paulc1 Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 (edited) Hi everyone I have just had an interview with a large truck dealership in Melbourne and they have requested a second interview. I was wondering what the average salary was for a HGV technician in Melbourne. I have heard it is pretty well paid but i want to know if i should try negotiate on the interview or not. It will be me, my wife and 3 year old son moving over so i need to know if my salary will cover our costs for rent, living etc. Thanks for any information you may have. Edited January 13, 2018 by paulc1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eva Winterburn Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Hi Paul, No idea what that specific salary could be but you will need between 2 to 2.5 times the amount you earned in pounds (ie. 50k Gbp should translate to between $100k to $125k) Housing is very expensive, that will be the biggest difference I think! My husband got a lower initial offer than expected and said he was hoping to get $20k more, they gave him another $17k so worth asking if you can... Good luck with your interview! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 14, 2018 Author Share Posted January 14, 2018 Hi Eva, Thankyou for your reply. From what i have heard from the recruiter that set up the interview i think it will roughly about 2.5 times my current wage with a possibility of more with overtime etc so that is good then. We are looking at houses in Point cook near Melbourne and you can rent for around 350 a week which isnt too bad for what you get. Thanks for the help ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Where will you be working? Point Cook is a fair way out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can1983 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Point Cook recently got a proper mocking on instant hotel as a soulless wasteland 2.5 hour commute in rush hour each way .... probably why its so cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 23 minutes ago, can1983 said: Point Cook recently got a proper mocking on instant hotel as a soulless wasteland 2.5 hour commute in rush hour each way .... probably why its so cheap I can believe it. I think one of the things people don't expect about Australia is how barren the outlying suburbs are. In the UK, if you live on the outskirts of, say, Southampton, you're living in a little village, with a pub and a bit of community atmosphere. In Melbourne or Sydney, the inner suburbs are vibrant and full of life, but the bulk of the rest is just dormitory suburbs - big housing estates with no pubs, restaurants or cafes, and poor public transport. I don't know Point Cook but I'd be researching it very carefully. People happily pay $1,000 a week for a house in a popular suburb, so anywhere that costs only $350 a week would arouse my suspicions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 18 minutes ago, Marisawright said: I don't know Point Cook but I'd be researching it very carefully. People happily pay $1,000 a week for a house in a popular suburb, so anywhere that costs only $350 a week would arouse my suspicions. This is from a 2015 survey of liveability of Melbourne suburbs - ranked 309 out of 321 suburbs. https://www.domain.com.au/news/melbournes-321-suburbs-ranked-for-liveability-20151106-gkq447/#mToP I don't know how much things have changed in the last 2 years...but it's not exactly a glowing report: Quote Point Cook Ranked: 309 Previous rank: 245 Point Cook’s liveability is dropping as the crime rate of the area increases. It scores well for coastline proximity and public open space such as Point Cook Coastal Park, but is deprived of culture, tree cover, cafes, shops and schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can1983 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 41 minutes ago, Marisawright said: I can believe it. I think one of the things people don't expect about Australia is how barren the outlying suburbs are. In the UK, if you live on the outskirts of, say, Southampton, you're living in a little village, with a pub and a bit of community atmosphere. In Melbourne or Sydney, the inner suburbs are vibrant and full of life, but the bulk of the rest is just dormitory suburbs - big housing estates with no pubs, restaurants or cafes, and poor public transport. I don't know Point Cook but I'd be researching it very carefully. People happily pay $1,000 a week for a house in a popular suburb, so anywhere that costs only $350 a week would arouse my suspicions. there are so many suburbs like this in every big city. Its too big a change from the uk for me I like the mature areas where some houses are large, some smallm some newly built some 'rustic'. These sort of places I would not personally ever want to live in. Speaking of Southampton that's where I lived in the uk not always a peaceful life but good shops amenities transport etc you get that in oz too just not 45km from the CBD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 7 hours ago, can1983 said: there are so many suburbs like this in every big city. Its too big a change from the uk for me I like the mature areas where some houses are large, some smallm some newly built some 'rustic'. These sort of places I would not personally ever want to live in. Speaking of Southampton that's where I lived in the uk not always a peaceful life but good shops amenities transport etc you get that in oz too just not 45km from the CBD Well if it's only the place that are 45km from the CBD that are a problem then Point Cook's sitting pretty at less than 30km from the CBD. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have done a lot of research of the area and from what i have read there are 3 shopping centres and plenty of cafes, restaurants and shops. I will hopefully be working in North Laverton and i checked the traffic at rush hour times and it says a 20 minute drive. (not sure how accurate this is) The main gripes people tend to have are the traffic and public transport which shouldnt really be an issue to me as i will be working irregular shift patterns. When my parents moved to port kennedy outside of perth people told them the exact same thing and they absolutely love the place. Has anyone here ever lived there? I would like to know exactly how long the commute is and what the local amenities are like thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 I assume you've checked out sites like homely.com.au Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 20 hours ago, paulc1 said: Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have done a lot of research of the area and from what i have read there are 3 shopping centres and plenty of cafes, restaurants and shops. I will hopefully be working in North Laverton and i checked the traffic at rush hour times and it says a 20 minute drive. (not sure how accurate this is) The main gripes people tend to have are the traffic and public transport which shouldnt really be an issue to me as i will be working irregular shift patterns. When my parents moved to port kennedy outside of perth people told them the exact same thing and they absolutely love the place. Has anyone here ever lived there? I would like to know exactly how long the commute is and what the local amenities are like thanks again 20 mins from Point Cook to North Laverton sounds about right. I'm not in Point Cook but I'm not far away. Shopping centres seem to have exactly the same chain stores wherever you go and Point Cook is no different. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 4 hours ago, Marisawright said: I assume you've checked out sites like homely.com.au Hi yea we have and its mixed reviews. Some people love the place and some people just dislike the place. A lot of the reviews are a few years old and i have heard its changed a lot in the last few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 7 hours ago, Ken said: 20 mins from Point Cook to North Laverton sounds about right. I'm not in Point Cook but I'm not far away. Shopping centres seem to have exactly the same chain stores wherever you go and Point Cook is no different. Yea i thought that cheers mate. people keep saying its just houses, traffic jams and crime but i reckon there is more too it than that ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 3 hours ago, paulc1 said: Yea i thought that cheers mate. people keep saying its just houses, traffic jams and crime but i reckon there is more too it than that ? There may well be. I'm just making the point that there ARE a lot of outer suburbs of Melbourne that ARE just houses, traffic jams and crime. You don't see those kinds of suburbs in the UK so much, because most cities are much smaller, so you may have a hard time imagining the reality ('it can't be that bad" - yes it can). The fact that there are so many such suburbs and Point Cook is ranked 309th out of 321 suburbs makes me worry a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eva Winterburn Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Have you tried this site? It may help make things clearer (or not ;-)) https://www.microburbs.com.au/ Anyway, our migration agent said most new arrivals change suburb after the first year so I would try to stop worrying and go with your gut feeling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Eva Winterburn said: our migration agent said most new arrivals change suburb after the first year so I would try to stop worrying and go with your gut feeling! It's true that the exact choice of suburb doesn't matter. However, it's a different story if the OP is using rentals/cost of housing in Point Cook as a measure of whether migrating is affordable. Right now, based on Pt Cook, he's thinking he can get a reasonable home for $350 a week, but that's very cheap compared to most of Melbourne. If, when he gets there, he finds it's not what he expected and they want to move to a nicer suburb, he could easily pay double that, making the whole exercise unaffordable. Edited January 17, 2018 by Marisawright 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 7 hours ago, Marisawright said: There may well be. I'm just making the point that there ARE a lot of outer suburbs of Melbourne that ARE just houses, traffic jams and crime. You don't see those kinds of suburbs in the UK so much, because most cities are much smaller, so you may have a hard time imagining the reality ('it can't be that bad" - yes it can). The fact that there are so many such suburbs and Point Cook is ranked 309th out of 321 suburbs makes me worry a lot. I've not noticed any dramatic differences between the suburbs here and the suburbs in the UK (but then the city I knew was London which can't really be described as much smaller than Melbourne). You obviously have to compare like with like - there's no point comparing a centuries old village in the Cotswolds with Point Cook but if you take a modern UK suburb like Chafford Hundred (where I used to live) it's very comparable (although Chafford Hundred needed far fewer shopping facilities of it's own as it's next door to Thurrock Lakeside). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Ken said: I've not noticed any dramatic differences between the suburbs here and the suburbs in the UK (but then the city I knew was London...). Yes I was excluding London as it's a kind of special case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 10 hours ago, Eva Winterburn said: Have you tried this site? It may help make things clearer (or not ;-)) https://www.microburbs.com.au/ Anyway, our migration agent said most new arrivals change suburb after the first year so I would try to stop worrying and go with your gut feeling! Thats very helpful thankyou ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 8 hours ago, Marisawright said: It's true that the exact choice of suburb doesn't matter. However, it's a different story if the OP is using rentals/cost of housing in Point Cook as a measure of whether migrating is affordable. Right now, based on Pt Cook, he's thinking he can get a reasonable home for $350 a week, but that's very cheap compared to most of Melbourne. If, when he gets there, he finds it's not what he expected and they want to move to a nicer suburb, he could easily pay double that, making the whole exercise unaffordable. i think it is a very good gauge on what is affordable. the first year or so is no indication on what life will be like. It takes a while to get settled and back your feet as you are essentially starting from scratch. If i feel i need to move suburbs then i can do and will be in a better position to do so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 On 16/01/2018 at 21:43, Marisawright said: There may well be. I'm just making the point that there ARE a lot of outer suburbs of Melbourne that ARE just houses, traffic jams and crime. You don't see those kinds of suburbs in the UK so much, because most cities are much smaller, so you may have a hard time imagining the reality ('it can't be that bad" - yes it can). The fact that there are so many such suburbs and Point Cook is ranked 309th out of 321 suburbs makes me worry a lot. I grew up in poor area in central scotland and joined the Army at 16 years old where i moved around the world. iv lived in refugee filled areas in Germany and have no delusions on what life can be like. if i need to live in an area that doesnt have many shops but can move me to better things i think there is nothing wrong with that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, paulc1 said: I grew up in poor area in central scotland and joined the Army at 16 years old where i moved around the world. iv lived in refugee filled areas in Germany and have no delusions on what life can be like. if i need to live in an area that doesnt have many shops but can move me to better things i think there is nothing wrong with that. Sorry, I misunderstood the reason for your post. Most people who ask about suburbs are trying to assess where to live in Australia in the long run. They're hoping to pick the right suburb from the start, so they can get their kids settled and don't have to put them through upheaval again. So I (and others on this forum) jumped to the conclusiion that's what you were asking. It sounds like you're moving on a tight budget and you're willing to make compromises to get to Australia, in which case Point Cook works for you. Edited January 19, 2018 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc1 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 3 hours ago, Marisawright said: Sorry, I misunderstood the reason for your post. Most people who ask about suburbs are trying to assess where to live in Australia in the long run. They're hoping to pick the right suburb from the start, so they can get their kids settled and don't have to put them through upheaval again. So I (and others on this forum) jumped to the conclusiion that's what you were asking. It sounds like you're moving on a tight budget and you're willing to make compromises to get to Australia, in which case Point Cook works for you. The main reason of this post was to find out the salary of a hgv mechanic and whether i should negogiate but it ended up turning into a discussion about point cook. I do appreciate everyones help but iam fully aware what iam getting in to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 46 minutes ago, paulc1 said: The main reason of this post was to find out the salary of a hgv mechanic and whether i should negogiate but it ended up turning into a discussion about point cook. I do appreciate everyones help but iam fully aware what iam getting in to. Yes it does sound like you know what you're getting into - but we don't know you from a bar of soap, so we couldn't assume that, could we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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