Ausvisitor

I just don't see things being expensive here, they seem to be give it take exactly the same as they were in the UK. Certainly not enough to make hiring a container something I want to do (we've moved international many times before and always used a container and so it was a conscious decision rather than a naive first timer)

I disagree, we sold absolutely everything before we came over. We travelled with Qantas, one 30kg suitcase each and 10kg of hand luggage. So 80kg between us. Basically clothes, laptops, important docs and some sentimental things. Never been happier, we had a 5-bed house chock full of stuff before, we now rattle round the new place because we don't have any clutter Best thing we ever did to hit "full-reset" when we made the move

I don't know why specifically - but I can guess based on other SLA driven businesses You are already way "overdue", getting your case of the books still looks bad in terms of processing times and if they let you languish maybe you will withdraw which makes their stats look better (they only report on time to grant/deny and time in queue - they don't have to report on voluntary exits) So it's better for their numbers that they process a newer case (as it keeps the overall cases in breach of SLA down) and hope you voluntarily walk away. Not fair but you get the behaviour you measure and so that's why customer service is so rubbish

I missed this one when it was posted original. The most important thing to note from a logistics point of view is that iGCSE have a different syllabus content to GCSE and for those that have coursework element the UK GCSE equivalent won't be relevant. You could try sitting the iGCSE (but it would be as a private candidate and the entry fees are around £80 each time plus the fee to sit the exam in whatever centre you attend - this is not legislated so could be anything) If you really are staying in OZ long term it really isn't worth bothering with GCSEs

Nothing wrong with it in general. Pretty rubbish commute into the city, but most shire dwellers are wealthy enough that their public transport commutes are over and their drivers can just take the strain of the Sydney traffic. Of course to a Brit, Sydney is upside down. northern suburbs are 50 K out of London, so is the shire. 50k north of London is Peterborough and 50k south is Farnham and the rest of the leafy southern home counties. You wouldn't be surprised to see Farnham doubly the price of Peterborough, the same is true here (but North is the new South)

Thanks Take what you read with a pinch of salt. I read every day that prices are dropping in Sydney, yet each week we look at places to buy and they are going up still. There are more people turning up to auctions than any I saw last year, and interest rates well... They reckon there will be another 3 rises (at least) and even then the rates are still historically low. You might catch a bargain in the next six months, but the combined wisdom at the moment is prices will begin rapidly rising again by Christmas (but interest rates will still be roughly were that are today). Put simply the Australian negative gearing tax system makes it very profitable for people who have money to borrow to rent-out. (And don't forget Brissie has the Olympics in 9 years - there has never been an Olympics host city that didn't see stratospheric house price rises in the decade long run up to the event)

Can give you a little glimpse of our rental journey. We arrived in AUS exactly a year ago (well it will be in 2 hours anyway). Sydney (so not quite the same as BRI) We moved into our rental on the 1st April (so about 7 weeks in temp accom). We had really simple needs, one-bed within 45 minutes if circular quay and clean. (We knew we would buy within the year so had no interest in paying loads for something we would only "pass-through") In the end we had a long chat with the agent showing the flat, explained our cash status and employment plans and got them to position use with the landlord. Ultimately if you go for a place that someone with AUS employment history and AUS rental history, 99 times out of 100 the property will go to them, so be prepared for an arduous process (Also the viewing process of open houses once a week - or sometimes twice - makes Saturdays a day to dread)

I will have been non resident for the whole of the 2022/23 UK tax year. How do I let HMRc know not to expect a tax return this year? Thanks

Hey - how is your journey going?

There is a local football league (A-League) no one watches it, but everyone below the age of 30 support a premier League team (Liverpool, Man C or U, Chelsea - you can't accuse the Aussies of being glory hunters) If you support one of the unholy quartet you will find others who do the same, whether you support football or obscene overseas interventionist money though is a matter for your conscience (Note if you are below 40 and support City it's generally because of middle East glory cash - if older than that and supporting city, congratulations you are a true football supporter)

Save me.... It's probably time to give in and turn on the Aircon...

