Anyone else felt like Oz wasn't for them so early on????

[grizzly111 44]

It depends if you preferred life back home. Age can play a factor too. If you do and can find work there more readily and for a higher pay then the choice is obvious. Otherwise you will have to keep trying. My parents came over here with me over 10 years ago and now, in retrospect, although its always hard to say, we should have stayed and ploughed through the UK recession at the time. My education and prospects suffered somewhat coming to Oz and they were not able to find a steady job in their professional fields upon arriving. If I were in your shoes, I would trial things for a further 3 months and then re-assess your situation.

[surfndirt 11]

4$ a beer doesn't sound too bad. Unless they're served in wine glasses.

 

That's from a bottle shop dude. That's about 12 quid a six pack from your local offy..... You can't, at all, justify that price. It's a real real issue here if you like a beer. Same thing in the states = $6.50.

[surfndirt 11]

I'm 3 years in and still feel unsettled. But when I think back to those early days I do realise how far we've come. I spent the first 6 months constantly crying & researching the cost of flights back home. I even emailed my old boss asking for my old job back!! Even now whenever I hear the Wayballoo theme tune (children's program that seemed to be on TV all the time when we first moved!) it sends me straight back to those early days!! *shiver* 3 years on and a 5 week visit home later I am still undecided. My husband eventually found a decent job but I've been on constant contracts since we arrived. We still live in rented accommodation and are currently having the discussion about whether to buy. (I'm not sure this is forever so am dragging my heels a little!) You are right about the cost of living! Food shopping is so expensive! I couldn't get over the cost of basics like milk and bread when we first arrived. My advice would be to stick it out for a couple of years and see how things progress. In that time you'll hopefully find decent work & settle a bit more. If you don't at least you will have given it a good go. Good luck!

 

Why buy a house? That's just daft as a brush!!! :-)

[Rupert 1,312]

Why buy a house? That's just daft as a brush!!! :-)

 

 

+1. Considering this and your other thread, this is definitely one of the daftest ideas I have seen this week.

[TGW1221 10]

Hi Dazeybear

 

I've been here 6 weeks too and feel exactly the same as you. I'm hoping it will pass as I'm an older stay at home mum with a two year old boy. if hub didn't want to come out here, I wouldn't be here now but I said I would give it a go. I'm just glad we didn't sell our house in the UK. like you, I did a lot of research into costs etc but quite frankly, I'm fed up of shelling out money. I've become very philosophical about the move and emigrating in general. It's not for everyone and you shouldn't feel guilty for not loving it here. I hope things will get easier for you (and me ) if not, it's back to old blighty with an experience under our belts and knowing that we gave it a go!

 

Best wishes

 

TW

[cartertucker 2,566]

I think we knew very early on, but decided to try our best to settle

But the longer the time went on, the more it made our mind up....We wanted to go home

We lived in WA for just a year, but coming back to the UK was the best thing for us, glad we tried it though

[Incata 751]

I did not initially feel unsettled as my husband got a job very quickly. It took me 9 months to secure work and I had to take a pay cut of 50% from what I was earning in the UK, which has been a bit gauling, particularly when I see the low level of competence in more senior managers in the company. However, others are right, getting work does make all the difference and from feeling really depressed over the last few months and having serious discussions about whether to stay or consider moving back/elsewhere, I finally feel that things are picking up a bit.

 

I felt unsettled being in a rental, but now we have our own home it has helped a great deal and I feel so much happier.

 

Give it more time, 6 weeks is not very long at all.

[dazeybear 10]

Have you got a PR visa? If so what skill was he assessed on?

Hi, Yes he has a PR Visa he was assessed on a Systems Analyst

[Paul1Perth 5,857]

That's from a bottle shop dude. That's about 12 quid a six pack from your local offy..... You can't, at all, justify that price. It's a real real issue here if you like a beer. Same thing in the states = $6.50.

$14 a bottle in Singapore.

[paul1977 169]

$14 a bottle in Singapore.

