TheSmithFamily Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 As a family of 4 who are hoping to make the move to Oz in the next 2/3 years we are wondering what is the one thing people heading back to the UK wish they had considered, or taken into account, before their move which perhaps they didn't? I know a lot of people are as thorough as they can be when researching the move and I know that in some cases you simply will never know until you are living the life in Australia whether it's for you or not. But I'm sure there must be things which people have overlooked which may have potentially made a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_shel Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 1, Never ever move around the world to stay with 'family' that you have never met! says it all really! 2, research to death the cost of living so you are well prepared including having enough savings to provide full living cost for up to a year. We only had enough for 5 months though thought it would last longer. 3, Make no assumptions and dont take at face value everything you are told about Australia, the people, way of life, cost of living and how easy or hard it will be to find work. Its all personal and varies widely depending on who you are, what you are like and what you want. One of you could love it, the other hate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acidglitter Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I think this is a brilliant question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Communicate! Talk about what is happening with your partner/family so that you are all on the same page with the direction you are moving. It's so easy to assume that they know what is in your mind and vice versa! Could save a lot of trouble! I wish I had been much clearer about my expectations of spending more time in UK when we retired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul1977 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Don't move because of the weather.. If you want sun go to http://www.easyjet.com and go to Spain every few months rather than here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 If very close to family and friends do not underestimate the loss you will feel living so far away. If never been to Aus be prepared for life and scenery to be very different to UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 If possible keep your house in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Don't assume that people will put the same effort into keeping in touch as you do - be prepared for friendships to fall away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Don't move thinking it will be a better life, it will be a different life and hopefully better, but there are no guarantees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I honestly cannot think of anything I didn't consider before we moved, nothing that matters anyway. I agree with many of the posts above me, fortunately we did consider these things before we moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfe12 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Make sure you have actually visited the city you intend to live in before making the decision to move there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSmithFamily Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Thanks for the replies. Thankfully our desire to move to Australia began over 11 years ago when we visited family over there and are definitely not moving just for the weather. I actually love the UK weather, you never feel as alive than when you breathe in a lung full of icy North Sea air! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Pollard Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 As a family of 4 who are hoping to make the move to Oz in the next 2/3 years we are wondering what is the one thing people heading back to the UK wish they had considered, or taken into account, before their move which perhaps they didn't? I know a lot of people are as thorough as they can be when researching the move and I know that in some cases you simply will never know until you are living the life in Australia whether it's for you or not. But I'm sure there must be things which people have overlooked which may have potentially made a difference? It didn't matter how much research or planning I did, it didn't prepare me for how I would feel, the feeling of not belonging and the shock of being so far away soon settled in with me and how much i missed my family, I realised early on I'd made a mistake coming here, didn't realise how hot it would get, the cost of everything, being unable to get a job, I blame the 457 visa, I know it's the quickest way to get to OZ but a lot of employers want u to have PR or Citizenship and the most selfish thing I did was thinking my son would have a better life here. I was so wrong on that one. Probably not what u wanted to hear but it's only my opinion, it works for a lot of people and some people love it, I don't hate OZ, it's just not home and not a place I want to live, I'm counting down the days, only 5 and 1/2 months to go till I'll be going home, also it's affecting my marriage as my OH loves it here and would probably stay but he misses his daughter who's in the UK with her mum, he's coming back in September when the lease finishes. X good luck on whatever u decide to do. I hope it works out for you. X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled Pink Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I'm with Rupert, nothing came as a surprise really, we had done so much research before we arrived that pretty much the only think we had to consider was what to have for dinner.... One thing that I often see on here is people talking about how they weren't ready for the cost of living. Again, we had considered this fully but I honestly don't think people always so. I always advocate that people use the percentages rule (rather than relying on exchange rate/2.2 rule), know what all your current UK out goings are as a percentage of your current incomings. Then when you come to look at these inrelation to what you can afford in Australia you can just do