ItchyFeet76

Yeah we did consider the South (it would be nice to be closer to Dover so we could just nip across the Channel on the weekend and stock up the wine cooler!), but it's so much more expensive because you're in the commuter belt (unless you go to Devon / Cornwall, but they're too far from big cities for my husband's work) and we prefer the national parks up north (the South Downs are beautiful but are going to be fracked to death, if you believe the Telegraph...!). Exmoor and Dartmoor - again, beautiful places, but a bit remote if my husband has to go see a client.

Yes, that is a lovely part.... but unfortunately I don't think we'd feel like we'd changed anything (other than the location and house)... It needs to be somewhere that's no more expensive than where we currently are (and we always thought our town was overpriced and that we'd be able to upsize by moving away...not the case at all!) - Derbyshire seems a little cheaper, although Buxton / Ashbourne / Bakewell are obviously very pricey. We considered Yorkshire, too, but again it's a bit further for recce trips (can't nip there and back in a day), bit colder, and we're more familiar with Derbyshire so think we're best to rule out that area first before moving onto a completely different one. There's so much to consider (almost as much as Australia!) - crime rates, school Ofsted ratings, proximity to rail stations and motorways, planning applications (lots of new houses planned for the Peaks....oo er!), potential for fracking (more a problem in the south of England, I think), weather, places to visit / things to do on a weekend, etc.

@caramac - Yes I quite fancied Northumberland, but it's a bit far north for us... I think the Peak District is as far north as we'd like to go (otherwise we'd have considered the Lake District, too) - only a couple of hours away from our parents, not that much colder (unless you go to Buxton, of course, which is 4 degrees colder than everywhere else!), still bbq weather in summer (but decent snowfall in winter), and if / when we do sell and want to go back for a 2nd viewing on a property, we can be there and back within a day (so no hotel (x 2 rooms as we have 3 kids) or meal costs for staying away. @ Macdonald067 - Oh dear, I do feel for you... my husband will be 41 in October and that was also a concern for us... We'd initially planned on only staying for a few years (as it was just meant to be an adventure...something on our bucket list) and he was worried about returning to the UK as a 45-year-old and trying to slot back into the workplace (plus trying to find a job that started when he arrived back - and selling the house in Aus to coincide with our flights home...). Good luck with your plans - if they're meant to be, I'm sure it'll all work out for you :-) @VERYSTORMY - Yes, that's just what we want to do - give the kids the chance at living in the country. I've always had dogs and horses (until I had kids, lol) and really miss them. I don't think a horse would be on the cards (perhaps a donkey if the garden was big enough, hehe) but I've always wanted to grow my own veggies, have chickens or ducks, and be more self-sufficient. Being in a brand new house (with a very sloping lawn) on a new estate isn't really conducive to these aspirations, however!

Hi Tappers2Oz, I see you're in Cornwall - we actually considered moving there but, although my husband is home-based, he sometimes has to work away and it's a bit too remote for him to get to clients :-( You're lucky to live in such a lovely part of the UK though. I tell you what - having reconciled ourselves to staying, it's amazing how much more you appreciate your own country. You start to appreciate the scenery and landscapes in areas you've never visited (but hope to, one day...); you stop taking for granted the NHS (although it isn't 'free', it is a damn sight cheaper than the USA or Aus! - at the moment, anyway... depending on whether or not they start charging for appointments, of course!). And I never thought I'd feel so grateful for all our £ shops (and Waitrose - on the other end of the scale! - which I'd miss terribly if we emigrated!). In fact, we've been researching potential destinations by searching for Caffe Nero / Costa Coffees and Waitrose stores! Sad, eh ;-)

