9 months in.... solo...
#1
9 months in.... solo...
So in Feb this year, I left the not so sunny coast of England for Brisbane Australia, for University (and a part-time job) What have I thought of it so far??
I've put a few points below, all separated by paragraphs so you can flick through at your leisure at what takes your fancy...
The warm weather, well it pisses you off most the time, fans get on your nerves making everything whizz off around the room and I'm in college accomodation so i can't have air-con. It's sticky, humid, makes you feel constantly lethargic, and moody. As well as getting used to the weather I've suffered from the allergies that also come hand-in-hand when acclimatising to a new environment. Every single day i have to have another allergy tablet to keep pretty much every symptom you can imagine, away.
The people are friendly enough, but i wouldn't say neccesarily more relaxed. If you're coming to Australia with the prospect of it being chilled out and relaxed etc... stay where you are. It's facing the globalisation and 21st make-over and upgrade it's been needing but at an incredibly fast rate. Take for instance a local 'town' Hervey Bay about 3 hours north of Brisbane, it's one of the fastest developing places in the World, it's developing faster than China. People who live there don't recognise it anymore, and it's happening all up and down the coast. Everywhere you go they're building, building building, and we all know what the excess people do... just take a look at Britain.
For those thinking to study here: I'm at the University of Queensland studying a dual degree in Commerce and Business Management, the course is ok, most uni subjects are extremely tedious and boring, not as interesting as they sound, and I know people in pretty much every course and they feel exactly the same. There is also the worry that my Australian degree may not hold as much credibility as other degree's ie. English one's. I stay in an accomodation college, which is on Campus, it's not good. The prices are extortionate, the food is awful, the rooms are small. The only good thing, is that some people study your course at the same place as you so you get a bit of help on subjects you're stuck on, and it's close to the campus. Other than that college accomodation is not good, moving out is much better option, it's cheaper and you have more options available.
Jobs. So I handed out 50-100 job applications in the city and residing built-up areas with shopping malls etc etc. And i heard absolutely NOTHING. I have 4 years retail exp, which is a lot when you're looking for a part-time saturday job. They're not interested. The only way i got a job was i knew a man whose daughter worked in a recruitment agency and she got me a job in Optus in the city. They never trained me, underpaid me, organised training sessions without informing me and then crucified me when i didn't turn up and then fired me due to me returning to the U.K. for christmas which they knew when they employed me. The manager there didn't even tell me, she got the agency to ring me up and tell me not to go back. Great staff communication huh?
Shops. Well they have their own brands etc. Things here are a lot more money than the U.K and generally the quality isn't as good. You can say goodbye to primark, top shop, new look, m and s, (any good department store), t k maxx, costco, asda, tesco etc etc. Phone companies are expensive and coverage is awful. Choice of food is bad and expensive. Clothes are the same. T.v. is awful, the only good stuff is the british/american stuff. The radio is good however.
There is much less crime, but you know it's going to increase with all the people that are coming, it's like England before we opened the floodgates and we get to watch it all happen again. graffiti is also creeping in. I didn't see any when i came out here 3 years ago, but i see it quite a bit nowadays.
Doctors, charge you through the roof (and i have medicare). And so do pharmacies.. you have to shop around, because prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.
I came back half way through for 3 weeks, and they weren't long enough. I would say that although i have had fun in Australia, as far as i'm concerned it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ok I'm out here by myself away from my family and friends, and i miss them heaps, but i've made a fair judgement on australia by myself. I have met loads of people here and I have lots of friends, I have a boyfriend who is utterly the best, completely supportive of me away from my family, and fingers crossed he'll be coming over to the U.k. to sample my life back home at christmas.
It's the shitty little things that you complain about the most that you miss, sure Australia has it's good points, but I'll never call it home.
Pommy Babe
I've put a few points below, all separated by paragraphs so you can flick through at your leisure at what takes your fancy...
The warm weather, well it pisses you off most the time, fans get on your nerves making everything whizz off around the room and I'm in college accomodation so i can't have air-con. It's sticky, humid, makes you feel constantly lethargic, and moody. As well as getting used to the weather I've suffered from the allergies that also come hand-in-hand when acclimatising to a new environment. Every single day i have to have another allergy tablet to keep pretty much every symptom you can imagine, away.
