To want to move to Australia ? Need advice

[maxbradbury]

Cannot find suitable forum so posting here because of high traffic.

DH is a qualified gas engineer and we are considering a move to Australia. I dont know anybody who has done this and would like to know if anybody has done this or knows someone who has so i can get a insite of life there such as cost of living, lifestyle, education and how easy it is to get a job. Any helpful comment appreciated.

DH and I spent a number of years there when we were in our twenties. We own a house there so still have ties as well as friends there. It was a fun part of my life but I felt uncomfortable with attitudes towards the indigenous people. I encountered so much casual racism, it never failed to shock me.

Oh I was thinking of Gas engineers like in the big plants where they refine it. Yes gas fitters don't translate ad aren't visa eligible for US

agree with mang the casual racisim is like it was here in the 70's is it shocking do not express sympathy for indigenous people unless you like a good argument

i lived there for a year and had a great time it has lots to offer but i did miss culture not something i thought about before i went. if you can go and leave your options open here do so. i find out of sydney it is like being in a time warp at times

I have been for 2 extended trips to oz. I wouldn't live there. My friend moved to Perth 2 years ago. She was ready to pack her bags every day. She is settled now but weeks like this week when both her children have been seriously ill and in hospital make it hit home how far away she is. I can reitterate how expensive everything is, dental care, food, toiletries, visiting the doctor, school, clothes, books etc. You need a very good wage. I think everyone is under the impression that life will automatically better down under. This is not the case. You are still the same people with the same issues but you are chucked into a world where you don't know anyone. I hated the racism towards aboriginal people. They are treated as worse than acumen. I don't like how English families tend to hang out together. What is the point in moving around the other side of the world for that? You end up up with friends and family members treating you as a b&b for months at a time which is great at first but can you imagine doing that kind of hospitality for the third time each year? My friend can't afford T9 holuday back to UK until 2014 or 2015.

Acumen is scum! Bloody phone.

Also meant to say my friends daughter hates talking to her grandparents or to her uncle etc on Skype or on the phone. She has to be forced to do this so her grandparents 'see' her. Very hard on gps and on a 5 year old.

We must have passed each other quite a few times echt! Where in Melbourne are you? We were in Brighton, yes a crime-free bubble I know. But I miss it soooo much. I even dream I am flying back! The Dandenongs, Yarra boat trips. Never saw the Great Coast Road. But Ricketts Point made up for it I guess!

Why do you want to move there? Think really, really hard about that. Plenty of expat forums will give you ideas of the practicalities, jobsites will give you salary ranges. Bear in mind that city living is expensive in terms of housing costs, would you live more rurally?

In my experience it's a lovely place generally but it has flaws like anywhere else. We are moving for family, weather and a belief that my children would enjoy growing up there.

re the cost of living you really do need to be on a decent wage, as depending on where you live you can be looking at a very high rent. and also it is expensive to entertain the kids as well.

Mind you if its somewhere in brisbane or gold coast theres always the theme park yearly passes which does make it cheap for a day when ever you want, and there are some awesome parks and muesums and free events as well.

The only things I would say to someone considering such a move is -

1. it's a hell of a long way away. I know that's self evident but think about how you will feel when a close family member is seriously ill and it's a day's flight (at least) to get back.
2. move for positive reasons, not negative. Again self evident but it's amazing the number of people who move because they "hate the uk" and don't realise that they're migrating to a similar culture. Move because you want to live in the new place.

Oh and Australia's hot, dusty and full of spiders - come to NZ instead :-)

I live in Perth but I am Australian. I have lived in the UK, US and various other parts of the world so I am reasonably travelled. I adore it here but it is my home. It's bloody expensive though. However the job market is incredibly bouyant (there is in fact a skills shortage and not enough people for the jobs) and the weather is fantastic. It's winter still and we have sunny days of 22 degrees all the time. The summer is hot but the sea breeze usually cools it down. For me, it's the lifestyle you can have here that is so appealing particularly with children. Beaches, parks, bike riding etc, all year around without generally having to worry about the weather.

However, it is isolated and is behind the US and UK in things like online shopping etc. However, it's improving and there are heaps of new restaurants and bars etc opening in Perth.

It is expensive though and rent in particular is expensive, so be prepared for that. Happy to answer any questions....

