caramac

Where exactly has Cameron's govt increased spending? Just because they tell you they have doesn't make it true. Posts, salaries, services, pensions have all been cut. You may believe it's the right thing to do, or you may not, but it is what's happening.

I think you're in the same part of the world as us Jodi. My oh has just had to fight to keep his service to young people going (successfully thankfully) despite all the research showing that early intervention is the most cost effective way of treating people - both economically and personally. Other parts of the country haven't been so fortunate. Many of these young people have mental health issues. Do these present themselves because of hopelessness? Who knows, but the evidence is that being economically inactive does increase the incidence of mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse and suicidal attempts. Many of these problems start between the ages of 15 and 25, so it's hardly surprising that these young people start to disengage with education or training. We can't even expect charities to pick up the slack in looking after people - they have had their funding cut too. For the record though, it isn't just a UK problem. My oh was involved in putting together a BMJ editorial in Sept about the problems faced by NEETs which also included colleagues from Canada, France, Denmark, Australia, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Ireland and the USA as well as the UK. However, the outcomes for these young people will depend on how respective governments respond...

I was going to mention the pension thing. Despite the changes, it's still pretty hard to beat a public service pension in the UK. We have provision in both countries, but the UK one is much better especially as my oh is fairly close to retirement age. You shouldn't base your decision to emigrate on that though. You should consider the financial implications of course, but as others have said, it's only part of the decision making. It depends how much you enjoy your life here and whether you think you'd regret not trying Australia. If you can take it or leave it, I'd leave it, but if you think that you'd be sorry 10 years down the line, then give it a go!

Happy new year, everyone. Hope 2014 is all you hope for :smile:

Exactly. It must get very boring having to spend your life spelling your name to everyone.

oh's niece's husband is Devon too. He's from South Africa and they live in Hong Kong, so wouldn't get a custard or county reference. I think it's a lovely name.

Why on earth would Bulgaria or Romania (or anywhere else) want any of our work shy lot?! I'm sure they have enough of their own - they are a factor in most societies, sadly.

My oh had a dog called Ulysses when I first met him. The two we've had since have had much more mainstream names - Tom and Archie. My lovely, mad friend has Rodney, Norman and Ron, and had two hens called Shania and Beyoncé.

It it seems to be supply and demand unfortunately. The 'best' universities can ask for high grades for their most popular courses, but if you look at the ex polys they often have lower entry requirements. They very often have courses which can match the others, but because they're not so prestigious, they're not as popular. Or have a look at courses which are less popular. For example, my daughter wants to do psychology and her offers range from A*AA - AAB at her five choices, but if she chose applied psychology at one of them she would need ABB because it's a less popular course.

And here. Really lovely. Again! Hope your Mum has a good birthday, Quoll.

At least there'll be stuff to do. Enjoy!

I'm glad you're enjoying your time. Is Jake having fun. Did you decide to stay at Center Parcs in the end?

Doesn't it rain every day in the Lakes? It always seems to be shrouded in mist and cloud when I drive down the M6.. I know I'm in the minority, but the area doesn't do much for me although I can see why people think it's beautiful.

You should read it! He started walking one day and didn't stop. However he had 'ishoos' which became clearer as the days went on - you wouldn't have that, just the enjoyment of the scenery and the walking. I can see the appeal (right at this minute I'd volunteer to join you!!) :wink:

Have you read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry? :laugh: We'll look out for you!

Yes, he will be an international student and yes, his atar should be enough for him to go to university here, depending on which course he wants to do at which university. They all have different entry requirements, so he'll need to look at their websites, and probably get in touch with them individually to find out what they need and how they convert his atar score.

Same here. It's lovely. The birds are a bit confused and keep singing in the mornings, the buds are on some of the shrubs and hedges and there are even a couple of roses still in our garden. I don't mind winter when it's like this!

I'm afraid I only know ones nearer Perth itself, but there are loads of people on here who are further north. I'm sure they'll be along later, when they've woken up! :wink:

It's the same as the UK - good and bad schools everywhere. There are some really good state secondaries in Perth and, although our girls were at a private school, many of their friends went to state schools and have done very well from them. If you are going to come back to the UK I, try to make sure it's at the very beginning (or preferably a bit earlier as some schools start their GCSE courses in yr 9) of yr 10. We came back when our eldest had missed the first term - she caught up fine with the courses, but she had only been away a year at that point and she went back to her old school where she was well known and had the support she needed.

Yes they do, with a digi box. No problem.

But this is just like the UK. There are drs who work solely in the public sector, those who are purely private and those who do a mix of both (and make as much money as they like). You can choose your dr whether or not you choose to go privately and you can choose where in the country you go for that treatment, providing you pay for the travel. Most people choose to stay close to home for practical and social reasons. Just because someone is working in the private system doesn't make them any more competent than someone who works in the public system. My husband is a dr who has worked fairly extensively in both countries (and is heavily involved in collaborative research between both) and there are more similarities than differences. He is very specialised and can practice and develop his interest equally well here, or there. He chooses to work solely in the public sector because he feels very strongly that his expertise has been paid for by the public and therefore everyone should have equal access to him, regardless of their ability to pay. He did work in a private clinic in Sydney, but the patients' costs were covered by Medicare, so anyone could access his service. My problem is more with the idea that you get better treatment in a private setting - I simply don't believe that to be true. Yes, you might be able to get your elective surgery done more quickly and see your dr whenever you want, which is great, but having worked in a private hospital, I would rather be somewhere where there are drs on call overnight, there is more likely to be an icu and where the staff have compulsory cpd. We know several people who qualified years ago, work solely in the private sector and go to conferences put on by drug companies in order to say they've completed their cpd, but never really do any proper updating or further study. One friend makes an absolute fortune, but his approach is very old fashioned and out of date. He brings his patients back week after week , so they think they're getting wonderful attention, but they're not making any headway with getting better. Those patients (and their insurers) are getting very poor value for their money, so the ability to make money doesn't necessarily depend on being very good at your job. My oh does a large amount of teaching - to med students, junior drs, gps and colleagues and he seems to be in demand despite his lowly status as a public sector medic. :smile:

Why is it a huge difference from what you'd get in the UK? There are orthopaedic surgeons here who specialise in different joints here - it's exactly the same, without the price tag! One of our friends specialises in knee surgery and another in backs. There are regional 'centres of excellence' for different specialities - orthopaedic, neuro, cardiac..... and the there are smaller 'general' hospitals which can do the less complex stuff.

He'd definitely be an international student then. How do you feel about waiting until he's finished tertiary study? It's much cheaper there!

Yes, he will need to pay international fees, sadly. He would need to be resident in the UK for three years prior to the start of his course to qualify for domestic fees. That's for uni anyway - colleges may be different, so worth looking into the rules for those. Your post isn't clear about where he was born, or how long he's been in Australia - that sometimes makes a difference and rules can more flexible if he's not been there long, or on a temporary visa.

I took it because we had been there for four years (at the time it was only a 2 year wait) and we were returning to the UK. I wanted the freedom to return whenever I wanted and for the girls to have more options as they got older. My oh didn't bother (and didn't have time as he left before we did) and last time we lived there he went on an RRV. I'm so glad I did it - my kids have more options for uni etc now and we'd like to go back, at least part time, in the next few years.