J+J

Well Hi there everyone

This is my first login and my first post :scared:
What I want to know is, is it worth all the hassle when you finally get there. We're a couple in early thirties with two kids giving the idea some consideration. We plan to holiday over in OZ and NZ for three weeks in March next year to "get a feel for it" but I think we'll probably struggle to remain objective and just be wowed by it all. If anyone who's done the move can give us the low down on if it was worth it in their case (pro's and cons) then we'd appreciate the insight
What's it like trying to find work, good schools, housing new friends, drinking buddies etc
There's no substitute for experence and at the minute we don't have any

Thanx

J+J

markeh

Hi J+J,
I think it all depends, If you are happy in the UK then there is no point, but if you feel that Oz would be for you after going there then go for it.

Bye
Markeh

nosuchluck

My opinion is just that, my opinion, but i think if you have any doubts now, go for a holiday then if you still have the doubts, don't do it! We have never been to Oz, we are in our late 30s with an 11 year old daughter but we all 110% want to go, we may fail, who knows but for now and the near future we are going 110% with our minds pretty open and know that it is going to be hard work but we want this more than anything in the world,
go for your holiday and enjoy it then decide if its what you really really want.
best of luck
rach, mark and chanelle

HiddenPaw

What is it about Australia or NZ that attracts you? There must be something pretty strong in your minds if you have considered a life here without so far having been?

If you can identify what you expect out of life here that you don't get in the UK,maybe some people here can give opinions.

Saying that, it is different for everyone and no amount of holidaying or tales of experience can really prepare you for life here - one person's story of how easy it was to get a job will be counter-balanced by another person's story of their struggle to find employment. ANd it's the same for the other elements of life you've listed.

Clare Everest

Hi

We have been here for just 2 months...

I was happy in the UK but I decided that if I didn't try something new now I never would...

We never came out to see the place before hand and I am glad that I didn't...to be honest from what I saw in the first 3 weeks I would never had returned.

My husband managed to secure a job fairly fast in the IT industry and we are still unsure on where to settle!!

The longer that I am here then the more I want to stay.....It takes a while to settle in to a new life and I think that it is something that a holiday will never tell you!!

I have given us 4 years to decide if we are going to stay perm..
Somedays I think that we will, others I am ready to book my flights back... At least if you have lived the dream then you know that you have given it a go and will not regret never trying it out!!

steandleigh

Hi!

If you are a bit unsure then a visit to see for yourself would be a good idea. I find it a bit odd when people say they are migrating to a country they have never visited, having said that, you aren't going to be experiencing anything other than a holiday in a few short weeks, none of us can really know what it's like to live there until we live there.

If you can afford to take the trip out there then i personally think it's a good investment to make. We had a trip this summer, i'd never been, hubby was there for a yr on a WHV. So pleased that I saw Oz for myself and it settled any niggling thoughts I may have had about it being the right move for us.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

micky

been, stil in doubt, now NOT going

sjn2003

I think its also important to think why you want to leave the UK - if you have a great life here it may not be much better Down Under.

J+J

Thanks
I think its just a general sense of adventure and the feeling that there's a lot more to life than the small world I've lived in so far. I'm 34 and live 5 miles from where I was born!!. I like the outdoors, I like to meet new people and I like the prospect of something new and exciting. I don't like the thought of doing what I'm doing now for the next 20 or so years. (Is this just a mid life crisis ) No seriously the prospect of a better standard of living i.e. less time at work and more with the family, more out doors, less rat run and generally more relaxed is what appeals. Is that the case or is it the same just in a different climate??

J+J

Thats my proplem. Both got reasonable jobs (I'm an engineer she's a nurse), nice house, nice area with good schools.
I just feel there's something more to life and a lot more for us to discover.
We've worked hard for what we have here and don't want to gamble it if its just the same in a warmer climate, but neither do I want to grow old thinking if only!!!!

J+J

So what turned you off in the end??

J+J

Thats about the philosophy I have at the minute. Going without visiting was a brave move, what was it that made you decide to go in the first place??
Are you realising your dream and glad you've moved??
Its a bit scary
:scared: :scared: :scared:
I think thats my main problem, I'm a bit too used to my comfort zone if you know what I mean.

HiddenPaw

I can understand the need to discover new worlds. You don't want to feel you've lived your whole life in one place when there is so much more to see. We came to Oz as we wanted to experience living/working somewhere else before we had our own family.

The outdoors lifestyle and climate will vary greatly depending on where you go in Oz - it really can be like comparing those of Barcelona, Budapest and Bournemouth! In Oz you've got every type of climate from rainforest, to snowfield, to arid desert, coastal heat, coastal rain. If year-round sunshine is important then you prob need to head for Queensland, or maybe SA/Adelaide or WA/Perth. Here in Melbourne, the winter has been long and cold, and 'outdoor living' hasn't really been possible.