a quick conversion providing you an accurate idea of not only what you can afford, but how that will compare to your current lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulRaynor Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 As a family of 4 who are hoping to make the move to Oz in the next 2/3 years we are wondering what is the one thing people heading back to the UK wish they had considered, or taken into account, before their move which perhaps they didn't? I know a lot of people are as thorough as they can be when researching the move and I know that in some cases you simply will never know until you are living the life in Australia whether it's for you or not. But I'm sure there must be things which people have overlooked which may have potentially made a difference? I found that an objective viewpoint was almost impossible to achieve. For instance if you are researching suitable schools or nice suburbs to live and ask local people they will just tell you the area they live, or the school their kids attend. No one will warn you of the unsavoury areas of town. In Brisbane I have had first hand experience of the floods two years ago, now so much of the south east of the country is on fire, houses raised to the ground, lives lost and still people tell me I am privileged to live here for it is beautiful and this is the lucky country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Be prepared to go backwards in terms of standard of living...way back in terms of what you like and could afford to do in the UK and also in terms of service and availability. Oz is not as a developed a country as anywhere in Europe reasearch the massive cost of the move and the cost of living when you get there - fact its so much more than you think it is. Also prepaired for all the costs that you hadnt anticipated for such as a $50 dollar charge for each service (gas electric etc) just to set up an account, basically upon arrival you are ripped off in every direction you look. This will hopefully soon fade though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KZ1 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I found that an objective viewpoint was almost impossible to achieve. For instance if you are researching suitable schools or nice suburbs to live and ask local people they will just tell you the area they live, or the school their kids attend. No one will warn you of the unsavoury areas of town. In Brisbane I have had first hand experience of the floods two years ago, now so much of the south east of the country is on fire, houses raised to the ground, lives lost and still people tell me I am privileged to live here for it is beautiful and this is the lucky country Agree. Brisbane is very insular. Most people have never been outside their own backyard, so how could they possibly give anyone an objective view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Pollard Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 As a family of 4 who are hoping to make the move to Oz in the next 2/3 years we are wondering what is the one thing people heading back to the UK wish they had considered, or taken into account, before their move which perhaps they didn't? I know a lot of people are as thorough as they can be when researching the move and I know that in some cases you simply will never know until you are living the life in Australia whether it's for you or not. But I'm sure there must be things which people have overlooked which may have potentially made a difference? also have a back up plan regarding your children, do u know that if u all came out and one of u wanted to go home, u couldn't take your kids back with u. You would need your partners permission. Please think carefully, I didn't think my marriage would be on the line and the fact I can't go home as my husband said I can go but I can't take my son and I as sure as hell am not leaving him here. X nobody tells you these things can happen. X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucia Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 No amount of research would change the way I feel at the moment. We came here for an adventure over 4 years ago and literally came with a backpack each, one Aussie passport (DH has dual nationality), one spouse visa, about 15,000 pounds and the idea that we were just going to give it a year. We travelled around Oz in a campervan for 3 months and after seeing what we did we decided on Perth. We felt it had the best weather for us and was unlike where we had come from in the UK. We weren't unhappy in the UK at all, we just came here for a change because we could. Anyway, we have done well out of Australia - within 2 weeks of being in Perth we found a lovely rental property which was fully furnished, we bought a car outright, and we both secured great jobs. We have since got married, had a daughter (17 months old) and are now expecting our second child in June. Career wise we are still doing well. My hubby has moved up the ladder and I have been treated very very well in terms of maternity leave etc in a school that I absolutely love. However, like Kerry, I don't feel like I truly belong here. The friendships made are fairly superficial as I feel like I can't fully be myself (my issue, not an issue with Australia - it's just something that has surprised/something I didn't consider) I don't even want to buy a house here as I don't feel like I belong or want to be here forever...not that we have the option of many houses to choose from as they're so expensive. We both find that we are getting very bitter about the cost of living which is something that didn't really bother us before but we just feel like we are being unnecessarily ripped off here in Perth. Now that we have our own family, we really feel the lack of presence of grandparents, aunties, uncles etc. We are also finding it hard to have alone time as a couple as we don't have babysitters - This may sound very shallow but time as a couple is important to us and I think people underestimate how this will feel. There are so many other reasons for us wanting to move back but I don't want to turn this into an overly negative thread. What I'm trying to say is that