Am I Mad???!!!!!

So guys, am I mad as a single mum and Nurse Specialist to make the move to Sydney, just me and my 12.5 yr old??!!!!

Looking for a fresh start and a better chance for my son. So disillusioned with being a Nurse in UK. But NOT looking at move through rose colour glasses!

Any advice you can give would be really appreciated. The basic salary I will need, affordable places to rent that are ok etc?! Not too much to ask!!!!!! I have ILETS booked ready to submit AHPRA application.

Will you get permission from your son's father ?

So guys, am I mad as a single mum and Nurse Specialist to make the move to Sydney, just me and my 12.5 yr old??!!!!

Looking for a fresh start and a better chance for my son. So disillusioned with being a Nurse in UK. But NOT looking at move through rose colour glasses!

Any advice you can give would be really appreciated. The basic salary I will need, affordable places to rent that are ok etc?! Not too much to ask!!!!!! I have ILETS booked ready to submit AHPRA application.

Are you set on Sydney? Would be super expensive on one salary.

Think carefully about making the jump over here if you are not satisfied with nursing in the UK. I have a few nurse friends over here and the hours, red tape and administration are not all that over here too! Obviously depends on where you work though.

Don't want to put you off as relocating is the best thing that we ever did as a family :-) - just think about the part of Australia and quality of life you will be able to achieve. Transferring to nursing in Sydney won't necessarily improve your quality of life, and you may find it tougher with no local support network.

Given that you are applying to AHPRA I imagine you have done the research already, so good luck!!!

Firstly why Sydney?

Salary wise, try to see if you can get near the 6 figure mark, not sure what the going rate is for a Nurse.

Accommodation is going to stretch your budget as Sydney very expensive, unless you are prepared for a long commute. Try looking west or south of the city.

You may want to consider other cities which would make your budget go further.

Yes his Dad is ok with this, I have the relevant form 1229.

Thanks Peachy

Sx

Hi Evets

I have been to Sydney before so more comfortable going back to somewhere I know! I have been looking into Newcastle area too

I can understand your desire to go somewhere you know - but as others have said, Sydney is THE most expensive place to live in the whole of Australia.

It's a bit like visiting London and then thinking you'd like to live there - on holiday you loved Chelsea and thought you could easily live in Richmond, but when you arrive you discover you can only afford to live in Slough. If you were in Sydney on holiday you probably enjoyed the city and the beachside suburbs, but the reality is that with just one salary, you'll be living two hours from the beach in a soulless inland suburb!

Newcastle is well worth considering as it's far, far more affordable. Normally we'd be cautious about recommending it because jobs are harder to find than in the big cities - but as a nurse it's a different story.

Although given over 5 million people live in Sydney, it can't be impossible to afford to live there can it ?

Although given over 5 million people live in Sydney, it can't be impossible to afford to live there can it ?

Oh course not, but if you are looking for an improvement on life in the UK for yourself and better chances for your child, you would factor affordability into the move and choice of location.

Although given over 5 million people live in Sydney, it can't be impossible to afford to live there can it ?

9 million people live in London but it's still unaffordable to rent or buy a house there for most people.

Swampey just made this post on another thread which sums it up neatly

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/new-south-wales/250561-realistic-advice-sydney-6.html#post1936983923

I would have thought that self evidently that cannot be true.

Sydney wouldn't be the biggest city and have the greatest population if people couldn't afford to live there.

Similar to London if 9 million people can afford to live there which is a huge number.

Sydney and London like every city have a range of accomodation from super expensive to cheap.

Interestingly London has the highest population growth of any region in the UK.

I would have thought that self evidently that cannot be true.

Sydney wouldn't be the biggest city and have the greatest population if people couldn't afford to live there.

 

Similar to London if 9 million people can afford to live there which is a huge number.

 

Sydney and London like every city have a range of accomodation from super expensive to cheap.

Of course poorer people can afford to live in London but the important question is, what is their quality of life?

Affluent people live in a city and enjoy the best that city has to offer. Poorer people have to live in cramped low-quality accommodation in less desirable suburbs. But if it's an expensive city (like Sydney), even people on moderately-good salaries have to settle for lower-quality homes in outlying areas - whereas if they choose a cheaper city, they can live in better areas.

While we don't know the OP's budget, we do know she is a single mother with a son to support, so it's fair to assume her budget will be tight. She also can't afford to have a long commute, because that would mean longer before- and after-school care which means more cost. Would you seriously advise her not to worry about choosing a city where inner-city housing is expensive?