The people are friendly enough, but i wouldn't say neccesarily more relaxed. If you're coming to Australia with the prospect of it being chilled out and relaxed etc... stay where you are. It's facing the globalisation and 21st make-over and upgrade it's been needing but at an incredibly fast rate. Take for instance a local 'town' Hervey Bay about 3 hours north of Brisbane, it's one of the fastest developing places in the World, it's developing faster than China. People who live there don't recognise it anymore, and it's happening all up and down the coast. Everywhere you go they're building, building building, and we all know what the excess people do... just take a look at Britain.
For those thinking to study here: I'm at the University of Queensland studying a dual degree in Commerce and Business Management, the course is ok, most uni subjects are extremely tedious and boring, not as interesting as they sound, and I know people in pretty much every course and they feel exactly the same. There is also the worry that my Australian degree may not hold as much credibility as other degree's ie. English one's. I stay in an accomodation college, which is on Campus, it's not good. The prices are extortionate, the food is awful, the rooms are small. The only good thing, is that some people study your course at the same place as you so you get a bit of help on subjects you're stuck on, and it's close to the campus. Other than that college accomodation is not good, moving out is much better option, it's cheaper and you have more options available.
Jobs. So I handed out 50-100 job applications in the city and residing built-up areas with shopping malls etc etc. And i heard absolutely NOTHING. I have 4 years retail exp, which is a lot when you're looking for a part-time saturday job. They're not interested. The only way i got a job was i knew a man whose daughter worked in a recruitment agency and she got me a job in Optus in the city. They never trained me, underpaid me, organised training sessions without informing me and then crucified me when i didn't turn up and then fired me due to me returning to the U.K. for christmas which they knew when they employed me. The manager there didn't even tell me, she got the agency to ring me up and tell me not to go back. Great staff communication huh?
Shops. Well they have their own brands etc. Things here are a lot more money than the U.K and generally the quality isn't as good. You can say goodbye to primark, top shop, new look, m and s, (any good department store), t k maxx, costco, asda, tesco etc etc. Phone companies are expensive and coverage is awful. Choice of food is bad and expensive. Clothes are the same. T.v. is awful, the only good stuff is the british/american stuff. The radio is good however.
There is much less crime, but you know it's going to increase with all the people that are coming, it's like England before we opened the floodgates and we get to watch it all happen again. graffiti is also creeping in. I didn't see any when i came out here 3 years ago, but i see it quite a bit nowadays.
Doctors, charge you through the roof (and i have medicare). And so do pharmacies.. you have to shop around, because prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.
I came back half way through for 3 weeks, and they weren't long enough. I would say that although i have had fun in Australia, as far as i'm concerned it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ok I'm out here by myself away from my family and friends, and i miss them heaps, but i've made a fair judgement on australia by myself. I have met loads of people here and I have lots of friends, I have a boyfriend who is utterly the best, completely supportive of me away from my family, and fingers crossed he'll be coming over to the U.k. to sample my life back home at christmas.
It's the shitty little things that you complain about the most that you miss, sure Australia has it's good points, but I'll never call it home.
Pommy Babe
#3
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
it's cleaner, has amazing beaches, better sports facilities, media isn't overtaken by american news, better health service - it's a lot faster and more efficient (but you are paying for it), it's catching up economically, petrol is cheaper, houses are cheaper, the weather (in some aspects)...
#4
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,821
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Ive been in Australia since May 08... not that much shorter in time than yourself and have to say that my experiences are totally and utterly different to you.. to the point that I don't recognise Australia as the place that you describe... still.. each to their own, but I think it is fair to the people who read this that there are other opinions out there.
Background.. I am fortunate enough to have campervanned around most of Australia.. we started in Perth and travelled north up and over on highway 1 and then down the east coast as far as Sydney where we got to the BLue Mountains and decided it was a tad to cold for our liking! So we decided Melbourne, Tassie, and Adelaide were for another time.. however we have stayed in heaps of places so far..
Background.. I am fortunate enough to have campervanned around most of Australia.. we started in Perth and travelled north up and over on highway 1 and then down the east coast as far as Sydney where we got to the BLue Mountains and decided it was a tad to cold for our liking! So we decided Melbourne, Tassie, and Adelaide were for another time.. however we have stayed in heaps of places so far..
