benthomas010 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I have my 189 visa and we are in the midst of saving ahead of the move.. which we were originally planning for early next year. However it now looks like the Mrs is going to be out of work come August, and in any case her UK visa needs renewing in September... :-/ This has got us thinking about bringing the move forward to September this year, which will save us nearly £1000 on UK visa fee's (and the worry of it potentially being refused on the grounds of her having an aussie visa also now) it will however mean less savings in and ll due to going earlier. A fear I have always had though is how much money we will go through between arriving in Aus and getting that first payday - whenever that comes along. And I would have that fear no matter what - whether I had £10k or £20k. . So here's my plan.. The wife and daughter can fly to indonesia and stay with my mother in law, whilst I fly ahead to Perth and begin the job search. Living as cheaply as possible, staying in hostels, not wasting a penny (a rather a cent).. hopefully pick up some temp work whilst I go through the process of lining up a full time permanent job. This could take weeks, it could take months.. I may end up moving cities.. but this way I can get a bed for around $30 per night.. Rather than renting a house at around $100 per night + all the associated bills. I can eat simple foods, cooked myself... All the while whilst being on the ground job hunting day by day. I assume a lot of people have done some sort of version of this, one family member going ahead of the other... has anyone done the hostel thing, I mean at the beginning of a permanent stay, rater than as a backpacker? I know the job market for accountants is tough, is there a decent temp work market? I'm a finance manager for a manufacturing group but on a temp basis I'd do anything from credit control / payroll / accounts assistant.. so long as I'm covering my costs.. Despite wanting this for years. .. its now, all of a sudden very scary, it's on me - to make this work, to make a new life for my wife and daughter and I... The rest of this year is going to be a tough one :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Sounds like you have a sensible plan. As you may have seen from my thread things came about rather quicker for us too - had banked on saving extra money over 12 months. Good luck with it all. The way I see it after having a little wobble, is that it is a long term plan so a few tough months is just part of the process, character building and all that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Yeah I did see it.... some of the people in that thread scared me lol... the through of spending £20k in 3 months whilst looking for work is petrifying - but would be so easy to do, especially with a family in tow to keep entertained. ... It's a tough choice to separate us for a while, but it seems sensible, even if it is going be be hard and upsetting. It will be worth it in the long run though... I'm sure of that. Good luck to you too... I think getting the visa is the easy part. .. The hardest part are still to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Why not cut the costs even more and join HelpX?You get a bed and food,and in return you work for the "host"which could include helping out with animals,gardening,maybe decorating or whatever.Alot of these are rural,but some are close enough to a city where you could commute for interviews/job searching.You get time off and you would also save paying out for hostels.No one can be sure of anything,as everything is temporary but you can give it your best shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I assume there's no chance of your wife getting UK citizenship before she leaves? As you know, getting a spouse visa if you need to return at any time is quite an uphill process these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Na no chance. She's a 2 years away from that.... Yeah I know it's tough to get the visa if you are both outside the UK. .. fingers crossed we never have to return as it would be an absolute nightmare. Also.. being indonesian she wouldn't be allowed dual citizenship and she wouldn't want to give up her indonesian citizenship anyway. We own property there.. which we would be allowed to do if she was no longer a citizen - we also plan to retire there eventually, although that could well change in the next 30 odd years :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engaus Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 $30 a night in a hostel? I assume that's a shared room. Just keep in mind that it could become bloody frustrating trying to sleep/wake early for job interviews etc being in a dorm. That would drive me insane! I cant comment on Perth but I know for sure you could get a room in a share house for the same price perhaps slightly more in Melbourne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozmaniac Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I doubt if living in $30/day hostels and job hunting will be bearable but setting that aside, it sounds like a reasonable plan though there's one possible complication. Have you all validated your visas? If you have, no