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Well folks it's decision time..Do it?


Leighbee98

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4 hours ago, Marisawright said:

TBH I often wonder why people still migrate to Australia at all nowadays.   I like living here - but when I came to Australia (thirty years ago)  it was a no-brainer.   The job opportunities were much much better than the UK, the housing was cheaper, the economy was booming,  the whole country had a can-do attitude that was very refreshing.

Nowadays, the job opportunities are the same or worse than the UK in most places. The housing is more expensive and the economy is on a downward trend.  There's no financial advantage in coming to Australia any more.  So why do people keep coming?   It's not really that much of an adventure - would you call moving to Ireland an adventure?  The only real difference is the distance, you're still moving to another English-speaking country with very similar roots and history.  It's not like you're moving to the wilds of Africa.  

I wonder that too.  I'm the same as you Marisa.  We came nearly 37 years ago and life was easy.  Good jobs as soon as we landed with good pay (neither of us were professionals with a degree or anything like that) - bought a block of land and built a house and still managed to save.  Mind you we never wasted money on brand new cars or boats.  It's an awful lot harder to have that same easy lifestyle now.  

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1 hour ago, Toots said:

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

Have to add that both our sons are working overseas.  Probably inherited our adventurous spirit.  We wished them both the best and waved them goodbye.  I wonder if it's harder to do that with daughters.

Out daughter is more adventurous than either of our sons. She reckons she takes after me!! Even though she is epileptic, she went back packing to Mexico and stayed 2 years, and then went to Kenya for a year, before coming to Oz.

I was very independent growing up and took the chance to go and work in Zambia for the local airline in the 1960's The UK independent airline I was with went bankrupt so I went to train and work there. It was more unusual to up sticks in those days. Didn't know that I had family in Zimbabwe until just before I left. Strangely my aunt and family from Zim. moved to Lusaka shortly after I arrived. Had great times, had plenty of frustrating times as there were only 2 of us non locals working as air hostesses but wouldn't have missed the experience for anything. Best of all I met my future husband there on a blind date!!

I have certainly taken most opportunities that came my way, life is an adventure.

Edited by ramot
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4 hours ago, Booma said:

Lifestyle. In oz I've got a lifestyle I used to have to go on holiday to get.

 

I never felt that in Aus.  Sure, we had a pool, but we could only use it from late November to March, and had to maintain it year round.  We were a short drive from the beach, but we never went because it wasn't something we enjoyed, and we were always too busy with work/school/other things anyway.  I don't miss those things at all.  Our lifestyle was the same as it would be anywhere.  Housework still needed to be done, we still had to go to work and school, and there was still the same amount of down time which was often filled with house maintenance etc (actually a bit less, because OH worked longer hours and had a longer commute).

We are going to Greece in July, and I am very much looking forwards to that because it will be different, and it will be a holiday from the every day stuff.

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Attitude is important.

Booma is obviously making the most of  life and enjoying it immensely.

Others tend to moan but I think it is a personality thing. Some are much more likely to grab opportunities and experience life to the full.

Lots of my friend who work pay for a cleaner to clean their house. Maybe a bit extravagent but each to their own.

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55 minutes ago, LKC said:

I never felt that in Aus.  Sure, we had a pool, but we could only use it from late November to March, and had to maintain it year round.  We were a short drive from the beach, but we never went because it wasn't something we enjoyed, and we were always too busy with work/school/other things anyway.  I don't miss those things at all.  Our lifestyle was the same as it would be anywhere.  Housework still needed to be done, we still had to go to work and school, and there was still the same amount of down time which was often filled with house maintenance etc (actually a bit less, because OH worked longer hours and had a longer commute).

We are going to Greece in July, and I am very much looking forwards to that because it will be different, and it will be a holiday from the every day stuff.

Sorry I didn't mean to touch a nerve with my comment. I'm sure you have a lovely life in Scotland. It just isn't the type of life I want to live.

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For those who enjoy the beaches, swimming, boating, jet skiing, fishing and of course prefer the sun/ heat over the cold, Aus pretty much has it and a great lifestyle can be had as it makes weekends and holidays much more enjoyable after a hard week of working and day to day mundane tasks..

An atttude willing to embrace change and experience new things is another bonus to making a move here a success.

 

 Cal x

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Get going with the English tests and skills assessments. You don’t have to make a decision right now about whether to go, but you can get the wheels in motion. Booking the English test, preparing, and submitting and waiting for your skills assessment can take months....I’m an accountant, booked my English test in jan, sat in feb, submitted skills assessment in March and I’m still waiting on it back. 

Remember no decision is needed until you decide to move, and even then you can always move back to the UK if you find it’s not for you. I’m someone who spent 18months working there nearly ten years ago, then came back to the UK and now trying to make a move permanently. 

 

Good of luck with your decision and remember nothing is forever if you don’t want to to be! 

I do recommend visiting the country if you can afford to, have an amazing holiday and suss our some places to consider living. You’ll probably feel more informed then. 

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11 minutes ago, Booma said:

Sorry I didn't mean to touch a nerve with my comment. I'm sure you have a lovely life in Scotland. It just isn't the type of life I want to live.