despite having so many wonderful things going for us here in Oz like great jobs, a lovely rental, and lots of savings in the bank, we can't help feeling the pull from home and even if this was a well researched, well considered move to Oz, I think we'd still feel the same. I hope this makes sense...I fear I have rambled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest68546 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 .....he's coming back in September when the lease finishes. I keep reading this a lot...the lease shouldn't be a mill stone to keep anyone in Oz against their natural instincts to go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polkey Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Money, money, money! Don't think £10000-£20000 is going to be enough to keep you going for long unless you have a job to walk into or are lucky enough to find work with in a month or two which given how things are at the mo could well take longer than you imagine. I think if you don't have a considerable chunk of money then stay at home until you do and it will take some of the stress and pressure away when you get there. Its an emotional roller costa no mater how positive or strong you are and its easy to pretend some of the things we all post on here won't effect you because the desire to go is so strong (understandably) that you think "no, not me, I won't be or feel like that" . If your half expecting the emotional disruption then your half prepared and can recognize it for what it is and except it all part of the process. But again, the more money you have the easier it will be for you to settle in. O, and what ever you do do not buy and old banger because thats exactly what they are, we have been over twice and been stung with cars both times. Buy a decent car or rent one for a while until you find a good one. I know when we go back again we will be put a large chunk of money aside for a car. I know it all sounds negative but it just being realistic just as saying Oz is a wonderful, wonderful place because it is, its just not as easy as it was 10 or 20 years ago when you could go over with say £20000 in your back pocket, buy a house outright and find plenty of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sally04 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Now that we have our own family, we really feel the lack of presence of grandparents, aunties, uncles etc. We are also finding it hard to have alone time as a couple as we don't have babysitters - This may sound very shallow but time as a couple is important to us and I think people underestimate how this will feel. Totally agree with this!!! We have been out I think 3 times as a couple since our daughter was born and she is now 2.5 yo. Once we paid $80 for a babysitter for 4 hrs, which is the going rate but makes the night very expensive! my friend has babysat for us the other few times, although she offers all the time, I feel bad asking her as its just not like asking your mum! There is also the issue of after work drinks , kids being unwell when you're at work etc.. These are issues, as there is no one else we can ask to pick up our daughter from child care. I had root canal treatment several months ago and I had to drop my daughter off at my oh office in the city ( as it was her non childcare day) for a few hrs! Then all I wanted to do afterwards was crawl into a hole, but instead had to take her back home. So I agree that lack of family support is really hard, even if you think you'll cope, as after a few years of not having couple time away from the kid/s and having to juggle childcare with no support, can start to have an effect on relationships imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) Looking back I think I must have been crazy ( well young and naive) to move to an outback town in the NT from sunny Florida and the Caribbean ( where I was working)! I met an Aussie, fell in love and we went back to his hometown. My choice to agree, but oh dear. Now as a single parent I think I would advise anyone to think very very carefully before making such a drastic move. It was only a short inexpensive flight from Florida to home, but living in Australia is a whole different ball game. More Expensive and for me impossible financially wise to fly back. I worry when I hear people say they are moving to very remote or very rural Australia, as often they have no idea what that actually means until they get here. Edited January 15, 2013 by Sammy1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Remember different country same ****, the crime rates are on a par, remember you might not adjust to the weather a lot prefer the UK temperate climate including me, remember not to believe all the glossy tv programmes only showing oz when it is sunshine and the very best parts of life there, you could do that in the UK and people who had never visited would be very impressed......remember you will not more active or healthier as if you have the will power you can do everything in the UK that you can do in oz. remember to take some marmite, try it and good luck, you can always come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahjl Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 We considered everything and visited the area we were moving to twice to make sure. The actual reality of living there was harder than we had considered. I didn't realise just how upset my daughter would be and it took her a long time to settle, even then she still talked about going back to the UK. Being away from family was alot harder than I thought it would be and even though hubby had a great job, we had a lovely house, great friends and cars ultimately we decided to move back. We had a great time and dont regret the move, we still miss parts of living in Oz but couldn't see ourselves living there forever. That was just us though, until you get there it's hard to judge how you and your family are going to find it. Just be prepared that if you don't like it it is costly to get back, if you can, rent out your property. I wish you all the best with the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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