Kooky.

As one of the whingers on this thread I feel the need to point out I'm very happy here. It's not Nirvana, shit happens and there are bills to pay, and in Sydney they're bloody big bills, and I'm not sure it's our forever place but, right now, we're happy and it's our home. Do I post about the good things? Yes, occasionally I do.

However it's real life, and there are frustrations, and people will vent about them on forums such as this. I think my original post on this thread had the disclaimer, been out of the UK ten years so can't really compare to current service levels, but my experiences of tradies here have been really, really, bad. Continue to be. I'm still waiting for the guys to come and do the work that was supposed to be done yesterday - that was supposed to be finished before Christmas.

Should you (generic "you") move to Australia because you're unhappy in the UK? No. Chances are you'd be unhappy anywhere. And those programmes that tell you you can get an acre of land with a fancy swimming pool overlooking a beach just north of Sydney for ten pence? They're bunkum

Oh those nasty 457s! JAJ will love this. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sacked-cas...207-1r5bj.html

(We came on a 457, BTW. Served a purpose.)

Grayling

So you have already decided that Autralia is better and will come anyway so why bother to ask for advice?

....and I need to lighten up?...do you know me?

Because I think this place is pretty ordinary I need to lighten up....amazing

energysolutions

Thats the sort of sensible, balanced talk I was after

I`m not daft, I know there are good and bad points, hell, if I came across someone looking to come to the UK right now I imagine my advice would come across as negative.......

Turban Explorer

It can pay enough if you negotiate hard and have done area specific research to be aware of what you are looking at cost wise. It doesn't help that there are plenty more Brits desperate to come over and willing to accept less. Also the employment laws are very American here (not much employee protection) so parts of the original deal (like the relocation package, Sunday loading) can slip away. It really is a huge decision given the fact your sterling assets are worth so little now here. My hairdresser (3 kids, husband a mines electrician) leave today after endless altercation with the mining company. They sold their Leeds house losing 20% believing $100k was a good enough wage for Mackay and are returning after 4 months to live with her father. Their Australian misadventure has cost them 35k Gbp and wiped them out. Negative equity in the UK, the rising costs of life in Oz and the awful exchange rate for savings means its a very high risk decision (even if you find you like it here)

energysolutions

Errr, I havent decieded it is better, hence the questions. I have openly stated I dont have ANY experience of Australia

From your reaction to my post (which was light hearted and never meant to be serious) I do think you need to lighten up, yeah

Swerv-o

As I have said many times before, I am pretty happy in either Australia or the UK. There are aspects of both that I really like, and there are aspects of both that I really dislike - and usually there isn't much overlap.

But be aware that it isn't utopia - There are many things about Australia that defy belief and leave you asking HTF did that come about. I certainly have my own list of personal gripes. It certainly has its own unique set of problems and issues, and if you find yourself on the wrong end of them - for instance needing significant amounts of healthcare - then this will certainly tarnish your view of it.

Personally, while I enjoy living here at the moment, and have a good job and an excellent standard of living, I am struggling to see where it's going to go for me. There's very little in the way of high technology here, and job opportunities are extremely limited [for me]. So I am not adverse to the idea of moving on eventually.

If you come with an open mind, and just take it for what it is, then you will probably be ok. Don't build up some sort of mental image of it being a utopian paradise like the Dr Seuss story of Solla Sollew, as it will soon lose its tarnish then. And as DeadVim says - don't let the push of a 'defunct' UK be more of a decider than the 'Pull' of Australia. I'm not really sure how you could consider coming here sight unseen - I'm not sure if I would be gambling my future security and happiness on something I had never really experienced.

So to summarise - it is OK, but it's certainly no utopia - For some it may well, be, but for me it certainly isn't.


S

energysolutions

Some good points there, food for thought - cheers

moneypenny20

The negative/positive ratio changes with the weather. You'll have months of positive and then a long period of negative and the circle goes on and on and on and..... You get the picture. It's sorting the wheat from the chaff from both sides that's the hard part, there are too many individuals with their own particular set of circumstances. Good luck.

energysolutions

Another fair & balanced view

Strangely in the UK I am struggling to see where it's going to go for me, hence the curiousity of pastures new

Please expand on your point regarding the lack of high technology - I`m curious....

energysolutions

I was told 10 pence got me all that but with 2 acres of land - you mean it doesnt?

I dont think I would even consider Sydney due to the expense, although it appears the rest of Oz is catching up.......

I realise real life in Australia has its downsides too but the UK at present definately aint Nirvana, question is which is closer.....?

Kooky.

I think they must have been referring to Queensland

chris955

There is always a survey or index or whatever out there to make us feel all warm and fuzzy. Interesting that Norway is No1 and the USA No4. The USA where there is virtually no safety net for millions of people, costly health care where you literally can die if you don't have the money for treatment, high unemployment, a murder rate through the roof.
Both countries are in the VERY HIGH category separated by .06.

Sorry this was in reference to this post
'Hi. I'm actually not an expat from the UK, but and born and bred Aussie who stumbled upon this forum. I've been reading it for the past hour for a few giggles.

I take the the title in good humor however can't help but comment.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide.

The most recent figures has Australia ranked number 2 in the world. The UK comes in at 28th'

Swerv-o

I work in Micro Electro Mechanical Systems research, and to be honest, there just isn't anything going on here beyond the company that I currently work for and Cochlear hearing implants. I've got a lot of multi-disciplinary science/engineering/research skills, and I thought it would be reasonably straightforward to transfer these skills into different employment areas, however, Australia really is the land of having to have the right bit of paper in your hand before they will even look at you [one of my personal bug bears].

Irrespective of what experience you have, if you want to do job X, then you absolutely have to have the bit of paper that allows you to get into job X, otherwise your chances are pretty much minimal.

There's significantly less opportunity to transfer skills into related, or even closely aligned fields without significant amounts of additional study.


S

iamthecreaturefromuranus

It's probably a little easier, to find a nice area to live in here, than it is in the UK.... and that's about it really.

Same rules apply though... if housing is cheap here, it's cheap for the same reasons as in the UK. It's either a shit area where you wouldn't want to live or it's an area struggling for work.

As an example, this is a typical Australian home...
http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...eads-109403556

At $400k it's cheap by Australian standards, not a bad area either.... but it's down here in the Illawarra where I live. Finding decent work is tough.

chris955

Nowhere is Nirvana for everyone, I have lived in both countries for many years and for US England is closer for what WE want. It does sound as if you just feel the need to escape the UK as somewhere else must be better. We have lots of unemployment (much higher than the official figures), rising prices, crime, blah blah blah. the sun does shine more so to many those problems arent important, crazy I know.
If you feel it is the right move for you then do it but I cant get my head around wanting to do it having no first hand experience of the country.