Thoughts?

[michaelc17]

Hi guys, 

so I’m a qualified carpenter from the uk, making progress with the EOI now. It’s looking like I’ll only have enough points for the 190 visa which limits me to NSW or SA.

Trouble is I had my heart set on Brisbane and have always said I don’t fancy living in Sydney as it’s too expensive and too much of a rat race type lifestyle? 

Is Sydney really that bad? Is there any suburbs where you can have the best of both worlds with the laidback lifestyle but still accessible to work? 

Is there any way around the state nomination? What would stop me from going state nomination but going uk to Brisbane instead? 

Sorry for all the questions, all help is appreciated greatly.

cheers

[Quoll]

NSW is a bloody big state, it's not just Sydney so perhaps you might need to adjust your thinking. You could be up very close to Qld if you can find work, if that's the kind of climate you're after. Or you could go inland to places like Wagga, Dubbo, Tamworth or down to Albury. There's a lot of scope there and most of NSW is not big city suburbia. Think outside the capital cities. But I'm not sure there is anywhere with the "laid back lifestyle" - work is work and Aussies work long hours with fewer holidays and generally longer commutes.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Quoll

[VERYSTORMY]

First, Sydney isn't the only place in NSW. 

If the laid back lifestyle is what you want, be very sure it exists. I wouldn't say Oz is a laid back lifestyle more than anywhere else. Far from it given that on general people work more. 

Regarding getting NSW sponsorship and going to Brisbane, I would not recommend as states are now clamping down on this and they have the ability to claim visa fraud to the department which can result in visas being cancelled. 

[michaelc17]

Firstly I do realise NSW Isn’t just Sydney but was assuming this is where I’ll find work.

 

Secondly, I’ve perhaps used the wrong wording with “laidback lifestyle” I’m a hard worker and always will be. What I was probably trying to get at is the big smoke city Lifestyle that doesn’t appeal. 

Thanks anyway 

[Marisawright]

17 minutes ago, michaelc17 said:

Firstly I do realise NSW Isn’t just Sydney but was assuming this is where I’ll find work.

Secondly, I’ve perhaps used the wrong wording with “laidback lifestyle” I’m a hard worker and always will be. What I was probably trying to get at is the big smoke city Lifestyle that doesn’t appeal. 

Sydney is a "big smoke city".   If you've got plenty of money, then you can certainly have a laidback lifestyle with a nice house by the beach, in commutable distance to work - but it does take money.  The average Sydneysider lives at least an hour from the beach and faces a long daily commute on clogged roads.

There is no way around the state nomination but as a carpenter, I think you're being too pessimistic about finding work outside Sydney.  That's like saying, "I'm moving to the South of England so I'll have to work in London".    Newcastle is the second largest city and you should stand a good chance of work there - plus it's far more affordable, it's not a rat race and it's got even better beaches than Sydney (plus it's on the doorstep of the wineries).   

Edited May 7, 2019 by Marisawright

[michaelc17]

9 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Sydney is a "big smoke city".   If you've got plenty of money, then you can certainly have a laidback lifestyle with a nice house by the beach, in commutable distance to work - but it does take money.  The average Sydneysider lives at least an hour from the beach and faces a long daily commute on clogged roads.

There is no way around the state nomination but as a carpenter, I think you're being too pessimistic about finding work outside Sydney.  That's like saying, "I'm moving to the South of England so I'll have to work in London".    Newcastle is the second largest city and you should stand a good chance of work there - plus it's far more affordable, it's not a rat race and it's got even better beaches than Sydney (plus it's on the doorstep of the wineries).   

Thanks, I did have Newcastle in mind so maybe need to look into it further. 

I know there will be work for carpenters most places. But then the dollar won’t be as good as I’m the city. 

Suppose I just want my cake... and eat it  

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, michaelc17 said:

I know there will be work for carpenters most places. But then the dollar won’t be as good as I’m the city. 

Why do you think that?   Australia has workplace laws so the hourly rate for a carpenter in Newcastle would be much the same as the hourly rate in Sydney. 

If you're working for yourself and pricing your own jobs, then what you charge will depend on how much competition there is for jobs. It's true that Sydney is a bigger place, but then you've also got more competition.   You may even be able to charge more in a country town where there's a shortage of skilled labour.

Also remember that in Sydney, your living costs will be much higher so you'll have less in your pocket at the end of the day.  Renting (or buying) a place will cost you double in Sydney compared to some of the coastal towns, plus you'll be using a lot more petrol.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Marisawright

[JetBlast]

Why do you think that? 

Probably because he isn't a local and wouldn't know about these things...

[Paul1Perth]

4 hours ago, Quoll said:

NSW is a bloody big state, it's not just Sydney so perhaps you might need to adjust your thinking. You could be up very close to Qld if you can find work, if that's the kind of climate you're after. Or you could go inland to places like Wagga, Dubbo, Tamworth or down to Albury. There's a lot of scope there and most of NSW is not big city suburbia. Think outside the capital cities. But I'm not sure there is anywhere with the "laid back lifestyle" - work is work and Aussies work long hours with fewer holidays and generally longer commutes.

There's plenty of places with a laid back lifestyle. The guys a carpenter and if he goes self employed he can choose his hours of work and when he can take holidays. It's the time you're not at work that you can make the most of in Australia.

