Originally Posted by wholeworldwindow

Yeh, he's not allowed his traditional goatie! He tried to grow a full beard over his 2 weeks off at Christmas - but the boss didn't like it and told him he had to shave it off! Do you know what was sad though.....on the actual graduation day he woke up in the morning with an absess - and his face was all swollen for the graduation. I'm now calling him Constable Chipmunk!
lol!

Originally Posted by wholeworldwindow

OK. An honest view point of the not so rich and famous! We migrated to Gold Coast area almost 2 years ago. We came with 12 FULLY loaded suitcases and $11,000. 2 kids under 10 but with all the positive vibes in the world. We also brought camera equiptment with us to fall back on wedding videos if all else failed. (which we start in a few weeks!) We got down to our last 69 cents! Then hubby got a job in retail. He was a bouncer for 5 years in UK, a cameraman for 1 year and a full time dad for 2. As some of you know - I had 7 p/t jobs in UK, doing lecturing at Uni, youth work, tv work, teaching toddlers music, singing lessons and sold all we owned on e-bay 4 years prior to the move. 2 years down the line and we are still "just" surviving. Hubby has a full time job in retail, he pulls in only $520 a week and I work 3 days as a Media Co-ordinator/Back up Director for a Kindy and pull in $380 a week. $100 a month on mobile phone, $300 a month on food, $100 odds on elec, $100 on telephone bill and we had to get loans to buy cars $400 a month for loans. Trust me - little is left every single bloody week. Our rent is $290 a week for a 3 bedroom house up the mountain. No frills, but lucky for us the steepness of the drive was too high to use as a double garage - so we have a fabby large living room and a balcony. Not posh ...but feels like a home. And we just ADORE living up here. We would buy it tommorrow if we could. Worked on a famous TV show here 12 hour a day shifts - through hell every day - had a team of 12 underneath me and had some MAJOR responsibilities - I got $15 an hour for that job! The job I do now have training & meetings once a month, we don't get paid for that, Christmas dinner - we have to pay for, no bonuses, no frills. We are currenly in a rush period and are expected to work around an extra hour each day over what we are paid for. 1st job ever that we got our Christmas and new year pay late instead of early! I like the job, but there is no respect or loyalty here. They truly use and abuse here and that works both ways - the staff treat the job disrespectully too - but that seems to be common here. Hubby and I both had to start casual positions - which means you are on-call for shifts and if they don't want you, they don't call.....so you can never plan to do anything as as soon as you do you'll be called in. I have a small business too now, but trying to convice Aussies to give a new idea a go is hard. They generally think about things for a long time and are in no rush to make decisions - you need to badger them to remember who you are. Possibly only my area of business but I don't think so.
All I am trying to get over is that, it is friggin hard to come with no money. Hubby has applied for the police force - I pray he gets it. That would suit him to a tee. I really like my job, but just it is expected and taken for granted that you have to give so very much. Gold Coast working life if pretty hard going for those in unusual areas or not in easily transferrrable higher paid jobs. I was hopeing to buy a home here as we never owned one in UK. Hubby is 40, me 36 - unless we get a real good breakthrough soon, it's not going to happen - as we would have to pay at least double our rent on a mortgage. Not like in UK where it's cheaper to buy! I can't understand how people buy and rent out here - rental is by far cheaper! Had to put my camera in the pawn today as the kids start school on Monday and we havn't got uniform or books yet! The owner knows us well now, lol! But it's kept us ticking over - borrow from Peter to pay Paul. SOOO NOT looking for sympathy, just wanted to tell how it is for the other side of the coin. So many on here have finances to back up their move. Please don't bother with negitivity either - he made our choices and I do not regrett one minute of this beautiful place. We were in a housing estate in UK and have such a better standard of living here....with sun too! Yippeee
Truly, my whole family love it here to bits. Wouldn't dream of going back. I have a reoccuring dream that I go back to visit my parents and I can't get back to OZ and I awaken with such sadness, before I open the curtains and look at the parots and breath a huge sigh of relief! Just is hard is all! Harder than I had hoped!

Originally Posted by ROSEBABE

hi have just read what you had written, my hubby and i and two kids 9 & 8 are hoping to return to oz this year , we lived there for 2and half years 10 year ago, i left oz when i was 31 wks preg, we had visa to return but we never did so we had apply all over again, we know what its like to live & work there but when we were there i didnt really take any interest in the schools. can you give me any high and lows about the schools out there, my son is mild dyslexic and has one to one for a small amount of time in the morning, how are they with things like that, i have heard different things. is it better for sport wise in their timetable, anything you can tell me about school would be great, r u able to send it to my private messages, only just getting the hang of this website. i'm really pleased for you that u worked so hard and stuck it out, i was very homesick and made my hubby come home, now we both want to return, good on you for sticking it out in hard times. rosebabe.

