Teaching couple weighing up options… any insight appreciated!

[JJTeacher]

Hi there

I’m hoping some people may have an insight which may help us make a decision. We live in SE England and , particularly now with the cost of living crisis happening, things are very tight money wise for our family. 2x teachers salaries in our area is not sufficient now it seems. Nursery fees are huge, mortgage gone up, plus the normal increases in bills and food. Our salaries are not keeping up and don’t look like they will. Also as teachers we work so so hard and all the hours under the sun (including our holidays) and we are burnt out.

We have always loved the idea of emigrating to Aus but we don’t know where to begin. I’ve visited Melbourne, NSW coast and QLD but we don’t even know which state we’d like to live in. Planning a visit for this summer hols. 

 

I would love to know if any teachers particularly have any advice. Is the work life balance better or is that wishful thinking?! Is the salary/cost of living balance a bit more comfortable? And if so where would you recommend? I know Sydney for example is very very expensive. 

for background:
2 teachers, one secondary middle leader the other  regular class teacher
2 pre school kids 
We live in the south east where things (including housing) are almost as expensive as London. 
Some family members have moved to Aus in the last few years and seem to love it. Not teachers though

thanks for any insight!

[Tulip1]

I cannot help re the teacher part in any way.  The part about things going up in the UK well, you will find the same in Australia.  I have grown up children living there and their mortgage rates have gone up, their food costs have increased and so has their bills.  I have two young grandchildren there who go to day care (younger one about to start) and the day care fees are high.  I honestly don’t know how they compare to the UK ones but they sound quite eye watering to me. That’s not me putting you off the idea, defiantly not.  I love Australia and my kids love living out there.  Just wanted to touch on the cost side of things that you mention.  It may well be that teachers earn so much more and you will be better off, fingers crossed for you.  Hopefully someone will be along to help out re the work/life balance.  In terms of income, I’m no expert but my opinion would be an income of say £30k in the UK would be roughly the same as £45k equivalent in Australia as it’s more expensive there.  Both countries are the same in so far as cheap/expensive areas.  You could get much cheaper/more for your money in parts of Australia and you could get much cheaper in parts of the UK.  Best of luck.  

[Quoll]

First thing - will your teaching qualification allow you to teach in Australia? Here you have to have 4 years University based teacher training - so either a 4 year education degree or a bachelors plus PGCE. School based training doesn't count.  Can you get a visa? Some states have particular requirements for visas like you need a second language or a special Ed qualification or they are only taking secondary teachers because there's a glut of primary teachers or they only want you if you'll go remote. Then you have the dilemma that there are too many teachers applying for jobs in places that people actually want to live and plenty of vacancies in places that people don't really want to live. Some states have a requirement that you have to do rural/remote work before you can apply for the plum positions (government systems).  Teachers will tell you that it is tough going (because they always do) and I know more than a few teachers who have quit because they've got better offers elsewhere, offering them more stability of employment. If you're a secondary maths/science teacher though they'd probably bite off their arm to get you. 

Cost of living here is going up rapidly just like in UK and in many places you've needed to be a double income family to make ends meet for a long time. Fortunately I don't have a mortgage but house prices seem somewhat eye watering to me though Canberra is right up there on house prices with the other major cities. The thought of a million dollar mortgage for a very ordinary place like mine fills me with horror! 

It's just another first world country with the same issues besetting all other first world countries at the moment although we do generally tend to lag UK by a few years. If you want an adventure, go for it. 

[JJTeacher]

Thank you for your comments. I expected that the cost of living would be going up too which is making me think twice. I guess it depends where but where we live 2 teachers is just not really doable for a comfortable existence. Such a shame as we both like the job (minus all the paperwork)! Some people have said to me (not teachers actually there I might add haha!) that the salaries are considerably higher so may be a better standard of living in aus. I don’t know anyone in real life to ask!

I understand that we would be eligible as my husband is secondary geog and I am early childhood. We both have 4 years study yes. I wasn’t aware some states have language requirements or rural working requirements so I’ll look into that, thanks. 
 

