mojo72

Just read through some replies to a posting 'why australia' by another member - a lot seems to be negative - are there any positive aspects to coming out there ?????

ABCDiamond

There are many positives, for those who want the positives.

But someone looking for negatives will always find them and happily share them with as many others as possible.

Flakey

Hi everyone, I looked at opportunities in Australia a few year s ago, but my circumstances changed with my job in the UK so decided against going to Aus. I have recently through a sponsored visa have the opportunity to go to Sydney and I to am very surprised at all the negativity on this forum. I certainly don't expect utopia and fully expect to work as hard as I do in the UK. I do hopefully expect to live the Australian way and certainly will not expect things to be like the UK in anyway shape or form. I see this as an opportunity to experience another way of life with my family and take everyday as it comes good or bad. love to hear from anyone with similar views and hope you all have a great day.

eddie007

Nope none at all... which is why tens of thousands of people BEG to return to their country of origin each year and have to go through an expensive and lengthly process to be allowed do so

NOT

where do you want to start with the positives?

Lifestyle?
climate?
Different but speaking a similar language?
Perceived opportunities for kids?

Even the dog commands are different.. and better...

moneypenny20

Many of the positive people get smacked down for wearing rose tints so give up responding. This forum goes in waves of positivity and negativity. Many many people are very happy with their lives here, whether they've improved or not. It shouldn't have a bearing on what you think, from being in your position I remember it just confusing me and depending on whether I was up or down myself, replies affected me differently.

I look on our move positively but we didn't leave England for any other reason than to have an experience and didn't have any expectations. We have some really crap things happening in our lives at the moment but are still very very happy to be living here.

However (here's the negative bit ) the rate of exchange was very different when we came over and the job situation was different so our experience will automatically be different from yours.

Have a look in the Update forum. That's where the more straightforward honest threads are whether good or bad because we try to keep the arguments out of the forum.

Alfresco

I just put it down to the fact that there will statistically be x numbers of faulty units per any given sample. And a lot of them post on BE.

Update forum.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=107

alipally

My cousin loves living in Sydney, City and beaches, a beautiful harbour and a great lifestyle, if you have the funds to support that. Owning a dinghy and being able to spend the weekend sailing for most of year is unheard of in the UK. Being able to get to the best diving sites in the world in a couple of hours is also possible here.

Sadly for some Sydney is about as far away from friends and family as it gets and that's too much for them. Endless days of blue skies, sunshine and BBQ's doesn't cut it when you're homesick.

Australia used to be an inexpensive place to live. With the exchange rate as it is that's definitely not the case at the moment.
Work conditions are definitely not as good as in the UK.

I don't hate Australia, I don't love it either, it has it's charms, but I don't see myself dying here.

mojo72

Thanks everyone for replying - we have been wanting to emigrate for several years now and have actually been trying for the last couple of years to get an H1 job in the States with no joy - leading us to consider other places such as Oz and possibly Canada - when I came across this site I was happy to be able to get others points of view, good or bad, but I guess the people who are unhappy are more likely to post! Life's what you make it I guess! The sunshine and laid back lifestyle of Australia are definitely appealing - some of the comments on education ( I have 3 kids - 16, 12 and 4 ) and expense are just scarey want to leave Blighty for better chances for my children & a better standard of life too! Feels confusing right now - but I'm sure a bit more research and things will be clearer..... thanks everyone

neil248

Can only speak of our experience on the Gold Coast.

I am a negative pessimistic person but this is my view after 4 years here.

Here on the Gold Coast at least there seems to be a generally optimistic attitude and most people seem to realise they are lucky to be living here. We live in the hinterland in the peace and quite but 20 mins to Broadbeach when we want it. The Gold Coast is whatever you want it to be.

We are of modest means but my childs life here is full of choice and opportunity and her life is significantly better than the one we would have given her in the UK.

There is a wider choice of lifestyles available to ordinary people here than the UK if you want to put the effort in.

mojo72

Thanks Neil, to get a positive response from a parent is heartening! The Gold Coast could be an option for us, I have noticed on the forum for jobs that someone is asking for ppl with IT experience including Networks which is what my OH specialises in. We arn't after going somewhere to make pots of money ( and from what I've heard about cost of living it's probably a good thing! ) but lifestyle is all - I don't want to diss the Uk in a lot of ways it is a fabulous place but people are definitely more negative and closed in here than say even 10 years ago and the climate is bloomin' awful!!!

JenniGee

We are a family with 2 teenagers aged 15 & 13...it's been a long struggle & the exchange rate definitely isn't what it was when we took our first family holiday to Oz & decided we wanted to give the move a shot

However, we're still going, we're still positive. Apart from the money, the things we wanted to achieve are still there for us in Oz, so hell why not? The alternative of staying here doesn't give us anything to look forward too & life is, after all, what you make of it

iamthecreaturefromuranus

To be honest I must have seen a thousand of these threads over the years.... and NONE of them amount to anything when it comes to what living in Australia for you might be like.

What can you be certain of? Well it will be sunnier and hotter than the UK and your home will probably be larger.... and that's about it.

Everything else is might/maybe.

You might love it.... but plenty don't.
You might think the heat is great... but not everybody does.
Is it expensive... depends who you talk to.
Is it more 'upbeat' than the UK... maybe, maybe not.
You might get a great job... you might get sod all.

I could go on, but no doubt you get the point.

Very few of those who came, tried it and left, ever thought it wouldn't work for them.

You either try it, or you don't and until you do, you never know how it will work out.

Buzzy--Bee

I recommend you ONLY consider Melbourne or Sydney. This is the area of IT that I work in, I work for the largest IT integrator in the world, and if you want the greatest chance of getting work, these are the only cities to consider. DO NOT go to the Gold Coast expecting there to be lots of jobs in IT networking - there aren't.

BB

Seneca21

Put simply, more losers spend a greater amount of time on their own typing their bitterness into the internet, than winners do. There are plenty of intelligent winners on this forum, but they are outnumbered by the former.

Australia will be as good as you make it. It has a better climate than the UK, a more relaxed social structure, endless natural resources, a tiny population, compared with Britain it is practically self-sufficient and it is the most egalitarian place on earth.

On the downside, supermarket fruit and veg goes off in about 20 minutes after you buy it, you'll need a second mortgage to buy books due to the prices being rigged by the politicians, and you'll need to learn to live with mosquito bites if you want to go out walking in the evening.

You only live once.

luis_be

Hello,

I see some people saying this but I don't understand why. Of course if you are moving now to oz and taking your millions £££ with you, the exchange rate has a negative impact. However if you are already living and earning in the country I assume that it makes no much difference in the cost of living, or am I missing the point?

Luis