Leelee79 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Hi new to this forum, my self hubby and six kids are looking to move to Brisbane area. My three eldest dad is here in Scotland but two of them still want to give it a go the eldest isn't so sure. We both have good jobs he's a mechanic has been since he left school and worked his way up now (34) I'm a dietitian. We have a lot of equity in our 5 bedroom house and saving as much as we can when we can but day to day life is expensive. wheres the best place to start?? Spoke to an agent but still feel a million miles out of our depth! Schools, health care to even just booking a flight seems a lot without the million other things Iv been reading on here. overwhelmed but determined!:wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I would think the first place to start is to see if you would qualify for a visa. If you don't then everything else is moot. If you establish that you do qualify for a visa then I think the next question is about the children from previous relationship. Will you get permission to remove them? Even if you do, is separating them from their father something you would want to do? Will they thank you for that down the line...? I am not commenting by the way on whether they would thank you or otherwise, I am merely suggesting this is something you should consider. Once those things are considered, I would next turn my attention to quality of life and frankly this will come down to money to a large extent. So I would compare average salaries for your professions and average housing costs in the two locations. I have taken your question "where to start" a little bit literally perhaps, but this is whre I would start in your shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 As Bungo says, the first thing is visas. You both (or none) may qualify as the main applicant and so you need to figure out which of you is the stronger application. It may be worth getting the agent to look after the visa side - just ensure they are a registered migration agent. A lot of the rest will depend on the availability of jobs, as although you mention Brisbane, you need to check on the availability of jobs in your sectors and use that to guide you as to where to live. No point moving somewhere that doesn't offer much in work opportunities. A good place to start is seek.com.au Once you are confident about getting the visa and are sure about getting permission to take all the children, then you can start a list of things like housing, flights, shipping. Things like health care are the simple ones for most as that is organised once you make the move. (Assuming nobody in the family has medical issues that could impact the visas). All of the general things you will get lots of help with such as where to live, though it is always recommended that people book temporary accommodation to get started and then spend time looking at different areas as they can all be very different. You can have a look at realestate.com.au for an idea of housing costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Thank you for taking the time to reply. Yes you are right the biggest issue is taking the kids away, if the visa all goes well. Without going into it to much it is something im struggling with even though I feel it's for the best. But is it... It's hard to say. I could wait until they are older (17,14,11) but by then they might not want to come as their own lives might have started heading in their own direction. If I knew the best place to look I could start looking into jobs salaries and house prices and compare honestly. Would we need a big deposit on the house or could we keep a big nest egg to get us started. Sounds like Iv no idea what I'm doing and to be honest I don't. I do believe there is more to life than work work work and I might be blinkered (probably) but a new life in oz could be the answer. A crystal ball is definitely needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Thank you, those sights are just the information I was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Thank you for taking the time to reply. Yes you are right the biggest issue is taking the kids away, if the visa all goes well. Without going into it to much it is something im struggling with even though I feel it's for the best. But is it... It's hard to say. I could wait until they are older (17,14,11) but by then they might not want to come as their own lives might have started heading in their own direction. If I knew the best place to look I could start looking into jobs salaries and house prices and compare honestly. Would we need a big deposit on the house or could we keep a big nest egg to get us started. Sounds like Iv no idea what I'm doing and to be honest I don't. I do believe there is more to life than work work work and I might be blinkered (probably) but a new life in oz could be the answer. A crystal ball is definitely needed! Some good websites are http://www.seek.com.au and http://www.domain.com.au. Look into the visa first, it will not take very long at all to establish whether you might qualify, so just do that first of all. But then look into the children thing. Why do you feel it is for the best? I am concerned that you later mention in your post that you believe that there is more to life than work work work. I totally agree with you but am wondering if you think that moving to Australia will mean you don't need to work hard any more. I have never worked longer or harder hours than I did in Australia, not only do Australians work the longest hours in the western world but they also have some of the most miserable entitlements to leave such as sick leave and parental leave. European work conditions are far superior to Australian work conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 To be honest where we stay in Scotland has crime drugs and trouble. I know these things go on all over the world but I think there are better places to raise a family. We have no intention of working any less as we work so hard to have a good quality of life here with our home and lifestyle but if it's all to bring your children into the the same hardship and battles is it worth it. Everywhere is getting worse but I see no happy ending here. Stepping out and experiencing more for them and ourselves does seem for the best. Yeah a work-life balance would be fantastic but better opportunities for the future would be amazing. I will look through those