The warm weather, well it pisses you off most the time, fans get on your nerves making everything whizz off around the room and I'm in college accomodation so i can't have air-con. It's sticky, humid, makes you feel constantly lethargic, and moody. As well as getting used to the weather I've suffered from the allergies that also come hand-in-hand when acclimatising to a new environment. Every single day i have to have another allergy tablet to keep pretty much every symptom you can imagine, away.
The warm weather makes me smile each day.. every day the sun shines, I smile up at the sky and get up with a spring in my step.. yep, it gets unpleasantly warm, but nothing a quick shower wouldnt douse and no, I don't have air-con!
The people are friendly enough, but i wouldn't say neccesarily more relaxed. If you're coming to Australia with the prospect of it being chilled out and relaxed etc... stay where you are. It's facing the globalisation and 21st make-over and upgrade it's been needing but at an incredibly fast rate. Take for instance a local 'town' Hervey Bay about 3 hours north of Brisbane, it's one of the fastest developing places in the World, it's developing faster than China. People who live there don't recognise it anymore, and it's happening all up and down the coast. Everywhere you go they're building, building building, and we all know what the excess people do... just take a look at Britain.
I was in Hervey Bay for a good few weeks and can see where you are coming from, and don't really have a point of view on it.. except that it still is a beautiful place with a beautiful beach.. and is great to get to Frazer Island from there and the whale watching?! Fantastic! Of course, when you have this amount of tourism, yes, you will get the downside which is the renovation and building...
For those thinking to study here: I'm at the University of Queensland studying a dual degree in Commerce and Business Management, the course is ok, most uni subjects are extremely tedious and boring, not as interesting as they sound, and I know people in pretty much every course and they feel exactly the same. There is also the worry that my Australian degree may not hold as much credibility as other degree's ie. English one's. I stay in an accomodation college, which is on Campus, it's not good. The prices are extortionate, the food is awful, the rooms are small. The only good thing, is that some people study your course at the same place as you so you get a bit of help on subjects you're stuck on, and it's close to the campus. Other than that college accomodation is not good, moving out is much better option, it's cheaper and you have more options available.
No comment really - tho I couldnt compare it with England either..
Jobs. So I handed out 50-100 job applications in the city and residing built-up areas with shopping malls etc etc. And i heard absolutely NOTHING. I have 4 years retail exp, which is a lot when you're looking for a part-time saturday job. They're not interested. The only way i got a job was i knew a man whose daughter worked in a recruitment agency and she got me a job in Optus in the city. They never trained me, underpaid me, organised training sessions without informing me and then crucified me when i didn't turn up and then fired me due to me returning to the U.K. for christmas which they knew when they employed me. The manager there didn't even tell me, she got the agency to ring me up and tell me not to go back. Great staff communication huh?
Again - not yet gone for a job here yet (have 2 children at primary school) but I have to be honest here and think that this experience is prob not an Australian pigeonholed experience, more likely some business owner taking the piss out of a younger worker reliant on a wage.. have had that happen to me when I was younger, tho that was in England..
Shops. Well they have their own brands etc. Things here are a lot more money than the U.K and generally the quality isn't as good. You can say goodbye to primark, top shop, new look, m and s, (any good department store), t k maxx, costco, asda, tesco etc etc. Phone companies are expensive and coverage is awful. Choice of food is bad and expensive. Clothes are the same. T.v. is awful, the only good stuff is the british/american stuff. The radio is good however.
Can not, under any circs, agree with hardly any of these comments! Quality is prob about the same re clothes and such like.. Target reminds me a lot of H&M and Matalan.. actually the clothes i bought my son in H&M before I came out here were sold in Target in Perth.. They are no different in quality in my opinion.. I have bought New Look shoes here in Noosa tho they were sold in Payless Shoes (shop).. I was quite amazed at how similar a lot of the clothes were... I do agree that I miss Asda & Tesco clothes for a cheap alternative.. can't say I agree that they are better in quality tho.. Phone companies are rubbish.. tho with the internet access and ability to ring via different internet companies, can't say I notice much. TV is awful, but then again I like rubbish tv so it suits... OH thinks TV is awful all over! LOL! Radio.. now there we differ... unless you count Hot Tomato on the Gold Coast, yep it is rubbish
There is much less crime, but you know it's going to increase with all the people that are coming, it's like England before we opened the floodgates and we get to watch it all happen again. graffiti is also creeping in. I didn't see any when i came out here 3 years ago, but i see it quite a bit nowadays.