Relative to wages

[perez1 10]

Hi all

interesting reading this thread! We have been here since April and my husb hasn't managed to secure a job in all that time. I actually found out I was pregnant after being here for 2 weeks and I would have been the biggest earner. We are not happy where we live at all and last week was a real low for us! We have decided we want to try and move states, this will be a last chance for us then back to the uk. I cant say im not happy here but really don't feel happy either!! Tough call, my 5 year old son is the best settled out of all of us! Good luck with everything! Keep positive!

[paul1977 169]

Hi all

interesting reading this thread! We have been here since April and my husb hasn't managed to secure a job in all that time. I actually found out I was pregnant after being here for 2 weeks and I would have been the biggest earner. We are not happy where we live at all and last week was a real low for us! We have decided we want to try and move states, this will be a last chance for us then back to the uk. I cant say im not happy here but really don't feel happy either!! Tough call, my 5 year old son is the best settled out of all of us! Good luck with everything! Keep positive!

What state you in...?

[perez1 10]

South Aus!!

[paul1977 169]

Heard its similar to WA...

[perez1 10]

Heard its similar to WA...

Not really sure, haven't been to WA for about 15 years!! I don't wanna slag it off here as I know some people love it, but for us its just not right, I know work is a major factor with this but we also get a bit (dare I say??? bored!!) Not looking for arguments from anyone here!! that is purely our opinion!! we did validate our visa here and liked what we saw, but we were only here a week as we stayed with family up in Brisbane! But I def know how the original poster feels!!

Where are you?

[paul1977 169]

Not really sure, haven't been to WA for about 15 years!! I don't wanna slag it off here as I know some people love it, but for us its just not right, I know work is a major factor with this but we also get a bit (dare I say??? bored!!) Not looking for arguments from anyone here!! that is purely our opinion!! we did validate our visa here and liked what we saw, but we were only here a week as we stayed with family up in Brisbane! But I def know how the original poster feels!!

Where are you?

WA... **** me it's boring here too ..

[deeno88 10]

Wow this is me too ... Been here 5 weeks, spent 4 on magnetic island then landed in Sydney on Saturday. my partner has been here a year so he gets it all ... I don't

 

i had a good job and life in the uk, everything costs so much here

 

weve had to start from scratch. Pay $5k school fees, $5k dentist

bond for a house so much older than mine at home and pay 5 x more in rent than my mortgage at home

 

luckily I have an 18m career break but I'm just not getting it ... Am I missing something ?? (Apart from all my friends and family !!)

 

my my daughter hasn't started school yet either and when I get a job I'll have to work full time while at home I worked part time and had family help and support. don't have that here

 

god I'm convincing my self to leave here ?

[Quoll 6,093]

Wow this is me too ... Been here 5 weeks, spent 4 on magnetic island then landed in Sydney on Saturday. my partner has been here a year so he gets it all ... I don't

 

i had a good job and life in the uk, everything costs so much here

 

weve had to start from scratch. Pay $5k school fees, $5k dentist

bond for a house so much older than mine at home and pay 5 x more in rent than my mortgage at home

 

luckily I have an 18m career break but I'm just not getting it ... Am I missing something ?? (Apart from all my friends and family !!)

 

my my daughter hasn't started school yet either and when I get a job I'll have to work full time while at home I worked part time and had family help and support. don't have that here

 

god I'm convincing my self to leave here 

 

nope, not missing anything at all!

[Paul1Perth 5,857]

Relative to wages

 

Don't know that much about wages in Singapore but there's not much space, most people seem to live in numbered apartment blocks and not houses. We saw an article in the Straites Times about Security Guards thinking of going on strike as they had been promised a raise from there $800 a month salary and the government had decided that the big companies couldn't afford it. There was also a Story about the maids being brought in from the Phillipines and how a lot of them were having to be sent back because they couldn't speak English and had not training from the company providing them. In the meantime they were still fighting to get one day a week off written into their contracts.

