Why move from the UK

[Scrutineer]

I'm not an expert on the australian system, but from my own experience...dental check up $189, told I needed a couple of fillings replaced didn't bother asking how much it would cost as I was going back to UK in a few months so knew could wait and get both done for £100, grateful I never needed an ambulance as I didn't have insurance for that, all the stuff with some surgeries bulk billing and some not confused the hell out of me. When I went to the doctors last week I appreciated that the problem hadn't come up whilst in Oz otherwise I'd be just as worried about how much it was going to cost, whether it was going to cost at all, how to go about getting a rebate etc as I was about my health. I can't imagine it's fun for elderly or any vunrable person trying to comprehend all that.

 

Most doctors bulk-bill, and everyone is used to that so not sure it confuses anyone. My concern is with access to GPs and waiting lists for hospitals, both of which are worse in the UK because of how politicized the NHS has become, and also how large it has become - the fourth largest employer in the world. The Australian system is very flexible and fast, and cheaper of course, because the Medicare levy is around 1% - what is the NHS - something like 10% or 12% - I can't remember now.

[CaptainR]

The "postcode lottery" element to the UK healthcare system is half the problem, of course. My parents live in a very rural part of the country and have no problems seeing the doctor, but my wife's parents live in a large, busy town, and no longer get to see the doctor. The procedure is to telephone the surgery, whereupon you describe the symptoms to a receptionist, and that person then passes your case to the doctor who calls you back after assessing the seriousness of it. In one case they phone about a 90 year-old relative who had had a fall and cut himself and no one phoned them back - they had forgotten.

 

I'm not sure what makes you say we may only compare private hospitals in the UK to public hospitals in Australia if we are trying to be fair. I am comparing public hospitals with public hospitals, the only difference being the way the system is funded and managed - perhaps I have misunderstood you though?

 

The reality with the postcode lottery is that the medical students who study at the likes of Cambridge or University College London are unlikely to want to become GPs in the poorest areas of South Yorkshire or Tyneside etc, and so you often see better quality medical services in wealthier areas. Plus consider that in poorer areas, the population density tends to be greater with more ailments putting a greater demand on the health services. I suspect this would be true in most countries worldwide though. The UK has had a massive influx of unskilled migration affecting these poorer areas, and this puts a burden in the system, that I certainly witnessed in my birth town of Doncaster. The only people who don't believe that, are from wealthier middle class areas and somewhat isolated from reality.

[scuffythetugboat]

Most doctors bulk-bill, and everyone is used to that so not sure it confuses anyone. My concern is with access to GPs and waiting lists for hospitals, both of which are worse in the UK because of how politicized the NHS has become, and also how large it has become - the fourth largest employer in the world. The Australian system is very flexible and fast, and cheaper of course, because the Medicare levy is around 1% - what is the NHS - something like 10% or 12% - I can't remember now.

 

You cannot compare the Medicare contribution with the UK National Insurance contribution. Medicare is 2% and NI is 12% but the NI contribution covers a lot more than medical needs, the Pension for example. For most people that visit a GP in Australia the experience is often coupled with getting your wallet or purse out.

[Geraldine]

like a few others came because we believed the hype of better pay for same work, we hoped this would mean being able to work less hours than the ridiculous hours we were both working. The hype didn't quite live up to it regarding pay but what we have found has been so much better. Our health and fitness is better and our time together as a family has increased substantially. We are also the type who love living in a warm climate. I will be forever grateful that we took the chance when we could to try living somewhere else. Picked Oz as they needed OH and eldest sons skills, spoke the same language, drove the same side of the road, had the same queen.... ( can you see a pattern) Of course we always knew that the worst that can happen is you go back to another wonderful country. At the moment we don't anticipate doing so as we are enjoying living in this amazing country. Having just returned from a long weekend in Sydney we could see why so many folks choose to live there. For us however the Sunny Coast is just perfect. Close enough to the city to watch a show but far enough away to feel like you can breathe. We are lucky beasts for sure

[Scrutineer]

You cannot compare the Medicare contribution with the UK National Insurance contribution. Medicare is 2% and NI is 12% but the NI contribution covers a lot more than medical needs, the Pension for example. For most people that visit a GP in Australia the experience is often coupled with getting your wallet or purse out.

 

I'm aware of the pension, but that's an end-of-the-rainbow thing now with an ever-increasing age limit until you can claim it, yet the contributions you are expected to make aren't getting any lower. My opinion is that there will be no state pension at all in the UK in a generation's time, or if there is the minimum age to claim it could easily be 80 - but I bet NI is still 12%.