problem. If not, what is your validation date? I assume it will be in November 2015 as that's 12 months from your medicals but that means that your wife and daughter will both need to enter Australia before then so they will either have the additional expense of a return trip to Indonesia if you haven't found work or you will need to be settled by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yeah I did see it.... some of the people in that thread scared me lol... the through of spending £20k in 3 months whilst looking for work is petrifying - but would be so easy to do, especially with a family in tow to keep entertained. ... It's a tough choice to separate us for a while, but it seems sensible, even if it is going be be hard and upsetting. It's not just keeping the family entertained, it's physically putting a roof over their heads. Australian cities are quite spread out and where you get work might determine where you want to live, e.g. if you get a job in Sutherland in Sydney and you've signed a lease in Umina Beach, you'll be in trouble. So ideally you should stay in temp accommodation until you've got a job, and that would be very expensive with a family. Your plan sounds like a good one. Look for backpackers that have smaller rooms rather than large dorms, it will be more manageable that way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 $30 a night in a hostel? I assume that's a shared room. Just keep in mind that it could become bloody frustrating trying to sleep/wake early for job interviews etc being in a dorm. That would drive me insane! I cant comment on Perth but I know for sure you could get a room in a share house for the same price perhaps slightly more in Melbourne. Yeah, you can get a bed in a 4 bed dorm for around $25 / $30.... I have to admit, it will take some getting used to and probably some moving around to find the right hostel but I should be ok. Having a young daughter I'm very much used to interrupted sleep so I think I'll survive. I will have a look at rooms in a shared house, only problem with that is its probably a bit more of a commitment isn't it? You can't just up and leave at a moments notice. I doubt if living in $30/day hostels and job hunting will be bearable but setting that aside, it sounds like a reasonable plan though there's one possible complication. Have you all validated your visas? If you have, no problem. If not, what is your validation date? I assume it will be in November 2015 as that's 12 months from your medicals but that means that your wife and daughter will both need to enter Australia before then so they will either have the additional expense of a return trip to Indonesia if you haven't found work or you will need to be settled by then. We are all going over in June for a week to validate so that won't be an issue thankfully, which had already been planned for a long time. Our validation date was November although we always expected it to be July because my wife's indo police check was dated 23rd July. I might still be making the odd flight to Indo though, if the tickets are the right price we have suggested meeting in Bali for a long weekend once per month / maybe every 6 weeks, just to make the separation a little more bare able. But only if I have at least secured temp work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
engaus Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I will have a look at rooms in a shared house, only problem with that is its probably a bit more of a commitment isn't it? You can't just up and leave at a moments notice. Not necessarily. I've stayed in a few short term share houses inbetween moves to and from Australia and had no issues. Least you have a base then, saves leaving your things in a shared dorm room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I would do things slightly differently, personally my plan would be: 1. Choosing which city you want to stay in long term, once you get into a job it may be hard to move. You are at your most flexible right now so I would take advantage of that 2. Book yourself a hotel on landing, there is nothing relaxing about hostels so give yourself a couple of days in comfort. Wotif.com mystery deals can be good value. Have stayed in a 4 star in Sydney for 99 a night for example 3. Start looking for a short term house share straight away in an inner city apartment or slightly further out on good public transport area. There is always people going travelling etc for a few months who want to keep their lease long term. Or owner occupiers who may be more flexible about their spare room. In the mean time stay in a hostel if required. 