Young Family - Potential move to Perth

Hi Everyone,

Wanting some advice from other families that have moved to Perth re costs.

Bit of background on us, we are a young family looking to move in a years time to Perth. My husband is from Australia, and I am from the UK. I have my visa approved for 5 years (I have 2 remaining). I am a Project Manager (Financial services/Retail) and my husband is a Business Analyst (Financial Services). We have 2 young children (This is my concern!) That will be 3 and 1 year old when we move. We are older parents, husband will be 40 when we move. We will earn good money roughly $100k each per year.

These are my concerns:

1) Childcare! - As we have 2 children who are young, I have done lots of research and i've seen that childcare is around $90AUD a day for 1 child. I have two children so that will be $180 per day - Is any other young families in the same situation? And how do you manage the costs? I know we can get a rebate, but its not much to help.

2) Although we are both qualified with lots of experience, i'm concerned around job availability, is anyone or has anyone stuggled to find work?

3) What areas of perth do you live in and how long does your commute take you?

4) Have any females had luck in securing a 4 day working week? or do you know any companies that are flexible with family life?

Thanks so much for taking the time out to read my post, and offer advice.

I cant tell you about work but childcare costs around the same as in the UK. It used to cost me 40gbp a day and that was a few years ago so depending on exchange rate not much difference, at least you get half back here.

Hi

We moved to Perth 15 years ago - Then both mid 30s with 2 young boys. Education in Perth is fantastic - great facilities and opportunities within the schools. Perth is generally clean, safe, great healthcare and has good weather - although we found that as we aged we could tolerate the heat less and less. Work situation is currently toughest its ever been since we moved here and coupled with the very high cost of living it is fast becoming a very challenging place to live.

We have decided to leave now that both our boys have grown up - A lot of our Irish and English friends have made the same decision - Sydney seems to be the "in" place to go at the moment, especially for younger people.

Perth is quite spread out and has lots of characterless suburbs that all look pretty much the same - Fremantle is the major exception which is interesting, lively and historical - there are good transport links into Perth from most directions. Roads can be congested at rush hour so train is a very good and relatively cheap option ( and the views from the train Fremantle to Perth are stunning)

I would recommend Perth as a great place to bring up a family - after that though ...........

Hi there,

I'm about to make the move from Sydney to Perth to be closer to my daughter. I have been going back and forward monthly for 2 years. I am a finance manager (CIMA) with experience mostly in Financial services (I'm 43). A couple of observations;

Property is readily available and cheap (in comparison to Sydney/Melbourne, dropped 6-7% last year)

Other living expenses else are expensive, drinks, meals out etc, eg a cup of coffee is $4-$5. This may come back a bit with the mining bust.

Financial Services market is more or less non existent, most head offices are Sydney/Melbourne. You have Bankwest (owned by CBA) and a couple of regional players, that's it. You will need to flexible regarding work and probably look for a change of industry (as I am).

Great place to raise a family - super parks, beaches, council pools (affordable) etc. CBD is a bit soulless, Freo has a nice vibe to it.

Your salary expectations are very realistic, you may earn a bit more but it's availability of work that is the problem. Perth has been doing it tough in the last few years, some small signs that it may be coming back.

Have a look at Domain.com.au or realestate.com.au to get a feel for property

Have a look at seek.com.au and even Linked in for jobs. Remember, pretty much everything shuts down in Dec/Jan for job searching due to summer holidays

Try the sistersite Perth poms for a more localised view.

Feel free to touch base with me during the year as I can share my experience with you.

Hi there,

 

I'm about to make the move from Sydney to Perth to be closer to my daughter. I have been going back and forward monthly for 2 years. I am a finance manager (CIMA) with experience mostly in Financial services (I'm 43). A couple of observations;

 

Property is readily available and cheap (in comparison to Sydney/Melbourne, dropped 6-7% last year)

Other living expenses else are expensive, drinks, meals out etc, eg a cup of coffee is $4-$5. This may come back a bit with the mining bust.

Financial Services market is more or less non existent, most head offices are Sydney/Melbourne. You have Bankwest (owned by CBA) and a couple of regional players, that's it. You will need to flexible regarding work and probably look for a change of industry (as I am).

Great place to raise a family - super parks, beaches, council pools (affordable) etc. CBD is a bit soulless, Freo has a nice vibe to it.

