3go2Perth

Oh, and, some states have ambulance cover through other rates bills, most do not. Some policies include ambulance in their extras policy only, some have it in the hospital cover. Make sure you check as an ambulance will cost about $1000

The comparison sites only sell what they have been paid to.. they don’t include all policies from the companies they represent (I used to work for one). But they’re a good place to start to get an idea. Compare the market is ok. ISelect will bombard you with calls - avoid st all costs. There is a government website too (not as user friendly but includes all policies from all companies) and there’s a competitor for just not-for-profit & industry specific funds, called Members Own.

You can only drive on your UK licence from 3 months once you live here in WA, so you may as well get the WA licence & then transfer the car. It's pretty simple to get (sorry, I can't recall how much it cost), and as a bonus, you are allowed to smile on your licence photo :-) J

For the lifestyle, I give it 9/10 (better taxis and a bit cheaper would get it a 10). It's incredibly clean, with no litter and no graffiti (they come & remove it as soon as you report it). The outdoors lifestyle is great, even if you're not into triathlons & such. People are friendly, public transport is good. Schools are good. If your sort of work means you will need to commute to the CBD, then weigh up the commuting time carefully. the traffic into the city on the freeway is not up to M62 standards, but it makes a big difference, especially as it gets dark 6-8pm (depending on the time of year, obvs) and you want to make the most of the outdoors. In my mind it was worth it to live closer and have more modest house than to go for the big house & a pool but commute for an hour each way. For work, for me I'd give it 3/10. I've enjoyed the jobs I've had, but I feel like my career has taken a significant hit compared to where it was going in the UK. Of course it totally depends on what kind of work you do. It's a good place for people starting their own businesses

Well Col, I've been in Perth now for nearly 6 years, and I must warn you.. * Very few people have heard of CIMA (I'm a Fellow of CIMA, and you'd think I was saying I had O level maths) * The pigeon-holing is way worse than you think - more specific for the background employers are looking for (subsets of the broad areas you mentioned) * I haven't met one non-Perth person here who wasn't told ' But you haven't got any Perth experience' (multiple times) - one Perth-born chap who lived in London for 10 years told me instead he was told 'you don't have any RECENT Perth experience' * It is fully expected that you will take a step down in job level to get a foot in the door in Perth * There are very few large companies' head offices here, so that impacts on the number of senior roles outside of mining & resources * It seems is like going back to 1985 in terms of latest thinking in performance management. * The people are too nice for their own good - very few people challenge and almost no-one gives feedback. Excuses are fine. (I realise my experience will not necessarily be typical of all types of organisations, but I'm told that my experience is pretty common, having come from a large FTSE100 UK company in terms of what I was used to) There are some great companies here, but just not enough of them. There are far more SMEs and 'home-grown' businesses which will be entirely different than the corporate world you might be used to. And if you want to start your own business or buy a franchise, then you can definitely do that here. (Not my bag - wish it were, kindof). I actually love Perth, and am gutted that we will have to leave, but it's just not sustainable to impact our careers to the extent that moving here has done. We're going to move to Melbourne or Sydney (Melbourne, I hope) as soon as our daughter finishes school. :-(