Move to Melbourne or go home from Sydney

[Cam]

We've been in Sydney 6 months & thinks Oz is great but the cost of living is SO high. We have an 11 month old & my maternity leave is due to end, I have struggled to get a job in Sydney but just been for an interview in Melbourne - don't know the outcome yet.

 

Before I got the interview offer we had pretty much decided to go home as I can go back to my job which I did really enjoy. But, if I was to be offered it I might wonder whether we gave up too early.

 

Our real concern is money & obviously the future, going back would mean we could secure things & set things up. Does anyone know how the cost of living compares in Melbourne, as there probably isn't much point in staying if we can't recoup some money & think about buying property in the future.

 

My husband is in IT & it took him 4 months to get a job in Sydney, does anyone know if the IT industry is as flat in Melbourne? back home he's picked up jobs within a week.

 

Thank you.:biggrin:

[tracy123]

Hi

 

I can't help on the jobs front but you're looking at $280 to rent a 3 to 4 bedroom property in the west. You'll be looking at a 40 minute trip into the cbd and about 10 to 15 minute trip to the beach. I f you shop at the markets you can save alot on your food bill.

 

It's really up to you whether you go back or move, but I think if you don't try Melbourne you may regret it, not because Melbourne is better (which it is LOL) but because when you get back to the UK you will always wonder "what if", so remove that seed.

 

The other thing to think about is, you left the UK for reasons personal to you! Those reasons will still be there (if the UK was the reason you left) the other thing is you're looking back at what you had, how good could of those things been if you prepared to give them up?

 

IMHO try another state and if things don't work you'll go home happy knowing you tried your best

 

All the best and wish you well

 

Geoffrey

[Graemsay]

I lost my job on Monday, so I'm currently looking for work again.

 

The UK's IT sector was ranked as the third worst hit during the recession last year, just behind architects and builders who were affected by the housing slump. It's improved, but there are a lot of contractors who've found themselves "on the bench" for months or even over a year. Rates are way down, and jobs are in short supply unless you're in finance.

 

If you don't have a pressing reason to return to the UK then I'd be inclined to hold off for a couple of months, and see how things look after the election. Whichever party gets in is going to have to make huge public sector cuts, and probably raise taxes, in order to bring the deficit under control. Such austerity measures won't make life comfortable.

 

That said, I think that some of the Eurozone countries are in better shape. If you can find something in Germany or the Netherlands then you might be better off.

 

I don't know how the IT sector is doing in Melbourne, but an agent told me that vacancies are up 30% on last year, though they tend to be a bit optimistic.

 

Jamie at Hire a Migrant says that 75% of vacancies aren't advertised online, so it's worth hitting potential employers directly. The State of Victoria has a handy PDF document listing the major companies that you can download from their website, and which could prove very useful.

 

http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/73930/ICTOpportunitiesinVictoria_2009.pdf

[pau1evs]

hi there

good luck with your decision and your job offer

i cant help with the difference in prices from sydney to melbourne

or even have you thought come down and have a break to decide

although I agree with you giving melbourne a go it is a long way back and then regret not giving it a go xxx if you need any info on areas etc let me know by pm and i will try and help x

carole x

[tracy123]

That said, I think that some of the Eurozone countries are in better shape. If you can find something in Germany or the Netherlands then you might be better off.

 

 

 

Talk about left field :biglaugh:

[Guest mandisfam]

Hi, Good luck with your decision, personally I would try another state before heading home...

 

But with regard to IT work in the UK, you didnt say what area of IT your oh is in but overall IT vacancies in the UK are very hard to come by. My oh works in IT and his area is (IT Security) is dead. Even in the South East, yes the occasional role comes up but employers are wanting your blood for lower salary....not to mention the competition you have when applying for jobs....if you dont match the job spec exact you wont get an interview.

 

Obviously some people are getting lucky and securing decent jobs/contract but its not easy.

 

Sorry to paint a bleak picture...probably someone will come along soon and say the opposite to me.

 

Good Luck.

Mandisfam

[Graemsay]

Tracy123, it's not that a leftfield suggestion.

 

Once converted back into Pounds Sterling, the Eurozone rates are higher, and it's relatively quick and easy to get from to the UK. I once made it from the centre of Amsterdam through to Brighton in a little over three hours.

 

Mandisfam, I agree about the state of the UK IT market. If you're not in a real niche, you're stuffed right now.