We are not desperate to live in a major city, just a nice suburb with some stuff going on for the kids etc . Part of the problem is it’s really hard knowing where to focus our search! 

[Waz05]

We are going through this process so here is my take based on my experience so far. By no means an expert so just my thoughts.

I would start with Skilled occupation list

Step 1 - Check if your occupation is on Skills list - https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list 

Step 2 - Do some research on type of visa available for your occupation, (pros- and cons), points required and etc

Step 3 - You need to look at your budget (it's expensive process), you should budget between £6-8k for application process alone. Then there is relocation and setting things up for long run (start planning).

Step 4 - Either go it alone or hire a migration agent who can guide you through the process.  

Step 5 - Depending on the visa you will more then likely required to do English test (IELT or Pearson). Start prepping, not as easy as some people think. 

Step 6 - Get all your documentation (passports, birth certificates, degree, CV, references, driving licences, degree certificates, passport photo's and etc ) scanned and ready (earlier you start the better it is).

Step 7 - Once the above are in place you will be ready to to go through visa steps (again the steps are heavily dependant on type of visa, above is based on 491 is regional skills visa ).

Hope this helps. 

[Blue Flu]

My advice would be to do your research on the matter. I only know WA conditions for teachers and a lot of dissent over conditions are being expressed. We had protests outside Parliament House a few months back over pay and general conditions. Safety of teachers has also been an issue with increasing threatening and/or violent behaviour. 

Life is expensive out here. Similar conditions prevail in many areas. Obviously people are not freezing in their homes and warmer weather does help keep costs down , but don't underestimate the cost of living out here. Rentals are hard to find in all states from what I hear, but definitely in WA. 

As you have family members already over here you will have some insight, although one's own conclusion may differ to an extent. The suburban lifestyle may not suit all , depending on location of course. 

We have a lot of issues going down that are not being addressed of which I have discussed in other posts. But few seem to want to address this  The pay will be better than UK , but as mentioned the cost of living is high. 

The ideal situation would be to try and come over for a year as an exchange teacher (do they still do this?) and discover for yourself where is preferable to be. 

[Marisawright]

10 hours ago, JJTeacher said:

I would love to know if any teachers particularly have any advice. Is the work life balance better or is that wishful thinking?! Is the salary/cost of living balance a bit more comfortable? And if so where would you recommend? I know Sydney for example is very very expensive. 

Ex-wife of teacher here.  Teachers here complain about pay and conditions just as much as the UK, and there are teachers leaving the profession too.  However on the whole, I think they're better off than UK teachers.  

I don't think work/life balance is any better. The difference, IF you choose your location carefully, is what you can do with the free time you have. Go to most of the capital cities and it won't be that different from where you are now. As teachers, you'll be living in the outer burbs with a long commute, which will eat up your time.  However, since you're both teachers, you don't have to stick to the capital cities.  In the regional cities, you stand more chance of living closer to the beach and having a more laidback lifestyle.  

Your first step is to check which states are sponsoring teachers.  If NSW is, then I'd recommend looking at Newcastle, which is a burgeoning city with gorgeous beaches on the doorstep, but the housing is half the price of Sydney.  If you're happy with a town rather than a city, you have lots of choices up and down the NSW coast.  In Queensland, I'd suggest Sunshine Coast (further north starts to get very hot, think Egypt heat not Benidorm heat).  

In Western Australia, I wouldn't look beyond Perth.  Perth is popular with young families. My only reservation is that it's a long way from the rest of Australia.  Let's say you decide to move there. You make the move, get settled, then decide it's not quite right for you.   It's going to cost you almost as much to move your belongings from Perth to NSW as it did to move them from the UK to Perth. Whereas if you choose SA, Victoria, NSW or Queensland, it's relatively easy and cheap to move between states if you didn't get it right first time (which is not uncommon). 

Edited January 24, 2023 by Marisawright

[Ausvisitor]

The reality is that teachers are paid a little better here in Australia (not much), but the cost of living is way higher than the UK so it gets eaten up pretty quickly. Overall I'd say the salary to price of living equation works out roughly equal.