Crime is less here than in the UK for me... of course, it is totally dependant on where you are in Oz and/or the UK..
Doctors, charge you through the roof (and i have medicare). And so do pharmacies.. you have to shop around, because prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.
Docs - I have seen the docs for various things (due to kids etc) and havent had to pay a penny... actually I lie.. I paid an extra 10 bucks when I took my daughter for an x ray on her foot... we have all had eye tests and seen the doctors and never had to pay a thing.. they just "bulk bill it"... have also found a skin cancer place (or been told of one.. am as yet to go there) which bulk bills... plus with travelling around, it was a hell of a lot easier as you just turned up at the medical centre and didnt have all the hassle that you get in the UK of going to a different doc practise than you were regisitered too!
I came back half way through for 3 weeks, and they weren't long enough. I would say that although i have had fun in Australia, as far as i'm concerned it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ok I'm out here by myself away from my family and friends, and i miss them heaps, but i've made a fair judgement on australia by myself. I have met loads of people here and I have lots of friends, I have a boyfriend who is utterly the best, completely supportive of me away from my family, and fingers crossed he'll be coming over to the U.k. to sample my life back home at christmas.
It's the shitty little things that you complain about the most that you miss, sure Australia has it's good points, but I'll never call it home.
I am not trying to contradict what you are saying.. your experience is your experience as is mine xxxx good luck with your future where ever it takes you xxxx
Pommy Babe
The warm weather makes me smile each day.. every day the sun shines, I smile up at the sky and get up with a spring in my step.. yep, it gets unpleasantly warm, but nothing a quick shower wouldnt douse and no, I don't have air-con!
The people are friendly enough, but i wouldn't say neccesarily more relaxed. If you're coming to Australia with the prospect of it being chilled out and relaxed etc... stay where you are. It's facing the globalisation and 21st make-over and upgrade it's been needing but at an incredibly fast rate. Take for instance a local 'town' Hervey Bay about 3 hours north of Brisbane, it's one of the fastest developing places in the World, it's developing faster than China. People who live there don't recognise it anymore, and it's happening all up and down the coast. Everywhere you go they're building, building building, and we all know what the excess people do... just take a look at Britain.
I was in Hervey Bay for a good few weeks and can see where you are coming from, and don't really have a point of view on it.. except that it still is a beautiful place with a beautiful beach.. and is great to get to Frazer Island from there and the whale watching?! Fantastic! Of course, when you have this amount of tourism, yes, you will get the downside which is the renovation and building...
For those thinking to study here: I'm at the University of Queensland studying a dual degree in Commerce and Business Management, the course is ok, most uni subjects are extremely tedious and boring, not as interesting as they sound, and I know people in pretty much every course and they feel exactly the same. There is also the worry that my Australian degree may not hold as much credibility as other degree's ie. English one's. I stay in an accomodation college, which is on Campus, it's not good. The prices are extortionate, the food is awful, the rooms are small. The only good thing, is that some people study your course at the same place as you so you get a bit of help on subjects you're stuck on, and it's close to the campus. Other than that college accomodation is not good, moving out is much better option, it's cheaper and you have more options available.
No comment really - tho I couldnt compare it with England either..
Jobs. So I handed out 50-100 job applications in the city and residing built-up areas with shopping malls etc etc. And i heard absolutely NOTHING. I have 4 years retail exp, which is a lot when you're looking for a part-time saturday job. They're not interested. The only way i got a job was i knew a man whose daughter worked in a recruitment agency and she got me a job in Optus in the city. They never trained me, underpaid me, organised training sessions without informing me and then crucified me when i didn't turn up and then fired me due to me returning to the U.K. for christmas which they knew when they employed me. The manager there didn't even tell me, she got the agency to ring me up and tell me not to go back. Great staff communication huh?
Again - not yet gone for a job here yet (have 2 children at primary school) but I have to be honest here and think that this experience is prob not an Australian pigeonholed experience, more likely some business owner taking the piss out of a younger worker reliant on a wage.. have had that happen to me when I was younger, tho that was in England..
