tical

Just got back and have to say that a wonderful time was had by one and all. Took advantage of the one pass from quantas, best thing we ever did. Have to let anybody leaving from the US to avoid the zoo otherwise known as LAX; its dirty dingy crowded etc etc…..

If you use Quantas they have flights out of San Fran, do what you can to fly out of there.

With the one pass we were able to fly to three Australian east coast cities for US$999. I don’t know whether they have the same deal for the UK but if you are flying out of Canada or the states for validation it would be wise to look it up. They even let you select which three cities in Australia you want.

Flew into Melbourne then on to Brissie and finally Seedneih, the point of the trip had was to both validate and also evaluate where we want to live. Best place to live Brissie for the great weather, best place to make money Sydney has that NYC feel, Melbourne however, seemed to have all the things we are looking for coming from the states.

News you can use:

Validation: arrive at the airport and get an arrival stamp on your passport just like every other sod getting off the plane and that’s it you are now a bona fide PR. Don't sweat it nobody will ask you any questions.

Bringing food into Australia is a big “no” “no” besides the hawkeyed customs have dogs which sniff your luggage and you will get caught no "ifs or buts". It doesn’t matter type of food just don’t, after flying for over a day an a half arguing with customs is no fun.

Opening a bank account easy as pie, you can open an account once you arrive all they need to see is the date when the visa was validated. I opened an account the fourth week upon arrival and it was “no worries mate”. Ten dollars, a passport and an Australian address and then went back two days later and gave them my US address. When I can back to the states they were already sending me my statements and junk mail so it worked.

TFN. When I tried to go to the Moone Ponds office in Melbourne to apply in person, they told me to stop bothering them and go do it online. Applied for this online a few days after I arrived. You can't do this before arriving in OZ or after leaving Oz. You must do it in Australia because TFN and DIMIA talk to each other.

Medicare and stuff , totally forgot about that will have to do it once I get back.

Driver’s License test: chickened out will do it once I go back, coming from the states, I kept getting confused. People from the UK and other countries where they drive on the “wrong side of the road” should have no problems with this. However, be ready for the draconian traffic enforcement methods; traffic cameras everywhere and exorbitant fines are the order of the day.

Getting around was pretty easy all three cities we went to seemed to have a relatively good public transportation system. Melbourne was the best by far.

People seemed nice although, they thought we were crazy moving to Oz from the states especially when all the yuppies in my profession were trying to come to the states or the UK. That gave me some pause…. maybe we should re-think this whole migration thing.

Ozzies seem to take sports a little bit too seriously… . The Barbies however, made us feel very much at home.

Shopping: coming from the states I have to say that we found Australia to be quite expensive but you have to take into consideration the size of the market the US is over ten time bigger. Furniture and electronics were priced over 1.5 to 2 times what you get in the US in fact I can almost say this about everything imported into Australia. Looking at shipping all our stuff when we go back to settle. Anybody know any good shippers on the east coast of the US?

Gas (petrol) was slightly more expensive than US but those coming from Europe will find it quite affordable. Cars not made in Australia are prohibitively expensive (goodbye my 545i and hello Holden) once again this has to do with the size of the market.

Food and wine on the other hand seemed reasonably priced. Same fast food joints for the kids.

Food tasted funny the first few days. It may have been because it was non-gm but not to worry we are now back to the all gm all the time diet.

Internet accessibility for tourists is quite abundant and relatively cheap and so is calling US, UK and Europe using the phone cards you can get anywhere.

Australia TV is total crap mostly American drama shows and corny advertisements that never seem to end. The morning shows are atrocious… cable TV is a must once I go back no doubt.

Salaries for Sydney and Melbourne over AUD$150K should be reasonable but the taxes are way higher than this side of the pond. This figure is based on my personal observation, experience, skills, profession and industry. While money is everything to us here in the states, you can make more or less than this and live a very good life.

The flight to Australia royally sucked, it does not matter how great the service and don’t get me wrong Quantas was quite good but 16 hours non-stop in a pressurized tin-can would do anybody in. Lost two days flying and another two recovering from the effects of flying to Oz.

That’s enough for now ….PM me if you need specifics…..

And oh they have seven elevens, Target and Kmarts everywhere no walmart tho.

Merry Christmas

Pollyana

A couple of points - you can bring food in, as long as its not fruit/veg/meat products/milk products. No need to argue, just declare it.
Salaries over $150k !!!!!!! Where!! We live on $50, combined income for 2 of us! $150 is dreamland, sorry. can you get me a job???


