byrned

Your estimates seem really low, your rent if you are quoting 400 per week is not 1600 per month but $1,733.00 per month as there are 5 weeks in some months so times the 400 by 52 wks then divide by 12 months this gives an accurate figure. Gas and electric budget $150.00 per month, food budget $200 dollars per week. Petrol depends on travel will you have two cars, will you be working in quins or the city, people tend to travel further here so spend more on fuel. mobiles x2 could be 60 per month pay as you go. Car rego for 2 vehicles check www.transport.wa.gov.au check out aami insurance or budget insurance company will give you an idea for home contents and car insurance check out carsales.com.au for cost of vehicles. have a look at abc-childcare.com this will give you rates for day care if you decide to put your little one in nursery not a spot on figure but an idea of costs involved. You would be better over estimating then under, then you will not be in for any nasty shocks on arrival

Look on the websites woolworths.com.au and coles.com.au they are not like the uk supermarkets, the choice is limited, some supermarkets sell a few pairs of socks and undies, few pjs, the quality I would say is on par to what you would buy on the markets in england. limited houseold items like towels, tea towels etc, do not expect uk supermarkets here. The shopping mall in Doncaster is pretty good nice shops, food outlets, pictures etc you will not be dissapoited with that. Doncaster is a good area, but no train line, you will have to bus into the city or drive, you are near the eastern freeway which will take you into the city within 20 mins on a good run ie not peak time. Can be quite pricey when it comes to buying property in that area look on realestate.com.au we do not have theme parks as such in melbourne like legoland etc you have melbourne zoo which is a lovely zoo not sure of cost cannot remember look on things to do in melbourne. for kids clothes you will not find as much choice as you have in the uk but you have shops like pumpkin patch, cotton on kids etc you have target which is probably on par with matalan.

After tax and deductions you are looking at about 850 per wk take home pay, so I would say no you will not have the type of life you have listed you have in the uk, however if you wife is earning about the same as you then you should be ok, but on one wage that is below the average and you will struggle, if you think your rent would be 350 to 400 per week, that leaves you about 450 a week, family of four food and for bits through the week approx 250 aweek, that leaves you 200. When working out costs for things like rent and utilities, and everything else you need to live for you, your wife and kids I always think it is better to forcast at the top end that way you are not kidding your self and not fudging numbers so they look better to fit your dream of being here.

Hoff overtime is never guarenteed sometimes what you get promised can not always be relied upon. As such with his wife I know quite a few teachers here who are struggling finding teaching posts, let alone part-time posts. His wife has not secured employment yet so until you have a contract in your hand with a start date with a salary it is yet again not fact, just a possibility of what could be, when you are starting again with a wife and 3 young children, a salary of 750 per week is pants in my opinion it will be a struggle for them, living here their rent alone will take half of that before they even start. I do not wish to get into a slanging match with you but I am only stating facts as I see them and live them.

Just out of interest Hoff when does your visa expire, and when do you think you will be here, if the exchange rate does not improve or house prices will you still come.

I would say if you want a decent standard of living for a family of 4 then about 100k this would enable you to go on holidays and have money for leisure. If however you are a family that dont mind to struggle and look around shops for cheap food deals etc then yes you could survive on say 60.

We will be heading back in 2.5 yrs, due to waiting for kids to finish their education. Knew within 6 months of being here that it would not be forever. It has never felt like home to me, I have always felt I was just a visitor.

Hope this helps its about the basics you need each month to live on.

No disrepect ropey but you can not say to him the amount quoted is plenty, 750 dollars a week for a man, wife and 3 very young children is not plenty, believe me I live here and pay rent, utilities, food, petrol, car rego, car insurance, doctor bills, dentist, childcare, clothes, shoes etc etc and it is pants really.

Get in touch with your family and friends in the uk for money and go home.

Depends what type of lifestyle you have now, do you have an extended family that help with your young children, if you wife is looking to work part-time then all her salay will be paid out on childcare, Your wage you have quoted is pretty poor, with three kids on that type of money you will struggle, not easy getting teaching work here especially part time. So you may have weeks and weeks just living on one wage. All I can suggest is researh, research and more, if you are well cashed up before getting here you may be ok you know have enough for cars, decent place to live, etc etc.

Yes things are expensive here if you compare to england especially for people coming over now. you do get used to it or like a lot of people now buy online, a lot of our friends here both ozzies and brits buy online, ozzies know they get ripped of have you checked out the price of books. Thank goodness for amazon and stores like that. Even with earing the higher dollar its still a rip off.

If you read the post she is quoting milk at 2 litres.

My children both went to excellent state schools in the uk both primary and high school, when they came to oz they both went to state primary and high schools here, and I know for a fact the schooling they receive here is not as good. My elder child who has now finished high school said the teaching in her high school in England was a lot more indepth and mature in delivery then here and she enjoyed the uk type of schooling then she did here. That has nothing to do with me but her experience of being a pupil in both the uk and oz school systems.

Depends on certain things, what type of visa do you have, will your wife have a right to work in Australia. Do you have Children?

