is the recession effecting queensland

[Guest wolf]

how long does everyone think this will last for in OZ in the recession

[Guest mamaduck]

hi there

I have seen many of your posts,I am hoping to work in Brisbane as a nurse going on a 475 visa as I am 56 next I have a agent looking for jobs for me.My daughter is living in Warner at present,and my OH is going to help her with the grandchildren so he wont be working.

I do worry about giving up my job here as I am very senior but I really miss my daughter.

After ready the posts about the recession do you think it is advisable not to come out at present?or do you feel that the health care sector is OK.

[Guest bowbrum03]

hi there

I have seen many of your posts,I am hoping to work in Brisbane as a nurse going on a 475 visa as I am 56 next I have a agent looking for jobs for me.My daughter is living in Warner at present,and my OH is going to help her with the grandchildren so he wont be working.

I do worry about giving up my job here as I am very senior but I really miss my daughter.

After ready the posts about the recession do you think it is advisable not to come out at present?or do you feel that the health care sector is OK.

 

Im sure the nurse's will answer that one for you. But i do feel that sector is OK

[Guest WARDStoOZ]

hi there

I have seen many of your posts,I am hoping to work in Brisbane as a nurse going on a 475 visa as I am 56 next I have a agent looking for jobs for me.My daughter is living in Warner at present,and my OH is going to help her with the grandchildren so he wont be working.

I do worry about giving up my job here as I am very senior but I really miss my daughter.

After ready the posts about the recession do you think it is advisable not to come out at present?or do you feel that the health care sector is OK.

 

Hi! Recession or not, people still get ill and Australia is still short of nurses, you should get a job no problem,

 

Dan xx

[lynnes]

Hi Mamaduck

I too am going to Brisbane, I'm 51 and have been sponsored by the mater hospital, have a look at their website, I think they are still looking for staff. my sister is 53, a midwife and has been offered a post at the same hospital. Nurses are still in demand in Australia so I'm sure all will be fine. My hubby is going to have to look for work when we get there and the recession is worrying but we can probably survive on my wages for a time so you should be ok too. The recession is hitting everywhere so you may as well be skint and happy with all your family around you LOL.

good luck in what you decide. and if you do go perhaps we can meet up for a coffee or a glass of aussie wine.

Lynne

[Guest mamaduck]

Hi Mamaduck

I too am going to Brisbane, I'm 51 and have been sponsored by the mater hospital, have a look at their website, I think they are still looking for staff. my sister is 53, a midwife and has been offered a post at the same hospital. Nurses are still in demand in Australia so I'm sure all will be fine. My hubby is going to have to look for work when we get there and the recession is worrying but we can probably survive on my wages for a time so you should be ok too. The recession is hitting everywhere so you may as well be skint and happy with all your family around you LOL.

good luck in what you decide. and if you do go perhaps we can meet up for a coffee or a glass of aussie wine.

Lynne

 

hi all thankyou for your replies I am out in Brisbane in March for the birth of a granchild so I have asked if I can go for interviews and see what vibes I get.

Its good to know there is someone of around the same age going I dont feel I am totally mad to do this.I would love to meet up for coffee Lynnes when are you hoping to be there.:unsure:

[lynnes]

hopeing to be there by June/July time if registration comes through in time. Earlier if possible. Good luck with the birth of your grandchild, how long are you staying for?

[ezzie]

Wish we could give you our jobs then....we're desperate to get back to the UK! We so regret not doing it sooner, practically trapped here now as have older teens. We planned a year ago to return this Feb/March - and then the recession hit!

 

I understand things are bad for tradies, but other work placements are still reasonably buoyant but with employers being increasingly cautious.

 

I think the decision on whether to make the plunge or not depends on your personal motivation for leaving the UK. When you want to be with family, every day without them can be too painful to bear, but if it's just for a bit of sun, well....I'd do ANYTHING to be out of this incessant heat. Another hot week forecast, 42C by Sunday. Give me -6C any day over this!

 

As someone who's been out of the UK for a loooong time, Oz is a stable, well-run country without the madness of daft bureaucracy and overpriced food and energy bills. But being left bereft of the English sense of humour and banter...well, you won't know how painful that is till you're here.

 

I think this is why the Aussie gov't keeps dishing out those visas...it knows Oz will be a better place with more of us Brits here to keep the place grounded!

