Would you pay £20k for a year in Sydney?

[DilemmaDame]

Not an AIBU but a WWYD.

Have NC’d for this as very outing.

No kids (and don't want any)

29 and 31

Married

One of us has a City-type job; one of us has a media-type job.

Own two properties in London: one flat (rented to long-term tenant) and one house (would rent out if accepted posting)

Together currently earn £165,000

Spouse with City-type job has been offered 12 – 24 month posting to Sydney with right of return to UK (would slot back into same role / position / team).

Should be good career-wise (expanding network, new work, new challenges, fresh environment)

Company would cover both spouses’ flights (at start and end of posting), shipping allowance for personal possessions, apartment for 2 weeks while a rental is sorted out, but no other benefits / perks.

The catch is that spouse with City-type job would need to accept a drop in salary (£20k p.a.) for duration of stay in Sydney.

Mortgages back in UK can still be covered easily, and there would still be plenty to live on and to enjoy a nice lifestyle with, but £20k is a huge sum of money.

If you were me / us, WWYD?

Go.

You’re reducing your salary from £165,000 to £145,000.

Go you lucky thing!

How much would you be living on in Australian dollars? Do you have any plans for having children (ie would the trip impact the capacity to take maternity leave in a few years time for the trailing spouse, or mean their career was behind?)? I'd probably go for it but am adventurous and loved moving to new places when I was younger (and now live in Sydney, which is fabulous but very very expensive).

Go - as long as you can find employment too.

@Microwavey City-Spouse's salary (gross) in AUD would be $170,000. No idea how tax etc in Aus works and likewise no idea how UK rental tax works (not got that far yet, but appreciate that those factors will impact the actual financial loss).

Other spouse currently earns ~£45,000. Would be on same in Aus. I think that's AUD 80,000?

Sorry one important point i forgot to mention. There's no 'trailing spouse' in this scenario - no impact on the media career. Would just carry on from new location (temporarily).

My dh was on $150k salary in Perth WA. Only on his own as dd1 was 3mo at the time. We struggled tbh.
Rent was $600 per week.
Out of that was bills etc, and we struggled.
Do your calculations for living expenses first.

So, just to be clear, both of you can work there, and slot right back into jobs here ?
In which case of course - go.
You aren't 'spending £20K at all, you are taking a pay cut from an already enormous salary for one year.

Thank you @Longdistance.

Spouse with media-career would be earning too (so apx AUD 250 / 260k combined), so i know we would be fine.

@BackforGood - i know, sorry i was trying to come up with a snazzy AIBU title. It is woefully inaccurate, i accept.

And yes i realise we are very fortunate, and would continue to be without the drop in salary, it is more that my parents think we are absolutely bonkers for even considering this, so i would like more views.

*would continue to be even with the drop in salary.

Sorry - long day!

Yes. You are able to live an incredibly wealthy lifestyle and experience an entirely new life with minimal disruption for a year.

Living the dream.

Go

Sydney is a great city

I'd check what your money can get you first. Sydney is a veeeeeery expensive city, overall more expensive than London I think. Don't assume it's like for like.

I’d go. Life is about experiences.

Yes. I would. What brilliant jobs do you have to earn so much!

Plus if you already own a house and a flat what else do you want to buy!

I'd go but then I'e already been and loved it. But it is hot and there are spiders!

Is media-career spouse able to get a work visa? If not you would probably struggle to live a nice life in Sydney.

media-spouse would get a work visa through City-spouse's company.

Go. I don't think for one minute you'd regret it.

It all depends on how much you want to live in Australia - some people are willing to give up a good career/salary here for the lifestyle benefits there, others would want a full expat package to make the move worth their while. You're the only people that can figure where on the spectrum you are.
You say it'll be good career-wise but are concerned about the financial impact - will the career advancement benefits mitigate against the drop in salary? In some companies it's easier to have noticeable impact and promotions abroad than working up through the ranks here. Inportantly, on return, will the U.K. role match or exceed the leaving role in Australia? (Some companies repatriate people to their original role, ignoring career advancement while abroad). And also, will the salary on return match what it would have risen to or will it be pegged to 2018?
Personally, I would go. Sydney is massively expensive but since you're both earning, with no dependents, it should be more than doable, and a lot of fun.

Thank you @Splishy those are excellent points which i had not considered. Salary on return will be what it would have been as if City-spouse had not left. Not sure about the rest of what you say. Very interesting.

Sydney is an amazing city! You'll have a brilliant time.
Life isn't just about money, it's the wonder of the journey that's most important.

Probably not. Sydney is hardly amazing. Not bad, good for an Australian city but no better than London. Rent there is very high so you would probably struggle to afford to really enjoy Australia properly (involves a lot of travel really). If you are upper middle class/upper class there is also a good chance that you will find Australians hard to tolerate, they are extremely rude by upper class British standards. If you are middle middle and down you will definitely notice that they are rude, you will become very exasperated by it, but if you are living a sufficiently laid back life style will be able to tolerate it. If you have a fear of spiders then absolutely don't go to Sydney (don't google the kinds of spiders you can find there). Same goes for cockroaches. Sydney is infested with both due to climate. While Sydney/most of Australia has a great climate I much prefer Britain. Sydeney is too expensive/overcrowded for the Australian outdoorsy lifestyle everybody imagines for that you would want a smaller city. Yet it is too small to provide the cultural interests that you would be accustomed to in London. It's just a warmer, smaller version of London full of a ruder, less cultured version of the kinds of people you tend to find in London. I really don't see the point,

Yes, go. Rent out your 2nd place. Just go. It’s only temporary- when these opportunities come up and you’re free to do so, then take it!! Best wishes!

I'm struggling to see a downside here!

$250000-$280000 is plenty for a child free couple to live a very nice life in Sydney. I think people on here sometimes overstate how expensive Sydney is - I have lived in both Sydney and London and if anything found London more expensive.

It sounds like you can both work here with no interruption to your careers.

Go for it!

Are you happy in London?

What appeals to you about Sydney?

Usually relocations are for career benefit/ greater salary. Unless I had a particular desire to live elsewhere I wouldn't uproot myself for this long to take a pay cut. That's a lot of upheaval and you're paying for it?

Can you negotiate a better deal to include regular flights back to the UK?