Housing is no cheaper over here, in fact of you want to live in Melbourne or Sydney it will be more than you are spending now (I guess as teachers you aren't limited to the cities but who moves around the world to live in nowheresville)

If you are doing this to save cash can I suggest Cumbria, Staffordshire or Teesside all in the UK all much cheaper places than the south of England

Just as an aside I don't think you can really say "we can't afford to live on our salaries" in one breath and then say "we'll go on a £10k+ holiday" in the next. The two don't really align...

 

[Marisawright]

55 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

Housing is no cheaper over here, in fact of you want to live in Melbourne or Sydney it will be more than you are spending now (I guess as teachers you aren't limited to the cities but who moves around the world to live in nowheresville)

I think there's a few Aussies who'll be offended at the suggestion the whole of the rest of Australia is "nowheresville".  

In reality, people choosing Sydney or Melbourne are getting an experience of a big modern city, which they could get anywhere else in the world.  Why bother moving, in that case.  The rest of Australia is where the real Australia is. 

I say that as someone who has chosen to live in both Sydney and Melbourne because I love big-city living.  However, most migrants seem to be looking forward to a laidback lifestyle, and beachside living. Sydney and Melbourne are just as much of a rat-race as London, and beachside living is beyond most people's pockets in those cities. So I 'd say most migrants would find life outside those two cities more to their liking.

[calNgary]

On 24/01/2023 at 06:08, JJTeacher said:

. I wasn’t aware some states have language requirements or rural working requirements so I’ll look into that, thanks. 
 

We are not desperate to live in a major city, just a nice suburb with some stuff going on for the kids etc . Part of the problem is it’s really hard knowing where to focus our search! 

I think you maybe talking about the Regional visa's here, if so take a look at the post code list https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/working-in-australia/skill-occupation-list/regional-postcodes

A lot of these areas are not rural, there are some popular suburbs on the Sunny Coast and Gold Coast in QLD and many in between on the list. A lot of people think if they go to a Regional area they will be miles from anywhere and thats so far off the mark. Property prices do tend to be a tad less than the city so it can be a win ,win situation. 

The list covers all States, so you can see for yourself areas listed in a State you think you may like.

    Cal x

[Blue Flu]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I think there's a few Aussies who'll be offended at the suggestion the whole of the rest of Australia is "nowheresville".  

In reality, people choosing Sydney or Melbourne are getting an experience of a big modern city, which they could get anywhere else in the world.  Why bother moving, in that case.  The rest of Australia is where the real Australia is. 

I say that as someone who has chosen to live in both Sydney and Melbourne because I love big-city living.  However, most migrants seem to be looking forward to a laidback lifestyle, and beachside living. Sydney and Melbourne are just as much of a rat-race as London, and beachside living is beyond most people's pockets in those cities. So I 'd say most migrants would find life outside those two cities more to their liking.

Well if a former Australian PM can term anyone not living in Sydney is camping out, then perhaps not.   With teaching, isn't there a good chance newly arrived could end up in remote locations? Not entirely suitable to many, if not most. Some positions in remote towns having been found to be even dangerous. 

While the bigger cities and some towns may prove very adequate for most , there are places that will prove very taxing for others.

The real Australia is a suburban existence in one of the city's for the overwhelming majority of the population. 

[ramot]

3 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

 (I guess as teachers you aren't limited to the cities but who moves around the world to live in nowheresville)

 

Perhaps  someone who hasn’t been in Australia long and only experienced living Sydney or Melbourne, is under the misconception that this is the only real Australia. 
Nothing wrong with liking big city living, but lots and lots of us know that you can prefer to live a a healthier and happy life away from the major capital cities, and even earn enough to have a great life.

I certainly don’t consider the Sunshine Coast where I have lived for 20 years, as ‘nowheresville’  yes Regional, but what a great place to live. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by ramot

[ramot]

1 hour ago, ramot said:

Perhaps  someone who hasn’t been in Australia long and only experienced living Sydney or Melbourne, is under the misconception that this is the only real Australia. 
Nothing wrong with liking big city living, but lots and lots of us know that you can prefer to live a a healthier and happy life away from the major capital cities, and even earn enough to have a great life.