 

On the recession; it's not even peaked in the UK and Brown just keeps on borrowing...presumably till countries realise the UK doesn't exactly have the best credit rating and won't give him any more! Oz on the other hand has a $90 billion buffer built out a healthy banking sector, zero government debt, a budget surplus, the Future Fund, the Higher Education Endowment Fund and the Communications Fund. Our mining's soon going to be the pits (!) but this'll pick-up as the US recovers and starts buying their big cars and fridges again.

 

In the meantime, if you're heading to Oz, enjoy the last bit of decent TV you'll see for a while, take a look at the stunning British countryside and savour a pint of decent ale down the pub. There's a lot to be said for moving to Oz, but a lot to miss as well.

 

:arghh: This is very worrying..

 

My hubby is a bricklayer to, and we will be moving to brisbane. Could I ask a very obvious question....Why is the Government still granting visas, and creating a critical skills list, and promoting Oz when there are no bloody jobs????

 

Sorry for moaning but feeling really disapointed at the mo as we, as a family, have our heart set on going out there by the end of this year. My hubbys job is not particularly secure prob about 3 months of work left, however I work in a school so mine is quite secure but poorly paid.

 

Really regreting not doing this sooner ... :no:

[Guest mamaduck]

hopeing to be there by June/July time if registration comes through in time. Earlier if possible. Good luck with the birth of your grandchild, how long are you staying for?

 

Hi lynnes

I am going on the 26th march for 6 weeks,I noticed you were waiting for your registration I havent posted mine yet getting my documents verified monday,how long have you been waiting?

I am hoping to be out there around August,the agency I am with are sending my CV to hospitals near Warner which is on the Northside,I have said I will go where I can find work.I think the distance to the mater from where I will be living is about 50minutes.

I am a PACU nurse so I really want to work in theatres so I dont know if those kind of jobs are few and far between.

What is your speciality?Which visa are you going on and did you have to have medicals?

 

thanks

 

Maria

[lynnes]

Hi Mamaduck

I got the job offer end of October 08. got all my papers verified and sent of to QNMC begining of Nov, they sent them back as I didnt send the right fee, re sent begining of Dec. Visa applied for Jan this year and they have requested police checks and medicals to be attached. PC's applied for last week and medicals booked for friday. All in all its been quite quick, longest part is waiting for registration which I've been told could take up to 6months. My speciality is Paediatrics, most of my experience is in acute assessment/admissions. I spent 2 years working in a childrens hospice and I'm currently on a paediatric day surgery unit, only been there a couple of months so still getting to grips with the job as it's so different to what i'm used to. I've just been informed by the Mater that I will be getting my ward placement in the next couple of weeks, so watch this space!!!!!!! only area i'm not keen on is SCBU and PICU, far too technical for me and I like my patients awake and verbal.

Really hope we can get together in Oz, post me a message when you get there with your contact details and I'll call you when we arrive. :-)

[Guest johno1]

Hi ezzie

 

Hope you make the right decision...I know how you feel. We are in a similar place....its really unsettling being unable to make plans or look to the future.

 

Just wondering how long ago you left the UK. So much has changed in the last 5 years...its a completely different country.

 

Be warned, even the utility bills have increased dramatically (£450 for us for the last quarter!!!) Crime rates have gone through the roof.

 

As much as I love it here,there are some things I wont miss. I think its all swings and roundabouts...some things are easier there and some things are worth staying in the UK for.

 

Debby & boys

[ezzie]

Thanks Deb. It really can be soul destroying can't it. We left 22 years ago but have been back regularly; most recently only 2 weeks ago. Loved it. Yes, parts are dreadful, but generally it was brilliant to be around Poms again.

 

I feel angry at myself for listening to people who for the last 20 years have been saying 'the country's gone to the dogs' as I know we'd have been so much happier for being back in the UK....not better off financially, but then life's not about that is it. It's horses for courses, but I love history, the countryside and chatting down the shops...none of which happens here.

 

What are the things you won't miss about Britain and what will you miss? We're still in shock at my daughter being told off in the UK for leaning against a wall in a gov't building because of 'health and safety issues'!!!!!! What the??????????

 

Not sure about our utility bills, I just pay them! Is anyone interested in me digging them out and telling you how much we pay in Sydney. I'm pretty sure it's less than in the UK though.

 

For those looking at Qld but are finding work's dropped off...you might want to look at Sydney or Melbourne. Seems to be a lot more work down here as they're larger more established cities. Real estate prices are just beginning to plunge too.

 

 

Hi ezzie

 

Hope you make the right decision...I know how you feel. We are in a similar place....its really unsettling being unable to make plans or look to the future.