Well, I've never been to Aus, but know a lot of people who have moved down there in the past few years. I'm in Ireland, so we have the reciprocal working holiday programme. Do you have similar in the UK? Then, if you both are under 35, you could both go on a 1 year working holiday visa. There are restrictions as to the types of work you can do on this programme, though. I know another poster already mentioned this, but www.immi.gov.au/ would be a good place to start.

Some of my mates love Australia, have been sponsored by the companies that they work for, and are planning on staying there indefinately. Some have hated it, and returned home after a couple months. You will have to do lots of research and work out if it is for you. Also, bear in mind that the wages sound great, but the cost of living is very high. Finally, as PPs have said, go to Australia because you want to go there, not because you want to get away from here (wherever your 'here' is). Seriously. I have worked with people coming to Ireland on 1 yr working hol visas, and the ones who really settled in and enjoyed it were the ones who genuinely wanted to come to Ireland. The ones just wanting to be somewhere that wasn't where they came from generally struggled and didn't last.

ooh, emmyloo, a very close friend of mine recently moved to Perth and is completely in love with it. She was dubious about going, but her DH's company relocated him and she didn't want to be thousands of miles away from him, so she went. She is loving every second of it (and now I am extremely jealous and planning an imminent trip to Perth to visit her ). I know lots of people in Sydney (most Irish people seem to go there), she is the first person I know to go to Perth, but she really raves about it... And her photos from the beach make me with envy!!

I moved to Australia four years ago and have just become a citizen.

I absolutely love it. The paperwork / application process is onerous. You need a good migration agent. Try George Lombard (google him - he really is very good and worth every penny, his bedside manner isn't great though and he is expensive).

Try www.britishexpats.com and select the Australia forums. Every thing you will ever need to know about migrating to Australia can be found there.

Hope this helps.

emmyloo where abouts in Perth are you? I'm near Rockingham. I moved here just over 3 years ago and love it. Yes some things are more expensive but once you stop comparing the prices and remember you are being paid in $, it's not so bad. The weather is fab( Saturday sunny and 22! and its winter!) WA is a growing state and skilled jobs are always up for grabs. Would you like him to be a 'Fly in fly out'( FIFO). With theses jobs your oh spends 1-4 weeks away and then has 1-2 weeks home. The pay package to begin with doesn't look that good but my frind who has only high school education is on $120,000 a year. he works 1 week on, one week off. look at Rio Tinto website.
Are you close to your family? Do they help with child care? Are you the kind of person who can ask for help? I am and have had to esp when ds2 had surgery only 2.5 mths after arriving here and I needed someone to pick ds1 up from school for a couple of hours.
Theres less people around so not so many traffic jams. Beaches aren't always busy when the sun comes out.! People will say Perth is so isolated ( which it is) but when was the last time you went away for the weekend( more than a 2 hour drive?). I have kids sports, birthday parties etc to worry about rather than jet setting to another city/country. And I love camping so we've travelled 6 hours north and 4 hours south of us and we haven't explored everything here yet.
Good luck. Remeber it also cost to come out here with visa's , medicals, moving here, flights etc

Hey OP,

I've been in Australia five years now - I'm not in one of the 'usual' cities, though. It's taken me all this time to feel at home ... but I don't regret a single minute.

Money-wise, the exchange rate has really skewed against the Pound in recent years, so if you are transferring money you won't get a great rate like previously...

And then the cost of living is indeed high, however, housing is so much cheaper (in my experience, though that seems to be contrary to others and I guess it depends from where in the UK you come out from) so it can balance out.

Lifestyle is second to none - beaches, wineries, walks, great lifestyle for children - and there are many more "liveable" days per year than in the UK; lots of sunshine and space.

Not sure about education - all I know is that many more children are privately educated out here because it's much cheaper than UK.

Jobs are pretty easy to get - Australia is riding out the GFC much better than many other Western countries.

But like other posters have said, please consider carefully your reasons for leaving, and that there are enough pull rather than push factors. I came here with "Aus is great, UK is rubbish" attitude, and have had to adjust to the rubbish bits of Aus (racism etc, distance from home, particularly when you need to get back and can't) and missing the great bits about UK (including, but not limited, to: family/friends, proximity to other places, sense of personal history)

I would also say to make sure it's what you both really want - please don't underestimate the importance of that. This wasn't an issue in my case but I have seen it be an issue for too many expats for it not to be a critical factor.