Your salary expectations are very realistic, you may earn a bit more but it's availability of work that is the problem. Perth has been doing it tough in the last few years, some small signs that it may be coming back.

 

Have a look at Domain.com.au or realestate.com.au to get a feel for property

Have a look at seek.com.au and even Linked in for jobs. Remember, pretty much everything shuts down in Dec/Jan for job searching due to summer holidays

Try the sistersite Perth poms for a more localised view.

 

Feel free to touch base with me during the year as I can share my experience with you.

Hi there,

 

I'm about to make the move from Sydney to Perth to be closer to my daughter. I have been going back and forward monthly for 2 years. I am a finance manager (CIMA) with experience mostly in Financial services (I'm 43). A couple of observations;

 

Property is readily available and cheap (in comparison to Sydney/Melbourne, dropped 6-7% last year)

Other living expenses else are expensive, drinks, meals out etc, eg a cup of coffee is $4-$5. This may come back a bit with the mining bust.

Financial Services market is more or less non existent, most head offices are Sydney/Melbourne. You have Bankwest (owned by CBA) and a couple of regional players, that's it. You will need to flexible regarding work and probably look for a change of industry (as I am).

Great place to raise a family - super parks, beaches, council pools (affordable) etc. CBD is a bit soulless, Freo has a nice vibe to it.

Your salary expectations are very realistic, you may earn a bit more but it's availability of work that is the problem. Perth has been doing it tough in the last few years, some small signs that it may be coming back.

 

Have a look at Domain.com.au or realestate.com.au to get a feel for property

Have a look at seek.com.au and even Linked in for jobs. Remember, pretty much everything shuts down in Dec/Jan for job searching due to summer holidays

Try the sistersite Perth poms for a more localised view.

 

Feel free to touch base with me during the year as I can share my experience with you.

1) Childcare! - As we have 2 children who are young, I have done lots of research and i've seen that childcare is around $90AUD a day for 1 child. I have two children so that will be $180 per day - Is any other young families in the same situation? And how do you manage the costs? I know we can get a rebate, but its not much to help.does hubby have family in Perth and can they offer free childcare?

2) Although we are both qualified with lots of experience, i'm concerned around job availability, is anyone or has anyone stuggled to find work? things have slowed down. Things aren't terrible, but recruitment will take longer

3) What areas of perth do you live in and how long does your commute take you?Good commuting from Northern railway, or from eastern suburbs like bayswater, or southern railway. Not all work is in the cbd, although most is.

4) Have any females had luck in securing a 4 day working week? or do you know any companies that are flexible with family life?​they were quite flexible when my brothers wife was ill

Thanks so much for taking the time out to read my post, and offer advice.

1) Childcare! - As we have 2 children who are young, I have done lots of research and i've seen that childcare is around $90AUD a day for 1 child. I have two children so that will be $180 per day - Is any other young families in the same situation? And how do you manage the costs? I know we can get a rebate, but its not much to help.

You'll be doing well if you can find $90 a day, my centre is $120 a day (in the suburbs, 25km south of the City). You do get the rebate, which is $7,500 per child per financial year, which does help, but yes it's expensive.

2) Although we are both qualified with lots of experience, i'm concerned around job availability, is anyone or has anyone stuggled to find work?

Perth is in the doldrums at the moment, we are both in work thankfully, and don't know anyone out of work - but that's not to say that there aren't plenty of people struggling. Best keep an eye on Seek and email a few recruiters to get an idea of whether you'll find something easily or not.

3) What areas of perth do you live in and how long does your commute take you?

We live down near Cockburn central - suburbia really. It's 24km from the City, 5km from the beach and 5km to our nearest station. We both drive to work which is a right PIA so we are moving closer to the City. So many areas to choose from, it really depends on budget and whether you need access to public transport (wouldn't recommend driving to a station to park and catch the train, never enough spaces).

4) Have any females had luck in securing a 4 day working week? or do you know any companies that are flexible with family life?

Plenty of companies say they are flexible... finding one that is in reality can be hard. I work 4 days a week, but only because I was full time first and this is what I wanted when I came back from maternity leave. And my so called family friendly employer is pushing very hard for me to go back full-time. My husband however has lots of flexibility, and although he officially works full time, he's the one that takes sick days or does appointments for our little boy.