Shops. Well they have their own brands etc. Things here are a lot more money than the U.K and generally the quality isn't as good. You can say goodbye to primark, top shop, new look, m and s, (any good department store), t k maxx, costco, asda, tesco etc etc. Phone companies are expensive and coverage is awful. Choice of food is bad and expensive. Clothes are the same. T.v. is awful, the only good stuff is the british/american stuff. The radio is good however.
Can not, under any circs, agree with hardly any of these comments! Quality is prob about the same re clothes and such like.. Target reminds me a lot of H&M and Matalan.. actually the clothes i bought my son in H&M before I came out here were sold in Target in Perth.. They are no different in quality in my opinion.. I have bought New Look shoes here in Noosa tho they were sold in Payless Shoes (shop).. I was quite amazed at how similar a lot of the clothes were... I do agree that I miss Asda & Tesco clothes for a cheap alternative.. can't say I agree that they are better in quality tho.. Phone companies are rubbish.. tho with the internet access and ability to ring via different internet companies, can't say I notice much. TV is awful, but then again I like rubbish tv so it suits... OH thinks TV is awful all over! LOL! Radio.. now there we differ... unless you count Hot Tomato on the Gold Coast, yep it is rubbish
There is much less crime, but you know it's going to increase with all the people that are coming, it's like England before we opened the floodgates and we get to watch it all happen again. graffiti is also creeping in. I didn't see any when i came out here 3 years ago, but i see it quite a bit nowadays.
Crime is less here than in the UK for me... of course, it is totally dependant on where you are in Oz and/or the UK..
Doctors, charge you through the roof (and i have medicare). And so do pharmacies.. you have to shop around, because prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.
Docs - I have seen the docs for various things (due to kids etc) and havent had to pay a penny... actually I lie.. I paid an extra 10 bucks when I took my daughter for an x ray on her foot... we have all had eye tests and seen the doctors and never had to pay a thing.. they just "bulk bill it"... have also found a skin cancer place (or been told of one.. am as yet to go there) which bulk bills... plus with travelling around, it was a hell of a lot easier as you just turned up at the medical centre and didnt have all the hassle that you get in the UK of going to a different doc practise than you were regisitered too!
I came back half way through for 3 weeks, and they weren't long enough. I would say that although i have had fun in Australia, as far as i'm concerned it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ok I'm out here by myself away from my family and friends, and i miss them heaps, but i've made a fair judgement on australia by myself. I have met loads of people here and I have lots of friends, I have a boyfriend who is utterly the best, completely supportive of me away from my family, and fingers crossed he'll be coming over to the U.k. to sample my life back home at christmas.
It's the shitty little things that you complain about the most that you miss, sure Australia has it's good points, but I'll never call it home.
I am not trying to contradict what you are saying.. your experience is your experience as is mine xxxx good luck with your future where ever it takes you xxxx
Pommy Babe
#5
Account Closed
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,375
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
From the heart PB ... great post.
I can relate to parts of it, not all ...
Good luck with the studies and the part time job ...
I went on the piss for four years at Uni way back and still came out with a 'Desmond' ...
3
I can relate to parts of it, not all ...
Good luck with the studies and the part time job ...
I went on the piss for four years at Uni way back and still came out with a 'Desmond' ...
3
So in Feb this year, I left the not so sunny coast of England for Brisbane Australia, for University (and a part-time job) What have I thought of it so far??
I've put a few points below, all separated by paragraphs so you can flick through at your leisure at what takes your fancy...
The warm weather, well it pisses you off most the time, fans get on your nerves making everything whizz off around the room and I'm in college accomodation so i can't have air-con. It's sticky, humid, makes you feel constantly lethargic, and moody. As well as getting used to the weather I've suffered from the allergies that also come hand-in-hand when acclimatising to a new environment. Every single day i have to have another allergy tablet to keep pretty much every symptom you can imagine, away.
The people are friendly enough, but i wouldn't say neccesarily more relaxed. If you're coming to Australia with the prospect of it being chilled out and relaxed etc... stay where you are. It's facing the globalisation and 21st make-over and upgrade it's been needing but at an incredibly fast rate. Take for instance a local 'town' Hervey Bay about 3 hours north of Brisbane, it's one of the fastest developing places in the World, it's developing faster than China. People who live there don't recognise it anymore, and it's happening all up and down the coast. Everywhere you go they're building, building building, and we all know what the excess people do... just take a look at Britain.
