Marisawright

Are drugs/alcohol /domestic violence. etc less of a problem in the UK than Australia?

 

Maybe all those problems ARE more of a problem in Australia, though I don't think so. Those problems are the same everywhere "in my opinion" so I shall have to do some research.

Not really - all you need to do is stop and read people's posts properly before you respond. You were just berating others for making exaggerated statements on another thread - now you're doing the same!

There is NOT ONE person on this thread who is saying that crime is worse in Australia. They are saying what you are saying - that problems are the same everywhere. They are just giving examples of problems in Australia, to enable the OP to judge compared to her experience in the UK.

Leave them rolled up and don't worry about them. As Bungo says, they are looking for large items, they won't worry about little stuff - I wouldn't bother declaring it if it were me.

The problem as I see it with the Extras part of the health cover (we are with NIB, we were with BUPA both the same rules) is that although we are entitled to $300 per year each for spectacles, to get that $300 you have to spend $500, ie out of pocket by $200. Even if you buy a pair of glasses say for $300 you will be out of pocket by $120. I'm talking about varifocals and decent quality lenses. I followed up an advert by Specsavers who offering varifocals at $99, when I went in to the store the assistant said that yes they were available at that price but were the most basic lenses, with no coating or glare reduction.

I would love to know of an Extra provider which would allow me to claim $300 per year without out of pocket expenses. Anybody know one???.

Mike

There are a couple of funds that will give you a pair of "free specs" with your extras cover - but that will usually just cover plain lenses with no anti-glare, anti-scratch, or any other fancy features. If you want more than that, it's back to paying the excess.

I'm like you - I can't be bothered carrying distance glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses, so I have one pair, which is varifocal with transition lenses. As you say, you see these ads in Specsavers for cheap spectacles, but when you go in, you find it's for cheap frames with NO extras, and by the time you've added everything in, it's $500.

lol, hope it does not worsen at a rate that outstrips my healthcare, but I'm using reading glasses only, so I do notice my first glasses (if i can find em!) are not that great for reading anymore

You don't need prescription lenses for reading. Reading glasses are just, basically, magnifiers - the ones in the chemist are every bit as good as the ones from an opticians (and I ws told that by an optician!).

Not total rubbish surely. 23 million people plus 4 million in NZ provides a market of sorts. The huge clubs here in NSW guarantee work with all their shows and bands, and if there was no work.

Of course there is not "no work", what a silly thing to say! I am not saying there is "no work", I am saying there is LESS work! Blimey!

Can't say I agree with your comment "its a very wet city". But when it rains it often buckets down torrential like.

The first time I saw Sydney rain, I thought it was a monsoon!

I did think that working day jobs was the lot of actors everywhere, even in Hollywood?

 

I can understand that someone would do a uni course here then head overseas for further specialised study and / or more work opportunities.

Yes, but remember if someone has left the UK then returns to do further study, they'll have to pay fees as a foreign student which are far far higher than they'd pay as a UK resident. So it's possible their dream could be put out of reach.

But as the various creative fields expand here, wouldnt that lead to more opportunities?

 

What kind of standard is NIDA here in Sydney for instance? What courses would you HAVE to leave Australia to do?

 

I understand the distances involved but shows, plays, concerts and opera still go on. International stars and acts still tour and they would not come off it wasn't profitable.

Sure, but not nearly as many as you'll find in the UK and Europe - because it's only financially possible for the most famous ones. How often can I say this - I'm not talking about quality, I'm talking about V-A-R-I-E-T-Y. There is a smaller audience therefore fewer shows, therefore less work.

Congratulations and good luck! I've just posted on another thread - Australians love to hate Canberra but I really like it. I've worked on projects there quite a lot. I love the fact that people actually stop work and go out to eat lunch in a cafe with friends, instead of grabbing a sandwich and eating at their desk - then get up and go home at 5.30. I like the fact that summer evenings are cool, so you get a chance to cool down after a sweltering hot day. I like the fact that the heat is dry unlike sticky humid Sydney. It's only a couple of hours to the beach or the wonderful Snowy Mountains. I hope you enjoy it!

From what I've seen so far, everyone gets 20 days earned leave and that's it.

 

Is it the same for absolutely everyone, due to "Fair Work" regulations, or does it depend on what "award" you're on?

 

Back in the UK I got 35 days annual leave (although I was always too busy to take it all), but 20 seems pretty mean.

I have worked in many different jobs in Australia including management, and have never had more than 20 days leave. I imagine some senior management could negotiate a personal deal to get extra but it's definitely not usual to do so.

Also quite a few companies now have a policy that if you don't take the leave within a certain time, you lose it.

Mind you, Americans tell me the Australian leave allowance is generous compared to the US.

We are applying for a 189 Visa so we can effectively choose a location where to live versus being nominated by a state. We are both accountants (yawn) and are moving for a better life for our daughter, but also to get us away from the long hours and pressure that we endure in London... We still want to work, but not in such pressured jobs and jobs where we can enjoy a good work life balance versus work work balance.

