Cost of moving to Oz

[SWMOY04]

On 13/09/2020 at 11:47, Marisawright said:

Well, even Wanted Down Under mentions that about half of all migrants end up going home (it's a statistic that's difficult to check BTW so not sure if it's accurate).  

Have you checked whether you would, in fact, be earning higher salaries?  I've never heard of anyone getting double their UK salary or anywhere close to it, after taking into account the cost of housing/living.   For many occupations, it works out much the same, and you just have to accept those initial costs are the price you pay for the lifestyle you prefer.  I have no idea how social work pay compares but perhaps someone else can advise. 

Work/life balance - I don't know why people quote this so often. You'll be working the same hours as you do in the UK (office hours in Australia now are often 8.30 to 5.30, and everyone gets 4 weeks leave and 10 days paid sick leave). Employers are no more laid-back in their attitudes than in the UK.  So, the balance will be much the same - the only difference is how you spend your free time.  If you're able to get a job in a coastal city away from the capitals, you may be able to afford a home near the beach - in the capitals, beachside real estate is for the wealthy.  Home and Away is filmed in a part of Sydney where homes cost several million each.

Comparing apples for apples in Psychiatric nursing... I am actually earning about 2.3 times what I would have earned in the UK. 

 

I only managed to earn more in the UK by taking on higher band nursing jobs on Agency contracts... 

And now I do a job that even a nurse with 6 months qualification can do in the UK for significantly more money than U was earning upon leaving... (Not 2.4...but definately more)

I work less hours here in the sense that I hardly ever do overtime and in fact half the year I work 0.8hrs. and still earn more. 

If I go up a grade I actually lose money here in Aus...whereas in NHS the higher the grade the higher the income. 

Work life balance is probably less so about the hours but more of the state of mind one is in when not at work. 

 

In my situation, Australia takes the win by a very wide margin

[Marisawright]

6 minutes ago, SWMOY04 said:

Comparing apples for apples in Psychiatric nursing... I am actually earning about 2.3 times what I would have earned in the UK. 

 

I only managed to earn more in the UK by taking on higher band nursing jobs on Agency contracts... 

And now I do a job that even a nurse with 6 months qualification can do in the UK for significantly more money than U was earning upon leaving... (Not 2.4...but definately more)

I work less hours here in the sense that I hardly ever do overtime and in fact half the year I work 0.8hrs. and still earn more. 

If I go up a grade I actually lose money here in Aus...whereas in NHS the higher the grade the higher the income. 

Work life balance is probably less so about the hours but more of the state of mind one is in when not at work. 

 

In my situation, Australia takes the win by a very wide margin

Good to hear that you’re paid so much better in Oz. However it’s important to note that not all jobs are higher paid in Australia. It varies a lot. Likewise hours of work - in the corporate world, for instance, office hours are generally longer in Australia 

[SWMOY04]

3 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Good to hear that you’re paid so much better in Oz. However it’s important to note that not all jobs are higher paid in Australia. It varies a lot. Likewise hours of work - in the corporate world, for instance, office hours are generally longer in Australia 

This is very true Marisa! 

Hence I specified what my field is... I think Social Workers get paid more in UK... Only because I know a social worker and when we were in the UK, we used to compare incomes at tax times to see where we could save... Here, he isnt that impressed and he is having to work in Child protection due to burnout rates and job availability. 

The culture/legislation/work practice is also apparently more frustrating here... To be honest, J found the same in nursing too... But since switching NHS out of my mind and adopting an Aussie mindset, I'm ok. My mate meanwhile, not so much. 

Nurses see a bigger income change, mostly due to shortages and big push for increaments at EBA time...

Though I haven't looked at the full ins and outs, I would doubt that a social worker could double their income by moving to Oz

[Ferrets]

On FX rates more than 2.2x in accounting.  Cost of living is about 1.5x, so overall a win, but I am in Qld.

Working hours vs Europe is +20%.

