Mike D

Got my Oz PR in Nov 2008 and it runs out in 8 months time. Got all my ducks lined up to move at the beginning of last year but the exchange rate, cost of living and lack of IT jobs in Oz (with employers focusing heavily on local experience and qualifications theses days) didn't add up. The grass isnt always greener and things change. Got a good job/career in the uk and a nice house with a mortgage i'll pay off in the next 5 years - not going to throw that away for a bit more sun to be messed around finding work and renting forever. I lived, worked and travelled around Oz back in 98/99 when it was less populated, cheap, safe and didn't have the red tape thats crept in over the years. Been disappointed in comparison on my last two trips recently so no regrets.

I too fell in love with Oz when i worked and travelled around the whole country back in 1998 on a working visa. On my return it became my dream to emigrate so i changed careers to IT (spending 4 years doing a degree and then 4 years getting the required work experience + 1 year going through the PR process). In Nov 2008 i achieved my dream of getting Oz PR and set about paying back uni debts and saving as much as i could to head out before the PR expires (which is Nov 2013). However, Oz is a very different place now to the Oz i knew in 98 and has financially taken a big turn for the worst for a lot of 'would be' emigrators like myself over the last 4 years (ironically since i got my PR but of course in no small part due to the GFC). Back in 98, the exchange rate, renting/housing, cost of living and job market were all favourably better in Oz whereas now it is the other way around for me (i have a nice house with sensible mortgage in UK + great job, good salary, settled, content etc). So the 'what if' for me now has actually turned around - if i head out to Oz, the value of my savings decreases, I'd spend more on housing/rent and all areas of the cost of living - i'd be worse off across the board apart from the weather! I'd head over to Oz with no job and my money disappearing wondering 'if only i'd stayed in the UK' etc and it would worry me greatly i could lose everything and might return with nothing. Job agencies in Oz have made it very clear to me over the last year that my line of IT is no longer flavour of the month and employers want local experience and qualification now more than ever - so despite my positive and 'can-do' attitude, its important to appreciate it would not be easy, emigrating would be a costly and stressful experience even if i got lucky early on. Having had recent holidays in Oz in 2009 and 2011 i've first hand experience of how things have changed and I've always kept my finger on the pulse via aussie friends. I just think, well i can spend 6 weeks a year on holiday there now if i want without any work commitments and stay living back in the UK close to family and where it is considerably cheaper (for me in my circumstances) - my quality of life is actually better here but the penny has only recently dropped. There's still the traffic and bills to pay there just like anywhere else and would i find 6 weeks a year to travel carefree around Oz if i actually lived there? I guess i've changed since 98 now too.

Where abouts in Harehills did the Yorkshire Ripper strike?? I moved from Oxford to Leeds (and now live in Bradford) twelve years ago, like all cities in the UK (and the world!) they all have good and bad areas. I live in a nice, quiet and clean suburb of Bradford in a very friendly street with lovely happy people - sorry to hear you've had bad experiences in Leeds and Bradford to make such a comment.

Thanks all for your responses - 2 threads and no response with a successful story from someone who headed out this year without a job and found one. I think that speaks for itself. Many thanks again.

Lambfamily - I have those yes/no conversations everyday too and don't feel they'll ever disappear until i either go for it or my PR runs out (end of next year - perhaps a welcome release!). Fingers crossed for you that your husband secures the job offer and your aussie dreams come true. I accepted a redundancy package from my job here in the uk earlier this year, got all my loose ends tied up, cat ready to fly over etc, I found my flight over and was fully ready to go for it with A$30,000. But the very poor feedback i got from aussie friends, job agencies in Brisbane and Melbourne, the media, and posters on here regarding the Oz job market put me off and i luckily secured a promotion at work before my notice ran out which just felt the right thing to do. I didnt get the feeling from agencies or companies in Oz that i was wanted at all as they had so many australian applicants to chose from. It was made very clear that heading out to Oz without a job or high demand skills (as 'Quoll' says above) is going to be stressful and a struggle in the current climate and the thought of having to head back to the UK in 12 months with no job, no money and no home was for me personally my very worst nightmare. I do have the very greatest of respect for anyone that makes the jump though and know having previously quit my former career to travel the world and do a year's WHV in Oz during the late 90's its the journey not the destination that counts. If i was 26 not 36 i'd not think twice but the risks just feel uncomfortable at the current time!