All she is trying to do is warn the op this lady has 4 kids at diff ages 2 young ones 2 teenages, all in school. coming today in this economic climate and with their job specs of a chef and hairdresser do the maths, like I say if they are cashed up before getting here they will be fine, just to set up home here we all know how quickly the cash can run through your fingers, just to rig them out in uniforms, school shoes and text books.

I can see where you are coming from michelle, peopole live differently, the op has 4 kids 2 young and 2 teenages not cheap, it depends what you want from life, me I like going on holidays, going to the pub, going for meals, if i see a new outfit in a shop then I want to be able to buy it, I did not come 11 thousand miles to scrimp and scrape, and looking for cheap deals in supermarkets or trawling round veg shops for cheap deals, I did not scrimp and scrape in england and I wont here. We did not come for a better life because we had a great life in uk, we came for an adventure for us and the kids. The adventure is nearly over for us and we will be heading back to uk, Now I look at the op job bracket and I am thinking about 60 grand for him as a chef depending on what hours he wants to work, hairdresser not sure, but 4 kids 2 young you are already looking at childcare could end up paying more in childcare for 2 kids then what an hairdresser earns, then look at rent about 400 dollars plus aweek, shopping for 6 about 300 dollars a week being conservative so just for 2 bills you are looking at 700 bucks before you start. I would say to the opening poster write down a full list of costs even down to the school bags you would need for kids and then write down what income you would get here for your jobs and dont sugar coat it so it fits your dream but be realisic and honest with yourself. I would hate to see anyone not being fully warned about the costs of things. I know the pictures you see of oz look great, beaches, blue seas, but you know you cant eat sand and you need the cash for the sunscreen.

Stay where you are until fully healed, until you have been signed off you do not know if you will need further treatment and physio, yes it would be nice to sit in the sun and recover but unfortunately the sun and sand do not pay the bills and cover any mishaps that could happen with the knee, or any emergency surgery from mishaps and insurance do not know if you would get cover from this known existing injury. 10 grand will not last long here.

Vikkey have you already got your visa? and what type visa have you got?if it is a 457 visa I would seriously say forget it, you would not be able to survive financially, unless you are seriously cashed up before you get here. like I have previously stated do your research. start thinking with your head, look at the figures, yes it would be lovely to have a pool but do you know how much it costs to run a pool over a 12 month period. things like this you have to think about, I have seen and heard about many families come to oz with very little thinking oz is paved with gold and they will have this amazing life, only to find differently and have to go back losing everything. And then you have the ex pats here who are mortgaged up to the hilt who dont even have a brass farthing to scratch their ars*# with who cant even afford a night out, a cup of coffee or even a holiday but to keep up with the jones and so their pictures they send back to the uk proves they are living the dream when everything they have is on the tick, this gives a false impression to people like you, and the shows they put on telly a load of crap. There is work here if you want it and we earn a good salary between up we earn about 150 grand between us, and live quite cheaply only rent still at 340 a week, small unit, have plenty of surplus money for holidays, eating out, clothes, pictures etc, your jobs you are in not sure what type of salarys you will get but not great, hairdressing and chef, you will have to work very long hours to get a decent wack at the end of the week and that will be both of you, less time to spend with the kids and to live the dream.

If your extended family are a big part of your and your childrens life then no it will not be better for them or you. Children can do well in either country if they have good parents behind them. You must realise it is not cheap to come to Australia, you have to pay for a lot of things you take for granted in the uk, like doctors, dentists, scripts, schooling,text books etc etc because you have four children I would recommend to you do your research, you are setting up a whole new life ie home, cars, schooling, jobs. If you are cashed up that helps alot, but once you start struggling financially all the sunshine in the world added to that you are far away from family without having money to go back for trips can seem even bleaker. so first check out what your two jobs will bring in for you weekly look on seek.com.au this is a job website, look on realestate.com.au to see when rents you will be paying look on this site to get an idea of houses if you wish to buy one. look on coles.com.au or woolworths.com.au to get an idea or grocery costs check out the schools for cost of school fees ring them ask them to give you an idea of text books for the kids or numbers you can ring to find out costs and for uniforms as well. The more research you do the better because at the end of the day with four kids you need to be able to afford to live here.

Premier inn westminster it is one of a few hotels based in the county hall, which is on the westminster bridge just at the side of the london eye. We stayed there and it was great, close to everything walking distance to trafalgar square, houses of parliament, big ben, westminster abbey etc. tube station. good restaurants nice walk past london eye down southbank.

She may be better going onto high school for the last couple of years and if she can do yr 11 and 12 with good grades she could go straight to uni, for the div 1, alternatively the tafe route is open, to her.

Depending on the state in some you can go onto to do a div 2 nursing course, all you need to do is a vetasses test, very basic, maths, english, comprehension. The div 2 nursing through tafe you can either do parttime or full time, full time is over 18 months part time is over 2 yrs, if you do well on the course get good grades then you can transfer at some point to uni to get the div 1 nursing. You will have to pay to do the course I think if you are a permanent resi its about 5 thousand dollars.

we came on 457 visa and it was only my husband that needed the cover according to the visa, me and the kids went down the public hospital route. Upon entry to the country you will all get a medicare card and be able to use the public health care system if you so wish.