Overall though the right mix for us.

[SWMOY04]

also... 

This Handy Little Comparison Website is brilliant for comparing your current City/town with prospective towns for the other elements we may not have discussed here. 

It proved quite helpful for us when we were deciding on which city to move to based on job offers and cost of living... Though we still picked a costlier city, it was for other non-financial reasons. 

 

23 hours ago, SWMOY04 said:

 

[Marisawright]

19 hours ago, Ferrets said:

Working hours vs Europe is +20%.

This is the bit that a lot of people miss when they talk about a "more laidback lifestyle".  It may be more laidback when you are not at work, however in many professions, you will be at work for longer every day.  If you are in Sydney or Melbourne and can't afford expensive inner-city housing, you will need to add a long commute to those hours, too.   However like I said, it varies by occupation so it's important to compare with someone in the same type of work.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Marisawright

[DukeNinja]

As a radiographer, I earn 2.2x my salary, and the properties we're looking at are comparably 2.91x cheaper.

However, the workload is considerably more, and sick leave entitlement is considerably less when comparing public health here to the NHS.

The scanners here are open 6am-10pm, whereas it's more like 7am-8pm in the UK.

Edited October 4, 2020 by DukeNinja

[Amber Snowball]

1 hour ago, DukeNinja said:

As a radiographer, I earn 2.2x my salary, and the properties we're looking at are comparably 2.91x cheaper.

However, the workload is considerably more, and sick leave entitlement is considerably less when comparing public health here to the NHS.

The scanners here are open 6am-10pm, whereas it's more like 7am-8pm in the UK.

The annual leave for allied health in Vic at least, is only 4 weeks as well. Nursing in public health is 5 weeks but 4 in the private sector. Or was when I was  there.  Just another thing to consider when used to the quite generous nhs leave. Flip side is the long service leave in Australia.

[Alan Collett]

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/sponsoring-workers/pmsol

Social Workers added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupations List (PMSOL) on Friday ...

Best regards.

[DrDougster]

Senior doctors earn over twice NHS salaries.

[Ausvisitor]

On 04/10/2020 at 05:07, Marisawright said:

This is the bit that a lot of people miss when they talk about a "more laidback lifestyle".  It may be more laidback when you are not at work, however in many professions, you will be at work for longer every day.  If you are in Sydney or Melbourne and can't afford expensive inner-city housing, you will need to add a long commute to those hours, too.   However like I said, it varies by occupation so it's important to compare with someone in the same type of work.

In my industry I doubt that would be the case, the average day here is 12 hours long for most of us and we only overlap our Aussie counterparts once if they stay late, if they were working longer hours than us we would overlap twice in a day and that never happens

As you say, it's not a hard and fast rule

[Jon the Hat]

15 hours ago, DrDougster said:

Senior doctors earn over twice NHS salaries.

To be fair a lot of senior doctors in the UK earn over twice their NHS salaries!

[Jon the Hat]

My current best estimate for moving costs is well over £40k including the selling the house which we wouldn't be doing unless we were moving.  Even that is probably under called because I haven't bothered estimating the ad-hoc stuff when we arrive - probably another £5k.  All based on 3 months total without income.

[Lavers]

2 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

My current best estimate for moving costs is well over £40k including the selling the house which we wouldn't be doing unless we were moving.  Even that is probably under called because I haven't bothered estimating the ad-hoc stuff when we arrive - probably another £5k.  All based on 3 months total without income.

That's it, your biggest cost will be dependent on how long you are out of work.

If you find work straight away then you can half your 40k.

[Lavers]

Theres 1 big advantage in Aus which makes up for your shorter annual leave, and that is your long service leave(if you make it).

Did 22 years at my company in the UK and got no extra benefits.

[Marisawright]

31 minutes ago, Lavers said:

Theres 1 big advantage in Aus which makes up for your shorter annual leave, and that is your long service leave(if you make it).

Did 22 years at my company in the UK and got no extra benefits.

