Weighing up move to Australia- teaching couple

[Andthebaby33]

Hi there I’m hoping some people may have an insight which may help us make a decision. We have a good life here and are happy ish with jobs etc however, particularly now with the cost of living crisis happening, things are just bloody tight. Nursery fees are huge, mortgage gone up, plus the normal increases in bills and food. Our salaries are not keeping up and don’t look like they will. I would just love not to worry about it as much. Also as teachers we work so so hard and all the hours under the sun (including our holidays) and we are burnt out.

I guess I want some honesty. Is it all some people say it is? If any teachers could comment specifically that would be great.

1. is the lifestyle and work life balance really that much better than the uk? and
2. I know salaries are higher but do The costs of living and housing mean this is meaningless or is there more wiggle room?!

for background:
2 teachers, one secondary middle leader the other just regular class teacher
2 pre school kids
We live in the south east where things (including housing) are almost as expensive as London.
Some family members have moved to Aus in the last few years and seem to love it. Not teachers though

thanks for any insight!

We are not teachers but we have moved from London to Sydney over a year ago. It’s been the most traumatic experience for me and I’ve deeply regretted the move.
The grass is not always greener on the other side. If you are settled and like the area you live in now, just think about what impact it will have on all of you to lose it while trying to adjust to a new place.

It is more relaxed lifestyle but it’s still very expensive (food, housing, childcare, travel abroad).

I would suggest to go and visit the area you want to stay first before making a decision.

Definitely visit before committing to a move.

They're gagging for teachers here.

I'm a recently retired secondary school teacher, working in Melbourne.
You'll get better pay than in the UK, but not massively more. Working for the private system pays way better and there are loads of private schools.
Two teachers' salary is still not munificent; I was always in management of some kind and my late DH was in a well-paid government job. You might have to compromise on where you live.
Remember education is state-based, and NSW pays better than Vic, or did last time I checked.
Also check conditions of service, e.g Vic has a maximum of 38 hours per week so you can walk at the end of the week.
There is no OFSTED, the unions having seen the feckers off years ago, though schools are rapidly catching up on the UK with onerous paperwork.
Go to www.pomsinoz.com for more info. on living here.

I forgot to say I love it here and the more relaxed Aussie system was a shot in the arm for a slightly jaded 50 year-old and I retired at 67 without feeling I was on my last legs.

Thank you for your replies I want to hear all, the good and bad! We have planned a visit in June and intend to do a bit of hopping around. It’s so huge though it’s hard to decide where to focus our energy into researching/looking! We are open really although have family near Melbourne.

@Nat2469 can I ask what you regretted so much? This is my worry. We have two young children. I think they would be fine settling somewhere else at their age but I really don’t know.

we are both so disconnected from teaching and the uk system :( we have no work life balance at all, my other half particularly spending literally all his time working. Nothing else.

I know we wouldn’t be massively well off or better than hear but I’ve heard a few people say it’s better than here. I don’t know any teachers currently working in aus though. It’s so difficult.

thank you for taking the time to comment

Malaysia is good for kids - weather is lovely and pay is decent enough to have a pretty decent quality of life. You'd possibly have to get nanny while they're both small - this costs around 2.5 - 3k rm a month for a live in nanny. Most schools offer a good housing allowance and 2 free child places.

Money is better in the Middle East , but I don't think the packages are as good as they used to be.

There are two good Facebook groups - teachers on the move internationally and teachers on the move with children.

We moved when our kids where 2 and 4 and don't regret it all. Expat life can be tough , but also has some amazing benefits and experiences.

Can I ask why it’s been traumatic please?

If you come in June, don't be surprised by the winter, it's like a mild London winter on the coast, far colder the farther in land you go. 2022 was a shocker, effectively a 6-month winter, but stuff happens, and don't be put off by this.

I don't intend to put you off, it just been my personal experience that created a lot of pressure on our family. Moving to another country is a big change...
We had a better quality of life back in UK(better housing, more business opportunities for my husband, cheap travel, stable income, more secured life for my child ), didn't quite realised how expensive and far we would need to travel to see the family and how it will affect my parents being so far from their grandchild.
All these worries put a pressure on our family and despite living in such a beautiful,sunny paradise I feel extremely stressed and unhappy.

