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SaffaInLondonMovingToOz

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  1. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Thanks everyone for your wonderful responses! I has, of yet, not made a decision. Yesterday I was convinced I was going to go for a year, soak up the experience & sun. But today I am thinking again that I should stay put, get on the property ladder (something I am dying to do), travel more (finally that will be easier with a British Passport), go home to see family as often as I can and generally make the best of my life here. The thing that worries me about the year is the financial aspect of it. It will eat into my savings considerably, savings I was hoping to use to buy a home sometime in the near future. Anyway I am meeting up with some of my best friends at the weekend to talk this through, they are in a similar position to me and also planning to move to AUSin next year or 2, and they also have their doubts. So will be good to talk to someone in person. I am also going to make a list - sounds lame, but I am willing to try anything at this point!
  2. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Hi all, Thanks for taking some time to read my post & hopefully you will reply I am due to move to Australia in April'14, but having some doubts. So I just wanted to get my facts straight about a few key things, before I make my final decision. - I don't want to buy a car for the first year as I am coming over on a trail of a year initially, even thought I do have PR. At the moment its a toss up between Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane, so is it possible to get around in any of these cities by using public transport alone? Is so, which one would be better? - How hard is it to find a furnished rental? Coming from London I don't have much furniture, but I wasn't planning on shipping anything major over for the first year. - Salary wise I have read that I need to multiply my current UK salary but 2.5 to get the AUD equivalent to maintain the same lifestyle. Is that really accurate? Cause that seems like a bit much! If I multiply my current London salary by 2.5 I am waaaaay out of the salary range for my profession (Senior.NET developer) in Australia and I am by no means "rolling in it" at the moment. Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
  3. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Maybe it depends on which part of South Africa your are from?
  4. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    I probably will be the same after a year, but then at least I will be wiser in knowing it's not for me :-)
  5. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    I am not going to lie, part of the reason why I am reluctant to let go of the dream of moving to Australia are based in other people's opinion that I will be missing a great opportunity. But then without having first hand experience of living in Australia what else do I have to go on other than other people's opinions & experiences? Problem is I have heard so many mixed opinions, so short of having a look for myself I won't know for sure. I do think I will know very quickly whether its for me or not, I knew within 3 months of living here that I wanted to stay, so I am hoping I will have the same clarity in Australia. But in saying that I still have huge uneasiness about both staying and going, either way I am a bit screwed ;-) Maybe I should take some of my mum's advice "you made your bed, now you have to lie in it"! Bit off topic, but I won't burn any bridges, if nothing else I own the company I work for a lot of gratitude because I won't be in this situation if it wasn't for them sponsoring me. BUT I do think the work sponsorship program is very flawed in that companies exploit employee's on sponsorship, and my current company is a prime example of this. So no I will not be calling on them when I return to the UK - once bitten, twice shy. And will my current skill set I would not really need to (I hope). The one good thing about all of this is I am single and don't have any major ties to any country other than emotional, so picking up and moving for a year and then returning is much easier than with a family. I take my hat off to people who move their whole families, that has got to be hard work!
  6. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Hi SaffaLeavingOz Thanks SO very much for you detailed message, it's really given me some really good insight! It's really good to hear from a Saffa that has had similar experiences to me. I think all of the things you say are true, having too many choices makes it very hard to stick to something because you always wondering if it won't be greener on the other side. I must be honest one of the biggest reasons I want to remain in the UK is I will probably be financially better off and I will be closer to SA, especially since my brother is having his first baby next year and over the last couple of years I have realized how important family is to me. The long flight and the jet lag is big consideration. In regards to what I am going to do, even thought I am not 100% sure yet, I am leaning towards "trying it out" for a year only and then coming back to the UK as I will have a return flight. I need to just try it and get Australia out of my system for once and for all, I can tick that box and move on. Maybe by some magic I will love it more than the UK (highly doubtful), but I think what it will do is only highlight for me how much I have in the UK, which probably is not such a bad thing as I have taken it for granted a bit over the last few years. Workwise, hate my job here in the UK, I have been in it since I moved here due to sponsorship which is thankfully now over, so I need to change jobs either way. I know moving to another country is a bit drastic and tad expensive, but it might be the reset I need. I won't be going home to SA for the time I am there, almost everyone wants to come and see me - no surprises there :-) When are you moving back to the UK?
  7. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    I am glad you think I have made a decision :-) I haven't at all, I change my mind about 50 times a day!
  8. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    5 years! Wowee, that is a long time. I am thinking a year MAX, but truth be told I will probably know within 3 months as that is how long it took me to decide I wanted to say in the UK. However just in case I will give myself a year and book my return for a year's time, that will give me enough time to make a well informed decision. I am definitely not 100% sure I don't want to go, at the moment I am sitting at about 55% :-)
  9. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    I am definitely getting my citizenship, that's the only reason I have stayed so long after my Australian visa has been activated. That is why the time line is April, its based on my citizenship timeline My heart says stay but my head says go. Its so frustrating.
  10. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    That rings so true. I know I keep hammering on it, but I am worried I will regret it if I don't go. At least you gave it a go, nothing wrong with realizing its not for you and coming back. Are you any worse off for having gone? Do you regret it? How long did you go for?
  11. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    I am a planner. I can't help it :-/
  12. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Thanks everyone for your advice. I will take it on-board for sure. I think I am leaning towards still going but taking the "permanent" out of the equation. I need to approach it the same was as I did moving to London, baby steps as oppose to jumping in the deep end. Putting my things into storage and taking a year out of my life to know for sure, is preferable to always wondering if I missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Lets face it the chances of me going through that massive drama of getting the visa again is not going to happen. And I am not doing the work sponsorship thing again, had enough of that when I moved here. So it's now or never. So for now, I am going to push on, stick to my guns and finish what I started. Even if it scares me too bits.
  13. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Yes, that's why I am only using Brisbane as my initial base. I will probably go to Melbourne -wasn't a fan of Sydney to be honest. Its not about the service in London that I am worried about, its the fact that I would much rather grow old somewhere pretty and warm :-) And I do think your parents are lucky because for so many oldies living in London the picture does not see so rosy. But thanks so much for your thoughts! Will take it on-board.
  14. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    Don't get me wrong, I adore Brighton, but I have never liked a pebbly beach plus the weather is not exactly beach weather :-)
  15. SaffaInLondonMovingToOz
    One of the biggest thing I like about London is the feeling that there is always something to do and I can travel so easily & cheaply. I hate being bored and just sitting around, I need to always be on the go so living somewhere to chilled out would do my head in. But at the same as I am very sporty and love the outdoor lifestyle, and miss having the beaches nearby even though I am not a beach bum by any means. In my home town the beach is 10 minutes walk away from my house, so I grew up seeing the beach every day. One my next holiday to SA in December I am going Sky Diving and learning to surf. So unfortunately the answer to your question is not a simple one, I love both the city life and the outdoor lifestyle, hoping to find somewhere in the middle.
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