Monthly outgoings (Brisbane area).

[Cheery Thistle]

2 minutes ago, bluequay said:

@Cheery Thistle I think it's more of a thing in Australia than in the UK the same way health insurance is more common. You can even get a tax deduction for the premiums.

I’ll explore it too. Hoping all will be OK but you never know. As long as it’s not prohibitively expensive. 

[Simontucks]

3 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

I’m not an expert in Aussie mortgages but having looked at this (i’ll be 44 when we move and hubby 52), they will give you a mortgage but will look for an ‘exit’ for when you stop earning. For example are you going to sell/downsize, do you have other assets you could sell to pay mortgage off etc. 
 

We have a bit more behind us than you and are also used to higher outgoings than you currently have so it’s not quite as big a jump. However, we are considering buying a queenslander with rumpus area underneath that we could potentially Airbnb (subject to approvals/licences etc) to provide an extra side income to potentially pay extra towards mortgage. You need to think outside the box and maybe be willing to do things that others aren’t in order to make it work? Is something like that an option? We are kind of calculated risk takers and both of the same mindset which helps a lot. 

If I was you I’d try to knock some doors re: mortgages/super etc before you go - a little bit of financial literacy will go a long way before you move (and when you land). 
 

@bluequay is income protection really a thing? Even for self employed people here in the UK it’s kind of deemed not worth the paper it’s printed on! 
 

@Simontucks regarding your brother, I do get it to an extent but if the shoe was on the other foot would you support him? It’s the biggest move you’ll ever make and you need to leverage every contact you have to your maximum advantage!! You’ve never all been abroad together? My God I could probably finance a small African state on what we’ve spent on travel in the past 10 years lol or current mortgage could certainly be paid off! But you only live once and we wanted to see/experience things while we were still young enough. Get your girls out there, their lives are just about to take off! Whoop! 

 

I had been told about income protection so that would be a definite.

I have asked a many questions regarding mortgages but it's so hard getting answers with no guarantee on incomes.

Take mine,I'm a decorator. Wherever Ive looked the common thought is $80.000-$100.000 salary annually. I've been looking at all the decorating jobs on seek and other sites,the wages are $35-$45 hourly. Say I get top end $45,that's roughly $75.000 gross.where the extra $5.000-$25.000  is I don't know.

I'll be honest ,very close to pulling the plug now,maybe for the best

[BendigoBoy]

8 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

It was all going well until the music stopped suddenly at ‘cottage in the middle of nowhere’ lolol

Makes it easier to dispose of the bodies, dude.

[bluequay]

14 minutes ago, Simontucks said:

I had been told about income protection so that would be a definite.

I have asked a many questions regarding mortgages but it's so hard getting answers with no guarantee on incomes.

Take mine,I'm a decorator. Wherever Ive looked the common thought is $80.000-$100.000 salary annually. I've been looking at all the decorating jobs on seek and other sites,the wages are $35-$45 hourly. Say I get top end $45,that's roughly $75.000 gross.where the extra $5.000-$25.000  is I don't know.

I'll be honest ,very close to pulling the plug now,maybe for the best

Rather than pulling the plug, Why doesn't one of you head over there and try and get a job? If you have something tangible to move to it will give you a lot more security.

Edited February 14 by bluequay

[Marisawright]

14 hours ago, Simontucks said:

.the move doesn't really bother me,I just want to give my daughter's the best start I can and the UK ATM is definitely not the place to be.

Is that the only reason you're moving?  In that case, I'm worried.   If both you and your wife were really keen to move to Australia for whatever reason, then I'd say, money isn't the most important thing in the world.  You will be financially worse off for a while, but you'll manage, and if Australia is where you really want to be, that's what really matters. 

But if you aren't wholeheartedly committed to the move and excited about it?  Then I agree with Bluequay.   Don't move as a family.  You go over on your own, stay with your brother and try and get your business up and running.  Give it six months (or more if you need to).  Then you'll know for sure what your income will be.  Go and actually look at houses to see what you can afford.  Discover what life is really like in Australia when you're actually living there, which is nothing like when you're on holiday. 

Sure, it will be hard to be separated from your family, but isn't that better than uprooting the whole family, disrupting your daughters' education, then finding you've made a dreadful mistake?  