We put a lot of effort/money to get a visa and immigrate during the pandemic. I personally don't feel a much bigger work/life balance.
We don't have that much time to go to the beach as much as I thought we would, my daughter used to play in our garden while I was busy making dinner and now we are in a tiny flat with no room to play. I have no energy to take her to the park or beach during the week.
Childcare is expensive, babysitters, cleaners etc is way way more unaffordable than what we used to pay in London.
I might be just homesick but it does feel very isolated from the rest of the world.

If you like outdoors, sports, going out for fancy breakfast, don't mind burning sun ( always put spf50) and like slow paced suburbian lifestyle then you will like it.

That’s a shame. Do you have plans to come back?

Not sure why but Australia does seem to get bashed on here

I absolutely loved it when I lived there for a year personally.

Where in Aus are you thinking?

I’m toying with the idea, for in about 3 years time - I’ve really had enough of the U.K. now, although I want to test my feelings for a year or two first to make sure it’s not just a phase. I’m not under any pretences that life will be more ‘balanced’ as I assume anywhere I go will be pretty much the same routine as here just somewhere else. But doing it in a nicer climate and with better public services would be a huge plus.

Give it a go, OP. Rent out your house and give it 2 years at least. I'd do Melbourne rather than Sydney as Sydney is very expensive.

Having returned from various stints in the UK, I would say the quality of life is good here. I pay less in rent than I did in London and walk away with more in my pay packet. Healthcare is good and I'm finding costs manageable (I'm not a big earner), with money left over each month.

I'm not going to tell you it's perfect, as the UK has a lot going for it too but I'm pretty happy.

I'm not a teacher but work life balance is better - I usually leave by 5pm and I'm not the first to go either.

As teachers you have a multitude of options, even with children. Look at international jobs on TES and there are lots of international teacher recruitment agencies too. Your housing and school fees will be covered (when DC are old enough) and in many areas such as middle/far east having a nanny is very affordable so you're not losing all of your income to daycare fees.

By all means go and have a look.
But I’d also consider moving to one of the far cheaper parts of the UK. Teachers I know in the south east only have a good quality of life when their partner has a very well paid job

admittedly the paperwork issues would not go away but there are loads of lovely schools all desperate for staff.

Thank you for all your comments. It’s really useful to read different views and from people who have moved to Aus as well.

we have considered other international jobs and it’s still on the table. I guess I just felt Australia would be more of a long term move and easier to settled with language etc. we are still very much in the planning stage and I been looking into visa costs and all the other fees and it all adds up to quite a lot.

we wouldn’t consider moving anywhere else in the UK I don’t think. It’s not just the money /pay it’s also the uk system we are both so sick of it.

I know a lot of very happy teachers here in Sydney, including a number of British expats, and my DS is currently doing his Masters of Teaching. The biggest problem with Sydney now is the cost of housing, a number of teaching couples in the school my kids went to ended up moving as it was in an expensive area and they just couldn’t afford to buy. Remember you will have to have your qualifications recognised in whichever State you choose (more $ and time) and rather frustratingly each State and Territory is different so a NSW qualification for example won’t be recognised in VIC so you would need to choose your location carefully. One of the reasons our family has been so happy here is the fantastic education my kids have had, none of us would ever live in the UK again.

I'm in Perth and love it. The weather is fab and the houses are a lot cheaper than the East coast. Also my power bills are tiny as I have solar. You could have a great life here, they are crying out for teachers. I'm not a teacher but my work/life balance is significantly better than it was when I lived in the UK and Ireland, I earn a lot more money too.

It's not for everyone though, people tend to love or hate Perth. But having been to Melbourne and Sydney I prefer it here (by a considerable margin). Its a shorter flight to the UK too.

@Nat2469 me too! We moved to Sydney and I absolutely hate it! I would do anything to return to the U.K.

Sorry OP, you might love it here. Plenty of people do.

I live in Australia and there is an extreme shortage of houses. Teachers aren’t in short supply here. If you do get granted a visa it will be in a shitty regional area. Having lived in one such area - it is not particularly safe. For example there are huge issues with rampaging in Alice Springs right now. By that I mean that a certain section of the population are committing crimes in massive groups and the police can’t stop them.

