Stan

24 October 2015 - application submitted for a family of 5 27 October 2015 - request of birth certificates from 2 of my kids (I was awaiting translation) 28 October 2015 - birth certs submitted 03 November 2015 - grant letter received We submitted our health declaration before submitting the application via My Health Declaration.

It would be Notre Dame, based in Chippendale, near the central train station.

Thanks for the useful info, will have a look at the areas and will get back for opinions about suburbs. Is the bus service any good in Sydney, or should I aim specifically for a place close to the train line?

I am in the process of discussing it. Expenses on the house in Europe would be minimal, we know from experience (we lived abroad for a long time and the house was empty and unused), I don't think this would be a huge issue. Thanks all the same!

We own a house here in Europe, but it wouldn't be for sale or for rent (remote area), thus we don't spend anything on rent, that's why it's possible to survive on one teacher's salary. In Sydney, we would have to rent and certainly we wouldn't be interested in buying for a good while, we'd need to see how (if) we settle there. BTW, would area such as Baulkham Hills be reasonable in terms of daily commuting to CBD for a 9-5 job?

Yes, 12% superannuation is on top of the salary. Thank you all for such a generous and very helpful responses! For one thing, I can see that Poms in Oz are helpful people!

No, the wife would not be working for another 3-4 years, this is how we live now and how we would like to maintain it, especially given the cost of childcare. Quinkla - I wouldn't be interested in teaching at school in Australia, it is only the university position that would be attractive. Issues such as good weather are of little importance - in fact, we don't like the heat too much and are happy with the European weather (we don't live in UK at the moment). So it's really all about the career move - compromise with reality (staying where we are and working at school, with no great prospects of change in this matter), or following a dream and starting to climb up on the university ladder. But when there's 5 of us, following a dream is not the only priority...

To other questions: I would work at CBD, would have to live in a suburb and commute by public transport (working hours would be 9-5, so I suppose driving could be ruled out), but would need a car for the rest of the gang while I'm at work, I suppose. Thanks again for all your replies!

I curently work as a school teacher (which is OK...), in Sydney I would work as a university lecturer (which is what I always wanted to dot). I have a PhD, which I did 4 years ago, but in an area which is very difficult to find work in. I tried all over the world, didn't get much, and I know that time is not on my side, since as years go by I'm getting more and more out of touch with research, scholarship, etc., since I have to devote a lot of time to the current job (and the family, of course). So I'm afraid it's a now-or-never situation.

Thank you all for your helpful input. Looks like most people would recommend us not to bother. However, since some of you think it is possible and doable, there's also this scary part: Yes, the job is waiting for me, it has actually found me (I never really considered living in Australia) and it seems like a huge step in my career, but when you have a family, personal ambition sometimes needs to yeild to higher purposes and one needs to think pragmatically...

Thanks Tickled Pink, you are right about the first months, hence the plan would be that I come first on my own for a few months, save some money, organize accommodation etc., and then the family joins. The question, however, is will it be possible to live after the whole initial settling down for this kind of money in Sydney. When I'm looking at the various forms of support (energy supplement - $2.80 per week, or Single Income Family Supplement $300 per year), it looks like a joke, really, so the salary would have to cover everything. The question is will it cover it? Also, is it true that most houses for rent are unfurnished and that tenants have to buy everything themselves (beds, kitchen appliances, etc.?)

Thanks Jhall2109 and parleycross for your comments, especially for the useful link!

Chortlepuss, yes, I'm based in Europe, yes I mean 100k Australian dollars. And yes, I'm quite used to 'scrimping and saving' where I am. The alternative is: staying at home working a little below qualifications (and scrimping) or, as it turns out from your post, scrimping in Australia, however, doing what I always wanted to do (working at a university). Thanks for your thoughts!

Hi everyone, A quick question: do you think it is possible for a family of 5 (couple: man working, mum at home with 3 kids - 8, 4 and 1) to live decently in Sydney with the income of circa 100k per year? I recently received a job offer and would appreciate your thoughts. We are not used to eating out or clubbing very often, so expenses such as these would not really be an issue. My own research shows that I would be taking home about 5,300$ home every month, of which around 3,000$ would have to be spent on accomodation (living in a 3-4 bedroom house in a suburb). Please share some insights with me about all this. The job itself would be great, but would we survive on this kind of wage? What kind of social welfare payments for the kids could we count on? Thanks very much for your comments. Stan