And so it begins...again!

[ScottishMatilda]

It's actually getting your foot in the door that's the problem - employers aren't keen to get interim psychs because their supervision and training requirements put extra cost and stress on the organisation and if they can pick up someone with full registration they are a more attractive proposition. I'm actually surprised that Psych is still on the list because Australia is well oversupplied with psychs - every man and his dog seems to be doing it at Uni then going through one of the myriad courses that sees them churned out with full registration. I'm not saying you wouldn't be attractive with your skills - once you have full registration - but jumping through that flaming hoop could be the big barrier. I think there are more psychologists to the square inch in Australia than anywhere else in the world, actually!

 

Can't comment on salaries comparatively, sorry but as an Ed Psych in Aus I was better paid than the Clinical psychs I knew because we were paid Education rather than Health rates.

 

Thanks all again for your replies. That makes sense Quoll, as I had seen others mentioning how difficult it can be to secure the three months supervised practice. Though, it was my understanding this is slightly easier with government jobs. Perhaps not so. Ah, it kind of leaves us in a quandry...such a difficult decision!

 

With regard husbands plans, he is not looking to be flying FIFO and working in oil and gas. Happy to work in a local fabrication shop and come home to the family at night. This has been part of our UK struggle as he has been forced to work away in Norway and other places for months at a time. We are all fed up of this as a family and the impact that has on relationships.

 

In the end, as another poster mentioned, only we can make the decision. I am trying my best to make it an informed one by checking all these things out. The reality we face is that in 6 months my husband could be out of work, I will still be on maternity leave and we have three children aged 3 and 2 6 month old twins to support. A daunting prospect! Going down the PR route perhaps gives us another option. Believe me when I say we are certainly not overlooking the responsibility we have to our children, in fact, this is one of our reasons for looking at emigrating. To the poster who suggests we are 'pretending' its for our kids futures, when the move would actually be for us, thats just not true. Our kids are our world and we feel this may also broaden their horizons. We are also fully aware of the difficulty in taking children away from grandparents and the support this would deny us. Any yet, here we still are thinking it may be right for us.

 

If a 457 was an option, we might consider it, but they seem difficult to come by for hubby and I would guess non-existent for psychologists. It also scares me that if you lost that job you get 28 days to find another or vacate...:err:

 

[Quoll]

90 days actually.

 

457 is fraught! Don't do it with kids on that for lots of reasons - one is that you won't get any help with child care if you did manage to crack a job ($100+ per child per day) and in some states the cost of school fees is quite challenging for most families $5-10k pa depending on the state.

 

There are also difficulties with dependents getting jobs - no one is going to take on a Psych on a temp visa especially if they aren't fully registered. You wouldn't get a job in a government position as they require PR

 

I do agree with the comment not to do it for the kids - its just another first world country with all that entails including high levels of bullying in schools and very high levels of youth mental health disorders and suicide. It's not magically different just different. Don't do it unless you have permanent jobs to go to on a permanent visa. And don't underestimate the isolation away from extended family - it's tough going.

[Marisawright]

With regard husbands plans, he is not looking to be flying FIFO and working in oil and gas. Happy to work in a local fabrication shop and come home to the family at night.

...To the poster who suggests we are 'pretending' its for our kids futures, when the move would actually be for us, thats just not true. Our kids are our world and we feel this may also broaden their horizons.

 

 

The big problem for your husband is that it's the FIFO jobs that are disappearing now, and the workers who were in those roles are returning to the cities to fill exactly the kind of role your husband would like!

 

When I said don't do it for the kids, what I meant is that any long-term benefit for the children is probably illusory. Their horizons won't be broadened they will just be different - if you're in Perth they'll be able to holiday in Asia which will be educational, but they'll miss out on holidays in Europe so it's swings and roundabouts. Universities are good in Australia but because of the smaller population, they offer a narrower range of courses - if one of your children wants to study something unusual, they'll have to go back to the UK (and pay full international fees!). Career opportunities are also more limited. That's why I said, don't justify it on the grounds of your children's future.

 

I agree a 457 sounds scarey BUT if he could get one, the employer would likely pay relocation costs which would make life easier. It's a risky strategy for parents with older children because if the contract does end suddenly, their education is disrupted: however with small children that's not an issue and you do have 90 days to arrange your exit which is manageable. If you don't burn your bridges at home (i.e. rent out your house rather than sell it), it's not a bad way to test the water. The snag with such small children is that you get no rebate on child care which is very expensive in Australia.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Marisawright