I never got close to earning long service leave in over 30 years working in Oz. I don’t know many people who do get it. Sticking in one job long enough is rare in corporate life 

[Tulip1]

3 hours ago, Lavers said:

Theres 1 big advantage in Aus which makes up for your shorter annual leave, and that is your long service leave(if you make it).

Did 22 years at my company in the UK and got no extra benefits.

I don’t think many last long enough to get that long service leave but it’s generous if they do.  I’ve always been surprised at how little most get in Australia, 20 days a year seems the normal there. I get 27 days and feel hard done by.  

Edited December 4, 2020 by Tulip1

[NickyNook]

10 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

I think few last long enough to get that long service leave. I’m sure most would prefer more holiday from the start. I’ve always been surprised at how little most get in Australia, 20 days a year seems the normal there. I get 27 days and feel hard done by. 

While you do have to work somewhere for 10 years to be able to actually take LSL, you usually only have to work somewhere for five years to get paid out accumulated LSL when you leave a company. I've collected it a few times in my working life.

[Marisawright]

13 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

In my industry I doubt that would be the case, the average day here is 12 hours long for most of us and we only overlap our Aussie counterparts once if they stay late, if they were working longer hours than us we would overlap twice in a day and that never happens

As you say, it's not a hard and fast rule

I doubt it would be legal to work longer than 12 hours in one shift.

[Marisawright]

47 minutes ago, NickyNook said:

While you do have to work somewhere for 10 years to be able to actually take LSL, you usually only have to work somewhere for five years to get paid out accumulated LSL when you leave a company. I've collected it a few times in my working life.

It varies according to the state you live in and the Award you're under.  In all the jobs I worked in (in NSW in corporate jobs), you had to work 10 years to get paid out your accumulated LSL.  The only way you'd get it earlier was if you got retrenched. 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Marisawright

[Tulip1]

6 hours ago, NickyNook said:

While you do have to work somewhere for 10 years to be able to actually take LSL, you usually only have to work somewhere for five years to get paid out accumulated LSL when you leave a company. I've collected it a few times in my working life.

That’s a nice bonus to get. I reckon most people would still prefer than extra weeks holiday every year.  Some employers (mine included) allow you to buy or sell one weeks holiday each year. A few people sell a week back but it’s only the ones that are really skint because that five days holiday pay means they can pay for a holiday which they’d otherwise not have and it still leaves them 22 days.  Far more people buy an extra week which shows time off is important to people. 

Edited December 5, 2020 by Tulip1

[Parley]

10 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I never got close to earning long service leave in over 30 years working in Oz. I don’t know many people who do get it. Sticking in one job long enough is rare in corporate life 

It is easier than ever now. Paid pro rata after about 10 years.

[Toots]

7 hours ago, Tulip1 said:

I don’t think many last long enough to get that long service leave but it’s generous if they do.  I’ve always been surprised at how little most get in Australia, 20 days a year seems the normal there. I get 27 days and feel hard done by.  

i was lucky enough to get two LSL's.  I worked for the same company for over 20 years.  The last 2 months I had of LSL really made me think about retirement.  I was prepared to work until I was 65 but two good friends died of cancer before they reached retirement age and my brother to whom I was very close died suddenly also before he retired.  I decided having a life was more important than work.  Also because I worked quite a bit of overtime when exams were being prepared then marked, I chose to have the hours I worked accumulated rather then paid so I usually ended up with nearly 2 weeks extra leave a year.

[Parley]

My employer had LSL of 3 months after 15 years and another 3 months at 20 years.

[Ausvisitor]

20 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I doubt it would be legal to work longer than 12 hours in one shift.

And yet everyone in the company pretty much does that or they get "engineered out" over time.

That's the joy of multi national consulting companies for you. The hours are brutal (of course you are only contracted for 40 hours but you agree to work a "professional week" which means whatever it takes to do what is needed". Totally legal and totally normal