dangiles Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I would love to hear views from parents that have taken children to oz. I have always thought bringing my son up in Australia would give him a better life, climate, outdoor, healthier lifestyle, etc. Do you find this to be true? And what about the sacrifice of taking them away from family? We made the decision to move about a year ago when my son was 1. Obviously we thought about it but we didn't quite realise the bond he would have with them. He loves playing with his cousins, aunt and uncles, nanny, etc. It would be a real shame if he started to forget who they are. I know we can keep in touch with people over Skype, etc but it will never be the same. We have just submitted our EOI. I think this is why we are starting to question whether we are doing the right thing, being a step closer to getting the visa. Any views and opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Not a better life on a parr ...for us no different ...better outdoor lifestyle ...but didn't stop us In uk , that is the thing family their brother and their nephew ..gran and grandads although they arnt too fussed about that lol ....but my kids don't seem phased at all but I wouldn't say it was better just different to what ya use to. I skype my grandson a lot a week depending what shift my sons on ...and I have met my grandson once last year ...but when I skype he points at the screen and says Nannie he knows me . The get togethers on special occasions birthdays christmas ...weddings ...ect ...that's when it gets to you ...me personally wished I had of stayed in uk ...but that's me only because of the hassle and job market ..but it's not same for everyone . It is not the same as seeing them in real life so to speak ...and it was my sons 25th birthday otherday and he had a tear in is eye ...gutted and guilty I was still am gutted wish I never left him ...the baby came after so I didn't know that was going to happen that soon . They have a good decent standard of living though in uk and his partners family is huge ...so he's not alone still gutted though ...noone can prepare you for how you will feel or if you are doing the right thing ...only you will know once tried it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Better? Not inherently, no, just a bit different. One first world country is much the same as any other. Both of my boys, now adult, have independently expressed their regret that they didnt grow up around extended family which made me feel a tad guilty but at the time we were the archetypal selfish, self sufficient, independent family. I most certainly would never have made the move for the "better life for the kids" - we had an opportunity not to be missed so we didnt miss it and I suppose in the same position would do the same again but I would have known to move on to UK earlier than we did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I would love to hear views from parents that have taken children to oz. I have always thought bringing my son up in Australia would give him a better life, climate, outdoor, healthier lifestyle, etc. Do you find this to be true? And what about the sacrifice of taking them away from family? We made the decision to move about a year ago when my son was 1. Obviously we thought about it but we didn't quite realise the bond he would have with them. He loves playing with his cousins, aunt and uncles, nanny, etc. It would be a real shame if he started to forget who they are. I know we can keep in touch with people over Skype, etc but it will never be the same. We have just submitted our EOI. I think this is why we are starting to question whether we are doing the right thing, being a step closer to getting the visa. Any views and opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan Never understand why people think it is better for children, it is just another first world country. Do you automatically think that every adult Australian that you meet has had a better life than you have had? I am a middle aged adult child of migrants, grew up not knowing any aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. In one way, I don't miss what I never had, on the other hand it makes me sad that I do have relatives out there but they are strangers, complete strangers in that I have not met the majority of them and others maybe once or twice in my life. I know some people say extended family don't matter, but I think I missed out and feel very regretful about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangiles Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 We have not made the decision to move just to give our son a better life. My wife and I traveled along the east coast in 2008 and have wanted to live there ever since. But things have changed since our son came along. We thought we really wanted it still so started the visa process, IELTS, VETASSESS, and now submitting EOI. We are really questioning if it is the right thing to do now. Especially before we pay the £3000 od for the visa then change our mind. Our son is the most important thing for us now and his happiness has to come first. I don't know, maybe everyone goes through this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 if he is happy now then why change it? Australia doesnt offer anything the UK cant..in my opinion, if you like outdoors you will be outdoors and active anywhere you live, in Aus the heat can stop activities just as cold can in UK, plenty of ausssies spends days on end indoors playing computer games n watching movies, its who you are not where you live when it comes to UK and Aus. But if you have a constant nagging feeling in your gut that you want to give it a go then that might never go away till you have tried it, maybe best do it now while your child is still young and not have school to