Originally Posted by mr luvpants

Hows your hubby getting on now? Joining the police is one of my options and I would be interested in knowing how he got on please?

JOHN

Originally Posted by mr luvpants

hi. I understand that you have to have some sort of education before you even apply for the QP. What did your husband have or did he do the intensive police diploma courses that I have sen advertised?

JOHN

Originally Posted by wholeworldwindow

Hello,
He really likes it. Loads of paperwork and huge learning curve, but well worth it. He's 1/2 way through his 1st year constable now.

Originally Posted by Bubsblooms

I would just like to say thank you so much for taking the time to write your post - I was thinking it was all an unachievable dream being very much in the same boat you were when you set out - but positivity it seems is almost enough! You should think about writing (as someone said along the way) I actually had goosebumps at times reading about you and yours.
I can honestly say that my attitude has changed since trawling through the 180+ posts in this thread and I am so going to just go for it! If you took the plunge with your two boys I think we can with our little girls........after all they will still have their parents and what an adventure
Yup, 2009 just around the corner, new life before the end of it
Many, many thanks and many congrats in getting the absolute most from your lot!
Emma

Originally Posted by wholeworldwindow

OK. An honest view point of the not so rich and famous! We migrated to Gold Coast area almost 2 years ago. We came with 12 FULLY loaded suitcases and $11,000. 2 kids under 10 but with all the positive vibes in the world. We also brought camera equiptment with us to fall back on wedding videos if all else failed. (which we start in a few weeks!) We got down to our last 69 cents! Then hubby got a job in retail. He was a bouncer for 5 years in UK, a cameraman for 1 year and a full time dad for 2. As some of you know - I had 7 p/t jobs in UK, doing lecturing at Uni, youth work, tv work, teaching toddlers music, singing lessons and sold all we owned on e-bay 4 years prior to the move. 2 years down the line and we are still "just" surviving. Hubby has a full time job in retail, he pulls in only $520 a week and I work 3 days as a Media Co-ordinator/Back up Director for a Kindy and pull in $380 a week. $100 a month on mobile phone, $300 a month on food, $100 odds on elec, $100 on telephone bill and we had to get loans to buy cars $400 a month for loans. Trust me - little is left every single bloody week. Our rent is $290 a week for a 3 bedroom house up the mountain. No frills, but lucky for us the steepness of the drive was too high to use as a double garage - so we have a fabby large living room and a balcony. Not posh ...but feels like a home. And we just ADORE living up here. We would buy it tommorrow if we could. Worked on a famous TV show here 12 hour a day shifts - through hell every day - had a team of 12 underneath me and had some MAJOR responsibilities - I got $15 an hour for that job! The job I do now have training & meetings once a month, we don't get paid for that, Christmas dinner - we have to pay for, no bonuses, no frills. We are currenly in a rush period and are expected to work around an extra hour each day over what we are paid for. 1st job ever that we got our Christmas and new year pay late instead of early! I like the job, but there is no respect or loyalty here. They truly use and abuse here and that works both ways - the staff treat the job disrespectully too - but that seems to be common here. Hubby and I both had to start casual positions - which means you are on-call for shifts and if they don't want you, they don't call.....so you can never plan to do anything as as soon as you do you'll be called in. I have a small business too now, but trying to convice Aussies to give a new idea a go is hard. They generally think about things for a long time and are in no rush to make decisions - you need to badger them to remember who you are. Possibly only my area of business but I don't think so.
All I am trying to get over is that, it is friggin hard to come with no money. Hubby has applied for the police force - I pray he gets it. That would suit him to a tee. I really like my job, but just it is expected and taken for granted that you have to give so very much. Gold Coast working life if pretty hard going for those in unusual areas or not in easily transferrrable higher paid jobs. I was hopeing to buy a home here as we never owned one in UK. Hubby is 40, me 36 - unless we get a real good breakthrough soon, it's not going to happen - as we would have to pay at least double our rent on a mortgage. Not like in UK where it's cheaper to buy! I can't understand how people buy and rent out here - rental is by far cheaper! Had to put my camera in the pawn today as the kids start school on Monday and we havn't got uniform or books yet! The owner knows us well now, lol! But it's kept us ticking over - borrow from Peter to pay Paul. SOOO NOT looking for sympathy, just wanted to tell how it is for the other side of the coin. So many on here have finances to back up their move. Please don't bother with negitivity either - he made our choices and I do not regrett one minute of this beautiful place. We were in a housing estate in UK and have such a better standard of living here....with sun too! Yippeee
Truly, my whole family love it here to bits. Wouldn't dream of going back. I have a reoccuring dream that I go back to visit my parents and I can't get back to OZ and I awaken with such sadness, before I open the curtains and look at the parots and breath a huge sigh of relief! Just is hard is all! Harder than I had hoped!