Job offer in Sydney with 457. Is it worth it?

[JonandSophietravel]

My wife may have a job in Sydney but it's only going to be around 60k. I'll be looking for a job which will probably pay around 55k to start with. My main question: will we be able to live on that?

 

We've wanted to get back to Australia since we lived for 9 months on a working holiday visa and it may finally be happening but I'm a bit worried about the cost and the logistics of it all.

 

We have 2 cats so i know finding a rental place will be almost impossible. We won't be on big salaries and i know the 457 visa isn't as good as the employer nominated perm visa that we want.

 

Will we even be able to live, let alone save money and make a life for ourselves?

[DeeTowers]

1 hour ago, JonandSophietravel said:

 

My wife may have a job in Sydney but it's only going to be around 60k. I'll be looking for a job which will probably pay around 55k to start with. My main question: will we be able to live on that?

 

We've wanted to get back to Australia since we lived for 9 months on a working holiday visa and it may finally be happening but I'm a bit worried about the cost and the logistics of it all.

 

We have 2 cats so i know finding a rental place will be almost impossible. We won't be on big salaries and i know the 457 visa isn't as good as the employer nominated perm visa that we want.

 

Will we even be able to live, let alone save money and make a life for ourselves?

 

You do know that the 457 VISA has been abolished??? It was announced on the 18th of April and has now been replaced by 2 new visas and different skill lists  - you may want to read more here https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/457-

 

Edited April 27, 2017 by DeeTowers
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[Toots]

As well as the issues with the 457 visa, the cost of rental and the cost of living is high so it would be extremely tight moneywise on your wife's salary.

[Guest263228]

Sorry to say it but a likely reason the 457 was cancelled. Any employer seeking to employ an 'outsider' on such a meagre wage, imo, should be seriously looked into. Sydney being one of the worlds most expensive cities. I do feel for the OP though, as hopes would have been built up.

[AJ]

1 hour ago, Pura Vida said:

Sorry to say it but a likely reason the 457 was cancelled. Any employer seeking to employ an 'outsider' on such a meagre wage, imo, should be seriously looked into. Sydney being one of the worlds most expensive cities. I do feel for the OP though, as hopes would have been built up.

Because they don't want to spend money on training someone, it's easier and cheaper to pay for a visa. That's what has to stop unless there is an urgent need

[Guest263228]

18 minutes ago, AJ said:

Because they don't want to spend money on training someone, it's easier and cheaper to pay for a visa. That's what has to stop unless there is an urgent need

Absolutely. The government held off as long as possible. I feel for the individuals caught up in this though and sold a 'dream'. Hardly their fault. But the entire immigration process requires looking at and brought back to normal levels.

[JonandSophietravel]

Thanks for the replies so far.

DeeTowers - yes, i read that the day it was released. Nothing has changed yet and the new visas don't cone into effect until March 2018.

Toots - thanks for your opinion

Pura Vida - the wage hasnt been offered yet, were just estimating based on a similar role in Melbourne. We're hoping the wage is higher, like London loading, but it's still above the minimum of $53,900 for the new visa system

AJ - in my wife's occupation, there are no official training centres in Australia so it's not an option to train an Australian. Unless they pay to send them abroad for 2 years.

Thanks again for the feedback. My main query is more around the standard of living than the visa issues. We don't mind a long morning commute, so if we lived further out would that work? We're big baseball fans so had a look at Rooty Hill, for example.

Thanks again



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[VERYSTORMY]

Your standard of living on that wage would be pretty low. We moved to Sydney in 2008 on a wage of $75k and found ourselves using savings to pay the rent.

With regards visas, I am afraid the new rules apply immediately, in fact they are affecting people who have already applied - the department are giving application fee refunds to those who have applied and are awaiting grant but are now not eligible.

[JonandSophietravel]

Thanks Verystormy for the wage info! From what I've read, the people who are getting refunds are the ones whose professions have now been taken off the lists and are unable to continue but as long as the job is still on the list, 457s are still being given

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[ScottieGirl]

If you live in the burbs you could live on 100K but 60k would not be  enough. Don't forget to do your sums on take home figures as tax rates are higher.

[Quoll]

Honestly? Not a chance! That's a very low wage and Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world. There is also the issue that many temporary dependents find it extraordinarily difficult to get jobs - why choose someone who could be leaving without notice in 60 days when they can get a local. 

Think you'll find that the new regs are with immediate start.