disrupt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellybingobingo Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 We have not made the decision to move just to give our son a better life. My wife and I traveled along the east coast in 2008 and have wanted to live there ever since. But things have changed since our son came along. We thought we really wanted it still so started the visa process, IELTS, VETASSESS, and now submitting EOI. We are really questioning if it is the right thing to do now. Especially before we pay the £3000 od for the visa then change our mind. Our son is the most important thing for us now and his happiness has to come first. I don't know, maybe everyone goes through this Most people do go through it ..but be under no illusion it's a better life ...like I was lol ....if I was you ...check out job market for ya jobs and don't cut ties in uk . I wouldn't the way things are here , Most parents want there kids happiness come first ..be a fool not to ..but it's not a better life just different maybe the better life comes from yrs ago land of milk and honey , fair go and all that business well it's not nomore . Only you can make the choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 We have not made the decision to move just to give our son a better life. My wife and I traveled along the east coast in 2008 and have wanted to live there ever since. But things have changed since our son came along. We thought we really wanted it still so started the visa process, IELTS, VETASSESS, and now submitting EOI. We are really questioning if it is the right thing to do now. Especially before we pay the £3000 od for the visa then change our mind. Our son is the most important thing for us now and his happiness has to come first. I don't know, maybe everyone goes through this I think you moving there because it is where you and your wife want to live, is a much better reason than moving because you are chasing a notion of a better life for your son. Your son will be happy where you are happy. The quality of his life will be down to his parents not the country and he will be as outdoorsy / sporty as nature intended him to be, wherever he is. If you move, there is a good chance you will all be very happy in Australia, but I think even the happy migrants tend to say it is a different life rather than a better one (with some exceptions of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 No I don't think this to be true tbh.Australia and the UK are both different countries,neither one better than the other.I moved from Australia to the UK with my kids.Both have done very well here and are happy.Nothing changed when we moved either.My kids spent quite a lot of time outside in Australia and they did/do here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I think a lot of us "fall in love" with places we go on holiday, the reality of living in that place rarely matches the holiday magic though. If you have a concrete offer on the table that's better than what you have now then why not? But if what you've got is pretty good and you'd be chucking it all up in the air on a whim then don't bother. I will ill say from a grandparenting point of view that grandparenting via Skype sucks! I defy anyone to get a decent cuddle on Skype! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I grew up in a different part of the UK to my relatives so going to Australia or another part of the UK has the same outcome. There are some things that are better her and some things that are not. As others have said, sunshine doesn't mean you will spend more time outdoors. The heat can be unbearable and I am quite happy to see rain or feel cold. My partner looks back on his childhood in a similar way to mine so growing up generally, has the same problems anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfndirt Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 If you end up in a city - then no.... If you can wing a regional town / city then yes..... Trouble is there is significantly less work in the regions hence everyone flocks to the cities. The cities over here now are just rubbish. Congested, mega expensive, heaps of unpleasant humans everywhere - rubbish I say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Australia strikes me as a lot safer environment for Kids. Having seen the terrible unrest in the UK, such as the London Riots and Looting etc, as well as violence between races, we just don't get that in Australia. Certainly not to the extent seen in UK anyway. So I'd probably consider it a safer environment bringing the kids to Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Like most we view our move as having been different and enjoyable. My children haven't missed being with cousins and extended family, despite living in the same town, it really was just getting together for special occasions. I'd already moved from my home town and family and didn't see people every day/week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Australia strikes me as a lot safer environment for Kids. Having seen the terrible unrest in the UK, such as the London Riots and Looting etc, as well as violence between races, we just don't get that in Australia. Certainly not to the extent seen in UK anyway. So I'd probably consider it a safer environment bringing the kids to Australia. Don't get it in the area of Scotland I came from. I would happily have brought up my kids in Galloway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) I would love to hear views from parents that have taken children to oz. I have always thought bringing my son up in Australia would give him a better life, climate, outdoor, healthier lifestyle, etc. Do you find this to be true? It's a different life, neither better or worse. Yes you get the beach lifestyle which can be fitter, but it's not healthier. Australians are far more likely to die from skin cancer than Brits, because of the amount