I know what you mean, first summer is AUS and it does get a bit "stuffy" after many consecutive days of just hot sun (and I realise by normal standards Sydney hasn't been that hot this summer) On the radio we heard the Christmas song "baby it's cold outside" To which my daughter immediately changed the links to "Baby it's oppressive outside" Brits aren't made for more than 2 days of warmth a year unless they are on holiday at the time

True, I often go up to palm beach (where the outdoor shots are filmed) and redden/Lewisham/summer hill where the studio shots are done, and my advice would be don't expect Summer Bay weather in Summer Bay either

How very dare you call Tasmania "little" lots of people in Tasmania will be really put-out by the cruel aspersion that it's a lesser place because it's smaller (Hope you got that this was tongue in cheek, and really meant to highlight how the written word can be misconstrued)

For two middle aged professionals living in South East England, if they have owned there own home for a decade or so they probably aren't far away from being a millionaire in Australia I've got a lot of time for Port Macquarie too, won't work for me, the only places I can really work are Syd, Mel and at a push Perth - but I probably won't retire in any of them - but I didn't move half way round the world to spend 45 minutes each way commuting Rather chuck cash at living right in the inner sanctum of the city I know people often call the non city areas good (and some people are just not city dwellers), where as many outer suburb dwellers aren't there for any esoteric reason, it's purely they can't afford the inner regions, that doesn't mean they wouldn't move in a heartbeat if they could though

I used to live in wymeswold hence I was very aware even people in Loughborough (10 minutes away by car) don't even know it exist!

Ok so you named a random set of cities in the UK. I suggested they were all bigger than any non-capitol city in Australia (noting the outlier of York). I think even your own answer supports that assertion, so I'm not sure why you are making such a fuss about it. The simple fact is someone living (like the OP) in the SE of England is used to being in a more dense area within spitting distance of the greatest city on the planet. With the greatest of respect Broken Hill or Wogga Wogga isn't going to cut it for most of them.

Maybe not, but all of those are bigger than any non capital city in Australia (and many capitals) so the comparison doesn't really stand

I get your point, I was saying it from the point of someone who is a city dweller. If I lived in London I'd say the same of wymeswold (which is lovely and very desirable but unless you really know your UK geography you just went "where's that..." and that's what I mean)

Some of this depends on the situation though. As a rough guide the Aussie credit card issuers work on a credit limit of around 1k for each 10k of income you earn. Most have minimum limits (generally 5k) so if your individual income isn't over 50k you aren't going to get anywhere. If you can't show all your UK pension regularly hitting your AUS bank account then it isn't income it's savings or pocket money. If you want it classed as income get it paid monthly (in full) direct to an Aussie account (like you would if it was a wage) That said (as ramot) indicated loads of people are getting these cards with foreign income etc, so maybe the OP is actually failing one of the other affordability questions (given retirement is in play here it might be the fact they are applying for travel insurance cards which generally stop providing that cover at retirement age and AUS banks are scared of being hit with mis-selling scandal similar to the UK one recently)

The reality is that teachers are paid a little better here in Australia (not much), but the cost of living is way higher than the UK so it gets eaten up pretty quickly. Overall I'd say the salary to price of living equation works out roughly equal. Housing is no cheaper over here, in fact of you want to live in Melbourne or Sydney it will be more than you are spending now (I guess as teachers you aren't limited to the cities but who moves around the world to live in nowheresville) If you are doing this to save cash can I suggest Cumbria, Staffordshire or Teesside all in the UK all much cheaper places than the south of England Just as an aside I don't think you can really say "we can't afford to live on our salaries" in one breath and then say "we'll go on a £10k+ holiday" in the next. The two don't really align...

Even that is a bit outdated. Certainly western Sydney isn't as pretty or gentrified as the eastern suburbs or the north, but it isn't the hell-hole people think it is (it was but no more). Also with the build of the new airport in western Sydney and the expansion of the metro to Bankstown by 2024 as nd Parramatta and the new airport by around 2028 those western areas are going to become very popular with people seeking affordable space, and with that sort of migration comes huge uplift in services and property values. Certainly don't discount the west unless you are getting your advice from someone who currently lives in the west.

It's their words not mine, but they mean the exact opposite. You need a job offer of outside WA. If applying for a 190 in WA you don't need one...

On the age topic, yes Australia used to be (and sir tof still is) a bit ageist when it comes to older employees. However I've noticed this last 6 months that is changing. The demand for people is meaning they would quite happily take what ever resource they can and to be frank, the most recent generation's attitude to hard work seems to be pushing most employers towards shunning youth and employing older people who are used to actually having to work...

You mention Sydney north shore / Eastern suburbs... I get that's where everyone wants to live, and your friends and family may have lived there for decades, but housing is astronomical out there. You are going to need/want a 4-bed with some outside space. Well I haven't seen a habitable one of those in that area under $3m in a long time, and we are looking daily. Not to "rain on your parade" but unless you already have around 1-1.5m dollars in deposit a house in that area that would accommodate your family is probably unaffordable