Look at it this way.  It's going to cost you a lot of money in air fares, shipping, buying new furniture, getting set up in a new home, etc etc.  You have an idea how much bigger a mortgage you'll have to carry if you move.  You have an idea how big a dent that's going to make in your life savings.    Thirty years ago when people migrated, the wages were so good and the houses so much cheaper, you could get your head down, work hard and within a few years, you'd have earned that money back, and then it was all jam from there. Nowadays, with the cost of housing, many migrants take years and years to build up their life savings again.  But of course, if Australia is where they always wanted to be, they feel it was worth the sacrifice.  I'm not sure you will feel that way.

Iif you're only moving to give your daughters a 'better start', then I recommend thinking about what, exactly, you mean by that.  Will they get a better education in Australia while they're still at school?  @InnerVoice might be able to answer that for you.  If they want to do university or college, they'll find their choices far more limited in Australia than they are in the UK, just because our population is so much smaller.  I don't know how the fees for further education compare -- I've been Googling and all the information is for international students, not local ones. If that's an issue it would be worth checking.  

I'm guessing that's not what you're thinking about, you're thinking about when they're adults.  Did you know that more than half of all young Australians (age 18 to 29) still live with their parents? Over 70% of young Australians think they may never own their own home.  Young Aussies have a great lifestyle but it's questionable whether they're any more financially secure. 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/more-than-70-percent-of-young-people-believe-they-ll-never-be-able-to-buy-a-home-20230223-p5cn01.html

I'm sure Cheery will come along to berate me for being a negative Nellie, but in your shoes, I'd be going over on your own and establishing a safe foundation for your family before you send for them (though do remember, you must all visit Australia within a year of being granted your visas, or you'll lose them). 

If that idea doesn't work for you, then I'd say, stay where you are.  All of you head over for a holiday with your brother before your deadline, to activate your visas.  Then forget about it and get on with life.   When they're older, both your daughters will be able to come to Australia on a WHV (working holiday visa) for 2 or 3 years and after that, would very likely be able to reactivate their PR visa and stay if they decide Australia gives them a better life.  Which they might, or they might not.  My niece came on a WHV and loved it, so much she was desperate to migrate.  Then later on when she was posted here for work by  her company, she realised that ordinary working life was a bit different, and that she preferred the UK in the long term. 

[Simontucks]

34 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Is that the only reason you're moving?  In that case, I'm worried.   If both you and your wife were really keen to move to Australia for whatever reason, then I'd say, money isn't the most important thing in the world.  You will be financially worse off for a while, but you'll manage, and if Australia is where you really want to be, that's what really matters. 

But if you aren't wholeheartedly committed to the move and excited about it?  Then I agree with Bluequay.   Don't move as a family.  You go over on your own, stay with your brother and try and get your business up and running.  Give it six months (or more if you need to).  Then you'll know for sure what your income will be.  Go and actually look at houses to see what you can afford.  Discover what life is really like in Australia when you're actually living there, which is nothing like when you're on holiday. 

Sure, it will be hard to be separated from your family, but isn't that better than uprooting the whole family, disrupting your daughters' education, then finding you've made a dreadful mistake?  

Look at it this way.  It's going to cost you a lot of money in air fares, shipping, buying new furniture, getting set up in a new home, etc etc.  You have an idea how much bigger a mortgage you'll have to carry if you move.  You have an idea how big a dent that's going to make in your life savings.    Thirty years ago when people migrated, the wages were so good and the houses so much cheaper, you could get your head down, work hard and within a few years, you'd have earned that money back, and then it was all jam from there. Nowadays, with the cost of housing, many migrants take years and years to build up their life savings again.  But of course, if Australia is where they always wanted to be, they feel it was worth the sacrifice.  I'm not sure you will feel that way.

Iif you're only moving to give your daughters a 'better start', then I recommend thinking about what, exactly, you mean by that.  Will they get a better education in Australia while they're still at school?  @InnerVoice might be able to answer that for you.  If they want to do university or college, they'll find their choices far more limited in Australia than they are in the UK, just because our population is so much smaller.  I don't know how the fees for further education compare -- I've been Googling and all the information is for international students, not local ones. If that's an issue it would be worth checking.  