Teachers aren’t paid well here so even if you moved here and got a job near the city - you would be living in a suburb that is not particularly desirable (that’s if you could find housing at all).

For context we are in the biggest housing shortage since the Great Depression.

The West Australian State government is doing a marketing campaign calling for skilled workers but we really need more people with building and construction trades & more doctors and nurses. There are plenty of teaching graduates from the universities here.

If you do move here - the East coast has had some extreme weather which has been floods, fires and heatwaves. You will absolutely need to find a house with air conditioning. But winters are pretty mild in my city (Perth).

What city were you wanting to move to?

I think it's important to compare like with like. I have lived in Sydney and now live in small Queensland town. Sydney life is busy and expensive. Regional areas are very different. I love my life here. Lots of space, sun and time to relax despite a busy job and kids. I still feel a bit like I am on holiday 8 years on. Also don't need to spend money all the rime. We have the beach and beautiful National Park on our doorstep. Kids do lots of outside sports.

I forgot to add - I think Australia and the UK have reciprocal health arrangements which means you “might” be eligible for Medicare. But usually visas have a stipulation that you have to have your own private health insurance. You really need private health insurance to live here. But the plus side is you don’t have ridiculous wait times for surgery and if you have surgery it’s mostly covered by a combination of government + private health insurance.

It’s easy to make a GP appointment- but it costs about $80+ to see a GP and you might get about $30 reimbursed by the federal government. Most GP’s allow you to book online and you don’t get triaged by the receptionist.

Your tax bracket will be about 30% of your salary and you have to pay health insurance on top of that.

To look for properties to buy/lease - just go to realestate.com.au

What about Canada, pay is better in education here and on the west coast weather is really not bad, long hot summers.

Housing is ridiculously expensive but that can't last forever! And if you were prepared to live in the prairies, that wouldn't be an issue.

@Andthebaby33 If you plan on moving to Australia, you should figure out where in the country you want to move to and do some research on that area, as the country does vary a lot internally. For example, Sydney and Melbourne are big cities with populations of over 5 million each and a lot going on, whereas a place like Tasmania is quite rural and would offer a completely different style of living.

We moved from the UK to Perth in Western Australia 12 years ago. It’s been the best decision we ever made. We have a great life here with great access to outdoor activities. Perth has great beaches, swimming pools and public barbecues. Plus the pace of life is nice and relaxed. In general I find Perth to be a really nice place to raise a family.

I’m not a teacher, but I know that teachers are highly sought after in Australia right now. There have even been a few articles posted on MN about Australia trying to recruit teachers from the UK. So you shouldn’t’t have too much trouble getting a visa and find work.

One thing I find a lot of Brits who move to Aus struggle with is the distance between Aus and the UK. Flights back home can be long and expensive, which makes it harder for those who still have strong family connections in the UK. If you already have family in Australia, then this might not impact you as much. But it’s something to consider if you plan on making regular trips back to the UK.

Hi OP,

we moved out to Oz in 2017 (and back to the U.K. again because my father was I’ll. he has since passed), but we plan to move back to Oz with the kids.

we were based in Adelaide, so different regions may be different. I taught in primary out there and my partner was a doctor (I went on his visa). I could give you a quick breakdown of what we discovered.

pros teaching:
-amazing access to resources (we were having to buy pencils for our kids because there was no money in the U.K. system)
-there is WAY more money in their teaching system. Coloured paper, pens, felt tips, books, phonics resources, coloured photocopying. It was a primary school teachers dream!
-pay is better (I was a TRT/ relief teacher)
-pressure on teachers is WAY less
-great CPD
-no ofsted!
-typical day was 8-4 for me and I got everything I needed done to a high standard(I was working 7-6 in U.K. and most of Sunday)

neg teaching:
-harder to find a permanent position
-you’ll have to do relief work in schools until you find a position, which I disliked
-(depending on schools) you also act as a lunchtime supervisor for the kids, so not much lunch break

it is and amazing country and Australians are SO friendly and culturally we found them very similar. Obviously you won’t get on with everyone- just like here in the U.K. the move out is expensive, so something to keep in mind.

any other questions, so ask.

Hello - just wondering if you decided to move?

Yes - we did!! We are living in Melbourne now. Overall it was a great decision and we are very happy here