You need to look at how you intend to achieve a better standard of living. Salaries are lower in Oz than their UK equivalents. Depending on where you live, cost of living may/may not be less than the UK. I don't find I am any better off in Oz (I have an equivalent job). House prices in Syd/Mel are rocketing. Brisbane is forecasted as the next big boom city for house prices. But, you can live 80km inland from say Melbourne and get twice for your money than you would in the city.

In terms of work, Australia may be the land of the laid back, but again, you might not notice this in the big cities - I don't. The standard working week is 40hrs (unless govt sector and it's 37.5), with annual leave of 20 days. I work longer days, get less time off and earn less than the UK. Work benefits - from what I have found - are less - limited sick pay, paid maternity leave is virtually non-existant (except for a very small number of big corporations). Of course there will be exceptions to all of this - I can only speak from what I know from the companies I have researched and from Aussie friends). On the other hand, if you have your own business or work for yourself, you're going to be in complete control of your own time and hence your leisure time.

I can only give my opinion from Melbourne - and the truth is, I don't like living here - I prefer what I had in the UK (including countryside on my doorstep, good holidays, and being so close to Europe). I would like to try other places in Oz to see if I can find what I want out of life (but we are actually going back to Uk to have our baby). To a certain extent, there is the 'same shit' as the UK - but it affects people in varying degrees. The truth is, you won't escape crime, drugs, teenage thugs, murder, etc but you may se it less (you may see it more) - personally, I think it depends on where you are coming from in the Uk and where you are going to in Oz - as I say, I've come from Chesire countryside to a city of 3m - so I think I've actually seen worse here than in UK. On the other hand someone coming over here from central London will probably have a totally different opinion.

Saying all that, the time that we have been here has been fantastic - we've seen and done so much that otherwise would have passed us by in life.


Good luck in your quest.

Jirrupin

I think HiddenPaw's post has given a really good balanced view that would be the same as I am experiencing in Perth. If you want all year round sunshine, Perth isn't for you

I think it is a good idea to travel and do new things if you can, I can understand the desire to get more out of life, my only advice is decide what you would regret losing if you decided to return.

I think the developing attitude of my husband and I is that you do not have to commit to any one country forever to be deemed successful. We did have some expectations of living in OZ such as the greater financial freedom, however unless you are able to bring out a hefty deposit you still need to work as hard as you did in if not harder.

Some posters have good jobs and salarys and are managing well, some have large some have small mortgages. I guess some might not have a mortgage but you still need to be able to eat etc so work is a factor for most. I put a link on for looking at house prices a couple of days ago, take a look at it and it will give you some idea. Some people are selling up to afford the move etc, we sold our house but bought a small investment property so we still have a foothold in UK and money for a deposit. But our deposit looks miniscule against the average house price in Perth, You can still pick up a reasonable house in reasonable area in the range of $350,000 - $400,000

My advice on looking at financial issues is to try not to do the pound/dollar conversion because it makes things look cheap. Look up an average pay for a nurse, your wife will get a job no problem and a wage for yourself and then work out what you can afford earning dollars.

Some nurses posting on this forum seem to have had visa's completed in a matter of weeks, so if you wanted to give it a go you could be here sooner than you think.

Goodpubmisser

I am an Engineer and my Partner is a Nurse. Do yourself a favour don't move out here.

If you do the first few years will be good but then you will regret it. The main reason why I am having second thoughts (I have been here for 13 years) is that working in Engineering in Australia is shit.

The companies here are mainly small (under 30 people) and supply to the local market. The companies tend to be unprofessional and not the type in which you have good career prospects. Coupled with this the Australian Department of Immigration keep letting in more and more Engineers and there is not much work for them. One migrant Engineer in my Company ended up driving a fork lift truck in the Warehouse.

Electronics manufacturing here is a bit of a joke - a few contract manufacturers who pay badly and make you work long hours. Most "computer manufacturers" are actually just assemblers - they import hard drives etc and assemble them into a box. The rest of the "electonic companies" are mainly importers of equipment from abroad who have a warehouse, a sales force and technicians to fix the equipment if it goes wrong.

Melbourne manufacturing relies heavily on the automotive industry. Australia produces cars mainly because there are import tariffs. This fragile state of affairs is under the thumb of the often incompetant government.

I work for one of the few (total of around 7) large biomedical equipment companies - believe me I wish that I could just stick one finger up at them and leave. They are disorganised and very political - this is true for Australian companies as a whole if they are larger than 60 people.

How is Engineering in England these days? The pay seems to have trippled in the last 13 years.