I'm guessing that's not what you're thinking about, you're thinking about when they're adults.  Did you know that more than half of all young Australians (age 18 to 29) still live with their parents? Over 70% of young Australians think they may never own their own home.  Young Aussies have a great lifestyle but it's questionable whether they're any more financially secure. 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/more-than-70-percent-of-young-people-believe-they-ll-never-be-able-to-buy-a-home-20230223-p5cn01.html

I'm sure Cheery will come along to berate me for being a negative Nellie, but in your shoes, I'd be going over on your own and establishing a safe foundation for your family before you send for them (though do remember, you must all visit Australia within a year of being granted your visas, or you'll lose them). 

If that idea doesn't work for you, then I'd say, stay where you are.  All of you head over for a holiday with your brother before your deadline, to activate your visas.  Then forget about it and get on with life.   When they're older, both your daughters will be able to come to Australia on a WHV (working holiday visa) for 2 or 3 years and after that, would very likely be able to reactivate their PR visa and stay if they decide Australia gives them a better life.  Which they might, or they might not.  My niece came on a WHV and loved it, so much she was desperate to migrate.  Then later on when she was posted here for work by  her company, she realised that ordinary working life was a bit different, and that she preferred the UK in the long term. 

33 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Is that the only reason you're moving?  In that case, I'm worried.   If both you and your wife were really keen to move to Australia for whatever reason, then I'd say, money isn't the most important thing in the world.  You will be financially worse off for a while, but you'll manage, and if Australia is where you really want to be, that's what really matters. 

But if you aren't wholeheartedly committed to the move and excited about it?  Then I agree with Bluequay.   Don't move as a family.  You go over on your own, stay with your brother and try and get your business up and running.  Give it six months (or more if you need to).  Then you'll know for sure what your income will be.  Go and actually look at houses to see what you can afford.  Discover what life is really like in Australia when you're actually living there, which is nothing like when you're on holiday. 

Sure, it will be hard to be separated from your family, but isn't that better than uprooting the whole family, disrupting your daughters' education, then finding you've made a dreadful mistake?  

Look at it this way.  It's going to cost you a lot of money in air fares, shipping, buying new furniture, getting set up in a new home, etc etc.  You have an idea how much bigger a mortgage you'll have to carry if you move.  You have an idea how big a dent that's going to make in your life savings.    Thirty years ago when people migrated, the wages were so good and the houses so much cheaper, you could get your head down, work hard and within a few years, you'd have earned that money back, and then it was all jam from there. Nowadays, with the cost of housing, many migrants take years and years to build up their life savings again.  But of course, if Australia is where they always wanted to be, they feel it was worth the sacrifice.  I'm not sure you will feel that way.

Iif you're only moving to give your daughters a 'better start', then I recommend thinking about what, exactly, you mean by that.  Will they get a better education in Australia while they're still at school?  @InnerVoice might be able to answer that for you.  If they want to do university or college, they'll find their choices far more limited in Australia than they are in the UK, just because our population is so much smaller.  I don't know how the fees for further education compare -- I've been Googling and all the information is for international students, not local ones. If that's an issue it would be worth checking.  

I'm guessing that's not what you're thinking about, you're thinking about when they're adults.  Did you know that more than half of all young Australians (age 18 to 29) still live with their parents? Over 70% of young Australians think they may never own their own home.  Young Aussies have a great lifestyle but it's questionable whether they're any more financially secure. 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/more-than-70-percent-of-young-people-believe-they-ll-never-be-able-to-buy-a-home-20230223-p5cn01.html

I'm sure Cheery will come along to berate me for being a negative Nellie, but in your shoes, I'd be going over on your own and establishing a safe foundation for your family before you send for them (though do remember, you must all visit Australia within a year of being granted your visas, or you'll lose them). 

If that idea doesn't work for you, then I'd say, stay where you are.  All of you head over for a holiday with your brother before your deadline, to activate your visas.  Then forget about it and get on with life.   When they're older, both your daughters will be able to come to Australia on a WHV (working holiday visa) for 2 or 3 years and after that, would very likely be able to reactivate their PR visa and stay if they decide Australia gives them a better life.  Which they might, or they might not.  My niece came on a WHV and loved it, so much she was desperate to migrate.  Then later on when she was posted here for work by  her company, she realised that ordinary working life was a bit different, and that she preferred the UK in the long term. 