 

We've already been to Australia and have visited Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and while we like Sydney it is out of our budget and are looking at Melbourne, Perth and possibly Adelaide.

 

...We want to live in a nice family orientated area where we can enjoy more of an outside lifestyle versus here in the UK and feel safe at home.

.

In the corporate world in Sydney and Melbourne, people work longer hours and have shorter holidays than anywhere in the UK, plus most have a very long commute on top of that. From my observations (when working on projects interstate), offices in Perth, Canberra and Adelaide are more reasonable and people actually get to leave the office before 6 o'clock - but of course, there are fewer jobs around.

As you say, choosing a location is very personal and depends a lot on your lifestyle.

I'm used to living in Sydney so I find Perth too quiet, and it's expensive to go anywhere else in Australia. If you're into the arts, you'll find you see fewer major shows/operas/ballets/concerts because the cost to transport productions to Perth is prohibitive.

I like Adelaide, it is an elegant, cultured city with all the amenities but still manages to have a small town feel about it - but a friend who moved there found it hard to break into social circles. Her comment was it was "too clique-y". By coincidence, I saw someone posting exactly the same comment here just a few weeks ago.

You don't mention Canberra, which I like very much. Australians love to hate Canberra, but it is the safest of all the cities by far. It's dominated by professionals because most of the work is in white collar jobs, mainly in government. Because it is so full of bureaucrats and bean-counters, some assume it's boring, but I find they often have hidden depths! It's easier to make friends because so much of the population is from outside Canberra, meaning they don't have a long-established group of friends already (but of course they are also more likely to leave!). No beach of course, and it's freezing in winter. But Bateman's Bay is only two hours' drive away, and it's close enough to Sydney to visit for shows.

We are probably like many other people that are planning to move to Australia are lured by the better lifestyle, weather, jobs and many more. But I wonder how many feel that the problems that we experience in society, unemployment, drugs, crime are as prevalent in Australia as they are UK and are these countered by the positives of moving to Australia?

 

Australia is a first-world country, of course you will encounter the same problems in society when you move!

Unemployment is somewhat worse in Australia than the UK because the economy is now in a downturn, and likely to be so for a while. That inevitably leads to drugs and crime problems - but based on my experience (having recently moved from Oz to England) certainly no worse than the UK. Also, like the UK, it varies a lot from one area to the next - live in a more affluent area and you'll have few problems.

As for your daughter's future being better in Oz, it depends. Australia has a small population, so there isn't such a wide variety of educational or job opportunities as there is in the UK, with more "niche" occupations poorly catered for. For instance, if your daughter wanted to become,say, an interpreter, there is only one course available in Australia and very few jobs compared to Europe. It's also almost impossible to make a full-time living in any of the creative industries. You don't say what age she is but if she's old enough to have some idea of a career direction, it would be worth looking into what opportunities are like in her field.

You can drive on your Australian licence for a year, and then you have to send it in to exchange it for a British one. There is no option to keep the Australian one.

Glad to hear it's all fallen into place.

No not loaded, we just chose to use our holidays visiting family and friends that we left behind and miss, we have also been very lucky that our house has had a revolving door since we arrived of everyone coming to visit us - its like we never left sometimes!!! Also we had committed to attend some family get togethers before we moved so knew we were going back for weddings etc... I don't like the flight either but its a small sacrifice :-)

I think most people are thinking, "I wish", but maybe you are just more frugal in other ways, and have a more flexible employer. I used to go home every two years because (a) the flights are so expensive and (b) I couldn't get a block of three or four weeks off every year. We used to have weekends away or visit friends in Queensland for other holidays, but certainly couldn't afford any other "proper" holidays in between. And that was just the two of us, both working professionals, no kids!

A guy I know wanted me to come to NT but I said no way until it's cooler. If he wants to meet he can come to Sydney lol. I definitely want to see some of it though, I think that sounds of silence thing looks good. I really want to go see the kangaroo sanctuary in Alice springs that was on TV over here

If you want to see kangaroos, go to Pebbly Beach, down the coast from Sydney.

http://www.ytravelblog.com/wild-kangaroos-australia/

Much better than seeing them in an artificial sanctuary. I once stayed in a cabin near Pebbly Beach. I got up to make breakfast and heard someone knocking on the door - I opened the door and in hopped a wallaby!

You'll see most of our most common native birds just living in Sydney: cockatoos, rosellas, lorikeets, galahs, Australian magpies kookaburras. If you take a trip to Kakadu in September, you'll see a host of other birds in the wild.

You could also have a weekend break at the Pittwater Youth Hostel - you'll find possums waiting to be fed fruit after dinner, and birds eager to pinch your lunch. I was eating with my friend on the veranda once, and a kookaburra stole a chicken leg straight out of her hand in a "bombing raid" - he just zoomed in and grabbed it on the fly.

The only thing you really need to visit a sanctuary for are the koalas, they're very hard to spot.

