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Kooky

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Hi everyone. Wonder if anyone has any advice....

we (me, my husband and 2 kids, and a dog!) are at early stages of moving to oz (just doing skills assessment and IELTS coming up soon). We are both secondary school teachers and our points (with me applying for skills visa) should be about 75 (according to migration agent) so hopefully will get in ok.

 

Our worry is if it is worth risking the fortune it will cost to get there...

 

how much would people say it cost them in total? We are thinking about 50k does that sound right?

 

We do have the money (in equity) but are a little scared (I guess that is normal). If we stay in the uk my husband is on Senior leadership and I will be going full time next year which means our combined salaries will be probably in the region of 100k. We have a small mortgage (40k) but a good sized house so we could potentially take early retirement here and live pretty comfortably. BUT we do really like the idea of oz. We think we would probably have to both be 'teacher of' so take a drop in salary for DH (though we wouldn't be far off what we earn now as I am part time at the moment). Our worry is we would have to work for longer as we will have spent AT&T of equity) but would (hopefully) have a better life. My DH is ok with being Teacher of rather than management (infact I think he kind of likes the idea).

 

The work is the money. We are not materialistic but it is nice to have security. Once we make the move (assuming we do) we don't have a lot behind us in terms of money (more than some I know - my friend made the move with her Hamilton with just 5k in their bank and 5 years on are feeling happy, settled, and not too worried about money so I know it can be done).

 

Any thoughts/advice? I'd love thoughts either way - need to weigh up all of it. Want to be realistic. I know we CAN migrate. I am pretty sure we will love it. I am just very concerned we are throwing money away! What ARE the true benefits of oz in terms of lifestyle? (Aside the obvious that is!).

 

Thanks for reading if you got this far! Love to her your views x

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Certainly our move it Australia has been expensive and we are in a worse financial situation than we would have been had we not moved. It definitely sounds like you would be the same, maybe even more extreme case to be honest, considering how hard it is to find work as a teacher in Australia and your very favourable situation in the UK.

 

I am not sure what obvious lifestyle benefits you think there are. My lifestyle is pretty much the same as it was before, work similar hours, do similar things at the weekend. I prefer the climate here on the whole, although i could do wihtout the extra rainfall, but I guess the blue skies on many other days and lack of freezing temperatures make up for that for me.

 

Having said all that, I am glad we moved and for me the experience of living in another part of the world and exploring the regiona as a whole, makes up for the financial cost. You can't take it with you can you.

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A lot also depends on which part of Australia interests you. Some states are much cheaper than others to live. Each state has it's own education dept and pay structure. Some states (for Rupert) have very little rain, sometimes months without any. The pay is pretty good - my brother, here in Adelaide, is a teacher of Design Tech and currently gets paid much more than our sister in UK, who is a Senior Manager in her dept. It took hime a while to get a permanent position but he has never been unemployed in the 6 years he has been here. He was on contracts but this gave him the chance to experience different schools and he was impressed with every one. He is now living the dream in the Barossa Valley and belives he has struck gold!

 

We find the lifestyle much more relaxed. The general feel, certainly in Adelaide, is great. Friendly people, who are happy and friendly and proud of where they live.

 

Good luck, Kazza

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What ARE the true benefits of oz in terms of lifestyle? (Aside the obvious that is!).

 

 

"Lifestyle" is a very fuzzy concept IMHO ...and what constitutes a "good" one can vary so much from person to person.

What exactly are you hoping will be better for you in Australia?

And do you know where you would be living? (as regional differences can be very great).

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Hi everyone. Wonder if anyone has any advice....

we (me, my husband and 2 kids, and a dog!) are at early stages of moving to oz (just doing skills assessment and IELTS coming up soon). We are both secondary school teachers and our points (with me applying for skills visa) should be about 75 (according to migration agent) so hopefully will get in ok.

 

Our worry is if it is worth risking the fortune it will cost to get there...

 

how much would people say it cost them in total? We are thinking about 50k does that sound right?

 

We do have the money (in equity) but are a little scared (I guess that is normal). If we stay in the uk my husband is on Senior leadership and I will be going full time next year which means our combined salaries will be probably in the region of 100k. We have a small mortgage (40k) but a good sized house so we could potentially take early retirement here and live pretty comfortably. BUT we do really like the idea of oz. We think we would probably have to both be 'teacher of' so take a drop in salary for DH (though we wouldn't be far off what we earn now as I am part time at the moment). Our worry is we would have to work for longer as we will have spent AT&T of equity) but would (hopefully) have a better life. My DH is ok with being Teacher of rather than management (infact I think he kind of likes the idea).

