Marisawright

Rohitagg, I have removed your email address for your own safety as it can attract spammers. Others can contact you using the messaging system

we are with HBF, Ive personally found health insurance to be amazing,we are a pretty healthy family but as ive learned you never know! Hubby cricked his neck on one of our many camping trips, after suffering for 9 months (like men do, it'll be right!) turns out after i finally got him to see a GP and then a specialist his C5 disk was degenerated and at the ripe old age of 39 he needed a disk replacement... 7 year old daughter had a spell of nocturia, saw a GP, specialist immediately queried kidney reflux, she saw a specialist within a week after scans etc, had a procedure,...im not saying our experience would have been any different under the public system, it seems the GP i go to refers privately and so, having insurance, I just go with it but its been very very worth it for us as a family...xxxxx

This is exactly my point - contrary to what the private health insurers try to tell you, it's very likely you would've had exactly the same experience in the public system.

To give you an example, I had a similar neck problem as your husband, had it done privately and was very happy with the whole experience. Even with health insurance it cost me several thousand dollars. I thought I was so lucky to have private health insurance to reduce the cost, to be able to get it resolved faster and to get such a good outcome.

Then my friend's father had the same problem. He didn't have health insurance so thought he would have a long painful wait, and he worried about the quality of care he would get. As it turned out, he had his op within three months and recovered just as well and quickly as I did. Couldn't fault the care. And it didn't cost him a cent!!

I have other examples of two completely different health problems where I was initially seen by a specialist in the private system and wasn't getting any better, despite multiple (expensive) appointments and tests. Both times, I then asked to be referred to a specialist in the public system who spotted the real problem straight away, treated it and I was fine. So I am by no means convinced that private specialists are always better!

Australian GP's are so accustomed to people having private health insurance that they automatically refer to private specialists. It's because of habit or prejudice, not for any good reason. You are always entitled to ask to see a specialist in the public system.

Thanks for your reply, though that does not sound good!

 

My husband doesn't necessarily need to work in oil and gas in Australia. Just a job where he can work in his trade and come home at night. Surely that is a possibility? If not, as you say, we might need to think again...

The difficulty is that the oil and gas industries are winding down, so that means there are plenty of other people like your husband, coming back to the cities and looking for the same kind of work. It's a particular problem in Perth so that would be the last place I would consider going - particularly as it will take you several months to get through the whole visa process and plan your move, so things would be even worse by the time you arrive.

The job market is better on the east coast, plus it is easier to move around - it's a very long and expensive way from Perth to the other cities if you have to relocate, whereas it's more affordable to get from, say, Brisbane to Sydney. Having said that, in Sydney you'll be lucky to buy a two-bedroom flat for the price of your Edinburgh house, so I wouldn't even consider it. Brisbane would be worth looking at.

Are you sure Marisa? I hope so. that is nice to hear. As my eldest daughter plans to go back to England in two years time. I love England, but for the first time I feel doubtful and worried for my kids. Yes media can be too much, but I am now doubting letting her go back to her home country. I don't know, was parenting easier in the past? Is terroissm our new battle? NZ seems very safe and far away at this stage. But a best parent supports, encourages, never clips wings, and I guesss hopes. I still feel very young, but hate the thought at soon I have to let my eldest daughter go home. :rolleyes:

I think it's natural to worry when all these events are so "in your face" these days - especially when you are far away from it, and can only judge by what you see on the TV.

As I'm living in the UK these days, it's easier for me to keep a sense of proportion. I would not go to Paris right now, and I will feel a little anxious when I go up to inner London next week - but if you look at where these terrorist events happen, they are all in the big capital cities because the terrorists want maximum exposure. So I feel completely safe travelling anywhere else in the UK, it is no different than when you lived here in years gone by. If your daughter is going to be living outside London then I would feel completely safe letting her come.

Thank you Marisa, yes I am fine. It actually makes me feel good to come on here and hopefully help someone. I am so looking forward to going back to work part time in a hospital in NZ, part time. Still supporting my airline hubby, and my

kids getting older.