of sun exposure as children. I'm sure someone will pop up to say their whole family is out in the sun every day (wearing sunscreen) and it does them no harm, but the fact is the harm won't show till adulthood. That's why schools here are so obsessive about making kids wear long sleeves and legionnaire's hats in summer. The reason it's such a problem is that due to the Earth's tilt, Australia is physically closer to the sun, and therefore most of the Australian mainland has a UV index of 13 (Extreme) all summer from about 10am to 4pm. Whereas even on the hottest day in the UK it never gets above about 8. Looking further into the future, I can't understand why anyone sees Australia as giving their kids better opportunities. We have such a small population, career opportunities are bound to be more limited. Would you consider moving to the Netherlands to improve their career prospects, if you were told they couldn't apply for jobs outside its borders? Australia is about the same size, but unlike Europe where it's relatively easy to get jobs in other countries, in Australia you're marooned a long way from anywhere. Finally, take a look around these forums (especially the "moving back to the UK" section) and you'll see the number one reason for moving back home is missing family. It's especially common for couples like you - they come out here as a couple, have a great adventure, then the baby comes along and they realise how much that child is going to miss out on, so far from family. Edited March 30, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) Contrary to what a lot have said, I do think our kids have had a better standard of living here than they would have had in the UK. That's mainly though because we had a lot of money tied up in our house in the UK, were both working full time etc etc, and were lucky enough to move here when the property market in the UK was strong, so we realised a lot of money that we could then spend on the kids' education that we would not have been able to do in England. We released the funds to spend at a time they probably most needed it, rather than waiting for the mortgage to be paid off and having that disposable income when they were too old to benefit from it. So they ended up going to a far better school here than they would have gone to in the UK, with the knock on social, career and educational benefits Oh, we're also lucky enough to have had our parents and OH's parents visit at least once a year every year since we've been here - and spend something like a month with them each time. That time is far more intense than visiting them once a week for a couple of hours or so in the UK would have been, and I think my kids probably know their grandparents far better as a result than they would have otherwise - for better or worse!! Edited March 31, 2015 by Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I think as a family we had a much, much better life here. Maybe not so much these days but our kids used to roam around quite safely with the dog and visit their friends around the local streets, swimming in different pools and generally having a great outdoor life. In Summer they would camp out, often in our backyard and they were just generally free to come and go and I never had to worry about them. Where we lived in the UK that would not have been possible apart from the fact that it was freezing cold even in Summer. Now I know kids these days are more heavily supervised but there is still an element of freedom here that I don't think you get over in the UK. I also prefer the schools here and the emphasis on being good citizens and the broader based education they get in primary schools. My grandchildren are so confident and are used to public speaking, thanks to their schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryDXB Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Having seen the terrible unrest in the UK, such as the London Riots and Looting etc, as well as violence between races, we just don't get that in Australia So true...nowhere's safe from them riots - we even had them here in Norfolk... Mind you, it was in 1830 when Threshing machines were introduced, driving down wages for manual labourers.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Having seen the terrible unrest in the UK, such as the London Riots and Looting etc, as well as violence between races, we just don't get that in Australia So true...nowhere's safe from them riots - we even had them here in Norfolk... Mind you, it was in 1830 when Threshing machines were introduced, driving down wages for manual labourers.. :biglaugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryDXB Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 :biglaugh: Don't know why you're laughing....just wait until you get Threshing machines in Australia..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) Our girls have a good life here as do we, but I wouldn't say it was any better than the life that we had/would have continued in the UK. We have a bigger house here, but it is in a suburb, albeit a quiet one, whereas in the UK we lived in a small cottage in the middle of the countryside. OH's job is better here, but I had to sacrifice my career in order to move over here due to various things, so we did have a period of being far worse off financially. They have great friends, go to an excellent school, and enjoy the trappings of a suburban life in Australia, with gymnastics, swimming, music lessons, French lessons and so on, but they may well have had all of those things had we stayed in the UK. We don't often go to the beach and neither would we have in the UK. We walk lots here, we did that in the UK too. One thing that they don't have here is their family, and although we are very happy here and don't intend to move back, I do feel some guilt that we chased our dream to the detriment of the experience