Ruth1

But if we are eligible for class 2 contributions whilst living in Aus, and have enough years left to top up before retirement, its not going to be worth it right?

I successfully submitted my visa without the police check. I just had to provide an explaination-which I said was due to the delays in processing..

Did anyone submit their visa before getting their police check back. There is an unexpected delay with the checks as they are having to process them manually due to a cyber attack, but I really need to get my HAP ID as there is a 4 week wait for medicals, and I also want to submit before the end of June when prices for visas go up.. this is for a 482 visa

I agree with this. I have stopped asking questions in this forum cos they inevitably take over the post going on and on about the same old thing over and over again. Its like a weird obsession. One of my posts (asking advice about Port Macquarie) got shut down because they took it on such a tangent.. I even went on a different forum to get away from it and there was clearly the same poster spouting the same stuff on there aswell. I know not relevant to the post (sorry) but I do think it needs to be called out as they are ruining this forum for everyone else who are just after some advice. On the topic however I have friends in Mandurah who absolutely love it and I am moving there myself in Sept. I have absolutely no concerns despite birdflus attempts..

What kind of Dr is your wife? There is quite a big difference between the two and she will only be able to apply as a General Practitioner if she is a fully qualified GP with equivalent training to Australian GPs. This is a specialist route whereas the resident medical officer is for non specialist, or junior Drs.. suggest she contacts a medical recruitment company for more advice as there is quite a long process to applying even before the visa stage. Ie having to get qualifications recognized, apply to the medical registration body etc..

I cant comment on quality of companies yet as we are on the other side of the move but I can tell you that prices have come right down. A company that quoted for us last year got back in touch to say that shipping rates are back down to prepandemic levels so they revised their rate from 9.5k to 6.5k and I got back in touch with another who confirned this and quoted under 6k! This is also UK to Perth for 20 ft container. Out of interest as an aside do you mind me asking why you didnt settle back in the UK?

Yep!! Got a job offer so just submitting the paperwork now. Think id spent too long thinking about it and spending time worrying about every little thing that I just have to see for myself

I am so very sorry to hear about this. Its comforting to hear other people having the same thoughts and in a similar situation.. My mum also died last year, out of the blue, at a young age and with no health conditions, and it led me to have the same thoughts about moving. Id been thinking about it for 15 years or so but always made excuses not to. If Im being honest, leaving her was one of my excuses, and I was too scared of change from my comfortable life, but as you say these things put a new perspective on life. I keep thinking that my mum would have wanted me to go for it as Im sure yours would have. She never even made it to retirement age, so I now think that my well paid job, nice house and pension in the UK isnt the be all and end all-life is for living. And as you say whats the worst that can happen, we move back and all thats lost is some money. Anyway, hope you dont mind me adding my experience but its good to know there are others in similar situations. Like you I am early 40s so its definitely a now or never aituation. Eek! x

There isnt much good news regarding finances lately, but I was contacted last week by a shipping company I had spoke to at the start of my journey to say that shipping costs have come down and they quoted me about £2500 less than my original enquiry about 4 months ago. Looks like container rates are pretty much at prepandemic levels although no doubt the costs for the removals people at either end remain high. Anyone else seeing lower quotes. I had all but decided not to bother shipping my furniture but might think again now..

Its natural to feel guilt but there is probably no need. Kids at that are are extremely resilient and catch up very quickly, and this is likely to be a huge adventure and learning experience for them..

Haha, what you are forgetting is the being late for work cos you have to defrost your car, going to and from work in the pitch black for at least 2 months, skidding on black ice, being held up due to a serious accident on an otherwise safe road. All things I have had to contend with this week. Snow is a giant pain unless you can stay inside and just watch it out the window

I honestly think its quite normal to feel that way at first. I remember having similar thoughts after I arrived for my 2 year stay-thinking how quickly can I get back, missing home etc. However that only lasted a few weeks and I remember looking back at those times when I was having to leave, thinking-what was I thinking as I was desperate to stay at that point. So yes, it does take time to settle and its natural to miss the comfort of home. However only you know what is right for you. Perhaps give yourself a timeframe to see how you feel and come back at the end of that if you still havent settled, but one thats long enough to give it a good go and to make sure you dont regret not giving it more of a shot, which I suspect you might if you came back straight away. As am aside, I am working in the NHS and it is collapsing around us... even in the short time since you left in Oct it feels lke it has fallen off a cliff and is not really functioning. Its on the news most days in terms of escalating waits, unsafe conditions etc so coming back to an NHS job may be much worse than the one you left..

You are absolutely not wrong.. we live in Cheshire East and our fairly standard 4 bed has been classified as band G (not sure how?) And we pay £3300 per year at the 2022 rates, so more than your table.. The govt has also lifted restrictions so now they can increase that by 5% every year Bins are collected every 2 weeks and I dont see much more benefit than that. Most of it apparently goes on social care and paying for the council. Honestly its one of the reasons Im moving as we soon wont be able to afford to live in our own house!.. Cheshire is fairly standard-not one of the more expensive councils.

