ScottishMatilda Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Hi everybody, Have just joined the forum and am looking to learn as much as I can from you all. We live near Edinburgh, Scotland and my husband works in the oil and gas sector as a welder. He has been struggling to get decent work at home for a number of years now. This has meant long periods of working away in Norway among other places. This hasn't been ideal as we have a young daughter who will be 3 in January and another baby on the way. Having recently finished some training of my own, we are now seriously considering whether a move to Australia would give us more of a routine family life i.e. husband home each night and therefore more family time. We have been thinking about Australia for a long time, but now feel that given the economic downturn here its becoming more and more or a possibility. Anyone with any nuggets of wisdom about the job market for him that could advise? I understand that the jobs market has taken a bit of a hit in Australia too, but my husband knows a number of people who have made the move ( to Perth mainly) and are making a go of it. Thanks all, Willa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 The oil and gas industry in Australia is on its' knees! Think again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishMatilda Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 Thanks for your reply, though that does not sound good! My husband doesn't necessarily need to work in oil and gas in Australia. Just a job where he can work in his trade and come home at night. Surely that is a possibility? If not, as you say, we might need to think again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Thanks for your reply, though that does not sound good! My husband doesn't necessarily need to work in oil and gas in Australia. Just a job where he can work in his trade and come home at night. Surely that is a possibility? If not, as you say, we might need to think again... The difficulty is that the oil and gas industries are winding down, so that means there are plenty of other people like your husband, coming back to the cities and looking for the same kind of work. It's a particular problem in Perth so that would be the last place I would consider going - particularly as it will take you several months to get through the whole visa process and plan your move, so things would be even worse by the time you arrive. The job market is better on the east coast, plus it is easier to move around - it's a very long and expensive way from Perth to the other cities if you have to relocate, whereas it's more affordable to get from, say, Brisbane to Sydney. Having said that, in Sydney you'll be lucky to buy a two-bedroom flat for the price of your Edinburgh house, so I wouldn't even consider it. Brisbane would be worth looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Hi everybody, Have just joined the forum and am looking to learn as much as I can from you all. We live near Edinburgh, Scotland and my husband works in the oil and gas sector as a welder. He has been struggling to get decent work at home for a number of years now. This has meant long periods of working away in Norway among other places. This hasn't been ideal as we have a young daughter who will be 3 in January and another baby on the way. Having recently finished some training of my own, we are now seriously considering whether a move to Australia would give us more of a routine family life i.e. husband home each night and therefore more family time. We have been thinking about Australia for a long time, but now feel that given the economic downturn here its becoming more and more or a possibility. Anyone with any nuggets of wisdom about the job market for him that could advise? I understand that the jobs market has taken a bit of a hit in Australia too, but my husband knows a number of people who have made the move ( to Perth mainly) and are making a go of it. Thanks all, Willa There is no oil & gas industry in Perth even when the industry is booming, the majority of workers 'FIFO' working away for a period and then having a period off - very like North Sea workers so the basis of your move is probably floored anyway. If your husband can get a guaranteed job offer from people he knows then the idea may be more viable but having worked very closely with that industry I have seen how quickly the situation changes and projects are shelved in the blink of an eye, very risky in my opinion to move out with a family on that basis at the moment even with a job. The cost and the disruption to your life is huge and to end u out of work in WA would be disastrous. The resources downturn is global but whereas the economy as a whole is improving in Scotland because of the reliance on the resource industry in WA it is really not the best time for anyone moving there. We have a long term member here @very stormy who is geologist and lives in WA, he has had to take work in Africa and Sweden to survive and is really struggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 The difficulty is that the oil and gas industries are winding down, so that means there are plenty of other people like your husband, coming back to the cities and looking for the same kind of work. It's a particular problem in Perth so that would be the last place I would consider going - particularly as it will take you several months to get through the whole visa process and plan your move, so things would be even worse by the time you arrive. The job market is better on the east coast, plus it is easier to move around - it's a very long and expensive way from Perth to the other cities if you have to relocate, whereas it's more affordable to get from, say, Brisbane to Sydney. Having said that, in Sydney you'll be lucky to buy a two-bedroom flat for the price of your Edinburgh house, so I wouldn't even consider it. Brisbane would be worth looking at. It depends where in Edinburgh and Sydney, Edinburgh has some of the most expensive property in the UK, this was in the news just a few days ago http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-35060899 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Thanks for your reply, though that does not sound good! My husband doesn't necessarily need to work in oil and gas in Australia. Just a job where he can work in his trade and come home at night. Surely that is a possibility? If not, as you say, we might need to think again... I didn't read this reply before I posted - yes he may be able to get a job as a welder in Perth but of course all the people being paid off from the resources industry are chasing those jobs too. Maybe when those in WA wake up they will say it's not as bad as people make out, we moved back two years ago so my info is mainly from this forum now - though still in touch with an Australian friend in the resources industry and they are thinking of moving to the UK because it is becoming too much of a struggle to find work, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) It depends where in Edinburgh and Sydney, Edinburgh has some of the most expensive property