Much of it I would say comes down to personal attitude and determination to make the move a success.

Check out seek.com.au / careerone.com.au / realestate.com.au to do some comparisons of wages/housing costs.

Please feel free to PM me if you like.

I am an Australian who spent a good 10 years exploring the world.

I have seen many things and experienced many cultures and there is nowhere I would rather be than Sydney.

The only downside for me is the cost of living, it is very very expensive.

I manage entire days without being racist to anyone!

I'm in Perth too.

There's a world of difference between a gas fitter and a gas engineer so he needs to be clear on his CV what it is he is offering.

We live in Nedlands which is pricing and currently have one income and its a struggle tbh.
Food is our biggest expense, alongside setting up home, buying new everything.
But so far so good, Perth is the 3-5 year plan, we will end up in Sydney I think.

I am with you Morloth!

I get really cranky about the racist comments. I can honestly say, in the four years I have been here, I have never met anybody who is racist!

Quite the opposite in fact. The Australians I have met have, without fail, been accepting of a multitude of different nationalities/cultures etc. The children are taught a fundamental respect of Aboriginal Culture at school and I have learned more about local culture by just listening to those around me than I ever learned in my 15 years in the UK.

My first day walking down the terrace in Perth I saw a white guy being racially abused by Aboriginals, didn't see that coming.

I have recently returned home to a neighbouring country to Oz not very cryptic with my UK-born family and have had massive reverse culture shock. We have moved to a city we know better to mitigate that, but still miss the UK like crazy.

They say it takes at least two years to settle anywhere new so we know we need to give it a bit more time.

As a result of us moving with young pre-school children, just one of us is earning at the moment - me - my salary is $120,000.00 which is more or less £60,000.00 and ludicrous as it sounds, we are - well, not struggling - but living payday-to-payday. We have a iron-tight budget that we stick to, with every last penny accounted for, and have absolutely no money left over for savings or emergencies at all.

Without giving in to the temptation to put on my rose-tinted specs, life seemed so much easier and more comfortable, even in lovely, 'expensive' London, where we lived before we came out here.

The cost of living is ludicrous, and even 15 months after we arrived, we're still shocked on a daily basis at the cost of things.

Oh, and just as an aside... I'm not Australian and certainly have no need to stick up for them, but please... casual racism is alive and well in the UK, and on this very forum every day. I am constantly shocked by some of the things British people come out with, that they resolutely see nothing wrong with - the recent 'black athletes' thread being a total case in point. Tempting as it might be to want to take the moral high ground on this front, it's simply not justified.

Your comments about George Lombard made me spit my wine iMoniker (just had a lovely wine fuelled outdoor lunch with girlfriends on a beautiful sunny Sydney Winter's day). We used him too and so true.

You need British Expats OP - there is quite a protectionist system of licensing here for a lot of trades and even people who manage to get visas are often in the position of having to "retrain" despite many years of experience to have the correct piece of paper before they can work, so you really need to do your homework.

We were planning to move to Oz. I'm both a teacher and nurse, DH teacher. It would have been very easy to get a job but when we did our research we realised we would struggle financially and be paying a mortgage forever. My friend moved out few years ago and has a great life but h DH earning over £100k equivalent.
So we decided lets just have a holiday there but come home to uk and now we are happy. The indecision was terrible for a few years though.

Sorry NurseBernard but I do think it is justified. Not just the casual racism (I've never faced derogatory comments for being from mediterranean descent from anywhere except Australia) but the outright racism towards the indigenous population. It is very recent, and I know that many Australians think the only thing wrong with their policies were that they stopped them. At the Olympics, a Welsh athlete ran around with a Welsh flag when she won. This would be greeted with a huge outcry in Australia (look at the chap with the aboriginal flag t-shirt as an example). Even though the aboriginal people were there first.

I'm critical of racism in the UK too. I'm not saying it is perfect at all. There's racism around the world. I am more critical of the Australians failure to take ownership of their racism.

I do get a bit fed up with it and yes the 'Black Athletes' thread was pretty shocking, the only time I have been racially abused was in London, where I was called a "Paki", which was a woeful indictment on the British education system as they were not even in the right hemisphere.