Thanks for the reply. I was in Brisbane last April starting the ball rolling,I've been 6 times in total from playing rugby for 12 months 30 years ago to working on Brisbane for a period and the last time looking at a possible move in April and applying for our residency visas.i know working and living in Australia isn't the same as holidaying,I've done both

Activating our visa and returning to the UK isn't an option with the type of visa we have, resident return class 155,yes we lived there before 18 years ago but had to return for family reasons.(our agent has already looked into this)

Of course that is not the only reason we are moving,it's a big one yes.

Education.....having looked at the schools in the area,I can guarantee they will have a better education in Australia,you really have no idea how bad the schools are in our area.we have already budgeted for our eldest daughter to do a collage course,very expensive but as I say,we've budgeted for it.

Some good points though

 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Simontucks said:

Of course that is not the only reason we are moving,it's a big one yes.

No "of course" about it, we often get people moving "for the sake of the kids" when they're not really keen themselves, and it's a recipe for tears.

However you've reassured me.  Earlier in this thread you were ready to call it off, but when I've pretty much agreed with you, you've come back quick-smart with reasons why you should migrate.  That says to me that you're pretty determined to go ahead and that you're just having a wobble.  Good luck.

One more 'devil's advocate' suggestion -- have you considered moving elsewhere in the UK instead?

Edited February 15 by Marisawright

[InnerVoice]

15 hours ago, Simontucks said:

I had been told about income protection so that would be a definite.

I have asked a many questions regarding mortgages but it's so hard getting answers with no guarantee on incomes.

Take mine,I'm a decorator. Wherever Ive looked the common thought is $80.000-$100.000 salary annually. I've been looking at all the decorating jobs on seek and other sites, the wages are $35-$45 hourly. Say I get top end $45,that's roughly $75.000 gross.where the extra $5.000-$25.000  is I don't know.

I'll be honest ,very close to pulling the plug now,maybe for the best

My default position when people get the jitters is to say we tend to regret the things that we didn't do in life, more than the things we did. I think I said as much on one of your earlier posts. However, through this and previous posts, you have painted a very clear picture of your personal and financial circumstances. My gut feeling is that you are really going to struggle financially in Brisbane or S E Queensland on that kind of income, even with two of you working. Bear in mind to earn $80k/year you're going to need to be working 40 hours a week, every week, and never be ill, and that's somewhat unrealistic given that you might not always have work on, and the travelling time to get jobs etc. As @Cheery Thistle said, the general cost of living here isn't that much more expensive than in the UK (25% seems a fair estimate), and depending on your lifestyle it could be more or less the same, but your mortgage is going to be the real killer, and at 48 you're no spring chicken. Don't take that personally as I'm in my late fifties and I have a huge mortgage that won't be paid off until I'm 83, which clearly is never going to happen. Fortunately, there's only my wife and I to consider, so we'll downsize when the time is right and hopefully we'll have enough equity in our current home to be mortgage-free.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say I think you should pull the plug on your house sale until you've got all your ducks in a row. As both @Marisawright and @bluequay have suggested, coming over on your own initially and trying to get yourself established is going to be a far more sensible approach. After a few months work you're also going to have a more realistic idea of your annual income, and how that aligns to living expenses and what you can actually afford. The other option is ignoring Brisbane completely, and look to establish yourself in regional coastal Queensland. Property prices in places like Hervey Bay, Mackay, and Cairns are much lower than in SEQ, and you can still have a fantastic lifestyle there too.

With regards to standards of education in Queensland (I've taught here for over a decade), I can say with hand on heart that your daughters will receive a much broader education in the UK state school system than they will here. There's a reason why so many Aussies send their kids to private school, but then that's going to be another expense you'll to have to consider.

Sorry, I don't want to come across as a doom-monger either, but I think in your case it's more than a wobble. I reckon you're pretty much feeling like you're on the edge of a precipice.

[InnerVoice]

On 14/02/2024 at 09:36, Cheery Thistle said:

Really not sure on car insurance - does rego cover that?

 

On 14/02/2024 at 09:41, BendigoBoy said:

Rego will cover compulsory third party in Queensland.  

I'd personally recommend picking up a fully comp policy if you've got a vehicle younger than ten years old, regardless.