Well, the title kind of says it all. Basically we got my husband's skills assessment through a couple weeks back and, despite it being 'successsful' (in their eyes, not ours) they deducted so many years' work experience, leaving him with the equivalent of just a diploma and thus not enough points to get PR :-( We've weighed up the pros and cons and have decided that, with 3 kids and limited financial funds (unless with dug into the equity of our house - which we are loathe to do) it would be too risky to go on a 457. Yes, we could hopefully get PR after 2 years via the transitional route, but a lot can happen in 2 years. We initially were prepared to go on a 457 but then, when we thought we stood a chance of getting PR, we got our hopes up and started acknowledging the risks of a 457 more so than if PR definitely wasn't on the cards... Also, the hassle of selling the house (8 weeks on the market and 3 viewings...) at the exact time to start a job in Aus (sell too early and you're homeless; sell too late and hubby has to live in a youth hostel down under whilst also paying the UK mortgage from his Aussie wages) and costs of making the move (£15k-£20k each way - doubled if / when we came back) made us realise that it just isn't viable. Financially or logistically. We're absolutely gutted as it's been 10 years in the making, but we know we've tried and so that will prevent us from regretting not having done it in years to come... However. Seeing as the house is already on the market and we're all psyched up to move.... we've decided that, if we can't have our Aussie adventure, we need to reassess our current life and do something that will make us happy to stay in the UK - possibly not as good as Aus, but hopefully better than what we currently have (not that our lives are bad, of course, but we just feel they could be better). So we've decided to try and move up north to the country and have a more rural lifestyle - somewhere with a big garden where we can have a dog, some chickens / ducks, room to grow some veggies, etc. and with lots of nice scenery on our doorstep. We currently live in a lovely market town but the only nice fields belong to farmers and you can't walk through them - you have to drive to local country parks to get 'in the country'. So if we were able to live somewhere like the Peak District then our weekends would hopefully hold more than just coffee shops and local playgrounds. It may be a pipe dream (like Oz, I guess) but it'd give us the chance to have a different lifestyle and to feel like we're doing something with our lives. We want the kids to explore our country and spend more time outdoors (in the rain if necessary!) - not stuck inside on their tablets. I just thought I'd update our situation (not that anyone would have missed me, I'm sure, but just to provide a positive spin on our negative situation, incase anyone else was in a similar position). Best of luck to anyone still trying to make the move, and I hope our reasons (for not making the move) don't deter anyone still focused on a move down under. We were fully aware of the positives and negatives of the move before we spent all our money on skills assessments, etc. but only when we received the results did we have to make a final decision on whether or not we were prepared to risk it all on a temporary visa. For us, it wasn't worth it, as our lives aren't that bad that we're desperate to make the move (though the sun, sea and wombats were a pretty big draw for me!)...for others, their lives in the UK might be such that a temporary visa is better than nothing. Follow your dreams and be true to yourselves, but respect others' decisions about what they feel is right for them. I-F :-) PS - Awesome forum and I'll still be checking the MBTUK forum every now and then!

Actually it is. I already said that's what they're known as around here - I've always known them to be called that, and not because of any negative connotations, it's just what they're called, same as someone from Birmingham is a Brummie, someone from Liverpool (such as yourself) is a Scouser, and what you eat for lunch could be a bap in one part of the country or a cob in another - it depends where you live, I guess. I don't think this thread should be going off-topic but, since it was mentioned, I'd like to concur that, yes, they weren't the only people turning up at whoops-o-clock, but yes, they WERE the only people pushing other people out of the way, grabbing everything without giving others a look in (those with class and manners wouldn't take all 10 packs but see if anyone else wanted one first). I would make this point regardless of whether or not they were pikeys, I simply made the point because - according to the staff - they are they every day at whoops-o-clock (despite having been banned for life - don't ask my why by the way) and behave in the same manner every day, and then drive off in their brand new Subarus, so it isn't a poverty thing. Back to the topic inhand... I agree that things are definitely looking up, as there have been more independent, boutiquey shops opening up (and they all seem to be thriving), our town in particular has had millions spent on it in terms of infrastructure, new library, restoration of old buildings, etc. and house prices are soaring (though the new MMR may put a stop to that...). I just hope that, as we return to the pre-recession levels of 2007/8, the house market doesn't go the same way as it did around that time (people keep talking about it 'peaking').... :-/ I-F

Not meant in a derogatory way, it's just what they're called around here. I guess it depends what part of the country you're from...? (like 'baps' and 'cobs'?)

I got caught in a melee at my local supermarket the other day. It was whoops-o-clock (when they reduce everything) and some pikies were buying 2 cows' worth of meat and trampling over everybody in the process. I don't think it was due to economic hardship though, just a pikey thing ;-)

More clarification from Sky News - the passenger was drunk and there was no hijacking. Very relieved as I'm a nervous flyer anyway, and after MH370 I'm even more reluctant to fly long-haul anywhere. Thankfully this was a false alarm, but will the next one be...?

Sky have now just said a passenger tried to enter the cockpit but they're not sure if he managed to gain access or not. The good news is it seems all is well now :-)

http://www.smh.com.au/world/hijacked-virgin-blue-plane-forced-to-land-at-bali-airport-says-indonesian-tv-report-20140425-zqzn0.html Anyone heard anything more about this? It was on the TV (Sky News) just now, and I've found a couple of things on the web, but only one under 'news' and that was in Spanish... Hope everyone is ok :unsure:

Is that "Bob in Oz"'s 'main man'?

We're hoping to move to Melbourne (if we ever find sponsorship, that is!). Areas we've looked at are Sanctuary Lakes, Edithvale, Narre Warren and, if the the budget affords it, Brighton Beach... So let me get this right... if Kindy is compulsory, then is it free (i.e. no upfront fees)? My youngest will be 4 in August so I assume she'd start end Jan 2016. My middle is just 5 (Foundation in the UK) so would be in Kindy now, and my eldest is 7 (Y2 in the UK), so would be in Year 1...? Cheers, I-F :-)

Thanks Skani, I'll check that site out :-)

Yes that's a shame... we would have loved to have gone to Perth but the school fees put us off (that and the lack of jobs, which I guess is also kind of a deal-breaker!). You're very lucky to live in such a beautiful state :-)

Thanks for that. I think Aus has 4 terms a year (as opposed to 3 in the UK), so that's $2k a year.... Cheers :-)

So Kindergarten is the equiv of our pre-school, is that right....? Thanks for the info :-)

I didn't say school was free, I said her current pre-school place (in the UK) is free, which it is. We don't pay for anything. I accept that there are costs incurred with school in Aus, just like in the UK (our other two children are constantly bringing letters home from school asking for money for something!). I presume pre-school isn't compulsory though? If I can't afford to send her to pre-school / kindergarten then I just wait until she turns 5 and send her to school?

