lucyk

Great to hear everyone's stories, thanks. My great uncle moved to Queensland in the 60s and we have distant relatives and friends in Melbourne and Sydney. Otherwise no other ties in Australia. I am from Betws y Coed in North Wales and my OH is Albanian- living in Enfield North London. It's crazy expensive here- 2 bed flats have increased £100k in a few months to approx £330k in our area. We both miss having the great outdoors on our doorsteps but there are no suitable jobs paying enough in either Wales or Albania. If we could earn $25 an hour in Snowdonia I would move back tomorrow! We have 3 kids aged 2,4 and 6 and my poor husband spends 3/4 of his life in work and the other 1/4 in traffic on the dreaded A406. Having outright dismissed it at first, our favourite city is Perth now. This is based on a combination of house prices, weather, family friendliness and what we have heard from friends about jobs in the vehicle body repair industry. Our neighbour is a retired policeman and his family are in Perth. He said not to waste any more time thinking about moving and just go for it

And if you could do it all again, would your choice be the same?

Is there anyone in the vehicle body/crash repair industry that can give their opinion of job prospects in Aus, in particular Perth? My husband is a fitter/ stripper in a busy insurance company's crash repair centre in London. 11 years experience, C&G level 3 qualifications. His friend in Sydney says there are jobs available but he's a panel beater and I haven't seen any jobs that exactly match his job title. Thanks

Ours is a 2010 VW Touran, only just realised they're not sold in Australia so I'm guessing the insurance premiums would be high?

Hi all, I'm looking into doing a PGCE course in the UK before we emigrate. Is it worthwhile completing it here, or should I wait until we move and then do the Australian equivalent? I would rather do it here as I'll get a bursary and would be making the most of our final year in the UK but if it's not recognised/ needs topping up to meet Australian standards then I may be better getting classroom experience or working and saving up. Thanks

Hi, My husband and I are hoping to move to Perth within the next year with our 3 young children. I work for Forever Living from home having struggled to find work that fitted around school run etc. The company is really taking off in Australia recently and I wondered if there are any FBOs out there already? I'm also looking for new team members who are honest, hard working and looking for flexible work from home. I truly think its a fantastic time to join while the company is just expanding in Aus.

I signed up for the executive club with BA, so when I collect Avios on my tesco clubcard and American Express card, I can transfer them to my BA account ready to purchase flights. The general consensus on forums is that it's best to pay cash for our flight from UK to Aus (which we'll gain avios airmiles for), then use avios to upgrade cabin class.

Hi has anyone used avios points to fly to Australia? Not sure if its worth it once taxes and surcharges are added?

Good to know that we could apply at any time. I thought there would have been a minimum stay on a 457 visa before we could apply. I'll have a look at the criteria for the 186 and 187 visas. Thanks

Hi Can anyone advise when and how we could apply for permanent residency after being in Aus on a 457 visa? Would we still need to satisfy the points test? Thanks

The main thing that's struck me about the show so far is the budgets that the couples seem to have each week, and that they're looking for a home and a rental investment. I'd like to see some families with more modest budgets coming up!

I have relatives in Point Cook and had wondered why the house prices seemed so reasonable in comparison with other areas. I thought maybe the job opportunities were poor.

Hi Golfgti, did you get any further with your research? My husband is also a stripper/ fitter/ MET technician with no panel beating/ mechanical experience. We are trying to figure out what the approximate salary would be in Aus. I couldn't see it on the skills shortage lists and think we'd have to find a vacancy and apply for a 457 visa. I'm a bit concerned about living costs as we will have 3 children under 5 when we move and I am currently studying. We would have to pay school fees and wouldn't be eligible for benefits.

Thank you all for your advice. Much appreciated

I'm originally from North Wales and we did try moving back there from London a few years ago. The rent is a quarter of what it is here, but unfortunately so are the salaries. We wouldn't be any better off, and there are few opportunities for overtime and weekend work. I'll definitely investigate Melbourne further.