Indeed it does, but it's worth pointing out what that actually covers. CTP Insurance covers your liability, and the liability of anyone who drives your vehicle, for injuries caused to others in a motor vehicle accident. This can include injuries to your passengers, and the driver and passengers in other vehicles. If you’re involved in a car accident while driving, whether partially or wholly your fault, your CTP policy covers the compensation costs for the person if they’re injured or die. Compensation costs involve rehabilitation, treatment, payments to support income or funeral expenses.

It's a brilliant system because even if someone steals your car, and runs into half a dozen people at the bus stop then they, or their next of kin, can all claim compensation. Effectively, it's the vehicle that's insured rather than the person. The downside to this system is that a 17-year-old who's just passed their test can go and buy a three litre sports car, then hoon around your neighbourhood like a lunatic. There's no way of pricing them out of the market with exorbitant insurance premiums like they do in the UK. It'd be a really easy thing to legislate against so that young people weren't able to buy such powerful cars, but hey this is Queensland, so it will probably take some politician another 50 years to realise what a great idea that would be.

I digress, something that many don't realise is that CTP insurance only covers people, it doesn't cover damage to the third party's vehicle. If you're deemed to be at fault then the third party can sue you for the damages to their vehicle and any personal effects. So regardless of the age and condition of your vehicle, you'd have to be an absolute berk not to take out fully comprehensive insurance because you never know what - or who - is just around the corner.

I should clarify all the aforementioned relates to Queensland, and rules and regulations relating to Rego and CTP differ from state to state.

[Simontucks]

6 hours ago, Marisawright said:

No "of course" about it, we often get people moving "for the sake of the kids" when they're not really keen themselves, and it's a recipe for tears.

However you've reassured me.  Earlier in this thread you were ready to call it off, but when I've pretty much agreed with you, you've come back quick-smart with reasons why you should migrate.  That says to me that you're pretty determined to go ahead and that you're just having a wobble.  Good luck.

One more 'devil's advocate' suggestion -- have you considered moving elsewhere in the UK instead?

Thanks again for the reply . We really don't want to move anywhere else in the UK. We lived in the Cotswolds for 15 years and moved back home to coastal Wales due to the crime rate going through the roof .We had our vehicles broken into twice in 6 months and people trying your doors in the middle of the night. it was a nightly occurrence in the villages.

Believe me we have thought about and looked into it but it was never our first choice.

[Simontucks]

5 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

My default position when people get the jitters is to say we tend to regret the things that we didn't do in life, more than the things we did. I think I said as much on one of your earlier posts. However, through this and previous posts, you have painted a very clear picture of your personal and financial circumstances. My gut feeling is that you are really going to struggle financially in Brisbane or S E Queensland on that kind of income, even with two of you working. Bear in mind to earn $80k/year you're going to need to be working 40 hours a week, every week, and never be ill, and that's somewhat unrealistic given that you might not always have work on, and the travelling time to get jobs etc. As @Cheery Thistle said, the general cost of living here isn't that much more expensive than in the UK (25% seems a fair estimate), and depending on your lifestyle it could be more or less the same, but your mortgage is going to be the real killer, and at 48 you're no spring chicken. Don't take that personally as I'm in my late fifties and I have a huge mortgage that won't be paid off until I'm 83, which clearly is never going to happen. Fortunately, there's only my wife and I to consider, so we'll downsize when the time is right and hopefully we'll have enough equity in our current home to be mortgage-free.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say I think you should pull the plug on your house sale until you've got all your ducks in a row. As both @Marisawright and @bluequay have suggested, coming over on your own initially and trying to get yourself established is going to be a far more sensible approach. After a few months work you're also going to have a more realistic idea of your annual income, and how that aligns to living expenses and what you can actually afford. The other option is ignoring Brisbane completely, and look to establish yourself in regional coastal Queensland. Property prices in places like Hervey Bay, Mackay, and Cairns are much lower than in SEQ, and you can still have a fantastic lifestyle there too.

With regards to standards of education in Queensland (I've taught here for over a decade), I can say with hand on heart that your daughters will receive a much broader education in the UK state school system than they will here. There's a reason why so many Aussies send their kids to private school, but then that's going to be another expense you'll to have to consider.