in the UK, this was in the news just a few days ago http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-35060899 The most expensive IN SCOTLAND, not in the UK. I've just been Googling to get a comparison with England, but it seems most of the supposed "UK affordability" studies only look at England and Wales! The streets they're mentioning are right in the heart of the best part of Edinburgh, and the prices are only just over £1 million - houses right in the heart of Sydney cost a lot more than that! Edited December 14, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 There's quite a few welding jobs on Seek.com for Perth. What you have got to remember though is a lot of jobs here are contract or casual, a job might be advertised thats only going to last for a couple of weeksor if your lucky can go on for about a year or so. For tradies you can be constantly chasing the next contract, and sometimes you can go weeks or months in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) The most expensive IN SCOTLAND, not in the UK. I've just been Googling to get a comparison with England, but it seems most of the supposed "UK affordability" studies only look at England and Wales! The streets they're mentioning are right in the heart of the best part of Edinburgh, and the prices are only just over £1 million - houses right in the heart of Sydney cost a lot more than that! Well since the average in England & Wales is £186,350 according to the latest Land Registry report, over £1m is some of the most expensive in the UK. I didn't realise how much house prices in Sydney had gone up though and that the median is now over $1m, wow! Still the OP is considering moving to Perth and it seems that house prices are dropping there and the median is half what it is in Sydney, a move from Edinburgh is viable so long as there is work. It does depend where they live in Edinburgh though - moving from Wester Hailes where the average price is around £170k compared to an average area such as Corstophine where the average is around £250k Although off-topic I do think it's important as it's one of the ways we came unstuck - we thought we could buy a house in Perth for $350-400k comparable to what we had but we were way off and ended up spending $620k to live in an area that was not comparable. Edited December 14, 2015 by Lady Rainicorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 (edited) Well since the average in England & Wales is £186,350 according to the latest Land Registry report, over £1m is some of the most expensive in the UK. I didn't realise how much house prices in Sydney had gone up though and that the median is now over $1m, wow! Still the OP is considering moving to Perth and it seems that house prices are dropping there and the median is half what it is in Sydney, a move from Edinburgh is viable so long as there is work. I was suggesting to them that the East Coast would be better for work and that's why I mentioned Sydney house prices. As you say, it's an important factor to consider when trying to work out whether a move will leave you better or worse off. You can't compare the dearest house in a city with the average of house prices everywhere else! In spite of that low-sounding average, there are homes over £1 million in plenty of other cities in England - in fact they're ten a penny in the South East. Take a look at this table on Zoopla and you'll soon see that Edinburgh's average price is cheaper than the whole of the South East, South West and East of England, with just a few exceptions. http://www.zoopla.co.uk/house-prices/?search_source=top_nav Edited December 14, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 I only know Edinburgh from my visits to a friend who lives there. It is a beautiful city and seems to offer a very high quality of life to those that can get work there. Accomodation (I'm from SE of England) seems to be very good value for the quality of housing. I work in IT in Brisbane and am in and out of work. Zero hours contract work is a way of life for many here with even those in sought after industries struggling for work. My hubby is a science teacher, and lucky to have full time employment but even science teachers don't have lots of opportunities if they want to work in a city. I don't have experience in oil and gas so don't apply for IT roles in Brisbane as there are so many people on the market with relevant skills I wouldn't stand a chance. It is a harsh working environment for many here and personally I wouldn't give up a life living in Edinburgh with all it offers to risk your chances here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 I'm sorry to say your husband maybe better where he is for the moment as Norway is continuing to work where as many oil and gas projects globally are being moth balled due to oil price depression. A friend who is senior within the industry is spending a lot of time in Norway and S America otherwise he is supervising well capping. Best of luck with it all however you may need to be adaptable when job searching. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishMatilda Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thanks for all your replies folks! Its very helpful to have an honest perspective. The trouble is that we are already in the position that some of you describe i.e. there is limited work, lasting for short term contracts only and when hubby comes home he is chasing the same jobs as everyone else. Prior to this current state of affairs he was away for long periods, sometimes 14 weeks at a time, while I was home with a small baby. I guess we are between a rock and a hard place and had hoped that Australia might offer more job availability and a chance to diversify... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thanks for all your replies folks! Its very helpful to have an honest perspective. The trouble is that we are already in the position that some of you describe i.e. there is limited work, lasting for short term contracts only and when hubby comes home he is chasing the same jobs as everyone else. Prior to this current state of affairs he was away for long periods, sometimes 14 weeks at a time, while I was home with a small baby. I guess we are between a rock and a hard place and had hoped that Australia might offer more job availability and a chance to diversify... Well obviously you could pursue something completely different, but you could also do that in the UK. It might be less risky to change career direction in the UK, get established, then make a move in a couple of years. Of course the oil industry may have recovered then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiapoilady Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Don't do it..Stay Put!! I have been in Sydney for just over a year now, Yes beautiful city but off the scale expensive. I am currently renting a small 2 bedroom unit in Western Sydney and hate it with a passion..Can't wait to move on in 2016 It's not all a bed of roses over here..really do think about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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