sights and spend some time deciding the next step. Many thanks this has all been very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 To be honest where we stay in Scotland has crime drugs and trouble. I know these things go on all over the world but I think there are better places to raise a family. We have no intention of working any less as we work so hard to have a good quality of life here with our home and lifestyle but if it's all to bring your children into the the same hardship and battles is it worth it. Everywhere is getting worse but I see no happy ending here. Stepping out and experiencing more for them and ourselves does seem for the best. Yeah a work-life balance would be fantastic but better opportunities for the future would be amazing. I will look through those sights and spend some time deciding the next step. Many thanks this has all been very helpful. I think you need to think and research the reasons for wanting to move with care As mentioned, many people find they work more hours. Australia certainly has major issues with crime, drugs and other problems and in fact drugs are generally a bigger problem than the UK. I also know many people would specifically not go to Australia to raise a family because they don't think it is the best place to raise a family for a range of reasons. In particular access to an extended family and that is a major reason for people moving back There is no more opportunity for kids in Australia than there are in the UK - the days when Australia offered the old dream are long gone and youth unemployment is now higher than the UK. There may be better places than where you currently live, but you maybe don't need to move to the other side of the world to find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Sounds like Iv no idea what I'm doing and to be honest I don't. I do believe there is more to life than work work work and I might be blinkered (probably) but a new life in oz could be the answer. "There is more to life than work work work". There are a great many Aussies who would say the same thing. I always laugh when I see people on Wanted Down Under talk about moving for a better work/life balance, because many Aussies work longer hours, and get shorter holidays, than their British counterparts. The difference is not in the pressure and stress of work - it's about the same in both countries - it's what you can do in your leisure time. If you love the outdoor lifestyle, and (importantly) can afford to live near the beaches, then an improved leisure time will probably mean you're happier than in the UK, even though you don't have any more free time than you did back home. If you're not an outdoorsy person, or you cope badly with the heat, or have to live far inland because the housing is so dear, you'll feel worse off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Thank you for taking the time to reply. Yes you are right the biggest issue is taking the kids away, if the visa all goes well. Without going into it to much it is something im struggling with even though I feel it's for the best. But is it... It's hard to say. I could wait until they are older (17,14,11) but by then they might not want to come as their own lives might have started heading in their own direction. If I knew the best place to look I could start looking into jobs salaries and house prices and compare honestly. Would we need a big deposit on the house or could we keep a big nest egg to get us started. Sounds like Iv no idea what I'm doing and to be honest I don't. I do believe there is more to life than work work work and I might be blinkered (probably) but a new life in oz could be the answer. A crystal ball is definitely needed! Unless the father agrees to the move this could end your plans right here. You might have to go to court to testify why moving them abroad is in their best interest and tbh it reads from your post that you have no idea at the moment what is in anyone's best interests. Perhaps you had better start by writing up a list of pros and cons for staying and moving (specifically for Brisbane - why have you opted for Brisbane particularly?) and then you can evaluate whether the pros for moving are worth the upheaval, mental anguish and the likely £50,000+ this adventure will cost you. Only then can you even start looking into the visa process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 To be honest where we stay in Scotland has crime drugs and trouble. I know these things go on all over the world but I think there are better places to raise a family. We have no intention of working any less as we work so hard to have a good quality of life here with our home and lifestyle but if it's all to bring your children into the the same hardship and battles is it worth it. Everywhere is getting worse but I see no happy ending here. Stepping out and experiencing more for them and ourselves does seem for the best. Yeah a work-life balance would be fantastic but better opportunities for the future would be amazing. I will look through those sights and spend some time deciding the next step. Many thanks this has all been very helpful. If you look at official crime rate figures, e.g. those from the OECD, you will find that crime rates are higher in Australia. Only higher by the tiniest margin and in fact it might be fairer to say that they are just the same. And drugs are a problem in Australia. My oldest friend moved to Australia with her 6 and 13 year old years ago and now in their 20s and 30s both of them have serious drug issues and neither of them has made anything of their lives career wise. Their cousins in the UK are all flourishing. Yes a random sample of one, but just demonstrating that a move to Australia does not mean no crime or drugs and better opportunities. On the opportunity point, I am not sure what type of opportunities you refer to, but if you mean career opportunities then these are going to be far greater in the UK, what with it having the fifth largest economy in the world and all that. Many Australians take the opportunity to move to UK / Europe when they can for the opportunities and because it is considered great for their resumes. No happy ending in the UK? Millions of people are living very happily in the UK. If you are not perhaps there is a better way of resolving this than moving the family across the world, move to a nicer area, maybe even try counselling because perhaps you have depression if you can only see negatives? I