4. Go visit all recruitment agencies for temp roles, seems to be plenty of day to day stuff in Brisbane - still get calls from one accounting agency (Robert Half) seeing if i'm available. The permanent roles are when it will get trickier. If you are doing basic accounts stuff expect $25 an hour ish. Obviously applying for permanent jobs in the evenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 It's not just keeping the family entertained, it's physically putting a roof over their heads. Australian cities are quite spread out and where you get work might determine where you want to live, e.g. if you get a job in Sutherland in Sydney and you've signed a lease in Umina Beach, you'll be in trouble. So ideally you should stay in temp accommodation until you've got a job, and that would be very expensive with a family. Your plan sounds like a good one. Look for backpackers that have smaller rooms rather than large dorms, it will be more manageable that way! Yeah that's part of my thinking as well... I don't want to be restricted on jobs because of where we have settled... that would mean staying in Airbnb type accomodation for possibly months. Definitely looking at small dorms, not party type hostels with their own bar and nightclubs attached :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 I would do things slightly differently, personally my plan would be: 1. Choosing which city you want to stay in long term, once you get into a job it may be hard to move. You are at your most flexible right now so I would take advantage of that 2. Book yourself a hotel on landing, there is nothing relaxing about hostels so give yourself a couple of days in comfort. Wotif.com mystery deals can be good value. Have stayed in a 4 star in Sydney for 99 a night for example 3. Start looking for a short term house share straight away in an inner city apartment or slightly further out on good public transport area. There is always people going travelling etc for a few months who want to keep their lease long term. Or owner occupiers who may be more flexible about their spare room. In the mean time stay in a hostel if required. 4. Go visit all recruitment agencies for temp roles, seems to be plenty of day to day stuff in Brisbane - still get calls from one accounting agency (Robert Half) seeing if i'm available. The permanent roles are when it will get trickier. If you are doing basic accounts stuff expect $25 an hour ish. Obviously applying for permanent jobs in the evenings. Cheers, I will have a look at wotif for a hotel maybe for one night... but no more... even if just to check the pricing and talk myself out of it lol. $100 per night is 4 nights in a hostel... I can live with a little discomfort - i spent 2 years living in hostels (all be it, over 10 years ago) but I'm sure I'll cope. Definitely need to look into this shared house thing a bit more... certainly for once I've sorted out some sort of temp / contract roles it's more of an option to have a bit of extra comfort. In regard to agencies... I plan on registering with loads of them... spread out across different areas of the city, I'm happy doing the basics on $25 per hour just to get money rolling in during the early days... even on that I should be able to save a decent amount as well as covering living costs. I will go visit a few agencies in June when I'm over if they'll spare me the time, get my CV on file and keep them updated of arrival date. And then register with as many as I can when I get there. Also thinking of getting an aussie mobile number while I'm there in June... then in the last week prior to my arrival I can start to apply for jobs online.... this is another way of getting my CV in front of them and get planning some early appointments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yeah I would make an Aussie sim and early task, Recruiters are more likely to be hesitant without a local number to call, Prepaid sims pretty good value can pick them up from shops/supermarkets etc. If you decide Brisbane beats Perth I can give you a few email addresses/numbers to help you on your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yeah I would make an Aussie sim and early task, Recruiters are more likely to be hesitant without a local number to call, Prepaid sims pretty good value can pick them up from shops/supermarkets etc. If you decide Brisbane beats Perth I can give you a few email addresses/numbers to help you on your way. Yeah, I'll pick up a pay as you go sim in June and keep it active. Unfortunately my wife seems really hesitant about Brisbane so it probably won't even get a chance. Not thay she's ever been there. Thank you for the offer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Haha can't argue with the boss! Good luck on your job hunt, once you get the foot in the door here it will become a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Judging by your qualification @benthomas010, I would seriously recommend you skip Perth and Proceed directly to Melbourne or Sydney. This is where the main finance jobs will be had. But to give you some perspective, as I am sure you are aware, Perth is natural resource industry dominated and both industries are suffering due to low commodity prices. My employer in this sector is outsourcing non-core disciplines to India currently, and I am aware of one other large mining company which has done the same in recent years. You may not want to work in natural resources but in Perth unless you want to work in government, you will be very restricted. Melbourne or Sydney would be the best place for you to look for work. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Judging by your qualification @benthomas010, I would seriously recommend you skip Perth and Proceed directly to Melbourne or Sydney. This is where the main finance jobs will be had. But to give you some perspective, as I am sure you are aware, Perth is natural resource industry dominated and both industries are suffering due to low commodity prices. My employer in this sector is outsourcing non-core disciplines to India currently, and I am aware of one other large mining company which has done the same in recent years. You may not want to work in natural resources but in Perth unless you want to work in government, you will be very restricted. Melbourne or Sydney would be the best place for you to look for work. Good luck. I was initially looking at both Sydney and Melbourne... Melbourne is still on the cards, Sydney we discounted due to the price of housing... Perth won on housing prices, and weather - but yes of course, we have to go where the work it. I may very well end up going directly to Melbourne dependent on chats with recruitment agencies in June. We are only validating in Perth due to its proximity to Indonesia where we are holidaying at the time. Melbourne winter puts me off somewhat though... is it that bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I was initially looking at both Sydney and Melbourne... Melbourne is still on the cards, Sydney we discounted due to the price of housing... Perth won on housing prices, and weather - but yes of course, we have to go where the work it. I may very well end up going directly to Melbourne dependent on chats with recruitment agencies in June. We are only validating in Perth due to its proximity to Indonesia where we are holidaying at the time. Melbourne winter puts me off somewhat though... is it that bad? It depends who you talk to! Many people say Melbourne has a more English climate, but you'll get someone else jump in to say it's nothing like that. I'd say it depends where in England you're comparing it to! I don't know anywhere in England that would give you the hot days Melbourne gets in summer, and most places in England would be colder than Melbourne in winter. It is a rainy city by Australian standards - most other cities get huge thunderplumps of rain and it's over, whereas Melbourne is more likely to get drizzle and showers. Having said that, climate isn't everything. Melbourne is hands-down the best of the cities for culture and the arts, for instance. I have to confess a bias because I hate hot, sticky, humid weather so I would never even consider Queensland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay24 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I'm similar to Marisa - Melbourne is the only city I'd consider living in due to weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I wouldn't worry about the weather, there is no perfect climate to be had. Melbourne is a great city and I love visiting it and would be good for job prospects too. I would choose it over Sydney as it is slightly more affordable and has a lot of sport always going on, also I prefer the feel of the city. Brisbane for me has a great lifestyle, Cheaper housing than Melbourne, Sydney and Perth whilst wages aren't dissimilar for our line of work for the majority. I can catch loads of sport and have great beach weekenders on the doorstep. Can fly to Melbourne/Sydney cheaply to visit there too (was in Melbourne a couple weeks back). Moving to Sydney and a lesser extent Melbourne would be a bit of a lifestyle hit as would have less disposable income due to housing costs, unless I got paid substantially more. I don't think any of the Aussie cities are bad options, however they all have pro's and cons, personally prefer east coast as I regularly visit Sydney and Melbourne and probably couldn't afford to from Perth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I have lived in Australia for 30 years. As far as work and earning a good living goes it has been good.But I honestly don't think I would be any worse or better if I had stayed in the UK.At this point in time.I think Australia is the last place,i would immigrate to.If I had a job and a home in the UK. Australia is a basket case, it's broke. It has relied on the mining boom for far far too long.A monkey could have run Australia in the 30 year mining boom. Howard was always being asked,when are you going to diversivy? the mining boom won't last forever.The Politicians don't know how to govern without a mining boom and billion;s of $ flowing into government coffers to WASTE on whatever took their fancy.If the Politicians don't do what has to be done soon.Australia will end up like Greece,So the experts were saying this morning.Which is more likely than not.As the Conservative government is still talking about spending billions to build 12 more dud Collins class submarines and buying more obsolete fighter jets from America.We already have 10subs that are useless.Stopping The Pension for millionairs isn't even on their list of cuts.They are going down the road, the Tories in the UK has taken cutting from the bottom, putting up GST,And the RBA is cutting Interest rates to bring the $ down and putting the the cost of living up, and causing yet another housing bubble, in the meantime a miracal is needed to save Australia.Or the cost of Iron ore and coal to Tripple in price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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