woogle

Hi
I've just wondered onto this forum from the "other-side"
I was wondering if anyone would give advice on what they would/could have done differently,before you moved to Oz? -
I know most of you are homesick and I see that sort of like a death,everyone reacts differently & people handle it in their own way. So apart from that,what else can we do to be prepared?
We are coming with 2 small children and starting off in Brissy,as we have a friend there. We don't have jobs sorted,hubby is a mechanic & hopes to find work quite quickly. Reading on these for forums I think I will need to work as well,as things seem to be more expensive than we first thought.
Any advice on shipping,renting,schools,pre-schools would be welcome. Even things such as banking & day to day advice,like how helpful are centre-link and places like that?
Thanks for reading & hope to get some feedback.

ladylisa

Its sounds like you doing the right thing by reading this forum and making yourself aware of the good and bad points of emigrating. I think many that fail are unaware of many of the pitfalls so set themselves up for disappointment. Emigrating is an enriching experience but it is hard. If you expect that you will cope alot easier. The other thing is do your research beforehand and also allow yourself time to get acquainted with the areas before settling down your roots. Lastly keep in mind what you like out of life and what you dont. For instance if you dont like city life in England dont allow yourself to forget yourself and buy into the wrong area in Oz. Emigrating is a great opportunity to try new things, but fundamentally we are the people that we are, so stay true to yourself. Good luck

heading downunder 2002

Hi Woogle,

I found centre-link etc very helpful and never had any problems at all. I will list my advice and hope that it helps.

1. Renting - Have a good look around Brissy before deciding where to rent. We settled in the Bayside area which is lovely but I think that we would have been better renting nearer to our friends that we had met before leaving the UK. Although they also lived in Brisbane, they were north and it took over an hour to get to them, same for our friends who lived on the Gold Coast.

2. If you are wanting to use daycare, get you children's names down as soon as you can as places are limited.

3. Make sure that you have enough capital to live of. My hubby is also a mechanic and struggled to get anything permanent for a start and in the 6 months we were there he had 3 jobs and worked in total for 12 weeks. They take you on casual and then when the works is caught up they let you go.

4. Don't be afraid to say if you are not feeling happy about things, bottling it up makes it much worse.

5. Get out as much as possible. I joined the local playgroup which was really good for meeting other mums.

6. Don't be afraid to come on here for support if you need it. Unlike what a lot of people seem to think no one on here would dream of telling you to come home but just to know that others have felt the same helps.

7. Be realistic in what you think your life in Oz will be like.

Good luck in your move, go with an open mind, and enjoy it. If it works out fantastic if it doesn't then at least you had a go.

ShozInOz

The seven points are very good advice. I would add the following from our perspectives:

1. Visit as much of the UK/Europe as you realistically can while you can. Trips back for us have been for 'visiting' and are not holidays at all - not enough time to visit other places.
2. Expect homesickness. If you don't get it then great. For me, for a few months, it was like severe grief. It was something I do not want to repeat yet something which made me a stronger person. After that it was not a strong feeling, just a 'hole in my soul' which has been tolerable on a day to day basis.
3. Spend quality time with your family and good friends.
4. Treat it as an adventure. Don't think 'forever'. That is what we decided to do, and it liberated us from the shackles of 'permanent immigration'.

However, doing this for us wouldn't have changed our decision to move back to the UK. We miss the UK and Europe for what they are, the cultures, geographies, languages, artchitecture, events, and career opportunities (both in specialist jobs). But Australia we love too. It will always be a second home. If I could move Sydney in particular to the south coast of the UK I would! I wish you well on your amazing adventure.

TraceyW

Absolutely perfect this one! I could've written it myself about Perth. If only Australia was closer to Europe!

LIBBY

Dont think forever.

Dont dismiss homesickness as it can happen to the strongest of persons.

Dont expect to fit straight in just because they speak the same language.

Dont feel a faliure if it doesnt work.

Dont buy a house to feel more settled, you may end up feeling trapped and therefore alot worse. Wait a while and see how you feel.