My MIL was prescribed anti-depressants (high-strength ones too - Prozac) for 20 years, and a couple years ago she decided enough was enough, she was fed up of having her emotions reliant upon a drug, so what did she do? Went cold-turkey. Literally. The result was instant collapse and hospitalisation. She's now back on them, albeit a lower dose (which took months of adjusting to get her down to it). I agree whole-heartedly with Fifi69, and think the NHS often treat the symptoms and not the cause... I-F :-)

My youngest currently benefits from the free pre-school sessions in the UK (15 hours per week in term-time). Just wondering if Australia has some sort of similar system or if one has to pay for pre-school? We would most likely be on a 457 visa... (I know that PRs and citizens get 50% fees back for childcare but we obviously wouldn't). Also, are there many mums 'n' toddler groups and how much do they tend to cost (over here they're either free or £1 - £1.50, which includes tea and biscuits). Thanks, I-F :-)

When will the show be aired in the UK?

We have 3 kids (7, 5 and 3.5y) and are hoping to get a job offer and make the move on a 457 (we've submitted a skills assessment but aren't hopeful so are assuming PR is a no-go). I don't work as childcare costs are too prohibitive and, even if I could earn £54 a day to cover the before- and after-school childcare costs (or £81 a day in the holidays) I wouldn't unless I came out with sufficiently more to make it worth my while. Not to mention the fact I'd need to buy a car and pay all the associated maintenance / running costs out of my wages... So, in short, we'll be making the move with just my husband working, hoping to earn around $120-$130k, although I fear this may include Super... :-/ So that brings it down quite a bit (by 9.25% as far as I'm aware). Whilst I agree somewhat with the "if it ain't broke...." opinion, I also agree that life is for living and you only get one chance at it. Our life is good but we've always felt there's something missing, and that there must be more to life than working in the week, going to the park and coffee shops at the weekend, having the odd holiday every few years.... And the thought of staying here and waking up in 10 / 20 years' time realising nothing has changed and it's too late to change it, fills me with premature sorrow. Why does something have to be wrong with your life in order to want to move abroad? Why can't it be just for an adventure, like we plan it to be? If your life were awful and you were trying to escape it, one might accuse you of running away from your problems and that would be an equally wrong reason to move.... I'd rather regret something I HAVE done than something I haven't. For us, we just want an adventure, to get it out of our systems and then return to the UK and get back to our lives... but at least we'll have done it and can then settle down, knowing we've lived our lives to the full and have seized an opportunity that many are not fortunate enough to come across. It would be so much easier to knock it on the head and stay, to NOT break out of our comfort zone, to NOT spend £15k that could have gone off the mortgage, to NOT upset our families, to NOT destabilize the kids by taking them out of school and away from their friends.... But life isn't about doing the easy thing. It's about doing the right thing for you and your family. If you feel that the right thing is to go, then do it regardless. If it's to stay, then the same applies and I hope you can make a happy life in the UK. But just make sure you don't wake up in 10 years' time with regrets about what 'could have been'.... We don't have rose-tinted specs on either - in fact we're decidedly UNexcited about the move as we're overly cautious and don't want to set our hopes up to be disappointed. We know we'll be slightly worse off financially and the life over there - although different - probably won't be any better, but so long as it's no worse then 'different' works for us, and it'll be good for the kids to explore a new country, culture, and to gain independence and broaden their horizons from what we hope will be a positive move. That said, we've still not found a job so will probably end up either staying in the UK or trying somewhere else (possibly the USA). Watch this space! ;-) I-F :-)

Er, you do know this forum is for Australia, not Canada...?! For what it's worth, I would put money on the fact that any skilled worker to Quebec WOULD indeed need to speak French. Bear in mind their French is not like the French you spoke at school. The accent is completely different (think southern France / Occitane), they have their own dialect and even I (as a fluent French speaker) struggle to understand them at times... Just the fact that a popular Canadian soap opera is broadcasted on French TV with French subtitles should, perhaps, enhance my point! Good luck, and if Canada fails... Australia is always there to try! (better weather and cuter wildlife, too) ;-)

If it's any help, Horse Trainer is on the CSOL (Consolidated Skilled Occupation List), so you could always go down the state sponsored route (though I guess there's no reason you wouldn't be successful on your husband's job)... not sure if being on the list is an indication of the likelihood of there being many jobs in that particular occupation (maybe someone else can answer that?) - I would presume so, otherwise what's the point of it being on the 'wanted' list? I'm sure someone will prove me wrong though ;-)

Crikey, I thought they took 6-8 weeks?! Congratulations. What line of work are you in and where are you headed? Have you all sold up in the UK? Our house has just gone on the market and my oh is interviewing for positions at the moment... Cheers, I-F :-)