Tell me about Sydney

[Spoo]

My DH was made redundant before Xmas. One of the job opportunities that has come up is in Sydney. We know no more than that. Please can you tell me what it is like with kids in Sydney. What is the commute like, what holidays will he be likely to get. What happens with schooling. DS1 is due to start here in September.

We are very cautious people and the thought of upping sticks is scaring the wits out of us but we do need to at least consider it.

Well, if that is the case you should be fine (though the Chartered thing is not as big a deal in Australia it will still stand you in very good stead).
Civ Eng jobs have dropped off a little bit due to the lessening of demand for construction (can you tell I am married to an Engineer? ) but there would still be demand for qualified professionals. One thing I would advise is start looking at daycare (as it is called in Australia) for your sons NOW. Places in Sydney can be very hard to come by at times, and there have been major problems with a major daycare company going into receivership in Australia late last year. You might be lucky and chance a place, and it is hard to find somewhere when you don't know where you are living or working, but just be advised that you might have a wait to start work not due to lack of a job but lack of care for the children!

Megami, Any clues on salary range that her DH might be able to expect?

It depends - will he be on contract or salary? What kind of job (project manager,site supervisor)? Which industry? If she wants to share details (and understand if you don't) I can ask my DH - his sister is still working as a Civ Eng in Sydney, and he also knows what other people earn as well.

We are just holding fire for the moment as we are not sure of the true possibility at the moment. DH's background is in rail and he has recently been in PM and before that in Contractor environment. I don't think he'll want to go back to being on site though. He will probably be on salary. Megami - Who does your DH working for?

Spoo, there are probably some recruitment agencies in Syd that focus on the engineering sector. it might be worth speaking to some of them so you can at least judge the offer your DH may get from the company he is currently speaking to?

Spoo, he is/was Army, qualified Civil Engineer with post grad. A lot of his friends now work in the civilian sector (as does his sister) so he could probably give you a decent idea if you have details. Rail seems to fluctuate, depending on what projects there are on the go, but I think you would be safe in Sydney and the pay would be good.