Dont be scared to share how you feel with your loved ones. Make a pact before you go to always talk about you feelings, even if they are not positive ones, without recriminations.

Dont forget, its stressful to move house, never mind countries. Remember to support each other.

Dont forget to take time out and enjoy yourselves, dont get to wrapped up in it all and forget to laugh.


Libby

MrsB

Don't dismiss homesickness as just "missing your mum", and homesickness is not just for those who were "close" to their families, those who were not particularly close to their families get it too. Homesickness is a powerful emotion not to underestimated - for some. If you don't suffer it - then you're lucky!

Do your sums very carefully and do alot of research into the cost of living if you can, because the cost of living here is not as cheap as you would think. There are lots of "extras" to be factored in - such as all the stuff you have to pay for school, doctors fees, dentists fees etc.

Don't go with the Commonwealth Bank. All banks charge high charges to bank with them. I believe HSBC do not charge, but I have heard their call centre is rubbish, and that most people seem to think ANZ is about the best of a bad bunch. There was a bank thread done recently - might be worth searching for it.

Take into account that there are negatives as well as positives, this is not utopia.

Don't "trash" the UK before you leave - as a justification for leaving - as you don't yet know whether where you are going is going to be better.

Rent for 6 months - don't buy a house straight away. Homesickness sometimes takes a couple of months to "kick in".

Give yourself a "get out" clause - tell everyone that you are going for 2 years and if you really like it you will stay.

Don't burn your bridges.

And remember that "life is life - wherever you are". You still have to work, pay bills, etc..

Good luck in your adventure.....!!

woogle

Thanks to everyone for your advice. It's good to get a better perspective on things before we move. Better to be prepared, even if it is scarry

Geordie George

Hello,

Just thought I'd add my ideas to the great advice already given.

I'm one of those that isn't particularly close to family. Homesickness changed that. Don't underestimate it's power (I did). Hopefully, you'll be a lucky one and not get it. Chances are though, it will hit hard. I treated it as grief and that seemed to help. Recognise that you're not just missing people, you're missing places, experiences and values. You're no longer surrounded by the familiar; as exciting as that is, it can be bloody tiring and incredibly wearing very quickly. Especially in the first few months when you're confronted with new everything - new house, new jobs, new schools etc.

Allow twice as long as you think it will take to get a job (took me three months to get the right role). Even if you're not fussy, you may find it difficult. And there's nothing to say that the first role that is offered will be the one that you want to take. Allow yourself some flexibility and don't settle for whatever comes along. Get what feels right.

I did some threads in the Aus forum about things like renting, Medicare, shipping, driving licenses etc. Most of them started FYI - do a search. (Most of them are just my inane ramblings, but I'm told some contain useful info. )

From personal experience, we arrived in Aus and I was smitten from day one. I love it here. However, there was a phase when we were waiting for our shipment, living in unfurnished accommodation with nought but an air mattress for comfort, and applying for jobs every day, when things were at their lowest. Mr GG and I were bored, frustrated, often confused (going through bureaucracy processes we didn't understand) and took it out on each other. We argued about anything and everything. And I mean everything. This was unexpected - we've been together for over ten years and have a very, very strong marriage. Don't undervalue your relationships and be prepared if they do take a bit of a battering (though you will get through it! ). I questioned if it was the right decision - we seemed to have made things worse in every sense by moving to Aus. But soon enough a routine is established, things fall into place and it's much like being in the UK again.

Costs of living here (at least in Sydney) are comparable to those in the UK (and from what I've seen of Brissie, it's much the same). But I'd also consider work because of the social side of things - just getting out and meeting people quickly gives a sense of settledness and can help, especially in the first few months.

(Oh, again, from personal experience, get health insurance ASAP! That will make sense if you look at other, recent posts of mine. )

Other than that, enjoy it. The fear factor before you leave can be overwhelming. Once you're here and established, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

GG

woogle

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Other than that, enjoy it. The fear factor before you leave can be overwhelming. Once you're here and established, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

GG[/QUOTE]



Thanks for taking the time to reply, I will check out your other posts,cheers.
-Hope there's nothing too scary in them