[Paul1Perth 5,857]

Wow this is me too ... Been here 5 weeks, spent 4 on magnetic island then landed in Sydney on Saturday. my partner has been here a year so he gets it all ... I don't

 

i had a good job and life in the uk, everything costs so much here

 

weve had to start from scratch. Pay $5k school fees, $5k dentist

bond for a house so much older than mine at home and pay 5 x more in rent than my mortgage at home

 

luckily I have an 18m career break but I'm just not getting it ... Am I missing something ?? (Apart from all my friends and family !!)

 

my my daughter hasn't started school yet either and when I get a job I'll have to work full time while at home I worked part time and had family help and support. don't have that here

 

god I'm convincing my self to leave here 

 

Didn't you like Magnetic Island then? Thought it was a fantastic place when I went for a weekend. Hired a motorbike and toured round the Island. Swam at a couple of brilliant beaches, sat in the pub at night under the stars and listened to a pretty good live band, thought it was magic.

 

You've not even started to settle into life yet and you've already written it off.

[silencio 29]

Sorry to read and hear that some of you folks don't like it here!

On the one hand, I feel sorry for you, that Australia supposed to be a disappointment. But never underestimate the time factor, give yourselves more time. After a while new people will settle and will find a job!

We also got a price shock when we came here, it will disappear when you earn Aussie dollars. And by the way, not everything is more expensive than in the UK/Europe.

The economic situation is not as good in Australia as it was a couple of years ago + high competition for all sorts of jobs.

On the other hand, I will never understand why people apply for a Australian visa and are not willing to start from scratch which means starting OF COURSE with a lower salary and a lower position than in Europe. Australia is not 'England under palms', it's completely different in culture, values etc. It's still a privilege and a honour to obtain Permanent Residency. Many people would do anything for coming and living here...

My advice would be don't come here with any expectations and don't research only on the Internet and knowing Down Under only from hearsay! Come here for a validation trip and research potential employers and rentals in reality and not on that realestate-fairytale websites only. The most important thing to do is to reflect the motives why you want to migrate and than asking questions 'Can I really live without my family and friends? Am I willing to start in a new country without any support networks? How will I deal with setbacks? Will I be satisfied in a junior job role for a while though I'm an experienced senior? Do I have enough savings to make ends meet without a job for a while? Am I really ready to be challenged?' That's the kind of questions my hubby and myself asked ourselves before we moved. We also had this low moments, especially in the first year. Not having a job for weeks, not knowing how it will go on. I struggled to find a decent job but was always determined and persistent. I would say in my personal review persistence is the most important factor for me,besides of being a personality who likes adventures and living in a foreign culture/country.

Last but not leas everyone is different and so is every migration story.

[Paul1Perth 5,857]

Sorry to read and hear that some of you folks don't like it here!

On the one hand, I feel sorry for you, that Australia supposed to be a disappointment. But never underestimate the time factor, give yourselves more time. After a while new people will settle and will find a job!

We also got a price shock when we came here, it will disappear when you earn Aussie dollars. And by the way, not everything is more expensive than in the UK/Europe.

The economic situation is not as good in Australia as it was a couple of years ago + high competition for all sorts of jobs.

On the other hand, I will never understand why people apply for a Australian visa and are not willing to start from scratch which means starting OF COURSE with a lower salary and a lower position than in Europe. Australia is not 'England under palms', it's completely different in culture, values etc. It's still a privilege and a honour to obtain Permanent Residency. Many people would do anything for coming and living here...

My advice would be don't come here with any expectations and don't research only on the Internet and knowing Down Under only from hearsay! Come here for a validation trip and research potential employers and rentals in reality and not on that realestate-fairytale websites only. The most important thing to do is to reflect the motives why you want to migrate and than asking questions 'Can I really live without my family and friends? Am I willing to start in a new country without any support networks? How will I deal with setbacks? Will I be satisfied in a junior job role for a while though I'm an experienced senior? Do I have enough savings to make ends meet without a job for a while? Am I really ready to be challenged?' That's the kind of questions my hubby and myself asked ourselves before we moved. We also had this low moments, especially in the first year. Not having a job for weeks, not knowing how it will go on. I struggled to find a decent job but was always determined and persistent. I would say in my personal review persistence is the most important factor for me,besides of being a personality who likes adventures and living in a foreign culture/country.

