is not fair as I do have some quals somewhere. I threw my law degree paper in the bin when I got it as I didn't think it represented an achievement at that stage in my life.

Frankly I've had a charmed life, I can't work out where I went right because I was hardly priveleged financially infact we were dirt poor. My mother never had a washing machine or a car until I left home. When I was young all my mates used to call me "jammy bastard", I remember, frankly this is embarassing, I only had to walk in to a classroom, and I always got to sit next to, and get the coffee break with the cute girl in the class within 5 minutes of us all walking in. Even if I didn't sit next to her, she would call across, "want a coffee?" All the blokes used to nudge each other and say, "How does he do it", and shake their heads. "See look he's about to do it again".

Basically, I find that honesty, negotiation and being personable goes along way - always. My grandfather, who was quite a senior bod in the church died a few years back and he had a obituary which read that his single most important contribution was that he was tough as guts, but thoroughly polite with it, utterly courteous. (I can't remember the courtesy though!)

Migration : Righto, this is my single piece of advice, I realise that we are all different and have different backgrounds and experiences - all vital. But the single most important 'character flaw' that alot of 'failed' (dirty word, sorry) migrants have is the inability to relate to people, or bring experience to bear in a focused and timely manner. They have all these quals, experiences and money, but they can't get that last 5pc, can't close the deal. It applies even, up to a point, to Mike Stanton, arguably a clever bloke, and one of Australia's most concise and pointed critics.

Hutch said it quite well once. He said that alot of complainers are Middle Englanders - in some ways its true. They are so proud to be, perhaps, liberal, well educated English people and then they come across Aussies in suburbia and then can't adjust and blame everyone else except themselves. The irony, is, is that it is because of their privelege that it backfires on them. They can't see the wood for the trees. But they are no better than the Aussies they criticise, they say things like " we have a great life, I earn xxx, I have yyy, 2/3 holidays overseas". Then they say (basically) "I can't relate to anyone, except for my Mum who lives around the corner, and the blokes down the pub, and no Aussie laughs at my jokes", seconds after they say "everybody is not funny enough, they're all stupid, shoddy work etc, have never left Australia" The mind boggles!

I meet up with the only group of British blokes I know once in a while, twice a year, and some of them still haven't moved on. There're still all standing in the corner, pretending they're back in London and still looking suspiciously at outsiders in that quintessially (sic) English way. It was the first thing I noticed, I mentioned it to my wife when I got home. God! "English blokes are funny!" Of course, it was very funny and obvious when you haven't seen more than one Englishman at a time for a few years. I've got used to Aussies generally taken you completely at face value in an initial encounter.

When I was young I was always learning, trying new things. I'm really into life experience and character building - as you know I am HOT on this. To be honest, I learnt them at a very early age. Up to when I was 17, I was a poor, middle class bloke from a kind of a 'posh', but ordinary, school. That year, and for years after, I was mixing with Etonians, priveleged English people, it was scary mixing with blokes oozing confidence, stunt men, blokes who skied for the country, blokes that went to debs balls, blokes who'd been on TV and shagged a different bird every night, often in front of you in front of everyone in the bar just to prove they could, at precisely the time I also had to deal and work with council kids form South London, get involved in all the things they did - like eat glass - and get in to fights I didn't think was a good idea - and lead them in situations where most people wouldn't, this gives you a kind of experience which you can't pay for anywhere, in fact can't get anywhere elsewhere.

It teaches you to break alot of things down to human character and read between the lines. When you about to jump out of an aircraft with 8 blokes, or have to advise an 18 year in place of a father at the age of 21, or brief and advise a roomfull of the most senior men in the country in their field, all in their 40s and 50s, when you yourself are only 23, you really learn about people.

Its not since I came to Australia that I realised how important these life skills would be - I always took them for granted.

You either get it or you don't. I love aspects of the UK but I actually find it quite flawed, in a seriously funny and pathetic way - it's almost tragic - just like Australia is. That's why I find it all so amusing, but nonetheless, I find that my life in Australia just fulfills everything nicely, thankyou.

Originally Posted by thatsnotquiteright

Sorry a few more. There are a load of myths about Australia that are both true and untrue. A lot of people say that there is no work ethic here, or that Aussies don't like achievers. In my experiece, that is not true. People don't mind if you are an achiever, as long as you are nice about it. Seriously!

I find that you need to slow it down a tad. Just a tad. I am so much more relaxed over here it is untrue, even speak a tad slower,