For those thinking to study here: I'm at the University of Queensland studying a dual degree in Commerce and Business Management, the course is ok, most uni subjects are extremely tedious and boring, not as interesting as they sound, and I know people in pretty much every course and they feel exactly the same. There is also the worry that my Australian degree may not hold as much credibility as other degree's ie. English one's. I stay in an accomodation college, which is on Campus, it's not good. The prices are extortionate, the food is awful, the rooms are small. The only good thing, is that some people study your course at the same place as you so you get a bit of help on subjects you're stuck on, and it's close to the campus. Other than that college accomodation is not good, moving out is much better option, it's cheaper and you have more options available.
Jobs. So I handed out 50-100 job applications in the city and residing built-up areas with shopping malls etc etc. And i heard absolutely NOTHING. I have 4 years retail exp, which is a lot when you're looking for a part-time saturday job. They're not interested. The only way i got a job was i knew a man whose daughter worked in a recruitment agency and she got me a job in Optus in the city. They never trained me, underpaid me, organised training sessions without informing me and then crucified me when i didn't turn up and then fired me due to me returning to the U.K. for christmas which they knew when they employed me. The manager there didn't even tell me, she got the agency to ring me up and tell me not to go back. Great staff communication huh?
Shops. Well they have their own brands etc. Things here are a lot more money than the U.K and generally the quality isn't as good. You can say goodbye to primark, top shop, new look, m and s, (any good department store), t k maxx, costco, asda, tesco etc etc. Phone companies are expensive and coverage is awful. Choice of food is bad and expensive. Clothes are the same. T.v. is awful, the only good stuff is the british/american stuff. The radio is good however.
There is much less crime, but you know it's going to increase with all the people that are coming, it's like England before we opened the floodgates and we get to watch it all happen again. graffiti is also creeping in. I didn't see any when i came out here 3 years ago, but i see it quite a bit nowadays.
Doctors, charge you through the roof (and i have medicare). And so do pharmacies.. you have to shop around, because prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.
I came back half way through for 3 weeks, and they weren't long enough. I would say that although i have had fun in Australia, as far as i'm concerned it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ok I'm out here by myself away from my family and friends, and i miss them heaps, but i've made a fair judgement on australia by myself. I have met loads of people here and I have lots of friends, I have a boyfriend who is utterly the best, completely supportive of me away from my family, and fingers crossed he'll be coming over to the U.k. to sample my life back home at christmas.
It's the shitty little things that you complain about the most that you miss, sure Australia has it's good points, but I'll never call it home.
Pommy Babe
I've put a few points below, all separated by paragraphs so you can flick through at your leisure at what takes your fancy...
The warm weather, well it pisses you off most the time, fans get on your nerves making everything whizz off around the room and I'm in college accomodation so i can't have air-con. It's sticky, humid, makes you feel constantly lethargic, and moody. As well as getting used to the weather I've suffered from the allergies that also come hand-in-hand when acclimatising to a new environment. Every single day i have to have another allergy tablet to keep pretty much every symptom you can imagine, away.
The people are friendly enough, but i wouldn't say neccesarily more relaxed. If you're coming to Australia with the prospect of it being chilled out and relaxed etc... stay where you are. It's facing the globalisation and 21st make-over and upgrade it's been needing but at an incredibly fast rate. Take for instance a local 'town' Hervey Bay about 3 hours north of Brisbane, it's one of the fastest developing places in the World, it's developing faster than China. People who live there don't recognise it anymore, and it's happening all up and down the coast. Everywhere you go they're building, building building, and we all know what the excess people do... just take a look at Britain.
For those thinking to study here: I'm at the University of Queensland studying a dual degree in Commerce and Business Management, the course is ok, most uni subjects are extremely tedious and boring, not as interesting as they sound, and I know people in pretty much every course and they feel exactly the same. There is also the worry that my Australian degree may not hold as much credibility as other degree's ie. English one's. I stay in an accomodation college, which is on Campus, it's not good. The prices are extortionate, the food is awful, the rooms are small. The only good thing, is that some people study your course at the same place as you so you get a bit of help on subjects you're stuck on, and it's close to the campus. Other than that college accomodation is not good, moving out is much better option, it's cheaper and you have more options available.