of the children growing up with family nearby. Although we lived away from our family in the UK, we were much closer than a 24-hour flight away. Face Time relationships aren't the same, they don't get to have fun with their cousins and see family on their birthdays. However, this is all they have known (we moved here when they were 1 and 2), so they haven't missed it as such. If I was to give any potential migrant a piece of advice, I would advise that they think very long and hard about what they are leaving behind. The trouble is that like us, you may move, fall in love with Australia and find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place. We love both countries, but we have kind of split our family which may come back to bite us on the bum in the future if one of our girls decides that she wants to live in the UK. Edited March 31, 2015 by LKC Grammar :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Our kids have it better here. Three or four reasons: Outdoors. We didnt have a back yard in Yorkshire and wouldnt have had much of one anyway going to a 3 bed semi. Our 1/5 acre block has a bunch of space for the kids to play in. Holidays are all over the place but every summer, spring and autumn we go north towards a beach or waterpark/pool. Winter is more inland/national park visits. (Swan Hill tomorrow). Kids could never have done the amount of outdoor splashing and swimming we have done here. The beach is fifteen minutes away from home and ten minutes from my work. Many a work day finishes with us meeting at the beach for a half hour swim before going home for dinner. In summer weather, at least one visit per week. Cousins are only over here for us, but we only see them four or five times per year anyway. No cousins in the uk, just two grandparents and an uncle. The other uncle is in Iraq or Syria, i think (aide worker for save the children). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 It's all relative to your own circumstances I think. We had a very small 1970's Semi Detached house. Practically no garden. My son's bedroom was 6'6" by 6'0 . He had a single bed and no room for anything else. We had one bathroom. I had to work practically full time my OH worked two jobs to keep our heads above water. Our son was latchkeyed to various relatives after school until I could pick him up. Here, he has 2 rooms to himself and his own Bathroom. His bedroom is 3 times the size of his last one and his other room is now his Games room, with his own sofas XBOX, PS4 etc etc etc. He has practically exclusive use of the home office for his computer and school work etc. He goes to a Private School and is receiving a fantastic education. I can afford to hardly work and I'm around before and after school. He is currently doing surf lifesaving for his PE and the school has a fantastic gym & fitness centre. We recently went back to visit the UK for two weeks, after the first 7 days he said he'd had enough and wanted to return home. He has no interest in going back again. My girls are now adults and off doing their own thing and neither have headed back and neither have any interest in even visiting the UK. My youngest daughter who is 21 even commented that it was the best thing we did for her! This was the young 15 year old lady who gave us so much grief for dragging her out here :biglaugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryDXB Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) It's all relative to your own circumstances I think. And timing QSS....I'm guessing you went to Oz in or around 2009 when Gordon Brown and New Labour were finally exposed for the financial charlatans that they really were and the UK (like much of the world) was in a bit of a mess, whilst Oz, particularly WA was clearly at the start of the mineral boom...when the streets of Perth were paved with gold and there were jobs a'plenty. And it does sound like you've done well in material terms...so good luck to you and anyone else who benefitted from that particular time in Oz But now, with high profile 'bell weathers' like Woodside (laying off 300 people ~10% of their workforce) and Rio (with huge job cuts), along with the big projects like Gorgon coming to an end (6000 jobs at construction phase, but only 300-400 jobs needed to run the place), there's going to be a big knock on effect for the numerous lesser known suppliers and contractors to these 'big names', meaning that there's going to be an awfully large number of people competing for a dwindling number of jobs...and then, there's going to be less money to go round to support shops and service industries... Now, if you've been in Oz any length of time, got onto the housing ladder at a sensible price, you could be OK. But...if you're thinking of going out to Oz anytime soon 'for a better life' or 'to give your kids a better life', I'd suggest that you give that idea some serious reconsideration....what sort of life do kids have when their parents are really stressed all the time about their job situation (not having a job because there aren't any, or not having a job die to not having Oz experience, or finding out that their UK qualifications aren't recognised in Oz) and then having to scrimp and save whilst watching their savings 'bleed away'.. If anyone is looking at Oz through 'rose tinted specs', take them off and have a good look at might go wrong...unless you have a guaranteed job to go to, in a sector thats not tied to oil and gas or mining (or even indirectly influenced by them), or you've got enough money (i.e hugh amount) to get you through 12 months without a job, then I'd hesitate to say that going to Oz anytime soon will give you a 'better life for the children'.. 4-5 years ago, or more, I would have been more optimistic..... Edited March 31, 2015 by TerryDXB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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