I certainly don’t consider the Sunshine Coast where I have lived for 20 years, as ‘nowheresville’  yes Regional, but what a great place to live. 

To add to the above

Locally. Good hospital , University, good sports facilities, good schools, some with accelerated learning and sports classes, plus all the usual activities clubs eg scouts, girl guides, sports clubs, dance schools etc etc for children . 

Plus plenty for adults as well, most activities are well catered for here. You are only bored here if you want to be.

The Coast is pretty amazing as well.

Housing isn’t cheap, but unlikely a problem  if moving from SE England, 

Edited February 1, 2023 by ramot

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Well if a former Australian PM can term anyone not living in Sydney is camping out, then perhaps not. 

Ah well, but Paul Keating was a died-in-the-wool snob, in spite of being a Labor politician.   He was also a died-in-the-wool Sydneysider, and they are famous for being one-eyed about their fabulous city.   

I can say that, because I understand it to some extent. I started out in Sydney and for a very long time, I was convinced civilisation ended at Glebe (an inner-city suburb of Sydney).  It took me a long time to discover there were attractive places to live elsewhere in Australia.   I'm now in Melbourne, which most Sydneysiders regard as the pits:  although it lacks Sydney's stunning setting, it's actually a much easier place to live (much to my surprise).  

However it's just silly to think everyone wants to live in a major city.  Just as well there are people who don't, or half of England would be empty.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Marisawright

[Toots]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

Ah well, but Paul Keating was a died-in-the-wool snob, in spite of being a Labor politician.   He was also a died-in-the-wool Sydneysider, and they are famous for being one-eyed about their fabulous city.   

I can say that, because I understand it to some extent. I started out in Sydney and for a very long time, I was convinced civilisation ended at Glebe (an inner-city suburb of Sydney).  It took me a long time to discover there were attractive places to live elsewhere in Australia.   I'm now in Melbourne, which most Sydneysiders regard as the pits:  although it lacks Sydney's stunning setting, it's actually a much easier place to live (much to my surprise).  

However it's just silly to think everyone wants to live in a major city.  Just as well there are people who don't, or half of England would be empty.

I am one who didn't want  to live in a major city.  I was happy enough in Sydney for years, bringing up 2 boys, working full time and life was busy.  BUT as time went by and the boys were more or less independent I escaped to the country whenever I could.  Friends moved from Sydney to a property between Bathurst and Mudgee (NSW) - literally in the middle of nowhere.  (They are the friends who now live in Dover, Tas).  OH and I used to stay at their Mudgee/Bathurst property practically every 2nd weekend.  Loved it out there.  That's when we realised we would get out of Sydney when we retired and knew it would probably be to Tasmania.  I had been hankering to live here for years.

After visiting Melbourne a few times since moving to Tassie, I have to say I really enjoy the city.  It has a fair bit of character and even I who  hates shopping, enjoys mooching around in some very interesting little shops.

I have to add that all my friends and most of my relatives in the UK do not live in cities or towns.  They are all country bumpkins and perfectly happy.

[Blue Flu]

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Ah well, but Paul Keating was a died-in-the-wool snob, in spite of being a Labor politician.   He was also a died-in-the-wool Sydneysider, and they are famous for being one-eyed about their fabulous city.   

I can say that, because I understand it to some extent. I started out in Sydney and for a very long time, I was convinced civilisation ended at Glebe (an inner-city suburb of Sydney).  It took me a long time to discover there were attractive places to live elsewhere in Australia.   I'm now in Melbourne, which most Sydneysiders regard as the pits:  although it lacks Sydney's stunning setting, it's actually a much easier place to live (much to my surprise).  

However it's just silly to think everyone wants to live in a major city.  Just as well there are people who don't, or half of England would be empty.

Snobs are hardly rare in Australia when the surface is scratched a little. Sydney's stunning setting is immaterial to the vast majority that live in the burbs of course. Not a great city for night life either considering the reputation it has. But still the place the world knows if Australia is mentioned. 

