Motorhead Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 My family and I have been in Brisbane for 18months or so, its ok. Its pluses and minuses same as anywhere. The weather is great most of the year, but all this sun comes with a price...all these skin cancer clincs must be here for a reason. We found a brown snake skin at our door the other day, the kind which could easily kill my 2 year old, but we've only ever seen one snake in the flesh and that was a garden snake (5 foot but not dangerous). I earn what many would call a good wage ~180k per year. But that still doesnt get me a great house near the city. To me you need to spend around two and a half times the number of dollars to pounds on the housing front, but the build quality here is laughable, so you have to factor that into the equation. I have been offered a job back in the UK with an old boss at 500gbp a day, so easily 50% more than Im on here in real terms. My head says go back its a no brainer but my heart isnt so sure. We have PR status till April 2017 with less than 2 yrs in here if we go home theres eveychance it will lapse. We sold our house etc before coming, its good here just not as great as we hoped it would be. We couldnt afford provate education for the boys here we could in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausborn Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Something isn't right if you are earning $180 000 a year and you cannot afford to live where you like or send your child to the school you wish. Realistically you could do just about all you would like to do living in brisbane on that money. That is a very good income to be on in a city like brisbane.Not much would be out of your reach. Sounds to me like brisbane just might not be for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest40285 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Wow 180 grand a year, thats unreal money, I earn under 40 grand a year and bring up two daughters on my own, Good luck in whatever you do mate, must be a hard decision. Cheers Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Good luck back in blighty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Wish our combined salary was $180 year .. but it goes to show that we each have different lifestyles, it sounds as if the job offer in the UK at 2,500 GBP per week might be something you should consider. I guess no matter how much we earn, if it feels you haven't got a comparable lifestyle then it's never going to feel better. If the job offer in the UK can offer you all the things you want/that are important to you such as private education for your children then it's something you should seriously consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I hope you don't get too many responses relating to the money, because I'm not sure it's that relevant I think on this migratory journey we often go through ups and downs, especially early on. I've seen (and felt myself) a distinct question early on (<6 months) of "Was this worth it?" and then at some point in the 1-2 yr mark thoughts of being able to go back and pick up where you left off, so the question is more one of "Do we see a brighter future here or not, now we understand how it works?". The issue for some is that they feel if they leave it too long, they'll have to go backwards again in returning, if you see what I mean. Less than 2 years is just like a short career break, 5+ feels like a much bigger deal. So I do understand how you feel, particularly with a job offer from home, from a known quantity, on the table. It is personal how everyone responds to that. For me it was about the further out time limits - we felt with young kids that we had 5 or 6 years to work out the second question really, because we weren't going to be making irrevocable educational commitments and a lot can happen in that time. So we sort of parked the second question, with an answer that it's a nice place to live for now and we can get on with life, career progression et al and make a decision over a slightly longer time frame. If I have advice, it is to try and boil it down to what is really important to you. If it's education for your kids, then focus on that rather than money/job aspects (other than a means of being able to provide that education). If it's really about feel, or feeling at home, then try and focus on whether you think you'll be able to get that here, or really having tried it, you'd rather go back to the familiar. It can be really hard. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 180k as a whole household income isn't that large in the grand scheme, about the same as our joint wage and we can't afford to live wherever we liked in Brisbane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 No brainer - go where you have the best option on the table. One can't live on dreams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab1995 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 i can tell you now that if my hubby got a job offer for that in the uk we would take it .... just go with your gut and good luck .xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorhead Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 WOW thanks for the replies...I know 180k sounds a lot but my partners a social worker and she couldn’t find a job before and is now at home with our new born so we are looking at just my wage for the foreseeable even after we dont see her getting a job from what we have heard all those type of jobs have been cut right back, also you pay a lot of tax on 180aud best part of 45% vs in the UK as id be