Hi Andy - Yes, my PR was even granted in November 2008 the same as you! With hindsight, the biggest thing i've learnt from all my experiences (over 14 years and counting now) of trying to secure a new life in Oz... is that everything changes, all things go in cycles and what's great now has a fairly good chance of not being so great in a year or two's time (and vice versa). I definitely overlooked that Oz might not be all it was in 1998 further down the line and have certainly been guilty down the years of looking at Oz with rose tinted glasses when the uk weather has been rubbish or i've had a bad day at work. There is also our british mentality of tending to believe or make things out to be worse than they usually are, in comparison to the generally positive aussie outlook of things always being great even when they're not. I have met many aussies who tell me how much better my work/life balance would be in Oz - whenever I have challenged this, they then acknowledge that in actual fact I would work more hours and have less holiday in Oz! Having done a lot of research in and out of Oz, when i do my pro's and con's list the only thing actually better in Oz at this point in time for me is the weather (along with perhaps the satisfaction that i haven't wasted 14 years and a lot of money for nothing!), thats in comparison to all the pro's being on the Oz side up until when i got my visa (bearing in mind i have also changed as much as Oz has over that period of time). Another key consideration is quality of life which doesnt make it any easier... a couple of years back i would have happily stacked shelves in Coles to get over to Oz, since then i've been promoted and i am very lucky to have a good job and standard of living in the uk - so giving that up for stacking shelves is suddenly a big step backwards, yet if i lost my job tomorrow it would be completely reversed again. So I know exactly how you feel as it is just impossible to know what the right choice for you and your children is for the future even with the best of research and advice as the world changes so fast. My research has shown me that the job market over in Oz is not good (i have aussie mates that have lost jobs and cannot find anything too) and so I am going to go with the flow, keep engaging for remote opportunities and see where i am in 12 months - i'll then have 6 months to decide whether to take the jump or not and hopefully things will have changed again so my choice(s) are a little easier one way or the other. Good luck, I wish you and your family the very best for the future and i hope you find the answers you need to make your decisions on PIO.

I'm in a similiar position (comfortable, good job and career, happy-ish in UK - but no kids) and as a 175 visa holder (permanent resident) have done a lot of research (including 2 Oz trips) since i obtained it in late 2008 to see if i'd actually be better off in Australia. It took me 10 years to get my 175 visa (I competely changed careers and location in UK to pursue my dream) after living in Oz for a year on a WHV in 1998 and falling in love with everything aussie... but I feel like i saw the best of Oz back then and Australia has changed (more people, creaky infrastructure, longer working hours, less holiday, more expensive and housing/rental costs are crazily high)! I have also had terrible feedback from IT recruiters and job agencies in Oz on the state of the job market over the last 12 months and no one out there has been able to give me any confidence that i will find a job within 12 months of arrival. I'm also concerned about their unpricked housing bubble, banks doing what they want and unsustainable raising prices.... to those of us in the UK, that is an all too familiar flashback to 2007 so unless i am successful in remotely getting a job to head over with i am definitely staying put!

Hi Everyone I have 18 months left to emigrate to Australia (Melbourne or Brisbane) on a 175 visa, heading over on my own with about A$25-30k start up money. All my feedback from recruitment consultants and job agencies in Oz this year has been that my field in IT (data/systems analyst) is now completely saturated so if i head out i will need to look for something else (i'm at the back of the queue now - no aussie based experience or qualifications, not an aussie citizen, very small network of contacts etc). So, i'm trying again as i put a similiar post up at the beginning of the year and didn't get any success stories (and would assume this sort of thread would be useful for many others in the current climate). Has anyone else just headed over without a job or job offer in 2012 and had any success finding good office based work or something similiar?

Hi Sunnysideup - please feel free to PM me - many thanks for your response. Thanks Dave - although sad to hear it, i like Scotland very much!