Big question is - do you have family support over here? Can be super hard without it.

Any reason why Perth?

For your careers, you would have far more opportunity in Melbourne or Sydney.

Hi Everyone,

 

Wanting some advice from other families that have moved to Perth re costs.

 

Bit of background on us, we are a young family looking to move in a years time to Perth. My husband is from Australia, and I am from the UK. I have my visa approved for 5 years (I have 2 remaining). I am a Project Manager (Financial services/Retail) and my husband is a Business Analyst (Financial Services). We have 2 young children (This is my concern!) That will be 3 and 1 year old when we move. We are older parents, husband will be 40 when we move. We will earn good money roughly $100k each per year.

 

These are my concerns:

 

1) Childcare! - As we have 2 children who are young, I have done lots of research and i've seen that childcare is around $90AUD a day for 1 child. I have two children so that will be $180 per day - Is any other young families in the same situation? And how do you manage the costs? I know we can get a rebate, but its not much to help.

We opted for an au pair - or rather a 'demi-pair' - 20 hours child care/housework per week in exchange for board & lodge. We used this company http://www.perthdemipair.com/home

 

2) Although we are both qualified with lots of experience, i'm concerned around job availability, is anyone or has anyone stuggled to find work I can't really comment as we left Perth 3 years ago but from what people are saying on here the situation is not great. Although it is the resources industry that's been hit that has an affect on IT employment (I assume that's the kind of PM you are?) across the board, during the resources boom it was easy to get $1000 a day simply because the mining companies were employing so many people.

 

Prior to moving to Perth I had worked almost exclusively in Financial Services in London & Edinburgh, i found the market in Perth quite different as not many companies are headquartered there. Westpac are the obvious exception. I ended up working in Government and then Healthcare (for government) - I didn't have a problem finding work (but those were boom times) but moving back to the UK it caused a month or so's worry as i was rejected for roles due to 'no recent banking experience'

 

3) What areas of perth do you live in and how long does your commute take you? I lived in Hamilton Hill - next suburb of from Fremantle, around 18km from CBD - door to it was just under an hour. The Freo to Perth bit was 25 mins but obviously you have to get to the station, walk to the office at the other end etc. Driving typically took 45 mins but off peak I could do it in under half an hour and peak it could be at worst two hours. You probably wouldn't want to drive anyway unless you had parking at work

 

4) Have any females had luck in securing a 4 day working week? or do you know any companies that are flexible with family life? Any state government roles would be open to this - I worked term time only for a couple of years.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time out to read my post, and offer advice.

Answersabove

We are in careers like yours and Perth isn't a great place for them. Firstly, there's not too many employers to choose from, secondly, there's a downturn on, thirdly Australians aren't exactly cutting edge when it comes to modern methodologies and practices, they are getting there but work seems a bit '2001' to me, if you know what I mean.

No real problem with Perth in general but I wouldn't move here if I was career-committed. Also, we earn in excess of $200k, have no kids and, although very comfortable and happy socially etc. I wouldn't consider massively us well off. We have no savings although we do have a short mortgage. We spend up every fortnight.

Good luck.

We are in careers like yours and Perth isn't a great place for them. Firstly, there's not too many employers to choose from, secondly, there's a downturn on, thirdly Australians aren't exactly cutting edge when it comes to modern methodologies and practices, they are getting there but work seems a bit '2001' to me, if you know what I mean.

No real problem with Perth in general but I wouldn't move here if I was career-committed. Also, we earn in excess of $200k, have no kids and, although very comfortable and happy socially etc. I wouldn't consider massively us well off. We have no savings although we do have a short mortgage. We spend up every fortnight.

Good luck.

$200k and you spend it all without kids? You must have a big mortgage!

We are in careers like yours and Perth isn't a great place for them. Firstly, there's not too many employers to choose from, secondly, there's a downturn on, thirdly Australians aren't exactly cutting edge when it comes to modern methodologies and practices, they are getting there but work seems a bit '2001' to me, if you know what I mean.

No real problem with Perth in general but I wouldn't move here if I was career-committed. Also, we earn in excess of $200k, have no kids and, although very comfortable and happy socially etc. I wouldn't consider massively us well off. We have no savings although we do have a short mortgage. We spend up every fortnight.