Well I guess that is different. Everyone everywhere makes those sorts of decisions of where they want to live in the city.

I''d love to live close in in somewhere like Kew but can't afford to buy there.

But the point is saying someone cannot live in the city and is forced to choose another city is not true or born out by the statistics of people moving there.

Probably a bit presumptuous too until you been given the budget side of the equation.

Anyway who is to say your quality of life is any better than someone living in Berwick and paying half your rent.

Balmain is a nice suburb in Sydney with close up Harbour Bridge Views. We've been checking it out. We can get a 2 bed apartment some with pool and gym complex from $575 to $650 which is quite reasonable.

Balmain is a nice suburb in Sydney with close up Harbour Bridge Views. We've been checking it out. We can get a 2 bed apartment some with pool and gym complex from $575 to $650 which is quite reasonable.

That is good for Balmain. I'd be interested to know how big it is - I remember looking at some there years ago, and the bedrooms were the size of shoeboxes. Our place in Melbourne has a huge lounge room, a spacious master bedroom and only the second bedroom is a shoebox!

Does that mean you're not that impressed with Oatley? We really liked it but I guess it could be too quiet for some people!

There are much nicer, friendlier and affordable places than Sydney. A new hospital has recently opened on the Sunshine Coast so there could be opportunities there.

There are much nicer, friendlier and affordable places than Sydney. A new hospital has recently opened on the Sunshine Coast so there could be opportunities there.

Getting a job at the Sunny Coast would be a very good choice. That would be a great lifestyle for a family (in my opinion anyway!). Reasonably priced housing, fabulous beaches and Brisbane close by.

I would have thought that self evidently that cannot be true.

Sydney wouldn't be the biggest city and have the greatest population if people couldn't afford to live there.

 

Similar to London if 9 million people can afford to live there which is a huge number.

 

Sydney and London like every city have a range of accomodation from super expensive to cheap.

London has a vast number of bedsits, old houses converted into tiny rooms and each rented out individually - cheaper than almost any accom in Sydney, I'd have thought. Also they have a scheme for people like nurses and teachers, whereby accom is subsidised in lots of blocks of flats, to allow the key workers tolive in the city.I don't thinkSydney has anything like that? Those two things alone make it easier for many people to live in inner London.

Getting a job at the Sunny Coast would be a very good choice. That would be a great lifestyle for a family (in my opinion anyway!). Reasonably priced housing, fabulous beaches and Brisbane close by.

You could live somewhere like Caloundra or Currumudi - good commute to work and fabulous outdoors lifestyle with beach and hinterland. It's not near to a busy city though if that's what floats your boat.

What chances do you think will be better for your son?

I would have thought that self evidently that cannot be true.

Sydney wouldn't be the biggest city and have the greatest population if people couldn't afford to live there.

 

Similar to London if 9 million people can afford to live there which is a huge number.

 

Sydney and London like every city have a range of accomodation from super expensive to cheap.

London and Sydney do not have cheap accommodation. Folk learn how to survive in such environments. That is likely sharing well past what would have been considered a normal age to do so in the past, down to multiple dwellers in a house/room. Some need to be in cities like London, in order to advance career. A very hefty chunk of even a good salary goes on rent. London, like Sydney was not always as such, but changing economic dogma and conditions have made it as such.

So guys, am I mad as a single mum and Nurse Specialist to make the move to Sydney, just me and my 12.5 yr old??!!!!

Looking for a fresh start and a better chance for my son. So disillusioned with being a Nurse in UK. But NOT looking at move through rose colour glasses!

Any advice you can give would be really appreciated. The basic salary I will need, affordable places to rent that are ok etc?! Not too much to ask!!!!!! I have ILETS booked ready to submit AHPRA application.

If your son does not see much of his father and you have permission well then why not. The only bit that seems a bit mad to me is the Sydney bit, unless you are indepedently wealthy of course. Otherwise as has been mentioned a few times, I really think you are going to be making life difficult for yourself. You would probably more than half your accommodation costs by considering some of the other places mentioend like Newcastle or Sunshine Coast.

Not much point considering what salary you would "need". As a nurse there are going to be pretty set bands, I would look into it the other way round, what are you likely to get and then take a look at the major living cost which is housing and see what areas you might be looking at.

London and Sydney do not have cheap accommodation

Can we get back to the point please? Debating whether people can survive in expensive cities isn't helping the OP. The question is, if she's coming to live in Australia, would you recommend she choose Sydney? Would it be her best choice in terms of quality of life?