You didn't touch a nerve.  I was just trying to explain that for us (and for most people I'd imagine) life in Australia isn't really like being on a permanent holiday.  It is rather unwise to suggest it is, in my opinion.  It was a common misconception amongst our family and friends, that we spent our time having barbecues or at the beach.  In fact we spent our time in much the same way that they did, just in Australia rather than in the UK.  School, work, housework, gardening, all the same stuff, just in a different place.

I'm sure you do have a lovely life, it just isn't the type of life we want to live.  We need more than just feeling like we are on permanent holiday.

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19 minutes ago, Stayorgo said:

Get going with the English tests and skills assessments. You don’t have to make a decision right now about whether to go, but you can get the wheels in motion....

Remember no decision is needed until you decide to move, and even then you can always move back to the UK if you find it’s not for you.....Good of luck with your decision and remember nothing is forever if you don’t want to to be! 

That may be good advice to the OP but I'm not sure it's a good attitude for most potential migrants to take.

It costs at least $30K for the average family to relocate to Australia, and the same to go back again.  That's a lot of money for most families and will take them several years to recoup.   

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On 4/21/2018 at 04:31, Toots said:

I wonder that too.  I'm the same as you Marisa.  We came nearly 37 years ago and life was easy.  Good jobs as soon as we landed with good pay (neither of us were professionals with a degree or anything like that) - bought a block of land and built a house and still managed to save.  Mind you we never wasted money on brand new cars or boats.  It's an awful lot harder to have that same easy lifestyle now.  

It is much harder to have that in the UK as well though.  People who would have been able to save to buy a home 20 years ago can't do that now.  Australia still has a lot going for it.

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10 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

It is much harder to have that in the UK as well though.  People who would have been able to save to buy a home 20 years ago can't do that now.  Australia still has a lot going for it.

Agreed. I don't think there are many differences between the two. 

 

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16 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

It is much harder to have that in the UK as well though.  People who would have been able to save to buy a home 20 years ago can't do that now.  Australia still has a lot going for it.

It depends where you are in the UK and where you are in Australia.   People in Sydney or Melbourne can't afford to buy a home now either.    People seem to assume they'll be able to afford more in Australia but it's not the case.    

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1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

It depends where you are in the UK and where you are in Australia.   People in Sydney or Melbourne can't afford to buy a home now either.    People seem to assume they'll be able to afford more in Australia but it's not the case.    

Im noticing that from the real estate listings. Ill need to  narrow down a bit based on work opportunity and lifestyle and then research homes. A friend lives in Warriewood NSW that looks lovely (google maps and street view).

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Thank you all for your messages. There are some really interesting points of view here that have been very helpful.

I think we will book a trip sharpish and start the convos with family.  Just waiting on the other two agents to reply so can compare opinions and costs. 

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On Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 14:04, LKC said:

I never felt that in Aus.  Sure, we had a pool, but we could only use it from late November to March, and had to maintain it year round.  We were a short drive from the beach, but we never went because it wasn't something we enjoyed, and we were always too busy with work/school/other things anyway.  I don't miss those things at all.  Our lifestyle was the same as it would be anywhere.  Housework still needed to be done, we still had to go to work and school, and there was still the same amount of down time which was often filled with house maintenance etc (actually a bit less, because OH worked longer hours and had a longer commute).

We are going to Greece in July, and I am very much looking forwards to that because it will be different, and it will be a holiday from the every day stuff.

If you didn't like the beach much in Aus why go to Greece? It's hot and the beaches are the best place to be.

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2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

It depends where you are in the UK and where you are in Australia.   People in Sydney or Melbourne can't afford to buy a home now either.    People seem to assume they'll be able to afford more in Australia but it's not the case.    

Indeed.  I can't afford to live in the expensive parts of London, so no reason to expect I could in Sydney or Melbourne either, or Perth for that matter.

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There are plenty of affordable areas of Melbourne where you can buy a home for $450K or so.

People are still buying homes obviously just further out from the CBD.

Growing areas in the west such as Point Cook are still cheap.

The other alternative is an apartment in a more desirable area.

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26 minutes ago, Paul1Perth said:

If you didn't like the beach much in Aus why go to Greece? It's hot and the beaches are the best place to be.

I'm quite sure wherever they stay will have a pool.

On all my holidays, going right back to my teens, on a 7 - 10 day holiday in whatever country it happened to be, I may of gone to the beach once during the holiday (most times none at all)

Bit more to going away than sitting on a beach.

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Melbourne may be getting expensive but it isn't stopping people from coming here. 300 every day are arriving. No wonder it is getting crowded.

5 of the 10 fastest growing suburbs in Australia are in Melbourne, and it will only be a few years at this rate until we are bigger than Sydney.

Adelaide and Perth seem to be dead.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/melbourne-s-hyper-growth-continues-as-nation-s-east-coast-booms-20180424-p4zbcv.html

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-24/melbourne-sydney-brisbane-populations-soar-growth-drivers-differ/9693470

 

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