[Guest]

Sydney is expensive, there's no getting around that but it definitely depends on what YOUR budget is and what you spend your money on. If you're very clever with money you will be ok (if you get a role also). My OH was on 65k in Sydney about 4 years ago and managed ok. OH is a very clever with budgets and based on their calculations I would have had to be on around the same to continue lifestyle. Yes it wasn't champagne and pearls but it was definitely doable.

If you are going with debts this would be challenging, very. If not, doable.

OH was renting (not looking at buying at that stage). OH rented a one bed in Cremorne for 400 per week. I just checked prices and you can still secure a one bed for that price (and up obviously). Bear in mind you won't be entitled to any support from the Government.

Sit down, do your budgets including a fund for any emergencies. Are you at the start of your careers? Would progression / training / study put you in higher brackets in the future?

[Guest263228]

I suppose most things are 'doable'. Unless very young though, why would anyone want to move to an expensive city to slum it? Unless life is so unbearable in the place they presently inhabit of course.

[VERYSTORMY]

5 hours ago, JonandSophietravel said:

Thanks Verystormy for the wage info! From what I've read, the people who are getting refunds are the ones whose professions have now been taken off the lists and are unable to continue but as long as the job is still on the list, 457s are still being given

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The point I was making is that it is the new rules she will have applied to her. So, the occupation will have to be on the medium / long term list or the short term list. If it is only on the new short term list, she can only get a 2 year 457 which can be extended by a further 2 years maximum, but you would then have to leave as occupations on this have no path to PR.

Also, you should be aware of other issues with the 457. As someone has mentioned, the partners can have difficulty finding work. If you have children, then in NSW the state government will charge $4,000 per year per child for education. And of course, the visa is tied to the employer, so if she were to lose her job for any reason, you would both only have 60 days to find another company willing and able to sponsor or leave the country.

[Guest]

On 28/04/2017 at 9:47 AM, Pura Vida said:

I suppose most things are 'doable'. Unless very young though, why would anyone want to move to an expensive city to slum it? Unless life is so unbearable in the place they presently inhabit of course.

60k and 55k with no kids is not a champagne lifestyle but it's not slumming it either, especially if there's room for progression and growth in roles.

[LKC]

To be completely honest, as someone who is currently living in Sydney, you'd probably struggle on $60k per year, even if you were living in one of the outermost suburbs.  If you could get a job paying about the same (bearing in mind that it might take a while for you to find a job during which time you'd probably need savings to fall back on), you'd be okay, but you may struggle to save for things such as visits home and holidays depending on how frugal or extravagant you were.  We've been here for a bit over eight years and have seen prices for just about everything skyrocket, particularly in the past four or five years.  Our electricity bills, for example, have increased from about $300 a quarter to nearer $600 per quarter.  Food shopping bills have also increased hugely of late.

A salary of $60k would give you a weekly take home pay of about $920.  If you know where your wife's job is to be located you could have a look at www.domain.com.au and www.realestate.com.au to look at housing prices in commutable areas.  Use the www.sydneytrains.info website to look at commute times by train and train fare etc.  Google maps is pretty good for working out driving commute distances and times.  Make a spreadsheet of all the expenses you have now, and then try and work those out in Sydney by using supermarket websites etc, to compare the cost of the standard of living you have now with that in Sydney.  Also bear in mind that you will have lots of start-up costs such as deposits, flights, cat shipping etc, plus things that you wouldn't even think to consider, like buying pantry items, pots and pans, utensils etc for the kitchen.  It all adds up.

[Guest263228]

3 hours ago, Ozzie said:

60k and 55k with no kids is not a champagne lifestyle but it's not slumming it either, especially if there's room for progression and growth in roles.

In relative terms it certainly would be. OP would need to consider the worthiness of such a move. Perhaps progression would ensue at some stage, perhaps not. Very low paid regardless and could just as well be terminated at some stage of employment as well. But there is a far bigger question involved here, not directly related to the question posed as well.

[ScottieGirl]

10 hours ago, Ozzie said:

60k and 55k with no kids is not a champagne lifestyle but it's not slumming it either, especially if there's room for progression and growth in roles.

There is a massive difference between 60 k and 115k. I would say 60K is not doable but 115k is. It's down to the OPs attitude to risk as the second job is not guaranteed. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, ScottieGirl said:

There is a massive difference between 60 k and 115k. I would say 60K is not doable but 115k is. It's down to the OPs attitude to risk as the second job is not guaranteed. 