 

I think the world has got tougher, with technology and terroisim, and as a mum, main care giver, it does scare me at times. Just wondering what any others think. x Kiwi.:yes:

I don't think the world has got tougher or more scarey. I think back to when I lived in the UK during the time when the IRA was active, the chances of getting killed were actually far higher then! It's just that these days, every single terrorist act or crime is plastered all over the television and newspapers and internet, and they all make money by sensationalizing everything and deliberately exaggerating the danger.

Do you know, for instance, that child abuse has actually gone DOWN since we were kids - it's just that we never heard anything about it in the old days? The world is actually a much safer place than when we were young, it's just that the media didn't report things as much then.

Kiwi, I think it's perfectly understandable if you feel the need of a glass of wine now and then! The difficulty, as you are finding, is that when you're unhappy it can be difficult to stop at a glass or two! Just keep fixing your eyes on the light at the end of that tunnel, this will pass, you know you are on the right path now.

We're moving over to Perth in January. I've started to look into healthcare providers. I have absolutely no idea who is good and who isn't. I have searched through many, many pages on here reading up, but would appreciate some guidance.

 

We're thinking of going with HCF, as they also provide all of the other types of insurance, so could do a one-stop insurance shop with them! However, it's a huge amount of money, so I'm a wee but nervous about plucking a company out of the air. Any of you have experience of HCF?

 

We're a couple who may or may not consider children in the future. 33 and 37.

 

 

I'm with HCF and I'm happy with them. As VeryStormy says, they're all much of a muchness in terms of price, but I've found their service good.

The bigger question is whether you need it. Does your visa require you to have it? If not, I wouldn't bother. I certainly wouldn't be taking out health insurance before you arrive - you've got enough expenses to worry about. Wait until you're settled then you can take your time to decide which way you want to go.

The private health insurers do a very good job of scaring people into thinking they must have insurance - but Australia is not like America! If you don't have private health insurance, you just get treated free under Medicare- you'll never get turned away. The quality of care under the public health system is just as good as the private system - in fact in some places, you'll find yourself in the same hospital with the same doctor, the only different is that private patients get a nicer room!

The only real drawbacks of not having private health insurance:

1. You may face a long waiting list if you need an "elective" operation

2. You'll pay a higher Medicare levy IF your salary is above the threshold (but the increase may be less than the premium you'd pay, so work it out)

3. If you don't take out health insurance, you'll be slugged for a surcharge if you decide to take out insurance in the future. However as a new migrant, you've got 12 months to make up your mind so there's no rush.

Hi, I am moving to Sydney on the 19th January on a 12 month visa, working for Woolworths HQ in Bella Vista for 6 months. Can anyone advise on where you would recommend living for these 6 months. I'm 24, single, so would prefer to live in the center. I have found a few nice apartments in the Haymarket district, however noticed the commute via public transport is 1 hour to Bella Vista. Otherwise, I would live next to Woolworths to save the journey time, but wondering what the area is like in terms of bars, restaurants, etc. Thanks Aaron!

If you want lively, don't live in the centre. It's fairly dead on weekends. The lively areas around the city are the inner suburbs, not the city itself. Haymarket is Chinatown, there are lots of nice-looking flats but many of them are jam-packed with Chinese students sleeping 12 to a room. Obviously you'd get one on your own, but the fact that the rest of the block is overcrowded will impact you, in terms of long queues for the lifts, rubbish, noise, cooking smells, fire risk etc.

Bella Vista is a long way out and there's no train (yet). You'd be reliant on the bus to get there, and while the official journey time is around an hour, you'd be very much at the mercy of traffic. While you'll be going against the flow (most people are driving IN to the city in peak hour), you'd still be vulnerable to roads being closed for accidents etc.

Unfortunately you're limited in where to live, because there just aren't any buses from Bella Vista to any of the trendy inner-west suburbs.

I would suggest looking at Parramatta, the whole of Church Street is one long line of cafes, restaurants and night clubs. It can be a bit rough late on Friday and Saturday nights, but that's not unusual in any lively social hub IMO.

They are changing the rules re super come January 2016. They are now factoring it into your pension which means the majority who have a work pension will no longer get a top up aged pension.We will lose our small pension and with it the benefits and so will most of our friends. We have has the letter about this.