Good luck.

I love Perth, I've lived in Melbourne, Cairns and now just outside Brisbane. I have visited Perth and could easily live there with a family. Unfortunately my husband wouldn't consider it as he said it was too far to the next state etc. He likes his sports events and concerts which are mainly on the East Coast.

'I love the CBD it is small and easily managed. I haven't seen all that Perth has to offer but the parts I have seen I've loved.

Childcare, I agree with Lady Rainicorn I'd get a nanny in it would be so much cheaper.

$200k and you spend it all without kids? You must have a big mortgage!

We were on over $200k with one child at an independent school ($4k pa) and similarly 'got by' in Perth, certainly not affluent as we were in the UK on an equivalent salary. The biggest difference for us was the size of our mortgage and the cost of trips to the Uk.

I do get that people manage on MUCH less and we knew we'd be finacially worse off before we moved, I honestly didn't think it mattered but in reality it did - shoot me now!

I love Perth, I've lived in Melbourne, Cairns and now just outside Brisbane. I have visited Perth and could easily live there with a family. Unfortunately my husband wouldn't consider it as he said it was too far to the next state etc. He likes his sports events and concerts which are mainly on the East Coast.

'I love the CBD it is small and easily managed. I haven't seen all that Perth has to offer but the parts I have seen I've loved.

Childcare, I agree with Lady Rainicorn I'd get a nanny in it would be so much cheaper.

Not being pedantic (honest!) but a nanny would cost around $25 an hour, very different from an au pair and comes with the responsibilities of being an employer. The difference is of course a nanny is qualified, I wouldn't leave an under 5 with an au pair whilst I worked, they are essentially babysitters but it worked for us having someone to take our son to school & pick him up plus get the housework done and have someone available for evening babysitting if we wanted to go out. Lots of other advantages too, my son is still in contact with two of our au pairs who became a big part of our lives.

$200k and you spend it all without kids? You must have a big mortgage!

So easy to do in Perth - we were the same before we had our son, $200k combined income, no savings to speak of but comfortable and wouldn't consider ourselves as having a lot of money (and no, not a huge mortgage... but then what is huge? Everyone's definitions vary) Now we earn a bit less because I'm part-time and we have daycare to fork out for but we still manage. I find if you earn it, you spend it. Well we do anyway!

$200k and you spend it all without kids? You must have a big mortgage!

Exactly what I was thinking! He said he earns in excess of $200k. I would feel pretty well off with that salary!

There is another site like this called pomsinperth.com try that I found it very helpful. Hope this helps x

Being down in Mandurah I was factoring in property closer to Perth as to why $200k didn't seem a huge sum. We have a surplus of income on a joint income of probably $120k. You're absolutely right people spend in different ways!

We were on over $200k with one child at an independent school ($4k pa) and similarly 'got by' in Perth, certainly not affluent as we were in the UK on an equivalent salary. The biggest difference for us was the size of our mortgage and the cost of trips to the Uk.

 

I do get that people manage on MUCH less and we knew we'd be finacially worse off before we moved, I honestly didn't think it mattered but in reality it did - shoot me now!

Trips to the UK may be the flaw here? I haven't gone back yet and are in no rush to do so. My wife suggested we go to Bali instead! If you were going back regularly yes you would need more income, obviously.

We were on over $200k with one child at an independent school ($4k pa) and similarly 'got by' in Perth, certainly not affluent as we were in the UK on an equivalent salary. The biggest difference for us was the size of our mortgage and the cost of trips to the Uk.

 

I do get that people manage on MUCH less and we knew we'd be finacially worse off before we moved, I honestly didn't think it mattered but in reality it did - shoot me now!

We're on less than that as a couple and have never just got by, we eat out, still supplement our daughter at uni, continue to have holidays (home and abroad), Our children have both been educated in the public system so not had private school fees. We have more savings now than we've ever had before - so it can be done I guess you just cut your cloth accordingly.

wow!

Double wow!

Would absolutely suggest that the norm is to be on a heck of a lot less than $200,000 and people can have a great life here. Sometimes you have to shake your head in wonder. Wow! as @newjez put.

We make about 200k and our mortgage has melted away. If you can't live on that either Perth is more expensive than anywhere else in the world or you have some serious leaks in your spending.

Glad I'm not going completely mad!