Jobs. So I handed out 50-100 job applications in the city and residing built-up areas with shopping malls etc etc. And i heard absolutely NOTHING. I have 4 years retail exp, which is a lot when you're looking for a part-time saturday job. They're not interested. The only way i got a job was i knew a man whose daughter worked in a recruitment agency and she got me a job in Optus in the city. They never trained me, underpaid me, organised training sessions without informing me and then crucified me when i didn't turn up and then fired me due to me returning to the U.K. for christmas which they knew when they employed me. The manager there didn't even tell me, she got the agency to ring me up and tell me not to go back. Great staff communication huh?
Shops. Well they have their own brands etc. Things here are a lot more money than the U.K and generally the quality isn't as good. You can say goodbye to primark, top shop, new look, m and s, (any good department store), t k maxx, costco, asda, tesco etc etc. Phone companies are expensive and coverage is awful. Choice of food is bad and expensive. Clothes are the same. T.v. is awful, the only good stuff is the british/american stuff. The radio is good however.
There is much less crime, but you know it's going to increase with all the people that are coming, it's like England before we opened the floodgates and we get to watch it all happen again. graffiti is also creeping in. I didn't see any when i came out here 3 years ago, but i see it quite a bit nowadays.
Doctors, charge you through the roof (and i have medicare). And so do pharmacies.. you have to shop around, because prices vary from pharmacy to pharmacy.
I came back half way through for 3 weeks, and they weren't long enough. I would say that although i have had fun in Australia, as far as i'm concerned it's not all it's cracked up to be. Ok I'm out here by myself away from my family and friends, and i miss them heaps, but i've made a fair judgement on australia by myself. I have met loads of people here and I have lots of friends, I have a boyfriend who is utterly the best, completely supportive of me away from my family, and fingers crossed he'll be coming over to the U.k. to sample my life back home at christmas.
It's the shitty little things that you complain about the most that you miss, sure Australia has it's good points, but I'll never call it home.
Pommy Babe
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 205
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
"Target reminds me a lot of H&M" - ha ha ding dong you are havin a laugh. Australia has without doubt the blandest clothes shops on the planet. Think entire shopping complexes with just Next and River Island except with myriad different aussie brand names.
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 205
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Weather is better in Sydney - Queensland is too hot and humid. In Sydney at least you get winters and jacket weather but without the 265 days of drissle like you get in the UK.
PS. On the economy Australia probably has a more leveraged property market than the UK. Everything in Australia always happens years later than Europe. The credit crunch is starting to hit now. They're going to be gutted when they hear the Beatle broke up!
PS. On the economy Australia probably has a more leveraged property market than the UK. Everything in Australia always happens years later than Europe. The credit crunch is starting to hit now. They're going to be gutted when they hear the Beatle broke up!
#9
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: Sydney, Australia, but home to EU in 2009 for good!
Posts: 514
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Mikey
#10
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Excellent post from the heart PB - of course you are going to get folk who dont see things the way you do but I must say that I agree with a whole lot of what you say and I have been here for considerably longer and travelled very widely. My kids went through Aussie universities and would agree with you there too.
Your experience of the job situation is very common - this is definitely a not what you know but who you know place - hope you eventually find something that is not going to rip you off as an employee!!!
Your experience of the job situation is very common - this is definitely a not what you know but who you know place - hope you eventually find something that is not going to rip you off as an employee!!!
#11
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 371
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Everyone who is saying the quality of clothes is lower is an idiot. Every bloody thing is made in China across the entire world! I have traveled across the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe as well as Southern Africa and EVERYWHERE is the label made in China. You are all fools if you think otherwise.
All the other points is just bloody opinion so not worthy of a detailed reply.
All the other points is just bloody opinion so not worthy of a detailed reply.
#12
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,821
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Em x
#13
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Good post PB i happen to agree with pretty much everything you said
Lee
Lee
#14
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Sorry to hear it's not to your liking and you've had bad experiences. I can say my experiences have been very much the opposite - never can tell. For us, I think it's boiled down to location and luck
#15
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 8,913
Re: 9 months in.... solo...
Thanks for sharing, good honest post.
Good luck with your future plans.
Good luck with your future plans.