I had to go and check on this because I wasn't aware of it. It looks like the changes affect only people who are receiving a "defined benefits" pension, which is mostly public servants. Very few companies offer defined benefits pension schemes any more.

One advantage of having your money in super is that Centrelink wont count it as an asset. So you may qualify for Newstart.

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Are you sure? They do take super into account for the assets tests on the pension.

I'm a Brit currently living in Switzerland. I've got my own business which is doing pretty well......my daughter seems content in Kindergarten and my German wife who is desperate to leave.

 

We have PR for Australia, so how to does Aus compare to Switzerland?

That's a question that's impossible to answer accurately unless you've lived in both. I'm a Scot who lived in Australia for 30 years and have just spent 6 months back in the UK, so I think I can compare the two fairly well. However I've only spent holidays in Europe so my opinion is only my opinion. I would stay in Europe rather than move to Australia any time, though probably not Switzerland. And that's in spite of the fact that I prefer Australia to the UK.

When moving with a job then location is probably due to the actually having a job in that place and the employment prospects in said place are somewhat irrelevant. I'm assuming the OP has a job in Perth or why would a company be paying for them to move there?

Not necessarily. When my ex had a contract in Africa, part of the deal was that the company paid to move our belongings to Africa at the beginning of the contract, and then back again at the end.

I'm in awe of people who have made the leap already, it's a huge and uncertain leap to make.

It is indeed, and frankly I think a lot of people who do it nowadays, only do it because they don't realise what they are getting into! When I emigrated 30 years ago, there was no question - Australia offered many advantages over the UK. It was more affordable, jobs were easier to get, and the lifestyle was more relaxed. I think that image of Australia is so ingrained in the British psyche, a lot of people migrate assuming it hasn't changed (but it has, a lot). Or they're drawn by the idyllic, totally unrealistic lifestyle of Home & Away (it's set in a part of Sydney where a beach house would cost you $2 million).

Don't get me wrong, I think Australia has many attractions but the pros and cons between Australia and the UK are far more evenly balanced than they were in the past. I would encourage any singleton, or young couple, to try it - but I am always a bit hesitant when I see a family planning to move unless they are very familiar with both countries and are going in with eyes open. It's going to cost at least $30,000 by the time you've moved and got set up, and the same again if you decide it's not working and have to go home again - if you're well set-up and can afford to lose that kind of money, fine, but not everyone can afford to make that kind of hole in their budget when they have kids to bring up.

None of our parents had it though did they ?

It was never even thought of until the 80s.

But that's like saying nobody had cancer in the 1600's - of course they did, they just couldn't put a name to it. It's a whole separate debate whether identifying an illness makes it easier to treat and is therefore a good thing, or makes it easier for people to exaggerate their condition and is therefore a bad thing.

Finally signed the contract and now the countdown begins for a move to Perth.

 

As a British expat living in Dubai for 8 years and earning tax-free, still not sure whether we're doing the right thing by moving to Perth... but money isn't everything and we're looking forward to a whole new chapter.

 

One of my many questions is... knowing that my company will pay for our shipping costs. Should we buy new furniture in Dubai and ship it to Perth? Or would that not be worth it? We have some decent furniture already... but I wouldnt mind a new bed and sofa/etc. Should we buy here and ship? or should we buy in Perth? I can get a decent bed-set here (with Mattress) for 2000AUD.

 

Are there any online retailers where I can check prices and compare them to here.

 

Thanks in advance....

If they're paying, bring it. You can always give it to charity and buy a new one after you're settled.

Is there a particular reason you've chosen Perth? Not the best for employment prospects at the mo.

The property market here has spiralled out of control, we need a bigger house badly!

... The climate, the ex pat population and it's cheaper than Sydney to buy property.

 

The property market has spiralled out of control in Australia too! It's very hard to judge from the internet - Australian real estate agents are just the same as British ones, and use fish-eye lenses to make rooms look bigger, and photoshop photos to make horrible houses look good.

Most people who come to Australian cities from the UK find that houses are LESS affordable here, judged like for like (i.e. taking into account commuting distance, neighbourhood, size etc). The exception is London and its feeder cities in the South of England, where prices are way above the national average.

