Moving from Oz to England.... to be a navy wife... would you recommend it to an ozzie?

[confusedozzie3371]

I am 22 and born in Australia. Visited the UK numerous times through my life as all my family expect my parent live there. Considering moving to be with someone that has my heart. However he is in the Navy and will be at the deployment stage of his career next year. This means he could be away for months at a time. I hear the weather is bad of course but the life is great?

 

How hard are jobs to find atm for someone willing to do anything?

[Guest]

Do you hold a UK passport or are you able to get one by descent?

 

If not what visa are you considering going over on?

 

As for UK, there is a lot to it. Where are you looking to settle? Where does your partner live when not away? Work will be dictated by where you live so choose carefully a place that suits your needs all round.

[confusedozzie3371]

Have submitted an application for my British passport. He is currently training in Somerset, living on base, I would stay with my family in Portsmouth until we can get a place of our own..... see him when his training permits. i have looked at jobs and there seems to be a decent amount. But i am told that there a hundreds of people applying?

[starlight7]

You'll be right- last time I looked they loved Aussies over there- they work hard and get the job done!

[Guest]

If you've a UK passport and no worries about a visa application or anything, then so long as you have some savings behind you to tide you over you should be fine.

 

Work is there, just a case of going out looking for it and perhaps not being too picky about what you do to begin with. It's a strange thing but often being in work makes it easier to find work iykwim.

[Quoll]

Sounds like a good adventure for you! If you are prepared to turn your hand to anything to begin with I doubt you will have any problems finding a job. Good luck, I hope it all works out well for you!

[jen85]

I'm an aussie too and moving over in March this year :arghh: sooo much to do! I wouldn't worry to much you really just need to give it time for you to settle as it can take years to get used to everything being completely different from what you are used to. Yes the weather is a negative but I wouldn't necessarily look at it like that, just think about that white Christmas you might get..how lovely!

[confusedozzie3371]

I'm an aussie too and moving over in March this year :arghh: sooo much to do! I wouldn't worry to much you really just need to give it time for you to settle as it can take years to get used to everything being completely different from what you are used to. Yes the weather is a negative but I wouldn't necessarily look at it like that, just think about that white Christmas you might get..how lovely!

 

how exciting jen85. What part are you moving to and do you have worked lined up?

[Bobj]

I am 22 and born in Australia. Visited the UK numerous times through my life as all my family expect my parent live there. Considering moving to be with someone that has my heart. However he is in the Navy and will be at the deployment stage of his career next year. This means he could be away for months at a time. I hear the weather is bad of course but the life is great?

 

How hard are jobs to find atm for someone willing to do anything?

 

Pommy officers aren't too bright, so make sure your bloke knows how to get a submarine and/or a destroyer off the sand/reef...:wink:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11605365

 

[h=2]Service history[/h]

HMS Nottingham at sea

 

 

On 7 July 2002, Nottingham ran aground on the submerged but well-charted Wolf Rock near Lord Howe Island, 200 miles (320 km) off the coast of Australia. A 160 ft (50 m) hole was torn down the side of the vessel from bow to bridge, flooding five of her compartments and nearly causing her to sink. A major PR crisis for the Royal Navy, the incident was initially PR managed by Commander David Heley (who looked after the UK and New Zealand media) and Lieutenant Commander Steve Tatham (who provided daily commentary to Australian media) before a team was despatched to Australia to assist the ship.

 

 

Cheers, Bobj.

[bunbury61]

I am 22 and born in Australia. Visited the UK numerous times through my life as all my family expect my parent live there. Considering moving to be with someone that has my heart. However he is in the Navy and will be at the deployment stage of his career next year. This means he could be away for months at a time. I hear the weather is bad of course but the life is great?

 

How hard are jobs to find atm for someone willing to do anything?

 

 

economy on the up ....BUT , its coming from a real bad place , its going to take time ....2008 -11 was tough .

Please ....please ...choose your area to live in very carefully ....you can have a shithole area , and 2 miles up the road its a different world ...schools , facilities , even the pubs you drink in .

On a positive note, so much to see and do in the U.K ....LONDON WILL ONLY BE 2 HOURS AWAY .....Europe a boat ride ....that in itself is worth coming for

[BritChickx]

Have submitted an application for my British passport. He is currently training in Somerset, living on base, I would stay with my family in Portsmouth until we can get a place of our own..... see him when his training permits. i have looked at jobs and there seems to be a decent amount. But i am told that there a hundreds of people applying?

If you're looking for jobs in Portsmouth, it depends on your background of course but i'm from Portsmouth and always managed to get work (unqualified work). If you're willing to do anything something will come up. If you're looking to eventually move to somerset, I have no idea!

[Baxtersinc]

I am 22 and born in Australia. Visited the UK numerous times through my life as all my family expect my parent live there. Considering moving to be with someone that has my heart. However he is in the Navy and will be at the deployment stage of his career next year. This means he could be away for months at a time. I hear the weather is bad of course but the life is great?

 

How hard are jobs to find atm for someone willing to do anything?