self employed on a day rate Id pay about 20%. My misses wants to stay longer and continue renting but thats really getting to me, we paid nearly 40,000 aud in rent last year for a house comparable to the one I sold in Scotland. I know Im in an enviable position, I appreciate that and I'm fully aware that others might not be in the same wage bracket and I don’t want to sound like a knob, but 180k once the tax is off doesn’t go that far for a family of 4 with 2 cars etc, its certainly nothing like the financial setup I enjoyed in the UK. But what’s the price on the sunny coast, surfers, Byron, sea world, Australia zoo or any of the islands we’ve visited or the rugby at the Sun corp…the list goes on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 My misses wants to stay longer and continue renting but thats really getting to me, we paid nearly 40,000 aud in rent last year for a house comparable to the one I sold in Scotland.. If you're anything like me that would be a fair chunk of the issue. I loathe renting, but needs must. Once we had bitten the bullet and decided we would buy (and therefore committed ourselves to 2-3 more years as a minimum in our heads) it made a big difference. Actually doing the deed and buying a house has transformed our outlook on life Doesn't work that way for everyone but I can't look forward properly to life somewhere without having some roots put down, and we could never do that as renters. Some can do it for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Our story is not dissimilar - we moved from Scotland to Perth and had a family income of about the same, given the median house price in the 'good' city suburbs is well over a million there is no-way we could live wherever we liked - plenty of places we could afford and we did build a place in an 'up and coming' suburb (quite different from the 'sought after' village we lived in Scotland) We're now back in Scotland and got a £525 a day contract in less than a month - financially it's a no-brainer we are way better off in Scotland and loving the fact we have been away for a few nights 4 times since we got back and planning a big European trip for the summer. BUT life isn't about money - we knew moving to Australia we would be worse off and went anyway because we truly believed it would be a 'better lifestyle' and money wasn't that important. If I was you I'd be comparing your happiness not your income - it sounds like there are things you don't like but what about the overall picture? Neither country is perfect and both seem like dangerous places to parents of small children, one of the reasons we moved was because I (stupidly!) thought Perth would be safer - I quickly found I just had different things to worry about! I would tend to say 'when in doubt do nowt' - rent for another 6 months, certainly don't jump into buying anywhere unless you are sure you are staying - we thought it would help us settle, it didn't and neither did the pets...all making for a more difficult move back! Scotland isn't going anywhere, and whilst this specific job offer may disappear to be honest unless you are confident of getting others, I wouldn't move anyway - no job is for life, what if you ended up back in Scotland and out of work? What would your head and heart say then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Remember that private school fees in the UK are much higher. In this area £4000 a term is the absolute minimum and £5000 a term is not untypical. Depends where you will be in the UK I guess. That sounds like a good job offer but factor in house prices and school fees as you certainly would still struggle to buy a nice house in the home counties anyway. *sorry just read that you said Scotland. I always have to compareSurrey with Brisbane and by tat reckoning Brisbane comes out very affordable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Dunno how you can't afford private education on that money? I've never paid more than $1300 a term for my kids. That's $100 a week....................less than a meal out for two, in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynne78 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I would agree with others about not focusing solely on the money, but how you feel about the place. You've only been there 18 months and some of the things you mention that you have enjoyed doing sound great. I found that I got unhappy here after about the 18 month - 2 year mark. I think what often happens is that the first year or so is so different: weather, activities, places to visit, things to do and see, that it is like a holiday. Then you do a lot of the great stuff and you get a bit over some of it and life can take on it's own routine. Are all these things you enjoy going to continue to be things you love to do, and on a regular basis? If you go back to the UK and have a great income then you will likely have the money available to go on lots of different holidays to great locations. I'd think about giving it a another 6 months or so, and definitely don't buy. Now that we've decided to go back home I am so glad that we never bought a house! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjgibbs Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Mate I earn between 80 and 100k I rent have four cars one fur child and just bought some land to do a land and home build and I can easy afford this with savings in the bank of around 10k and pay 39% on EVERY $$ I earn as I never chaged the tax bracket what are you speading your money on? Something isn't right to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I would agree with others about not focusing solely on the money, but how you feel about the place. You've only been there 18 months and some of the things you mention that you have enjoyed doing sound great. I found that I got unhappy here after about the 18 month - 2 year mark. I think what often happens is that the first year or so is so different: weather, activities, places to visit, things to do and see, that it is like a holiday. Then you do a lot of the great stuff and you get a bit over some of it and life can take on it's own routine. Are all these things you enjoy going to continue to be things you love to do, and on a regular basis? If you go back to the UK and have a great income then you will likely have the money available to go on lots of different holidays to great locations. I'd think about giving it a another 6 months or so, and definitely don't buy. Now that we've decided to go back home I am so glad that we never bought a house! On reflection and re-reading I can see how my post(s) might have been taken to suggest the answer lies in buying a house. That's not what I meant to say - merely that I think to people of a certain mindset, renting feels very transient and makes it hard(er) to settle. In your situation I wouldn't buy either. What tipped us over the edge to buy in Sydney was the strongly rising house market down here, otherwise we probably would have put it off for a few more months at least. Up there by all accounts you have the relative luxury of not having that pressure, so can afford to wait awhile and see how things pan out We did feel much more settled and forward-looking once we'd decided to buy, but I think we were getting to that point anyway. We'd gone beyond the 18-24 months "is it worth staying longer term for?" debate and had already decided we'd be here 5 or so years or more, so it was the logical step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahelle Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Go! I'd be gone like a shot if I could, we've been completely broke since we got here back in 2010. Life's too short to be unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Why would you want to go back to dreary old Britain? I'd buy a house in Brisbane and send the kids to private schools. Very easy on your wage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 life is to short...go where you are happiest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realitynotincluded Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I agree with you that u get totally stumped by the tax man.... we are earning what you are and we don't live an expensive lifestyle. Only one teenager. Personally l would take a big look at the financial side of things. Australia can always be a good holiday. If you got PR you can always give it another go later on. WOW thanks for the replies...I know 180k sounds a lot but my partners a social worker and she couldn’t find a job before and is now at home with our new born so we are looking at just my wage for the foreseeable even after we dont see her getting a job from what we have heard all those type of jobs have been cut right back, also you pay a lot of tax on 180aud best part of 45% vs in the UK as id be self employed on a day rate Id pay about 20%. My misses wants to stay longer and continue renting but thats really getting to me, we paid nearly 40,000 aud in rent last year for a house comparable to the one I sold in Scotland. I know Im in an enviable position, I appreciate that and I'm fully aware that others might not be in the same wage bracket and I don’t want to sound like a knob, but 180k once the tax is off doesn’t go that far for a family of 4 with 2 cars etc, its certainly nothing like the financial setup I enjoyed in the UK. But what’s the price on the sunny coast, surfers, Byron, sea world, Australia zoo or any of the islands we’ve visited or the rugby at the Sun corp…the list goes on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-bone Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 My thoughts - The more disposable income you have at the end of each month, the better the quality of life you'll live. It's a sweeping, generic, statement and others will disagree. If you're worried about your PR why not apply for a 5 year RRV in 6 months time? This won't obviously help any schooling issues for your kids, moving back and forth, but what's the worse that can happen? You spend a bit of money but you earn even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Why would you want to go back to dreary old Britain? I'd buy a house in Brisbane and send the kids to private schools. Very easy on your wage. Thats abit unfair is'nt it Starlight?Are you saying the whole of the UK is dreary or just the part you're from?:wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Thats abit unfair is'nt it Starlight?Are you saying the whole of the UK is dreary or just the part you're from?:wacko: Dear me Melza , haven't you learned yet ? .......its all done to get a reaction ......have a chuckle to yourself and move on :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Dear me Melza , haven't you learned yet ? .......its all done to get a reaction ......have a chuckle to yourself and move on :biggrin: Lol Nah its ok,I'm just going to start telling people the whole of Oz is S*** because I started married life in a crap burb of Adelaide!And when someone disputes this?I'll argue the toss and say "No,it MUST be crap cause thats the experience I had and yes that means folks the whole of Australia is crap":laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.