 

Just wondering how long ago you left the UK. So much has changed in the last 5 years...its a completely different country.

 

Be warned, even the utility bills have increased dramatically (£450 for us for the last quarter!!!) Crime rates have gone through the roof.

 

As much as I love it here,there are some things I wont miss. I think its all swings and roundabouts...some things are easier there and some things are worth staying in the UK for.

 

Debby & boys

[Guest johno1]

Hi ezzie

 

What will I miss...loads! Including familiarity, historic buildings, great shopping, Twickenham, our local rugby team where all 3 of my boys play each week, frosty mornings, walks in the New Forest and old friends.

 

What wont I miss...loads again! Being worried sick every time my 13 yr old leaves the house in case he bumps into some nutter, being the only English person around, benefit scroungers queuing for their cigaretts in my local supermarket, rain, rain and more rain, aggressive/angry people everywhere, our rental house (sold ours in October).

 

Sorry, sounds really miserable doesn't it but I suppose I agree with you, the grass is never completely green wherever you are.

 

I just feel that we need a fresh start and a change of scenery...maybe I should go to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz!!! :laugh:

(Maybe not, I would be the tallest person there ) now Im just being silly...time for bed I think!

 

Good luck with your decision xx

[Guest johno1]

Forgot to say...will also miss the British sense of humour x

[Guest mamaduck]

Hi Mamaduck

I got the job offer end of October 08. got all my papers verified and sent of to QNMC begining of Nov, they sent them back as I didnt send the right fee, re sent begining of Dec. Visa applied for Jan this year and they have requested police checks and medicals to be attached. PC's applied for last week and medicals booked for friday. All in all its been quite quick, longest part is waiting for registration which I've been told could take up to 6months. My speciality is Paediatrics, most of my experience is in acute assessment/admissions. I spent 2 years working in a childrens hospice and I'm currently on a paediatric day surgery unit, only been there a couple of months so still getting to grips with the job as it's so different to what i'm used to. I've just been informed by the Mater that I will be getting my ward placement in the next couple of weeks, so watch this space!!!!!!! only area i'm not keen on is SCBU and PICU, far too technical for me and I like my patients awake and verbal.

Really hope we can get together in Oz, post me a message when you get there with your contact details and I'll call you when we arrive. :-)

 

Hi lynnes

are you going on a sponsered visa from the mater,I am going on the 457 I think that is what it is.I didnt realise I would need meds,more money hey!

Did the hospital say when they would give you permanant residency?

Do you know where you are going to live in brisbane?

My daughter is in Warner her husband is Australian and he is in the army.

 

regards

 

Maria

[Guest ellisa]

Hiya all

 

I have just lodged my visa and am looking to move to brisbane by early 2010. I am a midwife and would like to know when is the best time to apply to the QNC. I am thinking of working at the mater and will need a job to go to as i will be the main breadwinner when we get there (hubby is a builder) and he will be settling the children in whilst i work!! Also are there any midwives already working in oz? because i have heard that you don't get so much responsibility at work (midwifery led care in labour etc). I would be so grateful for any info at all.

 

Thanks in advance

ellisa

[Guest WARDStoOZ]

Hiya all

 

I have just lodged my visa and am looking to move to brisbane by early 2010. I am a midwife and would like to know when is the best time to apply to the QNC. I am thinking of working at the mater and will need a job to go to as i will be the main breadwinner when we get there (hubby is a builder) and he will be settling the children in whilst i work!! Also are there any midwives already working in oz? because i have heard that you don't get so much responsibility at work (midwifery led care in labour etc). I would be so grateful for any info at all.

 

Thanks in advance

ellisa

 

Hi Ellisa and welcome to PomsinOz! My mum is also a midwife and has a job offer at the Mater, Brisbane. I will send you a PM (private message),

 

Dan xx

[lynnes]

Hi Mamaduck,

The Mater is sponsoring me to go and I think, but dont quote me on this, they can apply for PR on my behalf after either one or two years, I cant remember which. If not then after 4 years they can continue to sponsor me to stay for another 4 years. However if I decide to leave the Mater before 2 years I have to repay a percentage of the relocation package.

 

At the moment we are looking at the Springfield Lakes/Collingwood park area but not really sure. We have'nt looked at Warner, how far is that from Brisbane, I dont mind a little commute but dont want to be travelling too far. My sister also has a job at the Mater and she is looking at Manly but I think that may be a bit too expensive for us.

 

Good luck with the new grandchild

Lynne

[Guest pongia]

Springfield has a problem with peak hour commuting being busy.