 

 

hello confusedozzie337,

 

where in Somerset are you looking to relocate to? We moved to Taunton in Somerset with my Aussie husband,( I'm British) work prospects are ok in terms of finding placements however pay is a lot less than Aus. It's all relative though really as some aspects of UK living can be cheaper.

 

Life is great in the UK, if you are willing and able to make the most of it. I won't lie it is a hard transition coming from Aus but you will settle into it, the weather can be a bit depressing but it is nice having the 4 seasons, and Europe on the doorstep makes it all worthwhile!

 

let me know if you do end up in the Somerset area, would be good to meet up, there is a distinct lack of Aussies in the regional areas of the UK so would be good to get the numbers going!

 

Hope you you can make your decision easily enough.

[Incata]

You are making a big decision, becoming an RN wife. You need to understand before you take this huge step, that as long as your other half is in the RN you will always come second. He will never be able to put you first. He will never be able to guarantee to be there for birthdays, Christmas', birth of children, first days at school and all those important milestones. When the RN calls, he has to obey. He can be on leave, on holiday with you, or at a friends stag party and get recalled to duty. He has no choice, he has to go. He can be posted to sea for up to a year at a time (on the small ships) with no annual leave. If you want to see him, you have to fly (at your own expense) to whichever port, in whichever part of the world, that you know he will be in. You can then find that a last minute change of plans means he will not be at that port after all and you spend a few days there on your own. You can turn up at the port and find he has a couple of hours off on the Saturday and the Sunday afternoon and that is it. If he is going to be on duty within 8 hours he won't even be able to have a drink with you.

 

When the ships are on deployment you can easily go for 30 days without hearing from him. When it comes to missing him, your family will not be able to compensate or fill the gap that him being away leaves.

 

It is not a romantic life, being a sailors wife, so if you are going to move to the other side of the world, you need to be properly prepared for that.

[BritChickx]

That's some deep stuff Incanta! I know I definitely couldn't handle it. Being away from Paul for 7 weeks will be enough lol

[bell123321]

Hey,

 

Just my thoughts. I knew a lot of Navy wifes whilst I lived in Portsmouth and it was hard. Often they wouldn't see their husbands for six months of the year, and I would echo what Incata has said. It will be difficult and you wont be able to rely on him being with you when you need him most (birthdays etc etc) because the Navy will come first unfortunately. I had friends who managed perfectly well with their husbands being away as they enjoyed some "me" time whilst their husbands were away and loved it when they came back, however I knew one persons marriage who broke down because of it. (As it was harder then she thought). Just think very carefully, you can't help who you fall in love with but just make sure your able to accommodate his career and don't mind spending long periods of time without him.

 

As for Jobs, It took me about 6 months to find a job in Portsmouth (I ended up commuting 100 miles every weekend for a job I had back at my parents until I got a job in Portsmouth). Portsmouth has a big population for the small area it is in, and depending on the time of year you also have a lot of students who are looking for jobs. However there are jobs available if you look hard enough. I liked Portsmouth especially in the summer.

[BritChickx]

It's a shame you weren't in Portsmouth a few months ago, we could have met up and I might have been of some help lol.

[ayrshire2oz]

You are making a big decision, becoming an RN wife. You need to understand before you take this huge step, that as long as your other half is in the RN you will always come second. He will never be able to put you first. He will never be able to guarantee to be there for birthdays, Christmas', birth of children, first days at school and all those important milestones. When the RN calls, he has to obey. He can be on leave, on holiday with you, or at a friends stag party and get recalled to duty. He has no choice, he has to go. He can be posted to sea for up to a year at a time (on the small ships) with no annual leave. If you want to see him, you have to fly (at your own expense) to whichever port, in whichever part of the world, that you know he will be in. You can then find that a last minute change of plans means he will not be at that port after all and you spend a few days there on your own. You can turn up at the port and find he has a couple of hours off on the Saturday and the Sunday afternoon and that is it. If he is going to be on duty within 8 hours he won't even be able to have a drink with you.

 

When the ships are on deployment you can easily go for 30 days without hearing from him. When it comes to missing him, your family will not be able to compensate or fill the gap that him being away leaves.

 

It is not a romantic life, being a sailors wife, so if you are going to move to the other side of the world, you need to be properly prepared for that.

 

 

I have too agree with Incata, I am a Navy wife and it is not easy, it can be a very lonely life at times, despite having a loving supportive family nearby. I haven't seen my husband since September! My children cope well but they miss their dad so much it hurts. However I love my husband dearly and if your heart is in it, then go for it.

[Incata]

That's some deep stuff Incanta! I know I definitely couldn't handle it. Being away from Paul for 7 weeks will be enough lol

 

I spent 9 years struggling first as the girlfriend, then the fiancee and then the wife of a sailor. It's not a great life. Thank goodness we are now free of it!

[Frau Bees]

Being me I would always jump at the chance to go somewhere different and live somewhere new. I'm sure you will enjoy the uk very much, job wise I suppose it depends on what you do and where you end up. I am an army wife based in Germany and it can be very lonely. In the past 24 months my husband has been away for 20 of them. So far as I gather navy takes them away far more frequently and for longer. Being a forces wife is really hard work, if you are willing to take it on then I wish you all the luck in the world.