Yes I agree with you @ScottieGirl, there is a massive difference. I guess from my point of view I was saying if you can secure a role on (at absolute minimum) 55k plus the 65k you have on offer already it's doable based on what your lifestyle expenses are. As mentioned, it's not champagne but it's not slumming it either (although some people may say 115k is slumming - down to the person/people involved and their lifestyle choices).

 

[JonandSophietravel]

Hi everyone. Thanks again for the detailed replies!!!

Ozzie & LKC - you definitely think the same way we do. We've already made spreadsheets of our current wages and outgoings, used a Aus salary calculator based on 60k and 55k and tried to find rough comparisons of Sydney costs for living expenses. There are things that would be a lot more, like rent and public transport as the main 2 for example, but the wages are more than what we get in the UK too, even using an exchange rate of 2:1 instead of the current 1.72 Aus to the pound.

We've had a look at various suburbs and think further out would be best as we currently don't have an issues with a commute of around 45 mins. We won't be buying a car any time soon so looking at opal prices, I can see travel costs for both of us getting close to their max of $60 per week, unless of course my job is in the suburb we live in. My biggest worry about accommodation is the cats. They're indoor and perfect but I've read so much about strata rejecting any pets at all. Anyone have any experience of that at all?

Verystormy - you mentioned 457 occupations have no path to pr. I thought there was a 457 to 186 transition option? I'm really hoping they'll offer her the 186 straight away as that'll make us feel much more safe and also will make it easier for me to find work. Is it really that much harder for 457 partners finding a job? We had working holiday visas previously and could only get work in a theatre and hungry jack's when we were younger. Is it the same for 457?

Thanks again everyone for your opinions [emoji3]

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[MaggieMay24]

1 hour ago, JonandSophietravel said:

Verystormy - you mentioned 457 occupations have no path to pr. I thought there was a 457 to 186 transition option? I'm really hoping they'll offer her the 186 straight away as that'll make us feel much more safe and also will make it easier for me to find work. Is it really that much harder for 457 partners finding a job? We had working holiday visas previously and could only get work in a theatre and hungry jack's when we were younger. Is it the same for 457?

It depends on her occupation as they announced a proposed change to the 186/187 visas that would mean many don't have any path to PR.  http://www.border.gov.au/WorkinginAustralia/Documents/reforms-australia-permanent-employer-sponsored-migration-programme.pdf

[ScottieGirl]

I rented with 2 dogs. Many strata properties ban them and those that allow animals limit  the number so realistically you are looking at renting a house not an apartment which is what I  did. That can be more expensive.  I paid $640 a week for a house in Gladesville 10k from the CBD which took about 40 minutes to get into the centre in rush hour.

There are masses of swanky new apartments for rent around the city so the older shabbier houses will allow pets to attract tenants. My house was easily  the worst house on a very good street.

The other cost which is substantially higher is food, you should add 50 % to your weekly shopping bill in the  UK to estimate the cost in Sydney.

 

[Collie]

To the OPs, this is a bit of a how long is a piece of string ?.

It really depends on your lifestyle and accomodations costs and also your motivation for the move.

$60k pa is about $4k pm into your hand.  $55k is about $3.7k into your hand.  The average salary in Sydney is about $80k.  

Sydney is extremely expensive.  You could live on that if you are quite frugal (ie both of you working).  I don't think you would be saving anything and you certainly wouldn't be living it up.  Where is your partner's job located?  Sydney can be a nightmare to get around and people do commute 3 hours + per day which is no quality of life IMO.

Motivation - Do you just want to experience living in Sydney again or are you looking for a path to residency to make Australia your home?  If it is the latter, try and get the company to sponsor your partner for PR (457s are now gone for new applicants anyway).  Then you put up with it for a year or 2 and either retrain for higher paying careers or look to relocate to a cheaper part of Australia in time or move employer.  You'll have your PR by then and will be eligible for citizenship after 4 years living in Aus as a PR. Means to an end type of thing.

Have a look at seek.com.au for comparative salaries for your partner's job? Is she being underpaid?  Have a look at domain.com.au for indicative rental costs?

In a nutshell:

Excluding accomodation costs, I used to spend $3k-$3.5k per month and had a nice lifestyle for that.  Maybe add a bit for 2 of you.  When both of you are working, you'd be ok but no massive luxuries, savings and don't plan on kids.  Your accomodation will be $2k-$3K pm

The big saving moving out of Sydney is in accomodation, my (bigger and nicer) accommodation in Perth is $10k pa cheaper than Sydney but work is harder to come by.