 

The work is the money. We are not materialistic but it is nice to have security. Once we make the move (assuming we do) we don't have a lot behind us in terms of money (more than some I know - my friend made the move with her Hamilton with just 5k in their bank and 5 years on are feeling happy, settled, and not too worried about money so I know it can be done).

 

Any thoughts/advice? I'd love thoughts either way - need to weigh up all of it. Want to be realistic. I know we CAN migrate. I am pretty sure we will love it. I am just very concerned we are throwing money away! What ARE the true benefits of oz in terms of lifestyle? (Aside the obvious that is!).

 

Thanks for reading if you got this far! Love to her your views x

 

Always wanted to correct a teacher.

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Sounds like you would be going back a few steps in life.

 

You'll need to point out the obvious lifestyle benefits I'm afraid, we had a better lifestyle back in the UK. 100k GBP is a massive salary in the UK relative to the cost of living - I doubt you would be able to match that here.

 

It sounds like you want an adventure, but you also like your situation money-wise in the UK at the moment. Why not consider taking a 12 month sabbatical from work in the UK, rent your house out there, and just come travelling here, buy a campervan or something? You would see far more of Australia than people living and working here for 10 years do, and you would have an absolute ball! After that you'd know whether you want to stay longer, or happy to go back home to an early retirement.

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Some states (for Rupert) have very little rain, sometimes months without any.

 

I have just compared NSW, VIC, QLD, NT and WA. You are right, SA is quite dry as is the middle of the desert, but majority of us, should expect more rainfall ... I will admit it is my bug bear that so many think it does not rain here! :wink:

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I have just compared NSW, VIC, QLD, NT and WA. You are right, SA is quite dry as is the middle of the desert, but majority of us, should expect more rainfall ... I will admit it is my bug bear that so many think it does not rain here! :wink:

 

Especially in Sydney. It rains a little less often than Melbourne, but boy when it rains.......

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Sounds like you would be going back a few steps in life.

 

You'll need to point out the obvious lifestyle benefits I'm afraid, we had a better lifestyle back in the UK. 100k GBP is a massive salary in the UK relative to the cost of living - I doubt you would be able to match that here.

 

It sounds like you want an adventure, but you also like your situation money-wise in the UK at the moment. Why not consider taking a 12 month sabbatical from work in the UK, rent your house out there, and just come travelling here, buy a campervan or something? You would see far more of Australia than people living and working here for 10 years do, and you would have an absolute ball! After that you'd know whether you want to stay longer, or happy to go back home to an early retirement.

 

 

I think when I speak about lifestyle benefits I am thinking the temperature of the country will enable me to live a more outdoor lifestyle. We have a camper ere and camp a lot but although my husband will camp when it's cold I am more of a wimp so don't! I also think the size of the country and the lower population appeals to me. I like beaches but hate the coldness of the sea here so when we go to Cornwall/Wales etc i spend most of the time watching my husband and 2 kids in the water!

 

Don't get me wrong we do want an adventure but I think we are a little too long in the tooth to fool around - we need to decide and either do it or don't IYKWIM. money wise at the moment we don't bring in 100k (more like 75) as I am part time but when I go full time if my husband stays in leadership we will be more like 100. If we were both teachers here with no management responsibilities we would be on around 70/75. My husband works long hours and has a lot of stress so we are not sure he wants to stay in management at the moment so we think of we were to make the move we could both be teachers and have a similar income to now. If we don't maybe he could stick out leadership for 10 years and us retire early. If we do hat though I think our young kids (3/5) are probably missing out on time with their daddy due to work stress/time.

 

I guess what we need to decide is - is the cost of migrating worth it. I know only we can make that decision but nice to get ideas/opinions. Especially from those of you who have done it/are doing it/ have loved it/hated it!!!

 

also the camper is a given - we couldn't be without one :wink:

thanks four corners :-)

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"Lifestyle" is a very fuzzy concept IMHO ...and what constitutes a "good" one can vary so much from person to person.

What exactly are you hoping will be better for you in Australia?

And do you know where you would be living? (as regional differences can be very great).