Collingwood Park had a street where they built over a mine shaft and now some of the houses are cracking.

 

These are issues you might like to look at if you are buying a house.

[Guest mamaduck]

warner is about 50 minutes away,I googled it and it gave the distances from the various suburbs.My daughter is in a new build and there are a lot of properties going up there.

 

maria

[Guest pongia]

Springfield and Collingwood Park are closer in time to Brisbane. The Warner northern area you have to drive through 100 sets of lights to get into Brisbane. Also if the hospitals are the ones on the southside like Moorooka, South Brisbane Springfield would be closer.

 

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=springfield+qld&daddr=brisbane+qld&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=-27.420538,152.925568&sspn=0.374235,0.575409&ie=UTF8&ll=-27.645215,152.950287&spn=0.186735,0.287704&z=11

[hogan]

hi everyone can you tell me whats happening with my thread seem to be going off my topic quite alot

[lynnes]

you are quite right, we seem to have digressed a bit. sorry x

[Burnett]

Hi Hogan. This is my first post, although before registering, I spent many interested hours here as a lurker.

 

Gold Coast and brickies. Ok. We moved there (as kids) after migrating from UK with our parents. That was back in the 50s. Lived on the Gold Coast through to adulthood and then returned there for another 20-odd years when raising my own children.

 

Other half and I moved to Sydney several years ago for the sake of our by then adult children, so they could obtain work .. which they have done. Both have good jobs, so the move from the Coast was worth it in that sense. Many extended family members have continued to live on the Coast though.

 

The (Gold) Coast is great. It used to be greater of course, decades ago .. was literally a paradise then. Workwise however, it has always been a struggle. When it's 'boom' time .. sure, work's there. But when a 'bust' arrives, it's pitiful.

 

Most of the men in our family were in the trades: building, joinery, brick and block laying. And of course, so were their friends, so it's something with which I'm reasonably familiar. As well, I was a partnership in two large electrical retail stores on the Gold Coast until a few years ago and at least half our sales were to builders .. so I was dealing with builders and tradies every day. And I've seen a lot go under .. a lot. Not because they weren't willing to work (they were desperate for work) but because work on the Coast is its Achilles heel and always has been.

 

Development (thus employment) on the Gold Coast is driven by the southern cities to a large degree. When Sydney's doing well real-estate wise, it usually (but not always) impacts favourable on the Coast. Conversely, when Sydney's doing it tough, this also impacts on the Coast, which as a rule feels it at least twice as badly and for twice as long.

 

Makes sense: when real estate is booming in Sydney, people sell up, get a good price and then migrate north to Queensland for retirement or whatever .. and they pay a good price (often way too high a price) for a place or business on the Coast. Multiply this by thousands, and you see Gold Coast prices go up. This is what's been happening on the Coast for the past several years and what drove the development boom ... after a decade of virtually no movement there. Now, with things tough everywhere, the Gold Coast .. always vulnerable .. is feeling it. When I looked a few days ago, it was almost universally stated that the Gold Coast is feeling it faster and harder than virtually any other place in Australia. And when that happens, work dries up. As you've noticed yourself (or as someone else stated earlier in the thread) uncompleted building developments have been left half finished. I've seen this so often in my many decades on the Coast.

 

Tradies are often left with what's owed them, unpaid. Developers (large and small)quite frequently do a midnight-flit, or declare bankruptcy .. leaving brickies, electricians, etc. owed months of wages which they've promised they'll pay ' as soon as the bank releases my next advance' or ' as soon as it sells' (meaning the spec house or whatever the tradies have been working on). It's tragic to see. A lot of Gold Coast tradies (especially newcomers who don't know the score) will grab at any work that's offered, just to put food on the table. And of course a lot are taken for a ride and never see their money. I've known tradies take matters into their own hands on occasion .. there's more than one builder who's had his legs broken by tradies for failing to pay what's owed. A few have run for their lives to southern cities .. only to turn back up on the Coast again in the boom, hiding under a beard and hoping they don't run into tradies they've ripped off in the past. It's the story of the Coast.

 

Why don't you see if you can access the Gold Coast Bulletin online ? If you can, I'm pretty sure you will then be able to access the Positions Vacant. It will also give you an indication of the way the real-estate is going and of course, that will determine the prospects available to people in the building trades. Be aware of course, that Coast real-estate agents will almost always claim things are 'looking good', 'doing fine', 'on the improve' etc. It's in their own interests to say so.

