Hi all ,brand new to this site and thinking about a move to Oz ,

Australia certainly has wasted the boom earnings :dull: Shocking really. We do try to be as self sufficient as possible. Self funded senior citizens after years and years of hard work. Fingers crossed our health stays good.

I share the health concerns in the sense that quality will not be compromised at a later stage to combat falling wealth. We may well become more like North Americans where ever increasing numbers are seeking out better deals in living standards and health care south of the border. (Panama, Costa Rico, Ecuador, etc) In our case it would be more likely South East Asia.

The cheap money that swept the world has a lot to answer for as well.

Hey Sam,

Just a bit of advice from me, I had the same apprehension of moving away to australia as a plumber / gas fitter but it didn't stop me applying for a visa. If your considering it and have your heart set on it then go ahead if you don't you might think later in life.. what if? ..

Its a massive uphill struggle yes, with lots of money to pay out before you star earning reasonable wages.

You have to be realistic when moving with the mind set that you are going to have to start again and life will be tough to begin with. You won't be earning $100,000 a year and going to have to put some hard graft in. Hopefully worth it in the end.

I'm going to australia on a 189 permanent resident visa as a general plumber. If I cannot secure work as a plumber then I can apply for any job I wish and it doesn't effect my visa conditions. It's not alll doom and gloom. Keep your chin up and go with your dreams.

Hey mate , always wanted to give Australia a good go as always been the dream . Hearing the negatives of what can potentially happen ,plus the amount of Brits coming home has been a bit of a blow , it's seriously put the wife off, we were told we would need around 8 thousand pounds to complete visa .plus need 20000 pound in the bank . It's a lot of money to risk on potentially not getting a job and coming home in 2 years no further foward and having to start again .. I wish we were doing this 10 years ago as we're both 35 now it's gonna be harder to start again if it was to go wrong . Will see what the future holds cause even after what we have read there is still that thought of really wanting to go

Hey mate , always wanted to give Australia a good go as always been the dream .

I can fully understand that. When I was growing up in Scotland, everyone knew somebody who'd gone to Australia and built a great life, sun and sea, good wages and a nice detached house with a big garden - which was possible 20 years ago. Then there was Home and Away (which, by the way, is filmed in an area where you'd need $2 or $3 million to buy a house). All that has combined to create a myth in British minds about this paradise of a country - when in fact it's not a paradise,it's just another country with its own pro's and con's.

The reality is that most people are not financially better off in Australia than they were in the UK. Salaries are higher but so are costs so it's swings and roundabouts. The economy isn't doing well so employment opportunities are no better than the UK. If you're beach-and-sport type people, and they choose the right part of the country, you may have a better lifestyle in Australia for the same money - but bear in mind that in many parts of the country, beachside suburbs are very expensive, so many Aussies live a long way from the beach.