Hi skani. I think probably Adelaide but we are keeping it open for jobs (think we have more chance to get one if we haven't pinned it down to one place). :-)

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A lot also depends on which part of Australia interests you. Some states are much cheaper than others to live. Each state has it's own education dept and pay structure. Some states (for Rupert) have very little rain, sometimes months without any. The pay is pretty good - my brother, here in Adelaide, is a teacher of Design Tech and currently gets paid much more than our sister in UK, who is a Senior Manager in her dept. It took hime a while to get a permanent position but he has never been unemployed in the 6 years he has been here. He was on contracts but this gave him the chance to experience different schools and he was impressed with every one. He is now living the dream in the Barossa Valley and belives he has struck gold!

 

We find the lifestyle much more relaxed. The general feel, certainly in Adelaide, is great. Friendly people, who are happy and friendly and proud of where they live.

 

Good luck, Kazza

 

thanks kazza. This really helps. The relaxed lifestyle is what I am imagining - my friends migrated to Adelaide 5 years ago and that seems to be how they feel. Your brothers situation helps a lot. Thanks for sharing! Ask him if he knows o any jobs ha ha :wink::laugh:

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Having said all that, I am glad we moved and for me the experience of living in another part of the world and exploring the regiona as a whole, makes up for the financial cost. You can't take it with you can you.

My thoughts exactly. Think it's my husband who is more worried about the money (the equity we have rather than what we will/won't earn). I think life I too short and like you - you can't take it with you :-)

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I am also a teacher looking to move out. Also in a very early position. Skills assessment coming up. I have spoken to some friends in Oz about the senior leadership roles. Victoria and Brisbane appear to be the best shouts for that. I am looking to move and I am intending to stay in a senior leader position. It may take me a bit longer but I am hoping it will be worth it in the long run.

 

Sabbatical sounds like a good plan for you. In my situation, I feel like I need to go and experience it. Always wanted it and now I am in a position to do it. I will have nowhere near the equity you have discussed but I am still confident :)

 

I wish you the very best of luck!!

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Um, you do know that it is extremely difficult to get teaching jobs in Aus don't you? Unless you want to be living in places that Aussies don't want to live (hardly the migrant dream!) you will be in competition with a whole load of younger (cheaper) newish Aussie teachers who are struggling to get long term permanent jobs. Unless you are secondary Maths/Science which has a better chance (as so many Scince/Maths grads find they can get better jobs elsewhere) you could be on an expensive hiding to nothing. Overseas experience isn't necessarily something of value.

 

 

Whatever you do, don't quit the jobs you have, perhaps see if you can get a teacher exchange in the first instance.

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Um, you do know that it is extremely difficult to get teaching jobs in Aus don't you? Unless you want to be living in places that Aussies don't want to live (hardly the migrant dream!) you will be in competition with a whole load of younger (cheaper) newish Aussie teachers who are struggling to get long term permanent jobs. Unless you are secondary Maths/Science which has a better chance (as so many Scince/Maths grads find they can get better jobs elsewhere) you could be on an expensive hiding to nothing. Overseas experience isn't necessarily something of value.

 

 

Whatever you do, don't quit the jobs you have, perhaps see if you can get a teacher exchange in the first instance.

 

Yes this is what I am a little worried about. We have however decided to only go if one of us secures a job first. I don't think we could risk our childrens uncertainty without (if it were just the two of us we would probably just go and risk it!). I think we will probably risk loosing the money it costs to gain a visa etc so it is easier to get a job but then we will have on our visa until about 2018 (we will go on holiday to get it stamped to give us the extra time - and this will double as our recci). If we don't get a job before then well the dream is over - if we do then i guess our decision will be made :rolleyes:

 

whatever happens I don't want to look back and wonder. So I suppose we will go through the process of applying for the visa etc then see where it takes us. Maybe fate will step in? :biggrin:

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Hi Vandeux. Thanks. Good to know other teaches are getting jobs - is that before going over do you know?

Good luck with it. I don't think we will bother with sabbatical to be honest - we need to apply for the visa ASAP as I am 40 in feb and my husband is now over 40 so we will be getting a visa for me to gain the extra points for my age. I don't really see much point in sabbatical at our ages - I think for our kids sake we need to be secure and sure of what we are doing so we intend to get our heads around it and either get through the fear of what ifs or give it up. Our biggest problem is my husband has had a back problem and have had a little bit of time off this year with it so we need to get his work record back to tip top condition and then apply for work in maybe 18 months. I think because of this we almost have too much to worry about - maybe we would just go for it if it weren't for that!