think good advice from GGS to do your pros and cons list and then when you have that research each item carefully to determine if it is fact or an incorrect perception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheese n pickle Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I definitely agree with the working longer hours. I'm now working full time as opposed to part time in the UK just to maintain the same standard of living, and even now find there are things I can't afford! Whereas in the UK I could comfortably afford things like Buildings/contents insurance, now I'm struggling to find the money! I doubt your lifestyle will change dramatically, more a case of living the same life in a different country. With regards to opportunities, as others have said there are no better/different opportunities to the UK. If I had my time again I'd move within the UK and not to the other side of the world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 No happy ending in the UK? Millions of people are living very happily in the UK. If you are not perhaps there is a better way of resolving this than moving the family across the world, move to a nicer area, maybe even try counselling because perhaps you have depression if you can only see negatives? This is a very patronising response. As a large working families with a large home and good jobs merely wondering if there's a better work life balance in Australia does not mean I'm only looking at the negatives or indeed depressed. Questions have been answered greatly and I appreciate the honest response. It does seem that everyone posting has nothing to say that wants me to jump on a plane though. There are many different reasons why I feel it would be better than here, my friends live in Brisbane and they are flourishing and kids doing amazingly well. The site is posted for support and possibly a reality check when needed. Mere enquirers does not require such drivel. Again I will look into the sites given and make all the relevant enquirers and do a for and against list, even looking into better places else where. As stated at the start I had a million and one question and it's just a drop in the ocean of things I need to cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) Thank you for your helpful response. The point in the post is for honest experiences and not judgment cheese n pickle. Edited May 4, 2016 by Leeann Provan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 It does seem that everyone posting has nothing to say that wants me to jump on a plane though. There are many different reasons why I feel it would be better than here, my friends live in Brisbane and they are flourishing and kids doing amazingly well. The site is posted for support and possibly a reality check when needed. If you have friends in Brisbane then I would certainly recommend making that your destination. One of the biggest challenges that face migrants is the sudden loss of all the support from family and friends that they took for granted in the UK. In fact it's probably the most common reason why migrants decide to move back. So having an established friendship in Australia is a priceless advantage and you should capitalise on it! I guess we are all guilty of emphasising the downsides when we reply to potential migrants. The reason is that many of them have very blue-sky visions of what Australia is like, and we're very focussed on giving that "reality check" - knowing that if they're really obsessed with "the dream", they won't take half of it in anyway. I do like living in Australia and it is a great place to bring up kids. The education definitely isn't as good as the Scottish system (my ex taught in both countries) but the lifestyle is good. It's when they get older that it's more of an issue - there's less choice in further education, and fewer career opportunities. That won't matter if they're not high fliers but may matter if they're ambitious about their career, as you'll probably have to wave them goodbye as they return to the UK or Europe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 (edited) No happy ending in the UK? Millions of people are living very happily in the UK. If you are not perhaps there is a better way of resolving this than moving the family across the world, move to a nicer area, maybe even try counselling because perhaps you have depression if you can only see negatives? This is a very patronising response. As a large working families with a large home and good jobs merely wondering if there's a better work life balance in Australia does not mean I'm only looking at the negatives or indeed depressed. Questions have been answered greatly and I appreciate the honest response. It does seem that everyone posting has nothing to say that wants me to jump on a plane though. There are many different reasons why I feel it would be better than here, my friends live in Brisbane and they are flourishing and kids doing amazingly well. The site is posted for support and possibly a reality check when needed. Mere enquirers does not require such drivel. Again I will look into the sites given and make all the relevant enquirers and do a for and against list, even looking into better places else where. As stated at the start I had a million and one question and it's just a drop in the ocean of things I need to cover. I am sorry you have taken it that way, actually it was a very genuine response. You did not just wonder if there was a better life you made some very gloomy comments about how you see your life and your future and your children's future and it struck me that you could be depressed and could even be barking up the wrong tree looking for the solution to that. My younger sister took her own life in 2012 and I do not make trite comments about depression. Nor do I think it is bad or wrong or shameful or something to patronise over. I have taken time out of my day to try to help you work through your thinking and don't really appreciate your remarks to me. Edited May 4, 2016 by Bungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 No happy ending in the UK? Millions of people are living very happily in the UK. If you are not perhaps there is a better way of resolving this than moving the family across the world, move to a nicer area, maybe even try counselling because perhaps you have depression if you can only see negatives? This is a very patronising response. As a large working families with a large home and good jobs