To relocate to Australia?

[sadandconfused23]

I've been offered a role in my company in Australia (I'm in north east England now) - same company, nearly double what I'm on now. I've just come out of (or at least tried to - it's been hard) a difficult relationship with addiction involved. I'm utterly broken by it. I have a son whose other parent is 50/50 but has said he's happy for me to go for a fixed period (between 1-2 years). I've stayed in his home town since we split to allow easy co parenting but I never meant to stay here long term.

Can I leave? All I want to do is run away and the job offer and quality of life would be amazing but I'm not sure if it's fair on my son. Everything I've seen says children have a fantastic life there. The job move is fantastic and will set me up for a much better one when I come back.

If you're working from home 4 days a week in an Airbnb, aren't you going to feel isolated? It's not the same as being in a bustling office. You'll be home alone whilst your DS is in bed at 8 or 9pm. How is it going to be different from your life in the NE?

Plenty of kids have great lives in the UK, they get outdoors and have sporting opportunities. You say you want to run away. From what? To what?

She will only be in Airbnb “for a while” while she sorts somewhere to live.

The only sticking point for me would be the trips away to Singapore etc you may have to take and leaving your ds to do so , is this something you can find out more about in terms of how frequent this would be ?

other than that this sounds amazing , the sort of opportunity I frequently day dream about happening to me 😂

a supportive ex and the low risk in terms of the fact the job is there waiting for you and you can come home at the end and pick back up where you left off in the uk work wise I don’t think you can get much more “secure” than this in terms of making a big move abroad

I was born in England, moved to Australia as a child. I can honestly say I've never been treated as an immigrant. We had loads of friends growing up, even though we didn't completely lose our accents. I've never been made to feel unwelcome 🤷‍♀️

Contrary to opinion up thread, Ibuprofen is actually cheaper in Australia than it is in England

No way would i leave an 8 year old.
Utterly selfish to do so.

reading comprehension on this site is often so atrocious.

I'm a Mancunian living in Sydney for the past 12 years.

Do it. The quality of life in incomparable. I've emigrated before but it was a non English speaking country and that was tough.
In Aus you'll fit right in in no time.

Quite often I am walking to my office and looking at Sydney opera house, or chilling at a beach in bondi on a Sunday afternoon, and can't quite believe my lucky stars. But yes it's very expensive here and took me a while to get to v comfortable living wage. My husband is in tech and you'll get paid very well here.

As someone pointed out, it's very hard to get into private schools. Our 7 months old baby is about to get onto 5 waiting lists
(You mentioned an overnight Melbourne nannies, if you need a good recommendation I have one )

Good luck, and please go.

It sounds like a great opportunity. Maybe his Dad will look at moving out there as well if he likes it when he visits.
Even for a couple of years it would be an exciting thing for an 8 year old.

Sounds great, an adventure for you and your son, go for it!

Do make sure you get tax advice, esp about things like whether you can transfer your super to a qualifying super fund in the UK when you leave.

I went to Australia when I was 8 for a year. It worked out v well on the whole. I would go. It could be just the break your son needs.

Has your ex checked remote working with his company? Working abroad has tax implications, it's not as easy as just working remotely from a different country

100% go for it! What a gift for your son: broadening his cultural and social horizons, letting him experience a different way of life and make potentially lifelong friends. I've lived in several different countries with my son. His very best friend in the world is a boy he met at age three when we living in the US. We've stayed in touch, and the boys catch up in various countries when we can all make it work. Eight years after meeting, we're currently planning a catch up in New Zealand!
I have loved the different chapters of my life spent in different countries/cities/cultures. Absolutely go for it. I'm assuming you'll be on a decent tech salary ($200k+) so don't worry too much about cost of living. My DH is in tech; we are waaaaaaay better off down under than we have been anywhere else.

Wanted to say thank you so much for all the advice here... flights are booked 😵 terrified and excited in equal measure. Will re read for all advice once I'm the other side of the world

🥳🥳🥳

Good luck OP with your new life.

Oh my goodness Im so excited for you OP!!!! Congratulations and wish you all the best of luck and enjoy the next adventure in your life 😁💐🍾🥳

Exciting!! All the best, update us from time to time😀

I wanna go with you! Yes yes let us know how you do. Whatever happens, you tried!

Fantastic news 🥳

You must give an update once you're settled.

Bon voyage ✈️

Ah, sweet!

Good luck to you and your son on your new and happier life.

Report back, if having a wobbly once arrived, or if have any questions about the ways of Australia.

Excited for you! You are going to love it!

How exciting? Where abouts are you going to be living?

Seems a very short time form making the decision to getting on flights!
There are lots of expat groups to support your move and local area ones as well - am in Manly if you need anything

I would maybe go for 6 months, but 2 years is far too long to me. It would really negatively impact your son's relationship with his dad, plus his friendships.

Anyone who calls Australia a 'cultural desert' knows fuck all about Australia and shouldn't comment. Obviously didn't spend very much time educating themselves on Indigenous history or art, or visiting absolutely anything.

Enjoy your time in Australia. It's a beautiful country and I wouldn't leave. Also, while you may want private health insurance, the standard of medical care here is so much higher than the UK.

I think it sounds great as an opportunity. And I'm a stick-in-the-mud.