Is my head in the sand?
 

Please be honest!

Situation is me, hubby and son.

I lost my job on Friday though redundancy.

Hubby works full-time in public transport and hates it - possible redundancy looming.

We want to move to Perth to be with family. The only way we can is by studying. Hubby wants to try wall and floor tiling.

We know I can only work 20 hours per week same as hubby but he can do more outwith term time.

We'd like to live in the hills.

We need to sell our house here. We'd be prepared to spend some of this capital to get us through the 2 years.

We would however have income of $3,000 per month in Australia from other investments.

Son is still a baby (only 7 months) so we don't need to worry about school fees.


The concerns are:

Hubby needs to find work with a wall and floor tiler who is registered to gain his 900 hours experience.

Hubby is in his 40's and I am heading that way. This is pretty much our last chance although I could do a course when son is a bit older in Community Welfare but that would delay getting out there by at least another year.

Is my head in the sand thinking that we should just do this as it will be now or never? We don't know what is around the corner with hubby's job but similarly we don't know about him getting work in Perth.

Massive gamble. Forms are all ready to go to apply for course this week. Why is part of me hesitant? I know you guys don't know me from Adam but is it normal to have some doubts?

All our family is in Oz and we just all want to be together!

God, I am going on now. Thanks for reading if you have!

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

Some may say to keep it safe and stay put, others will say go for it.

Your family is in Australia and you say your only chance is a student visa.

If you have the income to meet your costs in Australia and can comfortably manage, and you will have your family around you, if it is what you really really want then I would say go for it.

You are hesitant because it is your only chance and it is a big step for anyone to take and yes, it is normal to have doubts.

If you want to be with your family and you want to emigrate, you are in a better position than most with your investment income.

You get those forms sent in and get moving - and good luck to all of you.

It can be done, it might not be easy and yes it probably is a gamble, but isn't much of what we do in life a gamble?

Good luck.:thumbup:

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

I think it all depends on winning or losing formulas... what I mean is are your current circumstances working for you? From what you have written it doesnt sound like you are happy with the way things are for you both here and now and neither is your OH...

The way I look at things is that I try and face up to whatever is not working out and then attempt to change it... sometimes I don't wish to change it, but have to anyway... change doesnt necessarily mean worse, its just different (a motto I attempt to live by)..

The age things worries us all (I am 36, OH is 44) but I would rather be poor and living in a place that I believe in and want to be, rather than the opposite.. as much as I know no-one should move across to the other side of the world purely for the sunshine alone, it does make me feel more secure to know that I am not going into old age worrying about heating bills... I like being warm.. I like not having to put the central heating on.. (prob because my grandparents struggled so much.. my Mum would find her in her 80th year sitting wrapped in a blanket as she was far too worried about putting on the heating incase she couldnt affford to pay the bill)...

Now, of course, the above does not cover practicalities of the move to the other side of the world which is very important.. you sound like you have your head screwed on, so I am sure if there is a will there will be a way...

Good luck with whatever you decide...

Em x

PS oh, and btw, no I don't think your head is in the sand! xx

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

I think your head is very much OUT of the sand! You seem to be weighing it all up!
From what you've said.....I'd have to say "Go for it!" Especially if your family are there, you'll have support when things are tough. It'd be dreadful if you hit 50, regretting your decision & it being too late to do anything about it.
Send those forms!!!
Best of luck, sending karma :thumbsup:

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

You are obviously weighing everything up and probably know that everything is pointing you in the direction of coming here. No-one else can tell you that it is the 'right' thing to do, only you and your hubbie can decide if it is.

In regards to the age thing. . .2 guys on hubbies course were 40 when they started so don't let it stop you. Neither of them have family to sponsor them so will both have to do the graduates visa to gain the extra points.

Good luck!!

Mandy

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

Exceptionally tough call to make.

Economy here in Oz is probably going to suffer almost as bad a downturn as the UK, so those 20hr a week jobs might be impossible to find when you get here. If you had steady employment in the UK I would definitely advise against taking the gamble at this time...

..but you don't and things sound as though they could get worse for you. Only you can truly make the decision but all things considered I would say you should give it a go.

One thing I would say is, that if there is anyway at all that you could make the move and still retain your house in the UK then you should hang on to it. If you came and it didn't work out its always better to go back to a home than going back to nothing.