Hi Baxters 2011 - many thanks for all your great info. I will PM you in a min for more details. All the best and good luck over the coming weeks getting everything sorted. Kind regards Mike

Many thanks Kate. Yes, i'm 36 and single with only 18 months left on my PR but its an all or nothing move as i currently have a good job in the UK (so unable to just jump on a plane unfortunately - i either leave work and go for it or stay). I've worked towards my dream of emigrating to Melbourne for 12 years now (and been back for a month in both 2011 and 2009) but the last 2-3 years have gone terribly with the increased aussie dollar reducing the exchange rate on my savings, my IT skills no longer in demand and the job market news seems to keep getting worse. I am very happy to do any office type job, helpdesk, admin, credit control etc but I'm getting very worried as i'll only have $30k to spend before i'm back to the uk without any money, job or home if i take the jump... seemed easy 3-4 years ago when conditions in Oz were better but a huge risky life decision now. I am increasingly reading more on PIO that not being australian or having aussie work experience or aussie qualifications is a massive disadvantage with hiring now as well. Will stay positive and try not to read too much into the fact that no-one else has replied to this post with successful experiences.

Hi I would be very interested to hear from anyone that has emigrated to Melbourne without a job in the last 6-12 months and has picked up work quickly (or has had real trouble finding IT/office work). I have PR and am planning to emigrate from the UK to Melbourne this year with just $30k start up costs and no job, so I need to set myself up quickly and find any IT/office work for $50k+ asap. My IT skills are no longer in demand (i got my PR in 2008 but have had to pay off uni debts and save since) and I have been on Seek and Career One etc but i am keen to hear of peoples actually experiences finding IT/office work on arrival please - good or bad. Many thanks for your time.

I know exactly how you feel. After 10 years of hard work i got my PR in 2008, since then i've got rid of my uni debts and am ready to emigrate with about $30k but all my research, aussie contacts and the media have completely unsettled me. Also my IT skills are no longer in demand so no guarantees or even a good chance of getting a job before my money runs out and i'm left with nothing. However, the saying goes you should always regret the things you have done rather than the things you haven't... and the 'what if' will only grow over time. I was 22 when i started working towards my PR and i'm 36 now and both Oz and I have changed so much. IMHO it comes down to employment... if you have a job waiting or can get a job easily in Oz then you have the back up to make your dreams come true... if not, like me, than its a scary risk and likely to be much more stressful - although not impossible. Good luck with your plans, i've always lived for the day and say go for it but fully understand it is such a hard decision. If you work hard and research and plan your move to the best of your ability and stay positive i'm sure you will never look back. All the best.

Hi - I am in a similiar position as i am emigrating to Melbourne in June 2012 with a cat. I have contacted a number of aussie estate agents for information and a steer on arranging something before i arrive. I have had some great responses back which have been very informative about the process. Some key differences to renting in the UK are; - Agents want you to have physically viewed a property in person before agreeing a lease (this is to prevent tenants cancelling leases because it wasnt what they expected etc). - Viewings are fixed, open sessions i.e. for 15 mins. Where all the prospective tenants look around the property together. Following that, tenants can then apply and a decision is made thereafter. So securing a rental can take longer because of the due process (up to a week after applying but more commonly only a couple of days). - Not having a contract of work (a job) is a disadvantage and if this is the case, you will need to show you have sufficient funds for the 6 or 12 month lease and you are likely to have to pay additional months up front (and possibly a pet bond too) to secure a rental, particularly if you are looking in a popular area. - There is a 100 points system of ID required to secure a lease. So check out the requirements from the estate agent sites (its usually on their application forms) as they can differ and they can focus on aussie documentation you might not necessarily have up front when you first arrive i.e. Medicare card, Oz utility bill, Oz bank statement. - As 'Snifter' advises above, don't restrict yourself to pet friendly accommodation on online searches etc - unless it says 'no pets' you can apply and the agent checks with the landlord who has the final say. Feedback from agents i had was that they frequently do agree. Create a CV for your pets and references too to be submitted with your rental application(s) - this always helps. To conclude, it is very difficult to secure a rental until you are in Oz (and the same goes for getting a job), so as others have advised, book yourself some temp accommodation for 4-6 weeks when you arrive and this will give you time to settle in and pick the right place. If you have a job, permanent residency and good funds - it will be very straight forward. If not, then you will have to expect a knock back or two and not be too picky - although this doesnt mean you won't get something straight away - there are many stories on this site where people have got their first application accepted on their first or second day in Oz. If you are positive and do your research and prep before hand, you won't have any probs. I will be getting 4 weeks of temp accommodation on arrival and will be engaging with agents a week or two before landing to build up a porfolio of rental viewings in my first week so i can hit the ground running. Good luck and all the best with your plans.