merely wondering if there's a better work life balance in Australia does not mean I'm only looking at the negatives or indeed depressed. Questions have been answered greatly and I appreciate the honest response. It does seem that everyone posting has nothing to say that wants me to jump on a plane though. There are many different reasons why I feel it would be better than here, my friends live in Brisbane and they are flourishing and kids doing amazingly well. The site is posted for support and possibly a reality check when needed. Mere enquirers does not require such drivel. Again I will look into the sites given and make all the relevant enquirers and do a for and against list, even looking into better places else where. As stated at the start I had a million and one question and it's just a drop in the ocean of things I need to cover. The thing is, it is impossible to say. A small number of people will get a better work life balance. Some will get a worse and a lot will get about the same. Personally, from my experience, more find they work harder and longer hours. The reason being is most have to take a fairly big step back in their careers, there is also less annual leave for most people - employers that offer more than 20 days per year are unusual and studies have shown that on average Australians work the longest hours in the OECD. Of course kids can flourish in Oz. The same way that kids flourish in the UK. We have recently returned from Oz after 8 years and are enjoying catching up with family. All of whom are flourishing. We have a niece and nephew that have just finished Uni that have landed fantastic jobs, we have another niece and nephew in a wonderful primary school where they are doing amazing, we are doing very well back here and all our friends are. The point I think people are trying to make is that the reasons you have for moving to Oz are things that are just as big an issue in the UK generally. Of course, there can be places to live in the UK that are worse for some things than others such as pockets of high crime and if you live in an area that has particular problems and then move to an area in Oz that hasn't got them, then it is a plus. But, you could save tens of thousands and just move somewhere else within the UK. Things you need to consider are things such as salaries and jobs and this needs a lot of care. For example, salaries may appear, when based on exchange rate higher, but, you have to check how it compares on cost of living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 I am sorry you have taken it that way, actually it was a very genuine response. You did not just wonder if there was a better life you made some very gloomy comments about how you see your life and your future and your children's future and it struck me that you could be depressed and could even be barking up the wrong tree looking for the solution to that. My younger sister took her own life in 2012 and I do not make trite comments about depression. Nor do I think it is bad or wrong or shameful or something to patronise over. I have taken time out of my day to try to help you work through your thinking and don't really appreciate your remarks to me. I actually did just wonder and if life was everything I wanted from it here I obviously wouldn't even be in looking at other options. Im sorry it came across as 'gloomy ' that was not my intention. Millions of people have migrated in the hope of a better life so I know I am not in the minority, ofcourse everyone has different reasons and I did thank everyone for their helpful posts. I do feel the depression statement was very judgmental. What if I was a general suffer would that comment be helpful? I lost my big sister in January this year and it relates to depression so I also don't look at it as 'wrong' . Thank for taking time out but we'll leave it at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairview70 Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Be careful with waiting till later non dependent children can't go the 17 year old might struggle now as they'll soon be an adult. Also if you wait the 14 year old will have less time to settle in an Aussie school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee79 Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Be careful with waiting till later non dependent children can't go the 17 year old might struggle now as they'll soon be an adult. Also if you wait the 14 year old will have less time to settle in an Aussie school. Very valid point. Would the eldest need to apply for their own visa then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 As suggested look to see if you qualify for a visa and then the children first - whilst we don't have a big family and haven't really struggled financially here, we haven't looked back at all since we moved here. Some things are all relative - I work 40 hours as opposed to 37.5 but accrue an extra day off a month. My salary is larger, but hubby's was smaller - it goes into a combined pot - so we're pretty comfortable. I get less leave, but can purchase leave and we accrue long service leave. We do more with our time outside of work than we did in the UK .... the lifestyle you lead will be down to you and your family and how you cut your cloth. It's wise to consider all the options and if it's viable ... we haven't looked back, you might not either - you won't know unless you give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Very valid point. Would the eldest need to apply for their own visa then? If they're still in full time education you can include them on your visa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 If they're still in full time education you can include them on your visa. Assuming their dad is totally onside with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Very valid point. Would the eldest need to apply for their own visa then? If they are in full time education then they should be fine. But, certainly if they reach 18 and not in education then they may not be eligible as a dependent and in which case you would have to leave them behind until they were in a position to apply themselves independently - probably a good few years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Assuming their dad is totally onside with it. Of course .. just trying to inject a little positivity for the OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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