Considering a move to Perth - advice gratefully received

Hi

This is my first ever forum post!

I am 42 years old and considering a move to Perth. My husband was adopted as a baby and recently made contact with his birth brother who is living there. He has visited and wants us to emigrate so that he can spend time with his brother. He also feels that as a a family we could enjoy a better work life balance and that oz is a great place to bring up ou boys (4 & 7). I have become increasingly unhappy in my job where I am working long hours with not enough family time so am thinking now may be the right time? I am hoping to enter on the points system and have already started the ball rolling but every now and then I get cold feet!

Is the grass really greener?

I'm worried about the logistics of actually moving!

Has anyone got any words of wisdom or similar experience?

Thanks

Hello and welcome (sorry, missed I hadn't said that when I replied).

The grass isn't greener. I'd stop thinking of it like that and not view it as a magically better life or a massive improvement on what you already have. I think that is a dangerous way to approach migration and could well end in heartbreak when a reality perhaps doesn't come close to living up to the dream.

Migrating is tough, expensive and for some at the end of it all, not worth it in the least. For others it is. No one person is the same in how or why they want to migrate or if it works for them.

The logistics of migrating are pretty straightforward in terms of what you need to do to ship your belongings, wrap things up in the UK and set up things for Aus. The visa process may be stressful, require lots of research and perhaps an agent. Then of course you have the leaving loved ones, moving your family the other side of the world and the big changes that can and will bring.

I don't know there will be more time as a family. For some this proves true when moving to Aus, others not and they end up working more and longer hours than they did in the UK. For us we have a good work life balance here and atm its better than we had in the UK but there isn't much in it. However what does suit us better here and helps our Aus move come out on top is that we enjoy far more time out and about, both as a family and as individuals, have built a really good social network here and have really embraced Aussie life and it has made all the difference. We appreciate the sunnier warmer months lasting far longer than the UK and the winter or colder, darker months being far less.

All I can say is research well, be sure its what you want as a family and don't be pushed into it if you really don't want to go. That's a disaster waiting to happen to make the move when you really don't want to. I'm not sure Perth is the place to put all your eggs in to either. I'd research more, your jobs and what states/options there are for you.

Cold feet or doubts are normal in the migration process but if its a lingering doubt that doesn't pass or you are really not sure its what you want, I'd proceed with caution and make sure you really do want to make this move.

The first thing to do is check whether you can move to Australia or not.

Not everyone can just emigrate. Particularly in your 40s it may be tougher to get in.

You will need a skilled occupation that is needed in Australia to secure a visa to live here.

What are your occupations ?

The grass is definitely not greener, whether you like the grass better really depends on a whole host of factors - your jobs, where you live in the UK, your likes and interests, your personality, where you move to in Australia (even down to the suburb or even street).

To be honest the logistics of moving are the easy part & you can engage a migration agent & get a lot of help here. The hard part is assimilating into a new culture without losing your sense of self - some people become 'brits abroad', others 'Possies' neither of which are good for your mental health.

If you go ahead I'd say be prepared for 3-5 years of stress whilst you go through the visa application and culture shock/re-settlement process - after that you may decide you prefer the UK anyway (like we did!) or of course you may love Australia, be comfortable as a migrant and think it's the best thing you ever did.

There's a lot of debate about how many people fit into each category but whether it's 1% or 50% that don't like Australia is irrelevant if that turns out to be you.

On the specifics you raise - I found 'work life balance' worse in Perth - I had a longer commute, worked longer hours & had less leave (4 weeks is very normal)

'oz is a great place to bring up our boys (4 & 7)' - my son was 5 when we moved out and I'll be honest I fell for the same myth - it is really no different, some of the worries are different - skin cancer, drowning, hoons and others are the same - drugs (possibly worse), alcohol fueled violence. The education system is different and personally I prefer it in Australia but if you have any 'tiger mom' tendencies you won't as children are not pushed academically in the same way as the UK (now we've returned I've actually sent my son to an independent school to keep him out of the results driven UK system)

'I have become increasingly unhappy in my job where I am working long hours with not enough family time so am thinking now may be the right time? This is a good reason to change your job and re-assess your priorities, not a reason to move to Australia.

I am convinced at least half of the people that migrate could achieve what it is they are looking for by moving within the UK at a lot less cost and stress. The only reason to move to Australia is because you love Australia!

BTW depending on your jobs Perth might not be the best place to head right now - we moved back 3 years ago so i am not close to the ground but from what is reported on here the unemployment rate is high and the roads out of Perth are busy.

Thanks for your replies. They have given me some things to think about. The climate is a definite draw, my job as a vet should be relatively easy to obtain. My husband is a plumber but can work in most of the building trades. We love the outdoors and are keen on socialising. We've saved money for the move and I feel we have to try now. It will be harder on the points system after I hit 44!

One thing I keep hearing about is drugs. Is it so much worse than the uk and in what way?