Pour plan is to try and get a visa ASAP then holiday (hopefully next summer) to stamp our visa then apply for jobs and hope to get one before 2018 when our visa will expire :wideeyed:

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I think we have very similar plans. We are waiting for a little longer to make sure our son is in a suitable place in terms of his education. Hoping to achieve visa in about 12 month or a bit longer. Aiming to validate the following July/August. Then make a move the following year I guess. Gives us ample time to save up some money and gives me the best possible chance if securing a leadership position.

 

Stick to your plan!! We can all hook up out there :-)

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Yes this is what I am a little worried about. We have however decided to only go if one of us secures a job first. I don't think we could risk our childrens uncertainty without (if it were just the two of us we would probably just go and risk it!). I think we will probably risk loosing the money it costs to gain a visa etc so it is easier to get a job but then we will have on our visa until about 2018 (we will go on holiday to get it stamped to give us the extra time - and this will double as our recci). If we don't get a job before then well the dream is over - if we do then i guess our decision will be made :rolleyes:

 

whatever happens I don't want to look back and wonder. So I suppose we will go through the process of applying for the visa etc then see where it takes us. Maybe fate will step in? :biggrin:

 

Your post worries me a little. You risk losing money anyway.

 

Be very realistic in terms of getting a job here. You may well have to do relief teaching for quite a while - as many Aussie teachers are doing.

 

There are many unemployed teachers here and the market is very very competitive. Have enough funds to last you for a few months and I would recommend taking a sabbatical incase you are not successful in getting a position.

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It can be hard finding a position, certainly in the public sector, where there are ways that jobs are allocated that can be tricky. There is also the issue of having to complete the mandatory notification and first aid course before you are registered to teach, which would potentially make it difficult to apply for jobs from abroad.

 

I work in the private sector and had to do a number of contracts with my school (including supply days and part-time) in order to get a permanent post. Teachers with experience should have this recognised when entering the pay scale here and I would imagine you would be on step 10, which would be a salary of around $80-85,000 depending on your school (all private schools negotiate pay separately.)

 

I think your husband would find management a good deal less stressful here. The hours and school PR are plentiful but the accountability and paperwork, assessments, analysis etc are far less.

 

We are in Adelaide so I am talking about here and not else where.

 

We have been here nearly six years and although lots of elements have been fun and we have certainly had some good experiences, we are now looking at going back next year, as the pull of family and friends has got stronger over the years and I also yearn for the culture and history I grew up with and that feels familiar.

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I would think that both of you have to be teachers of a subject rather than in senior management.

 

It again comes down to local knowledge of the states proceedures, education laws and curriculum. How could a new migrant know these straight off the boat?

 

Be aware you will have to prove your previous experience with exacting letters from your uk schools. Until these are perused by the state education board (upto 3 months) you will only be paid a graduate wage. This is about $55,000 ish each, full time. At the top of the scale you would each be on about $85,000.But you will be back paid.

 

You teach drama/dance and the oh teaches what?

 

Have you linked into the states education sites to search for actual jobs? Have you linked into sites for private schools? Are jobs in your subjects being offered? Where exactly are they being offered? (google maps!)

 

As has already been said, Maths/Sci is the most in demand. The rest have many fewer posts which are all hard fought for. You need to be prepared to be searching and applying for jobs from August to December that won't start until the end of January. That is conceivably 6 months with no work whilst having to be in-country applying and attending interviews. You may pick up days of relief teaching, but then again you may not! Anyway, they are casual, would you want to be hanging around only doing sporadic days until full time work starts?

 

As with virtually everyone, you would most likely have the first year on a contract. That means you will have to reapply for your own job, if it actually exists. It might not. Ok for younger teachers, a bit daunting for older teachers with a family in tow who need job security.

 

I don't know how we had the guts to give it a go, I'm depressing myself.

 

But then again, if you take a year without pay from your uk jobs and if you have the cash to get back there if you can't get jobs, why not give it a go? What really do you have to lose? You can't take cash with you when you die......

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Scary stuff. Planning to move to Melbourne in October where there is an alleged shortage of Design and Technology teachers. Leaving a £40+,ooo head of faculty job. Hopefully my husband, who is not a teacher will find work easily. Otherwise, in around 6 months we'll be screwed!

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Scary stuff. Planning to move to Melbourne in October where there is an alleged shortage of Design and Technology teachers. Leaving a £40+,ooo head of faculty job. Hopefully my husband, who is not a teacher will find work easily. Otherwise, in around 6 months we'll be screwed!

 

You might want to look at your timing, or start applying for jobs before you go. School year starts last week of January so you are not getting paid until then. A lot of jobs for the following year are being advertised from about now.

 

Best of luck

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