Johnnyboy Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 Well...a lot of things could happen in an year. I did sign the contract in June last year and the company applied for nomination but hasn't been granted yet. I can then apply for 186 visa - obviously, I need the skills assessment first but that shouldn't be a problem as I've got 15 years experience in my job (still on the long term skills list in Oz). My wife is now very keen on the move but I'm the one having doubts because of financial reasons. With 2 small children (4 & 7), I'm sure they will like it in Aus but I'm not convinced we can afford the same lifestyle as in UK. As stated before, I've got here £45-50k/year while in Oz I'll start off with $85. I'm sure I can get towards $100k, maybe $110k in short term (up to 1-2 years) but even with that salary, the house cost makes me thinking very carefully about the move. I'd like the adventure but with 2 children...I'm not so sure about it. We can sell our house in UK deposit but affordability here for a house is 6 times salary while in Melbourne (or somewhere else) will be nearly 10 times !!! I refused already to come over on a 457 visa and I don't regret it at all as that was only a temporary option and with the new changes, we were only allowed to stay for 4 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 18 minutes ago, Johnnyboy said: As stated before, I've got here £45-50k/year while in Oz I'll start off with $85. I'm sure I can get towards $100k, maybe $110k in short term (up to 1-2 years) but even with that salary, the house cost makes me thinking very carefully about the move. I'd like the adventure but with 2 children...I'm not so sure about it. We can sell our house in UK deposit but affordability here for a house is 6 times salary while in Melbourne (or somewhere else) will be nearly 10 times !!! I refused already to come over on a 457 visa and I don't regret it at all as that was only a temporary option and with the new changes, we were only allowed to stay for 4 years. You were very sensible to refuse the 457 because it's a tough road on a temp visa with kids. Do you have solid ground for expecting such a big increase in salary within such a short time, because salary growth in Australia has been very slow in recent years? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 46 minutes ago, Johnnyboy said: Well...a lot of things could happen in an year. I did sign the contract in June last year and the company applied for nomination but hasn't been granted yet. I can then apply for 186 visa - obviously, I need the skills assessment first but that shouldn't be a problem as I've got 15 years experience in my job (still on the long term skills list in Oz). My wife is now very keen on the move but I'm the one having doubts because of financial reasons. With 2 small children (4 & 7), I'm sure they will like it in Aus but I'm not convinced we can afford the same lifestyle as in UK. As stated before, I've got here £45-50k/year while in Oz I'll start off with $85. I'm sure I can get towards $100k, maybe $110k in short term (up to 1-2 years) but even with that salary, the house cost makes me thinking very carefully about the move. I'd like the adventure but with 2 children...I'm not so sure about it. We can sell our house in UK deposit but affordability here for a house is 6 times salary while in Melbourne (or somewhere else) will be nearly 10 times !!! I refused already to come over on a 457 visa and I don't regret it at all as that was only a temporary option and with the new changes, we were only allowed to stay for 4 years. I think based purely on those figures you are right to be apprehensive to be fair. Australia is expensive, not just housing but of course housing is the No1 expense and Melbourne prices have gone mental. If you want to make the move for reasons other than purely financial then go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyboy Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share Posted March 7, 2018 You are right, there is nothing expected for granted but the salary offered is on the lower scale until I'll prove myself. With that visa I can move to a different employer, even though it's not my intention. If we struggle financially though, I might have no option than to look for a better job & salary somewhere else. If I'll be able to find it though... it's a different question. I've been already offered a better package somewhere else but didn't take it as would be unfair to the existing company who applied for nomination already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 12 hours ago, Johnnyboy said: You are right, there is nothing expected for granted but the salary offered is on the lower scale until I'll prove myself. With that visa I can move to a different employer, even though it's not my intention. If we struggle financially though, I might have no option than to look for a better job & salary somewhere else. If I'll be able to find it though... it's a different question. I've been already offered a better package somewhere else but didn't take it as would be unfair to the existing company who applied for nomination already. I know some will disagree, but I'd say your wisest move might be to move over to Australia on your own to start with, and wait until you've "proved yourself" and moved up to the higher salary. It's easy for companies to make promises, but they're under no obligation to follow through once you've arrived, and you will struggle financially on the initial salary (especially with all the costs of moving). It's not ideal because it's always good if the whole family can experience the move together and support each other, and of course it means you could be separated for several months. But it would be the only way to reduce the risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goofy2018 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 13 hours ago, Johnnyboy said: I'm the one having doubts because of financial reasons. With 2 small children (4 & 7), I'm sure they will like it in Aus but I'm not convinced we can afford the same lifestyle as in UK. As stated before, I've got here £45-50k/year while in Oz I'll start off with $85. I'm sure I can get towards $100k, maybe $110k in short term (up to 1-2 years) but even with that salary, the house cost makes me thinking very carefully about the move. $85K is not a lot to support a family in my opinion. You'd have to be on a tight budget to make things work. Can be ok initially but in the long run it will wear you down and affect your ability to enjoy life here. A vague comment saying they'll review your salary once you've proven yourself doesn't mean they'll actually do this. Employers say things all the time just to get you to sign a contract. There are plenty of people here who haven't had a pay rise in years. And even if you get a pay increase it may only be a small one, not necessarily an extra $10 or $20K. If there is a clause in your contract saying your salary will increase by X% after X months or if you meet specific targets by a certain date I would consider it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 7 minutes ago, Goofy2018 said: $85K is not a lot to support a family in my opinion. You'd have to be on a tight budget to make things work. Can be ok initially but in the long run it will wear you down and affect your ability to enjoy life here. Employers say things all the time just to get you to sign a contract. There are plenty of people here who haven't had a pay rise in years. And even if you get a pay increase it may only be a small one, not necessarily an extra $10 or $20K. My thoughts exactly. In all my 30 years of working in Australia, I've never seen anyone get a $10k pay rise! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Might do if you are in finance or IT- not otherwise. Mind you, being a fireman in Victoria might be good going on that twit Andrews latest proposal! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Even $95000 to support a family of 4 would be doing in tough - gone are the days where Australia was a cheap place to live - I would not do it in your situation - you will be under so much money stress and do not underestimate the stress of leaving friends and family - that is huge. Would I do it again now? No 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 49 minutes ago, dxboz said: Even $95000 to support a family of 4 would be doing in tough - gone are the days where Australia was a cheap place to live - I would not do it in your situation - you will be under so much money stress and do not underestimate the stress of leaving friends and family - that is huge. Would I do it again now? No I agree. As the OP is on almost double the national UK average wage they would need to be on almost double the Aus average wage so looking at a salary of the order of $140-150k for any sort of equivalence. It is ridiculous that $95k is tough going for a family but there it is - not quite baked beans on toast territory but certainly penny pinching. In Canberra, most of the families I know have to be dual f/t income to just make ends meet and I would imagine Melbourne wouldn't be much different. To assume that one could rise from $85k to $95k in short order is a tad pie in the sky, that's a major wage rise 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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