Rendleroo

Our house doesn't have any wardrobes and the houses we viewed before we got this one, only one had them fitted. It does depend on whether you're in a new or established area it seems. :-)

We have recently arrived in Perth and we brought over most of our stuff however we have some regrets. We should've definaityley brought our car over! We would've made a killing when we came to sell later on down the track (not within the first 12 months for tax reasosn) but we now have a second hand car which will possibly last a year and it cost as much as I sold my Audi for in the UK. Cars are extortionate over here for what you get. We brought over a naf sofa which we wish we'd ditched as they are cheap enough new here (around $1000/£500) for ours if we replaced it. We bought a large fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle, iron, toaster for $1200, all new. Our biggest success was our bed; we got a UK king size (Aussie Queen) with huge mattress with topper and cooling gel, with bedside tables and very large chest of drawers, all in for £1000 delivered. We did live on camp chairs etc. for what seemed like forever and the kids didn't have any toys to play with either but we survived. My one bit of advice is make sure you get a house that fits your stuff in! We are now signed up to live in a house for 12 months and we have half the lounge suite in the garden as the house is too small to get it in to! Grrr. If I were to do it again, I would bring everything and think about what to get rid of once I was here, cost permitting of course! That's another thing - we are having to make a claim so ensure you go for top whack insurance too, it doesn't pay to go cheap and SO many people end up making claims in the end! Good luck and perhaps see you over here.

I'm not past it yet! ;-)

Thanks again for sharing your POV with me and yes, the UK is beautiful and has its good points, but we made the move for a reason. I am hopeful things will change as I don't want to move necessarily as its like emigrating again going over to the other side, but I know it will happen one day. WA isn't for everyone, but then again, nor is the UK. Heart in one place, head in another - not a great place to be so I'm off to the pub! Seems like the answer for everything over here ;-)

Wow! Thanks for all the replies guys, I wasn't expecting that, thank you! Basically I am a lecturer/trainer in Animal Welfare but specialise in marsupials - hence the move here. I managed to get a scholarship to a uni in Perth and although Perth was not our first choice, it gave us something to move over to. We have got PR but could've gone anywhere in Australia, but this looked like a great opportunity so we took it. Ten weeks in, the project has fallen flat on its face, so have I for that matter, and I'm now having to write a new project (which I'm loving) but need to find a uni who will accept me. I can stay where I am but have totally lost faith in them TBH. There is loads of scope for me to get into uni's in Vic and if I don't get lucky, there is scope for part time teaching; or at least there was. I have also been in touch with other TAFE's elsewhere who do have some work in my area. There is sweet nothing in Perth, they just don't do 'animals' in that way. And like some of you have said, Perth is very isolated and we always knew we would move for my work, but I didn't think it would be this soon. The kids have settled really well in school and we have signed a 12 month lease........ OH on the other hand, was a carpet fitter by trade but is now working in real estate, so he could go anywhere with that I would've thought? He is missing the tools, does anyone know if there's much flooring work in Melbourne/Geelong area?? Does anyone have any animal related contacts too? We are applying for jobs in all areas now just to get out of here which I think speaks volumes (sorry Perth). And yes, we do plan to do a reccie but can only afford to do this if we have interviews to attend, money is unbelievably tight just now. I really, REALLY appreciate your advice guys, thank you.

I thought I'd ask you all the question. We moved to Perth a few months ago and to be honest, it's not living up to what I hoped for. My job hasn't worked out so I have now left and am currently seeking employment but WA is so vast and there is just no work for me here. I did know this before we moved over but I came for a particular role here and am bitterly disappointed it's not worked out. We are now looking at moving to either Victoria, Geelong area, or NSW around Coffs Harbour. It appears cheaper, certainly over at Coffs, but is it really? It also looks soooo much greener in both these areas, something I really miss from the UK. Has anyone had any experience of moving interstate so soon after moving to is? Has anyone got any help or advice as I'm in turmoil here as to whether I try and stomach living inWA or do we make the leap and try for an area we originally wanted??? Thanks

I'm having my UK assessor award and teaching quals RPLd so I can be an online assessor when I arrive. I'm looking into the cert IV just in case they can't convert what I already have, it looks like it pays to shop around - the costs vary a lot!

Hi Danny. Sorry I can't PM you but do you know of anything at all in Perth please? We are moving out in ten days and desperately need fitting work. I've got about 30 years exp, refs etc. cheers

Hi John. I have been accepted as a TAFE teacher under Vocational Education Teacher. I had to have quals in my subject area so for me it was a degree PLUS teaching quals. I have lifelong learning quals rather than PGCE and managed to get in. I have to admit there is not much work any more in that area and as such we have just been released from out SS commitment so we can look for work in other states. Good luck!