PS Its QANTAS!!!!!

tical

True and I encourage everybody to do just that.

Not really a dream. Try this guys;

http://www.efinancialcareers.com/searchResults.cfm

and put Australia in the drop down box...most of these jobs pay over AUD 100k easy.

This does not look unreasonable for someone working in financial markets, accounting and investment banking...but I stand ready to be corrected.

I did say "you can make more or less than this and live a very good life."

True and a great airline it is.

mvt550

Hi Tical,
I hear what you're saying and I have no knowledge of salaries for your field and you may well get a job with $150,000 salary as will some others in various fields but I think the point is this is not a "reasonable" salary - for Australia it's a very good salary!!

There will of course always be people earning much more than this blah blah blah, but I agree with Pollyanna that for the AVERAGE migrant and AVERAGE Australian $150,000 a year is a dreamland salary.

Perhaps a more helpful discussion rather than what individuals can potentially earn is how salaries in Australia compare with similar jobs in home countries, and what sort of spending power people have in the same jobs in the 2 places - maybe this discussion has already been had multiple times so I'll shut up now!!

Also, the one pass you describe - can you clarify whether that included your return flights from the US? If so it sounds like a fantastic deal.

Good luck with your final move.

Madhu

tical

Thanks mvt550,

The Qantas one pass is a return ticket, in my case it worked out as follows

LAX- Melbourne - Brissie - Seedneih back to LAX

you can try some flight variations at

http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn...ultiCity/index

sia

What Australian address did you have for opening a bank account?

IndieG

Hi Tical,
Thanks for that informative post!.

I know salaries are pretty high in Investment/ Corporate Banking by Australian standards, but the catch is they always look for Aussie experience - notwitstanding the fact that you may have worked with top notch banks outside Australia

Which area are you specialising in?

We are also looking to move to Melbourne in a couple of years, although I found Sydney more lively (and warmer!).


Merry Xmas
Anya

tical

Much appreciated, I got most of the info needed to go to Aussie here, so I am only paying my dues.

This is a fair statement but I may have neglected to mention that this was based on annual dual income.

The beauty with the validating trip was that we actually got to talk to the hiring agents for these jobs in person. There were disappointments in some cases but you were able to get the story on the ground. We can now sit back in the next few months and decide whether we want to actually move.

Me; Investment banking/Fund management and spouse; corporate financial accounting/financial analysis.

Loved Sydney too but as I said Melbourne had the right fit for everything we are looking for.

kapild

Great Info Tical - Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us.
I am also in USA ( on East Coast though . The winter is killing...)...Plan to do my validation trip next year as soon as I get my Visa ( fingers crossed)..

What is TFN BTW ?


Regards,
kapil

jojo2005

Hi Kapil,

TFN = Tax File Number ?

Thanks Tical for sharing your travel experience. Very tempting and convincing for our attempt to get there.

Investment Banking / Corp. Accountants are having excellent remuneration it seems. A friend of mine into Project Accounting (Proj.Director at Sydney) has got a job with salary 170K AUD + car + private school for kids + accommodation. Though he is not a PR.

Btw, what makes you guys switch to Australia from US ? Just curious.

Cheers,

Jojo
Wish you all a Very Happy New Year :-)

kapild

Thanks Jojo,

170 AUD is sure a GREAT Salary.I am sure the senior positions (like Directors, Country heads, CIOs, CEOs etc) do get such salaries.

I plan to move to OZ for a different life style. I understand its a very relaxed and laid back life in OZ as compared to USA. On the other hand I am sure we can have the same life style here ( US) as well if we choose to do so. I am on East Coast, so if I move to west I am sure things will change. But there are other reasons as well like Reduced Crime, Healthy School System and very Nice and Friendly People ( I dont see them any more in New York).


Where are u Jojo and what are ur plans?

Regards
kapil

jojo2005

Hi Kapil,

When I visited LA 2 yrs back, I met some of my friends. They are having a good time, laid back life style as you mentioned. That is why I was curious about your decision to move to Australia. Now looking at your comments, I feel happy that I took the right decision by choosing Australia.

Well, I am in Bangkok and planning to move to Sydney.

Cheers...

Jojo

kapild

Jojo You are right... LA and Rest of the West Coast is like that...laid back and relaxed, But I am on East Coast ( New York), where life is very different. People are not as Friendly and nicer.

Glad to know that u plan to move to Sydney...Hope to see u there...!!!