Sorry, I don't want to come across as a doom-monger either, but I think in your case it's more than a wobble. I reckon you're pretty much feeling like you're on the edge of a precipice.

Thanks again for the reply,your not coming across as a doom monger at all,your giving me advice but, with regards to schooling and please don't take this the wrong way,you really have no idea how bad it is where we live.. In our local catchment area 2 of the three schools are in special measures with Ofsted and the other has a huge drug problem.Some of the things that have happened are quite frightening,I won't go into detail as some instances involve my own daughter.

With regards work, I have a large amount lined up (probably 12-18 months) through my brother and more recently a couple of real estate guys if I want to work for myself from the beginning. What I am looking at though  is it will be easier for mortgage purposes to be employed for 6-12 month until I get a mortgage. 

Have talked to a mortgage adviser and taken into account approximate other outgoings we can manage the figure even on the absolute minimum $80.000. obviously i will be earning a fair bit more when I do work for myself.

 

 

 

[Cheery Thistle]

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Young Aussies have a great lifestyle but it's questionable whether they're any more financially secure. 

This is not to be underestimated, the older I get the more I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years! There is of course a balance to be struck. 
 

Regarding university etc I’m not sure that’s really massively relevant. To be honest, I am glad I went to uni but had I my time again now I’m not sure I would do it. Actually, no that’s not right. I would, but I’d make sure my course was directly linked to employment. The days of someone from my background going to one of the top unis in the UK to do a random arts degree for the sake of learning are long gone. With earnings as they are in the UK now I’m not sure there’s much of an argument for university education, unless it’s law, teaching, medicine, finance. 

@Marisawright not going to berate you for being negative on this occasion but perhaps for being very patronising and making assumptions (nothing new there!). 

Not sure how I feel about this now. I think the sums need to be done and a decision made by the family. It’s a risk but a calculated one.

 

I’m fairly sure a good painter and decorator can earn more than $80k a year. But it takes time to build. 6 months isn’t long enough, 5 years is actually how long it takes to build a viable customer base and get repeat custom in a trades business. I think the point made by @InnerVoice about the travelling between jobs is a bit of a moot one, most painting jobs tend to be larger (whole houses, several rooms etc) so you tend to be in one location, unlike plumbing or gas (for example) which can be a succession of smaller jobs. I’m not massively keen on the suggestion of splitting the family for one to start work in Aus either. That’s maybe ok in your 20’s but at our age it’s not something I would really consider. 
 

[bluequay]

@Cheery Thistle Splitting up the family temporarily is never ideal, but when you have jobs to find, houses to sell and kids to settle into school then sometimes it is necessary.

We have discussed all the possible scenarios as we want our kids to start school in Australia at the start of the next school year (Jan 25) so that they can have the best chance of settling in. It would be very fortunate to get the house sale and jobs tied in to that date, so the key is flexibility and there may be a bit of short term pain to get to our final goal

[Cheery Thistle]

46 minutes ago, bluequay said:

@Cheery Thistle Splitting up the family temporarily is never ideal, but when you have jobs to find, houses to sell and kids to settle into school then sometimes it is necessary.

We have discussed all the possible scenarios as we want our kids to start school in Australia at the start of the next school year (Jan 25) so that they can have the best chance of settling in. It would be very fortunate to get the house sale and jobs tied in to that date, so the key is flexibility and there may be a bit of short term pain to get to our final goal

That’s entirely your choice. Everyone’s situation is different. We are unlikely to have jobs lined up before we arrive and it’s a calculated risk we are willing to take. We have a house to sell, dogs to transport, accommodation to find, jobs to find, an 11 year old to settle at school etc too. We know that for us personally that is going to be better achieved if we are all together. It’s not necessary for (or in our best interest) us to split up. 
We are also aiming for a school start of Jan 2025 - where are you headed? All the best with the move. 

[bluequay]

@Cheery Thistle We are moving to Adelaide as that is my wife's home city. Good luck with your move too. 

I suspect people won't be falling over themselves to employ a 50+ software developer in Adelaide so If I can secure a job and need to move early, or stay contracting here for a bit longer than we will have make the move in stages. As you say though everybody's situation is different.

