First time mum but already a pingpongpom!! Am I crazy?

[Kellie23]

Hi Kelly, ....I've been told that Kent is a lovely place to live and that the schools there are really good...I'm just wondering what causes you to believe the Australian state education system would be better, or that Australia's GP and medicare system is any better (it doesn't cover any dental care at all except for primary school age children). The Australian climate can be better for an outdoor lifestyle, but working hours and shorter hours of daylight can mean little access to it.

 

Hi Jane, Some of kent is of course lovely however the nicer places in Kent are more expensive to live in. House prices much higher. I have not said that the Australian education system is better than here all I'm saying is that the schools In this area have gone from being good to rubbish within a short period of time because of too much government interference. Teachers are under so much pressure here sometimes teaching classes containing 8 or 9 different nationalities who have little or no English to start with. Teachers are not happy. I'm not saying Aus will be the answer however I'm certainly not being held to the UK anymore for the current schooling available in my area. I will always give my kids lots of learning opportunities myself and never rely completely on any school as it all depends what teacher you get wherever you are. As for Medicare,friends I have living in Australia have all had better experiences there than back here, it's really hard to get an appointment now with a GP and if you go to a walk In centre you have to wait for 2-3 hours. Dentist here is not free for adults but it is for kids and as my elder two both need braces to straighten teeth this will be a huge cost when we are in Australia as they would have that for free here in the UK. As for daylight hours here all winter my husband goes to work in the dark and comes home in the dark so prob no difference there except instead of freezing he will be sweating! Yet to know which he will prefer lol. My kids are very pale and the extreme heat will be another concern for us and again until we experience it cannot comment. I will have to plaster them in factor 50!

 

Also taking kids away from everything they know and everyone who loves them will be the hardest thing of all not sure how I'm going to cope with that but hoping they all come out to stay with us for long periods of time as none have huge committments back here and can afford the flights. We are lucky in that my husbands Been offered a job, we have a huge network of friends in Aus already and who are ready to support us having been through it themselves. I also know a teacher who is Australian and can give advice on a good school in the area we have chose to live. Lots of pros and cons of both places. We have thought about and discussed most issues for hours and hours and does anyone know it's the right to do for sure until you have tried it?! Xxxx

[Beatle]

Didn't mean to put you off Kellie, go for it in Australia. There are some definitely better things here. I have had a wonderful time here and the decision to go back is not easy for that reason. I think, many people are trying to give your their advice, before you go, so that you go with your eyes open. And some of the advice is meant for the OP which was a different issue.

If you want an adventure, better climate (IMHO!) and outdoor lifestyle do it. Just don't look back and expect some bumps along the way, starting from scratch etc. there is also a certain amount of racism to incomers here. As you are the blow in, not the other way round!

This site will give you a taste of the problems to be expected, but if you go for it anyone can make it.

[Lambethlad]

I have a relative who has been in Oz for over 5 decades. She has never been homesick for the UK and has never been back for a visit. However, she has never settled anywhere for very long. No sooner has she bought a new house she becomes malcontent, decides it's not quite right and starts planning to move again. All her houses have been in the Mornington Peninsula/Frankston area. In Victoria when you buy a house you pay a big load of stamp duty. The resullt is she could have bought another house with all the stamp duty she has paid over the years. Obviously she has a psychological problem and probably would have benefited from some professional counseling. Maybe pingpongers have a similar condition and it doesn't matter where they are they will never be content.

[jen85]

Curse of the Expat..again! You have had a taste of both countries and will forever compare the two. You need to decide which suits you at your time in life and stick with it. You obviously have had a change in priorities with a new baby and there is nothing wrong with wanting to go home just stick with it as most people will tell you it takes years to settle in and once you have a routine in the UK you will probably feel better.

[jasepom]

There are many good options in Australia for healthcare so don't let that put you off, even in UK you pay NHS contributions so nothing is ever free. I only see the positives of living in Australia, the climate and the outdoor lifestyle suits me. Getting home from work I think is easier here as I've never experienced any crippling traffic jams. Time enough to sit in the spa with a beer or a glass of wine if you're lucky enough to have one.

[JaneSmith]

Interesting point Jane. As a primary school teacher with experience both here in Brisbane and in the UK I can suggest there is one thing that differentiates us, OFSTED ! It doesn't exist here although some would suggest it is coming. Therefore no school is labelled as outstanding, good or needing special measures. I have worked in schools here that could be classified under each heading. There are league tables but they are very vague, so I guess there is no way of comparing the systems.

 

I don't know in detail about how OFSTED works, but I've certainly found the UK's GoodSchoolsGuide site pretty useful to find out about schools in various localities and that has links to OFSTED reports and ratings which is really useful. In Australia, there is the myschool.edu.au website that also compares schools with "All" schools and "like" schools that share similar socio-economic profiles. I'm guessing that the myschool designers modelled the system on what OFSTED does, though I'm not in the education sector so I don't know for sure, but generally the UK pioneers a lot of good practice I think. I certainly think that the National Health system, for all that it's not perfect, provides a more comprehensive system of care than is available under Medicare. The state health system here is so indifferent that people who can't really afford it feel they have to resort to private services to get any assistance.

[JaneSmith]

Sounds like you've both given it a lot of thought Kellie and I'm glad that already know a lot of ex-pats over here already. Having a support network wherever you are makes a huge difference. With the hot weather, as well as sunblock, make sure everyone drinks a lot of water and always carries some with them. Not realising how much dehydration affects how well you can think and work/function is a big factor in struggling with the heat. I go to a "walk in" clinic over here in Oz (because there are overseas qualified doctors there who are more up to date and have been a lot more helpful than the local GPs who don't seem to have bothered keeping up to date and, with deleterious results, failed to recognise or treat various conditions that I and the children had over several years), and there is also often 2-3 hour wait, however it is worth it because the care/treatment you get at the end of the wait is far better.

[Polly68]

Kellie could I just add, as someone who has been in Oz three years now, that IMO the education and healthcare are far superior in the UK. We still don't really understand the Medicare system, dentist bills will make you weep, I've yet to find a GP in the Western Sydney suburbs who speaks English well and my kids have gone backwards not forwards in many areas of their schooling. Today it is nearly 40 degrees, too hot for the children to play out so the idea of the 'outdoor life' is a bit of a myth too I'm afraid. The cost of living is also frightening- we are paying $650 a week rent for a very average single story suburban house. We had to move from a bigger house after the quarterly electricity bills hit $1200! In terms of overcrowding of course it depends where you live...we are in the suburbs where its just as packed as any big English city suburb. Housing tends to be concentrated in small areas by the coast (where prices are really scary) or cities. And Sydney especially is manic in terms of people and traffic. Of course you can live in more rural spots, as long as you don't mind commuting (and competing for space with snakes, spiders and giant cockroaches ;-)), and having very little to do. Please believe me when I say there are things about Oz I've loved but I wish we'd been a bit more realistic in our expectations of what it was going to be like- two holidays here before we moved here gave a false impression of what it would be like actually living here. Personally I love Kent and miss the beautiful English countryside, the changing seasons, the British sense of humour and courtesy, my family and the friends I have had since for ever (don't underestimate how hard it can be to replicate those deep relationships). Plus tons of other more trivial stuff (cliches like decent TV and media, cosy pubs and good value/range supermarkets spring to mind!). I wish you luck with your application and really hope it all works out for you and your family. For us, its back to dear old Blighty...