Last but not leas everyone is different and so is every migration story.

 

Good post mate. Made me realise how lucky we were as me and the missus never considered any of those very important points you mentioned. She's usually the one who likes to plan and think about things, I'm very much just the go for it type. When we emigrated she never mentioned discussing or thinking about anything. The house was up for sale and sold within a couple of weeks. We had never visited before, didn't come out on a reccie or even considered that we wouldn't settle and what might happen if we didn't.

 

Maybe we were a bit nieve. Certainly didn't have the research tools and forums to worry us. Only thing we had was the embassy library in Manchester.

 

All worked out great. Maybe more by luck than judgement.

[tea4too 3,047]

Sorry to read and hear that some of you folks don't like it here!

On the one hand, I feel sorry for you, that Australia supposed to be a disappointment. But never underestimate the time factor, give yourselves more time. After a while new people will settle and will find a job!

We also got a price shock when we came here, it will disappear when you earn Aussie dollars. And by the way, not everything is more expensive than in the UK/Europe.

The economic situation is not as good in Australia as it was a couple of years ago + high competition for all sorts of jobs.

On the other hand, I will never understand why people apply for a Australian visa and are not willing to start from scratch which means starting OF COURSE with a lower salary and a lower position than in Europe. Australia is not 'England under palms', it's completely different in culture, values etc. It's still a privilege and a honour to obtain Permanent Residency. Many people would do anything for coming and living here...

My advice would be don't come here with any expectations and don't research only on the Internet and knowing Down Under only from hearsay! Come here for a validation trip and research potential employers and rentals in reality and not on that realestate-fairytale websites only. The most important thing to do is to reflect the motives why you want to migrate and than asking questions 'Can I really live without my family and friends? Am I willing to start in a new country without any support networks? How will I deal with setbacks? Will I be satisfied in a junior job role for a while though I'm an experienced senior? Do I have enough savings to make ends meet without a job for a while? Am I really ready to be challenged?' That's the kind of questions my hubby and myself asked ourselves before we moved. We also had this low moments, especially in the first year. Not having a job for weeks, not knowing how it will go on. I struggled to find a decent job but was always determined and persistent. I would say in my personal review persistence is the most important factor for me,besides of being a personality who likes adventures and living in a foreign culture/country.

Last but not leas everyone is different and so is every migration story.

 

I think for people contemplating a new life on the other side of the world, you make some good and valid points. But as you say, every migration story is different and in this part of the forum (Moving Back to the UK) people have decided that Australia is not where they want or need to be right now. I don’t really see that as people succeeding or failing at migration - just different folk making different choices, based on their own needs and experiences. Sometimes we have to take the long route to appreciate the obvious :unsure: Tx

[ozpete 10]

After 6 months I hated it.. Nearly 2 years later it ain't changed, been lucky with work .. That's why I've stayed. If I didn't have my job I would of been on the first plane out of here. Hope your situation improves

 

Hi Paul,

 

I am in the process of applying for a visa to immigrate to Perth, so I am nervous about the decision not knowing if I am doing the right thing. You got a job, ok. So it would be interesting to know the things you hate or not happy about.

[blobby1000 454]

I have read your original post but not all the responses so this may have been covered,

 

the question you need to ask though is why did you move? Surely something was not right in the UK to make the move and after 6 weeks surely if you return it will be the same, and you won't have the satisfaction of having given Australia a good go.

 

As someone who 'failed' in Australia, I now get a lot of satisfaction on looking back on the experience we had (2 years) telling stories of the times we had ( to those that are interested) and in knowing that we did try hard and it definitely was not for us. You can't do any of that after 6 weeks but I guess it comes down to finances and whether you can keep going.

 

Best of luck, don't feel bad for coming home but I do advise you give it a good shot.

 

all the best

Edited October 7, 2013 by blobby1000