Edited February 15 by bluequay

[InnerVoice]

1 hour ago, Cheery Thistle said:

I would, but I’d make sure my course was directly linked to employment. The days of someone from my background going to one of the top unis in the UK to do a random arts degree for the sake of learning are long gone. With earnings as they are in the UK now I’m not sure there’s much of an argument for university education, unless it’s law, teaching, medicine, finance.

Well you'd like think so, but that doesn't seem to be the case. More people are studying useless degrees than ever. I've been telling my senior students for 15 years don't do a degree just because some teacher said you're good at the subject. It never went down well in UK where schools are all about the league tables and getting as many kids into uni as they can, but further education in Australia seems to be a lot more goal-orientated, and not just about learning for learnings sake. Some of the TAFE courses are excellent in terms of vocational pathways.

 

1 hour ago, Cheery Thistle said:

I’m fairly sure a good painter and decorator can earn more than $80k a year. But it takes time to build. 6 months isn’t long enough, 5 years is actually how long it takes to build a viable customer base and get repeat custom in a trades business. I think the point made by @InnerVoice about the travelling between jobs is a bit of a moot one, most painting jobs tend to be larger (whole houses, several rooms etc) so you tend to be in one location, unlike plumbing or gas (for example) which can be a succession of smaller jobs. I’m not massively keen on the suggestion of splitting the family for one to start work in Aus either. That’s maybe ok in your 20’s but at our age it’s not something I would really consider. 
 

According to SEEK the average salary for a painter/decorator in Queensland is $75-80k although I'm sure more is possible if you work every hour God sends, but that rather defeats the object of moving to Australia for a better lifestyle. Point taken about the travelling between jobs, but then there's a lot more competition for the big jobs where you're based somewhere for a week or two. We all know how hard it is to get a tradie in to do a small job. Half the time you end up doing it yourself!

[Cheery Thistle]

14 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

Well you'd like think so, but that doesn't seem to be the case. More people are studying useless degrees than ever. I've been telling my senior students for 15 years don't do a degree just because some teacher said you're good at the subject. It never went down well in UK where schools are all about the league tables and getting as many kids into uni as they can, but further education in Australia seems to be a lot more goal-orientated, and not just about learning for learnings sake. Some of the TAFE courses are excellent in terms of vocational pathways.

 

According to SEEK the average salary for a painter/decorator in Queensland is $75-80k although I'm sure more is possible if you work every hour God sends, but that rather defeats the object of moving to Australia for a better lifestyle. Point taken about the travelling between jobs, but then there's a lot more competition for the big jobs where you're based somewhere for a week or two. We all know how hard it is to get a tradie in to do a small job. Half the time you end up doing it yourself!

Well, regarding getting the work/bigger jobs it’s all about positioning yourself so that people actually come to you looking for you to do the work so you’re not competing with loads of folk on price….but I’m not going to go into it on PiO, hubby and I have spent 8 years building his trades business here so I do know a wee bit about it. 

Regarding degrees I do think that it’s less possible for those with working class backgrounds to take on the level of debt that’s now required to do kind of pointless degrees in the Uk. A lot of my friends with teen kids are looking at things like apprenticeships/modern apprenticeships instead. 

[InnerVoice]

2 hours ago, Simontucks said:

with regards to schooling and please don't take this the wrong way, you really have no idea how bad it is where we live.. In our local catchment area 2 of the three schools are in special measures with Ofsted and the other has a huge drug problem. Some of the things that have happened are quite frightening, I won't go into detail as some instances involve my own daughter.

Trust me, I do. I did my teacher training in a special measures school, and then worked supply in inner-city school in Manchester (c.2010) where the kids had to walk through a metal detector on the way in. It isn't that bad here yet thankfully, but if you compare the average state school In Australia with similar in the UK then there seems to be more academic rigour in the latter. That's just my opinion based on experience - no stats to back it up!

Edited February 15 by InnerVoice

[Simontucks]

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

According to SEEK the average salary for a painter/decorator in Queensland is $75-80k although I'm sure more is possible if you work every hour God sends, but that rather defeats the object of moving to Australia for a better lifestyle. Point taken about the travelling between jobs, but then there's a lot more competition for the big jobs where you're based somewhere for a week or two. We all know how hard it is to get a tradie in to do a small job. Half the time you end up doing it yourself!