[Scrutineer]

The reality with the postcode lottery is that the medical students who study at the likes of Cambridge or University College London are unlikely to want to become GPs in the poorest areas of South Yorkshire or Tyneside etc, and so you often see better quality medical services in wealthier areas. Plus consider that in poorer areas, the population density tends to be greater with more ailments putting a greater demand on the health services. I suspect this would be true in most countries worldwide though. The UK has had a massive influx of unskilled migration affecting these poorer areas, and this puts a burden in the system, that I certainly witnessed in my birth town of Doncaster. The only people who don't believe that, are from wealthier middle class areas and somewhat isolated from reality.

 

And these issues are only going to get worse, which is why I expressed concern about the healthcare and schools in the UK a few post ago.

[Helz980]

Everyone talks about the weather, money etc...what about relationships? What happens when it goes pear shaped when one of the partnership loves oz & the other doesn't? What happens then?

[Captain Roberto]

Everyone talks about the weather, money etc...what about relationships? What happens when it goes pear shaped when one of the partnership loves oz & the other doesn't? What happens then?

 

That's where you need to have a 'pact'. An agreement before you go to stick together no matter what. So if one isn't happy you would most likely return.

 

Like marriage vows. It probably isn't perfect, and like in a marriage it doesn't guarantee it would all work out, but it is a promise.

 

That's my opinion anyway. Discuss possible outcomes before you leave. Work out scenarios. That's the best you can do.

[beach pig]

Everyone talks about the weather, money etc...what about relationships? What happens when it goes pear shaped when one of the partnership loves oz & the other doesn't? What happens then?

That's when you know how strong your relationship is . Move together leave together.

[Helz980]

That's when you know how strong your relationship is . Move together leave together.

Obviously mine hasn't withstood the Oz test!!

[Peach]

Everyone talks about the weather, money etc...what about relationships? What happens when it goes pear shaped when one of the partnership loves oz & the other doesn't? What happens then?

 

It's no different - albeit amplified - than if you'd moved 100 miles up the road to Skegness and one of you loves it and the other doesn't.

[tea4too]

It's no different - albeit amplified - than if you'd moved 100 miles up the road to Skegness and one of you loves it and the other doesn't.

This struck a chord with me as we moved just a few hundred miles and life changed in so many ways. Now we have the countryside and some beautiful beaches on our doorstep, shops, theatres and restaurants not too far away and extended family close enough to visit whenever we like. Visiting family and friends in Aus we always have a ball but I have never felt life would be better for us if we joined them, as all the things we really value are here in the UK. Even the weather isn’t a deal breaker, it’s just part of the package and we live and enjoy life irrespective of what the weather is doing most of the time.

 

I know my Aus family are as happy and settled as we are, but understanding why is not a simple as it might be and can sometimes feel as though we each have a secret the other doesn’t fully understand. Maybe it’s just that we have both achieved a lifestyle we enjoy, in a place we love and are happy to call home - and the location is only relevant if it helps to achieve those things. Tx

[Que Sera Sera]

Many life experiences will test a relationship emigration certainly will be one of them for sure.

[Captain Roberto]

It's no different - albeit amplified - than if you'd moved 100 miles up the road to Skegness and one of you loves it and the other doesn't.

 

Unless you have kids, then it's potentially a lot more hazardous. There's a sticky thread on this subject on here somewhere. So for that reason it's certainly worth having some kind of pact in advance.

[grahamffc]

You cannot compare the Medicare contribution with the UK National Insurance contribution. Medicare is 2% and NI is 12% but the NI contribution covers a lot more than medical needs, the Pension for example. For most people that visit a GP in Australia the experience is often coupled with getting your wallet or purse out.

 

Governments call different revenue streams by different names but it's all the same pot at the end of the day. Do you really think all that the UK government keeps NI income separate to pay pensions or the Australian Government only uses funds raised from the Medicare levy to fund health services. Both could be a lot more transparent if they made it one rate of income tax but no politician wants to be seen to be 'increasing' income tax.

 

I'd happily privatise the NHS tomorrow but it is such a political hot potato that no one would dare consider it. That would be on the assumption that it would reduce taxes by the 20% odd that or costs the taxpayer. What I never understood (and still don't) in Oz was that tax rates are the same as UK but most people I met paid for healthcare and education because the state options were seen as pretty bad. Both private options are considerably cheaper in Australia than UK though due to the economies of scale.