Haha, yes that is a downside but they are only out for the summer months despite it being warm all year round. The first year I was bitten to death and then my body seemed to get used to it and after that hardly got bit at all

I think it would boil down to what you are looking for in the move. Yes you may get paid more in Melbourne but house prices and cost of living are quite a bit higher so it will likely negate the higher salary. Therefore start from what you are looking for.. People move to Melbourne for a vibrant city-it's arguably better for culture, diversity and events than Brisbane. The city itself is always described as more European feeling than others. If you are after what we Brits think of as an Aussie lifestyle then Brisbane is likely to be more for you. It has a more relaxed pace of life, better surrounding beaches, hotter weather (Melbournes weather, whilst probably still better than the UK, is not what people imagine of Australia-it can be rainy, cloudy and colder much more often), so all in all, Brisbane and Melbourne will give you pretty different things from your move, so dont just follow the money unless you have no preference otherwise

There isnt really a proper beach in and around Brisbane at all to be honest. If you need to be in the city then perhaps South Bank which has the (fabulous) made made beach with loads of restaurants, bbqs etc. Otherwise, have you considered the North end of the Gold Coast? You can commute to Brisbane from the GC but its a city in itself with loads of job opportunities, stunning beaches galore. Even though there is no beaches as such in Brisbane itself IMO it beats Melbourne hands down, but I am biased and I am sure others may disagree.. Certainly the QLD beaches are way better that the ones surrounding Melbourne once you get to them

Maybe have a look at Port Macquarie in NSW as an option aswell. I am biased as I am hopefully heading that way next year myself, but it seems to be the perfect coastal location us Brits dream of and is expanding massively as lots of people moving there from Sydney for cheaper prices and a sea change, so lots of opportunities in teaching I imagine..

Not quite Stoke-bit further up in Cheshire but family all from Stoke. How are you finding life in Port Macquarie? Probably moving over there myself in the next year or so

I am so sorry that you feel this way. Just a couple of thoughts about your situation. As the above poster said, do you think that if you hadnt been brave and made the move then you would have similar remorse and regret about not taking a chance? I know several people who thought about going to Aus but never did and live with deep regret. As for the regret about cousins etc, without sounding harsh, as children get older the relationships with cousins and aunties etc often drift anyway and they end up being like extended family/aquaintainces in a lot of cases. Grandparents are obviously different, but what about the strong relationships your kids have made in Aus that they wouldnt have had otherwise. As for the feeling that everyone is doing great in the UK-well hopefully they are, but clearly your MIL is only going to give you the positives and whilst on paper going to uni and travel is a great success, are they all completely happy with no problems? are there issues you arent hearing about as usually people dont discuss the bad stuff in families. As a healthcare professional I know that there is a mental health epidemic amongst young ppl in the UK at the moment. And at the same time do you not think that people look at your life with envy and think how lucky you all are without realizing the sadness you feel. As for the air bnbs - of course they are going to post pictures of the pretty bits - same as Aus bnbs would post pics of the beach or the bush, but I can promise you that a lot of the UK is run down, litter strewn and decaying. I think you are looking at it through rose tinted glasses perhaps? At the end of the day, only you know how you feel and maybe it really was the wrong choice to move to Aus but alternatively, do you think the issue could be internal dissatisfaction maybe.. are there courses or career moves youd love to take, trips youd love to do or maybe even some therapy to give some personal sense of wellbeing and satisfaction?

Great. Thats good to know, thanks!

I was specifically referring to the NHS pension as I have a current defined 'pot' that I will get each year.. I should have been clearer, apologies.

I am giving myself a headache trying to work all this out so apologies if the answers are elsewhere but I am struggling. Does an NHS pension continue to get uprated each year by the cpi + 1.5% if we emigrate or will it be frozen like the state pension is for expats in Aus. This is whilst working age and working in Aus, not as a retiree.. I know we cant transfer it over anymore and I am happy to keep a defined benefit pot but dont want it losing value if frozen.. Also, long way off but how is it then taxed if we stay in Aus?

This is so true.. I know I would end up always thinking 'what if' and I keep needing to remind myself that the UK is not going anywhere if it doesnt work out for us. Money is just money at the end of the day but time and opportunity is irreplaceable

The estate agent I have approached has said that with a fully managed service they would do regular inspections which I think would reassure me as a landlord but I can imagine would be pretty annoying for a tennant. We arent keen to sell really just in case it doesnt work out and we end up coming back and a managed service through a letting agency, whilst more expensive, I think would work better for us being so far away

I think that calling it fickle is a but unfair. For me it has been an all consuming passion for 15 years that has dominated my thoughts and life choices at times. All I meant was that my husband himself wouldnt be devastated if we didnt give it a go, but is equally happy to try it for the experience but also because he knows it is what I had planned to do since before we met. It was actually the mid 2000s (noughty) that I was there, but I am aware that Aus is likely to have changed a lot-in the way that the UK has also.