Another sight I'd suggest for the bucket list:

The Yellow Water Crocodile Cruises

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g255066-d1946184-Reviews-Spectacular_Jumping_Crocodile_Cruise-Darwin_Top_End_Northern_Territory.html;

Defo the more the merrier :-) I arrive at the end of January, apparently it will start to cool down a bit after then.

Haha really? February can be pretty hot too.

I might be missing a trick here but I didn't think there was any other way of being added onto a skills visa other than being a de facto? It doesn't say anything other than that on the government website....

I think what Nemesis means is that you can't apply for a de facto visa yourself. You can only do that if your partner is an Australian or already has permanent residence in Australia.

Your partner just needs to put you on HIS application as a dependent (i.e. de facto) partner.

You have become institutionalised. Or Insydneyalized?!

 

What kind of dancing do u do?

I grew up in a city of about 200,000 people, moved to London and Bristol as a young adult, and spent over 30 years in Sydney. So the vast majority of my life has been lived in cities - and in all those places, I lived centrally and never had to commute far. I have lived in a few smaller places but was never as happy. I love the bustle of big cities. I lived in a small country town for a year and hated it, I felt cut off from life even though I made some good friends.

I do belly dance, ballet and Broadway jazz. I have done flamenco in the past. I also dance ballroom and Latin socially with my husband.

Yes me! It's been really tough being back in England - lack of school places, traffic jams everywhere & lack of stimulating activities and events in comparison with where we were in Aus. Miss the super friendly expat scene terribly and our lifestyle has just gone down no end despite earning twice as much money here. We're heading back asap. It's been a nightmare for us returning and I would advise anyone to think very, very carefully about it....

"Super friendly expat lifestyle" - where were you?

I've experienced the expat lifestyle in other countries and agree, in a foreign country, expats are much friendlier - but I think most people don't experience that in Australia, because they don't move to an expat community. So I'm curious where you were.

@paddymacs - only you know whether you should turn back or not.

You've been on these forums a while, so I'm sure you know that it's migrants who are very close to their family who are most likely to end up coming home again. But I'm sure you've been well aware of that for a while, and you've felt you could cope with it - it hasn't stopped you getting to this point in your journey.

I don't remember you posting anything which indicates you haven't been 100% looking forward to the move. So I'd say this is just last minute nerves. You've got this far, and you've already got the tickets, so get on the plane and just do it, then see how you feel.

 

 

Dislikes

- After my first 3 months when i was guaranteed pay for a minimum amount of hours the work has been few and far between, not the major construction projects i was told id be doing at my interview instead it is shutdowns and inhave to go into work each morning to see if there is work for me if not i go back home unpaid.

...

I am currently on a 457 so when there is little or no work i dont get paid... I am trying to scrape as many hours together that i can and hopefully start the ball rolling to get my 189 but again its just money money money to get that sorted.

 

 

You're discovering what a lot of people find out - that trying to shortcut the process by coming out on a 457 doesn't work. As you say, you would've been better off staying in the UK, submitting your 189 and earning a good wage while you wait. In fact, I'd say you would still be better off doing that!

Unless you need to rely on your employer to sponsor you, there is NO advantage in applying for your 189 in Australia rather than back in the UK. And if you do need an employer to sponsor you, your current employer doesn't sound like the kind who will honour any promises they've given you.

Hythe and Totton are really towns now. Hythe is pretty with the water. Pier and ferry to Soton. Totton is not pretty but has all the facilities you need including a station. Eling qualifies as pretty and it's easy to get out on the forest from Totton. Marchwood is still a village I guess but has expanded and also has much industry and a military port.

 

Romsey might have fitted the bill for you?

Romsey? Far far far far too small, very quiet and no dance classes. Neither of us is suited to village life! Hythe - we'd have to get on the ferry every single day as there's nothing there but a pub and a few tourist shops. I was warned off Totton as being rough.

If we were going to move, we'd move out of Soton altogether. Our lovely flat is the best thing about Soton as far as we're concerned, if we gave it up it wouldn't be worth staying!

My front loader has a timer on it so I put it on the night before to come on before we get up .

I'd forgotten about the timer! I had one on a machine I had a few years ago and used to do the same thing - until the unit block passed a by-law prohibiting the use of washing machines before 7am. It was fair enough, really - the walls were pretty thin and who wants to be woken by next door's spin dryer at 5am?

I've been dithering over buying a front loader because of the wash cycle times. Do people find the wash cycle times a pain?

It depends! You have to change the way you approach washing - you get used to putting the machine on, then going off and doing something else.

If you like to get the clothes out on the line early, then you get used to putting the clothes in the machine the night before, then pressing the "Start" button the minute you get up - so by the time everyone's had a shower and had breakfast, you don't have too long to wait.

Mind you, I use the "59 minute" program on my front loader all the time. It's meant for light soiling only, but I never bother with any of the others, and the clothes wash fine.

I tried MoneyCorp but they need a permanent address in Australia which I don't have right now.

No they don't. I used them when I was moving to the UK and I didn't have a permanent address in the UK.