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

The fact that you are asking indicates that your head is anywhere but in the sand.

The older you get the more difficult it is to make a go of it here - there is a not so subtle ageism about employment and it is harder for someone over 45 to get a job - and there are going to be lots of over 45ers around looking for jobs as this recession is biting and also a number of retirees coming out of retirement because their super funds are in the dunny. We profess to being inclusive but ageism is alive and well.

Looking to your long term future is also going to be important. Australia doesnt have a national age pension scheme like UK, it has centrelink benefits for aged Australians who meet the means test (you have to be pretty poor basically) and the expectation is that you will have built up a nice retirement nest egg to see you through - if you dont start doing that until your 40s then you have a long way to go and will probably be working well past retirement age.

Coming here on a student visa IMHO is fraught and I would be checking out any and every other possibility. There is no guarantee that at the end of it you would get PR - who knows what the situation will be economy-wise and immigration is notoriously fickle about changing the goal posts. They only want your money here as a student they dont see you as a responsibility for re-settling. Any chance of your family sponsoring you?

I agree with the previous poster, if there is any way of doing it so you dont burn your bridges and sell your home then that would be a good move.

Good luck with it - whatever you decide to do.

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

You should PM Paul and Nic - he had a similar experience.

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

Is that Kingseat near Dunfermline? Know it well. We left it last March to come here!
When we first started the ball rolling in this immigration process we didn't think we had enough points to make it so we took bad advice and were about to apply for a student visa. The agent in question advised me to train to be a hairdresser in Oz (even tough I had no interest in hairdressing), study for however long that takes, then try to get a hairdressing job and then MAYBE we be would successful in our PR application. It was a risky business especially with 2 teenagers in tow so I got a 2nd opinion. Turns out that we had enough points going via the 138 route as Kenny used to work as a mechanic although doesn't have his papers and my sister was a sponsor in Aus. I think the 138 has changed to something different now but an agent would be able to tell you what it is now. I'm glad I took that 2nd opinion.
We have been on the Gold Coast for 10 months now. It has not all been plain sailing as it has taken Kenny 9 months to get work and I'm a checkout chick - something I'd never done before and dont intend to be doing for the rest of my life, but it's a job.
Have you spoken to an agent? I can recommend OE (I hope this is allowed on this forum, apologies if it isn't). They are in Edinburgh and were very helpful.
As has been previously said on this thread - only you can decide what way to go. And with all the info available to you on the net it can be an informed decision. Only thing is, do you want to be saying when your 70 yrs old, I wish we'd done it!?
Good luck.
Laura

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

If people who migrate do NOT have some doubts at some stages, then they are the ones with the head in the sand.

I am pretty sure that everyone has doubts, even the people who are the keenest to get here.

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

The only problem I see for you is selling your house.

Hubbie would have to finish the course by the time he is 45, how long does that leave you to sell it?
Could you afford to come if it was not sold?

As someone who is on a student visa, I say go for it!

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

Thank you everyone for your replies.

The income we'd get in Australia is from UK rental property which we do not intend selling so we'd always have something to live in if we had to come back.

I am just scared that we'd go all that way for hubby not to find work but that is the gamble isn't it.

I get so excited and then sick with nerves!

We're out in Perth on holiday in a few weeks time so going to look at lots of things then.

BTW yes, we're in Kingseat just outside Dunfermline.

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

He'd finish the course in the September and would be 45 the following January. Cutting it fine but it can be done.

We could go without selling the house but it would be preferable.

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

Good call, and given the chance we'd of kept our UK house 'just in case' ... but equity we had in it had to pay for our 'mission' as I called it.

We sold up and came to Oz on student visa's in march 2006. I qualified as a hairdresser and applied for PR, and we've been PR's since May 2008.

We bought teenage kids out of a decent school. We bought our dog. We hardly knew anyone here, and have no family here, but we gave it a shot as it was after all our ONLY shot!

Do your homework, cross your fingers, and go for it!

Worse case scenario is it doesn't work and for whatever reason you don't get PR, but you've given it your best shot!

If it's meant to be, it will be! ... ;)

Re: Is my head in the sand?
 

Thank you for that.

I think we're going to give it a go. The waiting bit is for a duplicate copy of hubby's qualification certificate arriving. If we had that then I don't think so many of these nagging doubts would be here. We'd have applied and be going and that would be that!