Edited December 29, 2014 by grahamffc

[beach pig]

Obviously mine hasn't withstood the Oz test!!

Sorry to hear that lady. But this emigrating lark sorts out the wheat from the chaff. By the way you sound so nice without sounding condescending you will do right girl all the best.

[Helz980]

At the end of the day everyone has their reasons for leaving the UK, it's what you (OP) want to do that counts. Not a bunch of strangers on a forum! Good luck with what you decide to do. It is an exciting time for you & your family

[HelensvaleHoward]

At the end of the day everyone has their reasons for leaving the UK, it's what you (OP) want to do that counts. Not a bunch of strangers on a forum! Good luck with what you decide to do. It is an exciting time for you & your family

Wise words

[Scrutineer]

I'd happily privatise the NHS tomorrow but it is such a political hot potato that no one would dare consider it. That would be on the assumption that it would reduce taxes by the 20% odd that or costs the taxpayer. What I never understood (and still don't) in Oz was that tax rates are the same as UK but most people I met paid for healthcare and education because the state options were seen as pretty bad. Both private options are considerably cheaper in Australia than UK though due to the economies of scale.

 

I never understood why so many Australians waste money on private health insurance either. Many of my wife's friends paid hundreds of dollars a month on it and had the babies in the same hospital with the same doctors and nurses and care as my wife got who never paid a penny for private. Never did understand that. I'm strongly opposed to a system of purely private medicine though as it doesn't work, costs more in the long run and is unethical, simply because that is the nature of insurance based systems.

[HelensvaleHoward]

I never understood why so many Australians waste money on private health insurance either. Many of my wife's friends paid hundreds of dollars a month on it and had the babies in the same hospital with the same doctors and nurses and care as my wife got who never paid a penny for private. Never did understand that. I'm strongly opposed to a system of purely private medicine though as it doesn't work, costs more in the long run and is unethical, simply because that is the nature of insurance based systems.

We never planned on getting it but before long I can see us hitting the threshold where it'll be better to have it to save paying in tax

I don't fully understand it but I'm looking into our best options

I think we'll be ok this financial year

But this is what we pay accountants for good advise and sense (Well I think that's the reason lol)

[andrewajp002]

Hi all

 

I've wanted to move to Oz for about the last 10 years and for a few reasons it never happened, until now as I can finally both due to better skills and more financially sound I can do it.

 

Also, I'm getting close to the end of my 30's and if I don't do it now I never will. I have no dependants here in the UK and only ever see the parents once a month at that so I haven't got that concern. Also work here is getting stressful so I've basically said to myself, why not, you only live once :wink:

 

 

Many of the negatives on here do concern me, but my motto has always been "I'd rather regret the things I have done than the things that I haven't." I'm not selling up here until I'm sure I'm there for good, if it fails I will just come back and restart my life here. I just don't want to wake up in 20 years time and think what could have been.

 

What is also great about forums and threads like this is it can help to type your fears down on paper and make them more "real" which can help to make the right decision.

 

Thanks PiO

[starlight7]

Good time to come then,andrew. These days, if you don't like it, you can always return. Negatives for some might even be positives for others!

[Que Sera Sera]

Hi all

 

I've wanted to move to Oz for about the last 10 years and for a few reasons it never happened, until now as I can finally both due to better skills and more financially sound I can do it.

 

Also, I'm getting close to the end of my 30's and if I don't do it now I never will. I have no dependants here in the UK and only ever see the parents once a month at that so I haven't got that concern. Also work here is getting stressful so I've basically said to myself, why not, you only live once :wink:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the negatives on here do concern me, but my motto has always been "I'd rather regret the things I have done than the things that I haven't." I'm not selling up here until I'm sure I'm there for good, if it fails I will just come back and restart my life here. I just don't want to wake up in 20 years time and think what could have been.

 

What is also great about forums and threads like this is it can help to type your fears down on paper and make them more "real" which can help to make the right decision.

 

Thanks PiO

 

 

Time to get out of UK News and Chat and onto the main forum I reckon. The majority do still make the move work for them. No Guarantees of course but a positive mental attitude will serve you very well. Good luck.

[MARYROSE02]

I often think that, if you are happy in the UK, then you will will be happy in Australia. If you are unhappy in the UK, well, coming to Australia MAY make you happy, if only for the 'placebo effect?'