So, if property is the big driver for the move, I think it's vitally important to organise a visit to Perth to check out the property market. That way you don't get excited about affordable houses on the net, which turn out to have tiny rooms, or be too long a commute, or next to a train line, or under a flight path, or in a dodgy neighbourhood. It would be a great shame to uproot your whole family on the basis that you'll get a better house, then find you can't!

In reply to the original question - my circulation (Raynauds) problems are better here because of the weather, but I think generally there is a lot more sugar in foods here so despite eating fairly healthily, I have put on weight since being here.

That's interesting, because having just spent six months in the UK, I think there's a lot more sugar and fat in the diet here! Not so much in individual foods, but in the type of foods people eat - I notice people eat a lot more biscuits and cakes, and are more likely to eat sausages, pies with thick pastry, fish with batter than lean meat and salad.

I also put weight on when I moved to Australia, in spite of a healthier diet, but I know the reason - the portion sizes are much bigger in Australia. For instance, I'll buy two steaks or two pieces of fish in the supermarket here, labelled "2 serves" and the whole pack will 200g to 300g - buy the same thing in Australia and it's more likely to be 400g or even 500g. I remember when I first arrived feeling they were too big but got used to it far too quickly!

The best option for investment purposes will always be a house, because it has land - so even if the house falls down, you still have the land.

I also worry about the quality of new builds. I'm not an expert, but used to manage office fitouts and met several British tradesmen who were a bit shocked at the standards in Australia. Do you have a strong preference for brand new place? If not, then you can get a lot better value looking in an older suburb at an established house.

 

Gosh it seems so complicated and stressful already.

Yes, it is complicated and stressful especially when you have to consider children as well - but it's a great adventure too! Provided you're moving for the right reasons and have realistic expectations, it's all achievable.

The main thing to understand is that life in Australia is not better or worse than in the UK, it's just different. The days when Australia was indisputably a better place to live are long gone. so you need to weigh up the pro's and con's of each country and be sure it's going to work for you (or as sure as you can be!). It's a very personal thing as everyone's priorities are different. The UK's major advantages are the proximity of Europe for holidays/culture, and wider opportunities for education and career, whereas Australia's main benefits are being less crowded, with a more outdoor lifestyle. Some also feel it's safer due to its distance from war-torn areas of the world - although to be fair, that's probably an illusion as Australia is involved in those wars and has had terrorist incidents against its citizens in the past.

I am sorry Marissa, I still don't understand when I was rude or aggresive. I guess I don't belong on a forum.

Kiwi, if you can turn on the messaging system, I would be happy to discuss this off the forum. I have already explained several times, I DID NOT SAY YOU WERE RUDE OR AGGRESSIVE.

What you said was that OTHER people were rude or aggressive to you in their posts. So I removed those posts and your replies.

Happy for those who are happy here, not disputing that it's a beautiful country, but it will never be 'home' for me. Several reasons I can't go home, spouse being Oz is one of them. I need a plan, I cannot live here forever for my sanity, which is already hanging by a thread after 5 years here.

I'm so sorry to hear that @Sarahelle - most people would never think a "mixed marriage" between an Aussie and a Brit would cause problems, but it so often does. Is your oh open to the idea of moving to the UK or not?

You could approach your payroll office for a Certificate of Service. You can say it's because you're applying for a mortgage or a loan. That way you get a letter confirming you have actually worked for the company, so at least the DIBP won't go phoning up to check your employment details.

I've deleted the last few posts because it is not appropriate to accuse other members of being rude or aggressive. If you feel someone has been rude or aggressive towards you, please report the post to a moderator instead.

I think you are right to worry about whether you can afford it. Once upon a time, it was considerably cheaper to live in Australia than in the UK, and you could look forward to owning a big house with land and a pool on a modest salary. That is no longer the case, at least in the capital cities.

You will find endless debates on these forums comparing the cost of living in the UK vs Australia. The fact that there is so much debate proves that some things are more expensive and some things are cheaper! Overall it is about the same, except for the cost of housing which is generally higher than the UK. That means you need about the same salary as you do in the UK.

In your case, you're coming from London which means you'll find the cost of housing cheaper, which is a positive.

Good luck!