 

As far as lifestyle's concerned, the Coast has a lot to offer. But, as anyone who's lived there will tell you, it's always been a hard place to make ends meet. It's fine for retired people with superannuation under their belt (although of course, these days they're getting poor return on their money) and who've sold their properties in southern cities at astronomical profits. These well-heeled retirees don't have to work, they do have the lovely canal-front homes, boats in the marina, nice cars, stunning gardens, etc. Working families struggling to survive see the other side of the Gold Coast .. often heartbreak.

 

Also to be remembered is that because of the lifestyle, the Gold Coast has always attracted people from the south with nothing but their welfare payments to support them. They often share accomodation to help make ends meet, and of course, this makes it difficult for working families to find reasonably priced accomodation. Same goes for casual work. Young people on the dole soak up a lot of the part-time work such as gardening, car-washing, retail, ironing, dog-walking, babysitting, delivery work, etc.

 

The unemployment situation on the Coast has traditionally given employers the upper hand. Applicants will tell you, it's rare to hear from employers again after you've lodged your application. It's heartbreaking. But, you have to bear in mind that the Coast has very little industry, apart from tourism and service industries and .. when times are good .. the building industry. Not much, as you can see, that can withstand recessions.

 

After a lifetime of working his heart out in the building industry on the Gold Coast, my father, who died recently, still had less than he arrived in Australia with. It was always one step forward and then two back, on and on, due to the volotile nature of the Coast. He built a lot of the landmark hi-rise buildings in Surfers .. and ended up losing his shirt each time. But he always paid his men. His is a common story for migrants and Aussies alike. My brother got out of the building industry many years ago and since then has run as close to a 'recession-proof' retail business as you can get on the Coast, thank God. Of his sons, one is a chef and doing well. The other is an electrician and now stands to lose the lot, even though this recession/depression hasn't truly hit Australia yet. His daughter, in the IT industry, is really going to feel it, but at least she has family to help her and husband through.

 

A lot of people are going to suffer hard on the Gold Coast, particularly those who bought in the 'boom' of the past few years. Many of them will be trying to sell up and get back to the southern cities for work, and that will pull property values down .. a domino effect. At one point on the Coast, in the late 80s and almost through to the end of the 90s, real estate didn't move .. just didn't move. I know, because I had a brilliant town house investment property not far from Burleigh Beach, and it went down in value not long after I bought it .. and stayed there until I sold it in 2000. I sold at a loss, just to get rid of it. Yet during that same decade, Sydney was powering along. The Coast suffers a lot of 'mini recessions' that don't effect the larger cities and with just about everyone on the Coast fighting for the same few jobs, it can take the shine off living in such a vibrant and visually exciting location.

 

Owning and operating two businesses dependent upon the building industries to a large degree, gives you insight into just how tough the Coast can be for many tradesmen (and their families). Employers often turn into little Hitlers, because they only have to snap their fingers and they have a dozen people begging for the job. The constant worry about and desperation for work .. any work .. is very depressing, especially when you're surrounded on all sides by those who're enjoying a luxurious lifestyle and haven't a care in the world.

 

On the plus side, you don't need to spend as much on clothing on the Coast. And the winters are brief, so you won't have the same heating costs as in the UK (although, it can fall to minus degrees at night on the Coast in winter). You can go to the beaches for free .. lots of glorious beaches from which to choose. A day trip to Mt. Tambourine makes a nice change and costs nothing except petrol, if you pack a picnic lunch. There are art galleries and museums in Brisbane and you can take the kids to Tallebudgera for a bit of fishing from the shore or bridge, for the cost of a bit of line and a few worms. The Burleigh Heads Big W used to be regarded as one of the cheapest places to grocery shop in Australia for many years. Although when we holidayed on the Coast a few months ago, we discovered that prices had shot up to match those in Sydney (regarded as one of the most expensive cities in the world .. and I can attest to that ).

 

 

With the best of intentions, my advice would be to say that if you have work in the UK that can see you through, then hang onto it until things improve. Australia will still be here in three or five years. If on the other hand you have family here who can help you through financially and otherwise, you may still feel inclined to proceed with the move to Oz, in full awareness that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

 

All the best to you :-)

[Burnett]

Hi again Hogan. After all that, just returned to your original post only to learn that you're considering moving to Brisbane .. not the Gold Coast.

 

My post is therefore irrelevant to your circumstances. Many apologies. Obviously got my wires crossed somewhere while reading the thread . My fault, for posting at this hour of the day (5 am).

 

 

Again .. sorry to take up your time and best of luck to you and yours