 

I have never lived in either, but prefer Melbourne from numerous visits to both. As for other regional places, not sure a suitable option. Perhaps Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast? Cairns? I've thought about it and really hard to pick a regional alternative. Nothing remotely like living in a regional town in England of course , with so much close at hand. 

[Ausvisitor]

23 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I think there's a few Aussies who'll be offended at the suggestion the whole of the rest of Australia is "nowheresville".  

In reality, people choosing Sydney or Melbourne are getting an experience of a big modern city, which they could get anywhere else in the world.  Why bother moving, in that case.  The rest of Australia is where the real Australia is. 

I say that as someone who has chosen to live in both Sydney and Melbourne because I love big-city living.  However, most migrants seem to be looking forward to a laidback lifestyle, and beachside living. Sydney and Melbourne are just as much of a rat-race as London, and beachside living is beyond most people's pockets in those cities. So I 'd say most migrants would find life outside those two cities more to their liking.

I get your point, I was saying it from the point of someone who is a city dweller.

If I lived in London I'd say the same of wymeswold (which is lovely and very desirable but unless you really know your UK geography you just went "where's that..." and that's what I mean)

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I get your point, I was saying it from the point of someone who is a city dweller.

If I lived in London I'd say the same of wymeswold ....

But would you also say the same of Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York....?  

[Ken]

8 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I get your point, I was saying it from the point of someone who is a city dweller.

If I lived in London I'd say the same of wymeswold (which is lovely and very desirable but unless you really know your UK geography you just went "where's that..." and that's what I mean)

Wasn't Wymeswold a movie starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey?

[Ausvisitor]

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

But would you also say the same of Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York....?  

Maybe not, but all of those are bigger than any non capital city in Australia (and many capitals) so the comparison doesn't really stand

[Marisawright]

35 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

Maybe not, but all of those are bigger than any non capital city in Australia (and many capitals) so the comparison doesn't really stand

Really?  Did you check or are you just making assumptions?  

Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow are only around half a million people.  Similar in size to Canberra and Newcastle, for instance.  Whereas Brisbane and Perth are over 2 million and Adelaide is 1.4 million.  Only Darwin and Hobart could be classed as "small" capital cities and they're still a lot bigger than York.

York is only about 150,000, as are many other cities in the UK.  Plenty of non-capital cities in Australia of around that size.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Marisawright

[ramot]

12 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I get your point, I was saying it from the point of someone who is a city dweller.

If I lived in London I'd say the same of wymeswold (which is lovely and very desirable but unless you really know your UK geography you just went "where's that..." and that's what I mean)

I lived 11 minutes away from  Wymeswold, so didn’t have to know UK geography to know where it was.

[Ausvisitor]

6 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Really?  Did you check or are you just making assumptions?  

Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow are only around half a million people.  Similar in size to Canberra and Newcastle, for instance.  Whereas Brisbane and Perth are over 2 million and Adelaide is 1.4 million.  Only Darwin and Hobart could be classed as "small" capital cities and they're still a lot bigger than York.

York is only about 150,000, as are many other cities in the UK.  Plenty of non-capital cities in Australia of around that size.

Ok so you named a random set of cities in the UK. I suggested they were all bigger than any non-capitol city in Australia (noting the outlier of York).

I think even your own answer supports that assertion, so I'm not sure why you are making such a fuss about it.

The simple fact is someone living (like the OP) in the SE of England is used to being in a more dense area within spitting distance of the greatest city on the planet. With the greatest of respect Broken Hill or Wogga Wogga isn't going to cut it for most of them.

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Ausvisitor

[Ausvisitor]

3 hours ago, ramot said:

I lived 11 minutes away from  Wymeswold, so didn’t have to know UK geography to know where it was.

I used to live in wymeswold hence I was very aware even people in Loughborough (10 minutes away by car) don't even know it exist!

[ramot]

9 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I used to live in wymeswold hence I was very aware even people in Loughborough (10 minutes away by car) don't even know it exist!

We were near neighbours, I lived in Keyworth