If you live near the coast it can be brilliant.

Sydney is great if you can afford to live there. Manly is fantastic as are many of the beachside suburbs. 

[michaelc17]

1 hour ago, Paul1Perth said:

There's plenty of places with a laid back lifestyle. The guys a carpenter and if he goes self employed he can choose his hours of work and when he can take holidays. It's the time you're not at work that you can make the most of in Australia.

If you live near the coast it can be brilliant.

Sydney is great if you can afford to live there. Manly is fantastic as are many of the beachside suburbs. 

Thanks mate.

A bit of sound advice is what I was after rather than picking holes in everything. Cheers 

[DukeNinja]

2 hours ago, michaelc17 said:

Thanks mate.

A bit of sound advice is what I was after rather than picking holes in everything. Cheers 

Move to Tweed Heads. 

[michaelc17]

6 minutes ago, DukeNinja said:

Move to Tweed Heads. 

That puts it into perspective how big NSW really is! Madness. I’ve done a road trip up the coast from Sydney to Byron stopping off at different spots along the way. 

But seeing it on a map how far up it goes definitely opens the eyes 

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, michaelc17 said:

Thanks mate.

A bit of sound advice is what I was after rather than picking holes in everything. Cheers 

I don't think people are picking holes.  They're just pointing out that Sydney is bloody expensive and it's also a very materialistic city, where everyone is focussed on buying a bigger car and a fancier house. 

Paul is right to say that if you can find the right town, you can have a laidback lifestyle - and if you work for yourself, whether it's as a carpenter or a software engineer, you can pick your own hours and make the most of that lifestyle.  But that's not likely to happen in Sydney because you'll be working all hours to pay the rent (or the mortgage). 

I'd say you're lucky being a carpenter, because if you were an IT nerd, you'd stand no chance of finding work in a seaside haven like Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie - but you could. It might be a bit harder to get started but the lifestyle would be as laidback as you could possibly wish for!

The coast of NSW is over 1,300 kilometres from top to bottom...

Edited May 7, 2019 by Marisawright

[michaelc17]

22 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I don't think people are picking holes.  They're just pointing out that Sydney is bloody expensive and it's also a very materialistic city, where everyone is focussed on buying a bigger car and a fancier house. 

Paul is right to say that if you can find the right town, you can have a laidback lifestyle - and if you work for yourself, whether it's as a carpenter or a software engineer, you can pick your own hours and make the most of that lifestyle.  But that's not likely to happen in Sydney because you'll be working all hours to pay the rent (or the mortgage). 

I'd say you're lucky being a carpenter, because if you were an IT nerd, you'd stand no chance of finding work in a seaside haven like Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie - but you could. It might be a bit harder to get started but the lifestyle would be as laidback as you could possibly wish for!

The coast of NSW is over 1,300 kilometres from top to bottom...

 

Thanks, it’s all about striking a balance really. 

Would just rather stay away from the hustle and bustle as much as possible when not working. 

A lot of studying to be done and decisions to be made. 

[Marisawright]

3 minutes ago, michaelc17 said:

 

Thanks, it’s all about striking a balance really. 

Would just rather stay away from the hustle and bustle as much as possible when not working. 

That's difficult to do in Sydney unless you're prepared for a very long commute.  And you'd probably be commuting from inland, nowhere near a beach.

If you feel more comfortable in a large city, then go for Newcastle, or the mining towns inland from there.  You said you were hankering for Brisbane, and if that's the case then give Tweed Heads a look - you'll be almost there.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Marisawright

[Paul1Perth]

19 hours ago, michaelc17 said:

Thanks mate.

A bit of sound advice is what I was after rather than picking holes in everything. Cheers 

There's a lot of people on this site that came to Aus and have gone back to the UK for one reason or another. Some had bad experiences and some it just didn't gel and they didn't like it. They will always tell you the downside.

We've been here nearly 30 years and it's been everything we dreamed it would be.

We had a very good idea of what we wanted from the move though. Obviously we like warmer weather and the Perth climate suits us perfectly. We also wanted to be near a beach where we imagined we would spend a lot of time. Even in 92 that meant coming to Perth or Adelaide to be able to afford something close. We picked Perth against all advice from employment agencies. No jobs,  middle of a recession and we still came here.

Not saying it was easy as I was out of work 5 months but my wife is a nurse, had a job in a couple of weeks and kept us going.

After the first job never been out of work since.

Living the dream mate. Spend as much time down the beach, with friends with the same mindset, as when we first came.

We didn't come to further our careers but to have a good time.

Good luck

[Paul1Perth]

17 hours ago, michaelc17 said:

That puts it into perspective how big NSW really is! Madness. I’ve done a road trip up the coast from Sydney to Byron stopping off at different spots along the way. 

But seeing it on a map how far up it goes definitely opens the eyes 

Isn't there some fantastic spots too

 

[DukeNinja]

On 08/05/2019 at 15:44, Paul1Perth said:

 

We didn't come to further our careers but to have a good time.

Amen to that dose of reality!

[michaelc17]

On 08/05/2019 at 06:45, Paul1Perth said:

Isn't there some fantastic spots too

 

Brilliant mate stopped of at Forster, coffee harbour and a few other spots along the way.

Camped in a national park right on the beach. There was a storm and seeing it roll in from the sea was some sight. Loved the storms!