 

I don't think you can draw up a kind of 'credit and debit' spreadsheet to decide whether it's going to 'make you a profit' if you decide to come to Australia. For one thing, once you have planted that 'seed' (of emigration), it starts to grow, and your mindset has already changed (from someone who is perfectly happy in the UK.) I admit that I hate the thought of someone ripping up that 'young plant' because someone else (who has perhaps had a nasty experience in OZ) successfully puts them off coming here.

 

As far as medical care goes, well, at least in Sydney, there should be no problem finding a GP who 'bulk-bills', and it's much, MUCH easier to see a GP out of hours or at weekends. My regular (bulk-billing) GP here in Surry Hills works more or less Monday to Friday, office hours, just like my GP in the UK. But if I am worried enough to want to see a GP in the evenings or at weekends, there's a health centre I know in Bankstown, which operates 365 days per year, 7am to 10pm, and it bulk bills.

 

I pay cash for the dentist, but then when I went back to the UK, I saw a private dentist and did the same, and it seemed to be similarly expensive. I admit I did not look for an NHS dentist, though they did seem hard to find.

 

Last year, I paid cash for an operation, a lot of cash! But I could have waited to have it done in a public hospital. I imagine the wait would have been much the same in the UK, where, of course, I could also have paid cash to have it done in a private hospital. I did feel a measure of guilt when I read recently about a woman here who has had her hernia operation cancelled three times in eighteen months at a public hospital. It took me four weeks from initial diagnosis by my GP to having the operation done. ("When would you like me to do it?" asked the surgeon.)

 

People come to Australia for different reasons. I can't actually remember why I came? An adventure perhaps? Maybe I should not have done it? Why uproot myself from a comfortable life with my Mum and Dad and brothers in an English village, to come to the end of the world!?

 

I spoke to a lady last night who came out with her husband to be close to her two children. A couple of days ago, I spoke to a young barmaid, who has been here for three months into her WHV, and loves it in Sydney. I forgot to ask her why, but as she lives at Bondi Beach, and she has a job, and it's summer in Sydney, I guess she is 'living the dream!?'

 

I'm not living the dream, nor 'living the nightmare!', but perhaps, somewhere in between on a constantly sliding scale. I guess I'm just 'living' here. It's 'home!'

Edited January 7, 2015 by MARYROSE02
sp.

[Addy]

My feelings are similar to Maryrose's. We emigrated because we loved Australia when we came on holiday and kept coming back for more holidays. We also realised that it was now or never on the visa front as we were getting older. We initially said we would come for two years to try it out but after a few months we realised we were staying.

 

I often think that, if you are happy in the UK, then you will will be happy in Australia. If you are unhappy in the UK, well, coming to Australia MAY make you happy, if only for the 'placebo effect?'

 

We were very happy in the UK and are very happy here. Maybe we are those sort of people?

 

As far as medical care goes, well, at least in Sydney, there should be no problem finding a GP who 'bulk-bills', and it's much, MUCH easier to see a GP out of hours or at weekends. My regular (bulk-billing) GP here in Surry Hills works more or less Monday to Friday, office hours, just like my GP in the UK. But if I am worried enough to want to see a GP in the evenings or at weekends, there's a health centre I know in Bankstown, which operates 365 days per year, 7am to 10pm, and it bulk bills.

 

We had a great GP practice in the UK until we moved into another (ironically more expensive) area and were forced to move to a new practice by the FPC. I think people's experiences are very localised. The major problem being in the UK you cannot move to another better practice or Dr if you want to. I love being able to choose which Dr I want to see and being able to avoid those I don't like.

 

I pay cash for the dentist, but then when I went back to the UK, I saw a private dentist and did the same, and it seemed to be similarly expensive. I admit I did not look for an NHS dentist, though they did seem hard to find.

 

Ditto. I couldn't find a NHS dentist though and had to go private. In their defence, Australian dentists have commented favourably on the quality of the work the private UK dentist did and I have been treated by one very poor Australian dentist when we first arrived, (I obviously didn't go back to that one and now have a very good dentist.)

I'm not living the dream, nor 'living the nightmare!', but perhaps, somewhere in between on a constantly sliding scale. I guess I'm just 'living' here. It's 'home!'

 

Same here. Some things are better and some things are worse. For now we are here but it doesn't mean that in the future we won't change our minds. As I said above I think we are the sort of people who see the good in situations and could be happy in any first world country.