Your not going to pay your employees what you charge the customer for them.i can guarantee the companies paying decorators $75.000-$80.000 are making$20.000-$30.000 on them annually. I've worked for my father's decorating business for 20 years until he died 10 ago,we did it.

I don't intend earning $80.000 for long

[Simontucks]

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Trust me, I do. I did my teacher training in a special measures school, and then worked supply in inner-city school in Manchester (c.2010) where the kids had to walk through a metal detector on the way in. It isn't that bad here yet thankfully, but if you compare the average state school In Australia with similar in the UK then there seems to be more academic rigour in the latter. That's just my opinion based on experience - no stats to back it up!

Do you think it's got better since 2010 .....so much worse.where you had rare cases of metal detectors in the inner cities in 2010 its not surprising to find schools with them anymore. Assaults on teachers are through the roof, excluding children from lessons and sometimes school because they are a little less smart than other children is common place in our area. 

We will have to disagree on schools as having two children 16+12,one still in education,I see every week horror stories regarding teaching in this area.

[Toots]

11 hours ago, Simontucks said:

Do you think it's got better since 2010 .....so much worse.where you had rare cases of metal detectors in the inner cities in 2010 its not surprising to find schools with them anymore. Assaults on teachers are through the roof, excluding children from lessons and sometimes school because they are a little less smart than other children is common place in our area. 

We will have to disagree on schools as having two children 16+12,one still in education,I see every week horror stories regarding teaching in this area.

It is reported on the news here that all is not going so well in Australian schools either.  This is from the Australian Financial Review.  There are many teachers leaving the profession as they are finding it hard to cope.

The classrooms of Australian 15-year-olds are among the most disruptive and disorderly in the world; ranking at 69 out of 76 school systems.

The same data shows that two in five students say their classmates don’t listen to what their teacher says, and almost half say there is noise and disorder in most or all lessons.

The toll on staff is also clear. About one in four teachers find maintaining classroom discipline is difficult, and that intimidation and bullying are common in about one in three schools.

[BendigoBoy]

34 minutes ago, Toots said:

It is reported on the news here that all is not going so well in Australian schools either.  This is from the Australian Financial Review.  There are many teachers leaving the profession as they are finding it hard to cope.

The classrooms of Australian 15-year-olds are among the most disruptive and disorderly in the world; ranking at 69 out of 76 school systems.

The same data shows that two in five students say their classmates don’t listen to what their teacher says, and almost half say there is noise and disorder in most or all lessons.

The toll on staff is also clear. About one in four teachers find maintaining classroom discipline is difficult, and that intimidation and bullying are common in about one in three schools.

I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been an even larger exodus of STEM teachers into private industry.

I'm hugely respectful and full of admiration for those who feel a true vocational calling to teach.  I think there's a massive chasm between teaching and stressed-out crowd control bogged down with bureaucracy.

If you can pick up better money, longer lunch breaks, and holidays whenever you want to take them versus some of the horror stories we see about what goes on in schools, not to mention being well treated and respected by colleagues and clients, then I really have to question whether some people have a misguided sense of loyalty in staying in such toxic and unhealthy environments that don't facilitate them doing what they trained to to begin with.

[Toots]

12 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been an even larger exodus of STEM teachers into private industry.

I'm hugely respectful and full of admiration for those who feel a true vocational calling to teach.  I think there's a massive chasm between teaching and stressed-out crowd control bogged down with bureaucracy.

If you can pick up better money, longer lunch breaks, and holidays whenever you want to take them versus some of the horror stories we see about what goes on in schools, not to mention being well treated and respected by colleagues and clients, then I really have to question whether some people have a misguided sense of loyalty in staying in such toxic and unhealthy environments that don't facilitate them doing what they trained to to begin with.

I've always had the greatest admiration for teachers and nurses.  Those are two professions I just couldn't have chosen.  Dealing with students and people day in day out.  Give me animals any day. 

[BendigoBoy]

Just now, Toots said:

I've always had the greatest admiration for teachers and nurses.  Those are two professions I just couldn't have chosen.  Dealing with students and people day in day out.  Give me animals any day. 

From some of those newspaper reports, teaching would be animals every day, @Toots...

[Toots]

1 hour ago, BendigoBoy said:

From some of those newspaper reports, teaching would be animals every day, @Toots...

Animals are never as obnoxious as some people can be.