[Cam]

Thanks all, husband is a software developer/ architect, will get him to do some researching on both sides of the pond.

 

I work in local authority so the idea of job cuts isn't good, but at least there have been some positions around in the UK whereas here they are few & far between.

 

My main concerns with going back are the weather, dark nights & negativity. But we have said that we would make plans to make the most of the good things which there are alot of.

 

If I'm not offered the job I think we probably will go back because I hate not working & at least things are cheaper in the UK but the IT sector sounds worrying. I'll have to do some more looking into Melbourne to decide whether it's something we would like to do....

[tracy123]

Tracy123, it's not that a leftfield suggestion.

 

Once converted back into Pounds Sterling, the Eurozone rates are higher, and it's relatively quick and easy to get from to the UK. I once made it from the centre of Amsterdam through to Brighton in a little over three hours.

 

Mandisfam, I agree about the state of the UK IT market. If you're not in a real niche, you're stuffed right now.

 

Fair do's mate, I'm not having a go :wubclub:

[mrcatania]

You will get under $300 in the outer suburbs.If you want somewhere closer to the CBD then budget for $400 per week for rent.

[Cam]

Rentals sound a bit cheaper than Sydney, then. We currently pay $550 per week for a 2 bed, but it is furnished which makes life a bit easier, & right by Centennial Park which is fab. Do you know if there are any comparable parks in Melbourne - very big, great for running, excellent cycle routes?

[Guest proud2beaussie]

Yep there are many parks in Melbourne and lots of bike paths and the Vic government has also just announced a bike hire scheme for the CBD to be launched later this year.

Bike Paths

Melbourne is a great city.

Cheers

[Guest Mr Happy]

Why only Sydney or Melbourne?

[Cam]

Bcoz we prefer large cities - we lived in a small town for a short amount of time in England & hated it. My husband is in IT so needs to be somewhere that supports his industry & at the moment it seems that very few places operate in the same way in Sports & Leisure as back home, for a country that is so 'sporty' it's scary how little grassroots, health & inclusion work is done, I guess it's lack of government funding & no lottery programme. So therefore Sydney has been a no-go, so the only other option is Melbourne. We originally chose Sydney as I'd lived here for a year and a half in my early twenties.

[Paul1Perth]

Bcoz we prefer large cities - we lived in a small town for a short amount of time in England & hated it. My husband is in IT so needs to be somewhere that supports his industry & at the moment it seems that very few places operate in the same way in Sports & Leisure as back home, for a country that is so 'sporty' it's scary how little grassroots, health & inclusion work is done, I guess it's lack of government funding & no lottery programme. So therefore Sydney has been a no-go, so the only other option is Melbourne. We originally chose Sydney as I'd lived here for a year and a half in my early twenties.

 

I think you would find Brisbane or even Perth big enough for you. They are both great cities and Perth in particular has much better weather than Melbourne. I reckon it has the best weather by far in Oz but I love the sun and the beach. Brisbane and just about the whole of Queensland have been very wet this year.

If you like sport both cities are great for anything you want to do.

[Cam]

I think you would find Brisbane or even Perth big enough for you. They are both great cities and Perth in particular has much better weather than Melbourne. I reckon it has the best weather by far in Oz but I love the sun and the beach. Brisbane and just about the whole of Queensland have been very wet this year.

If you like sport both cities are great for anything you want to do.

 

True population's are over a million, but neither are particuarly good for our industries

[Petals]

I moved to Sydney with friends and lived there for a couple of years and then we moved to Melbourne, one of my friends is Sydney born and bread and she still lives in Melbourne.

 

Melbourne is a very easy city to live in and cannot really explain but I lived here before I was married, then the UK then back here and here we stay.

[LYNMACMD]

We are heading for Sydney next months my husband is in IT for the past 8 years in UK he has done contract work and finished one job and started another quickly. In May last year he finished a contract and hasn't had another or got a full time offer since. Things are starting to pick up he is getting more calls up here in Yorkshire/Manchester North West for both contract and permanent work but they are cutting back on wages whereas he was earning £500 per day he has only been offered for similar roles £350.

 

He has been offered and accepted a 457 in Sydney and found 'door knocking' by email to companies was more beneficial than most recruitment agencies

[freebo]

I'm in a similar position for Lyn's OH and can report the IT market in the UK has been the worse I've seen it in 20 years, I'm also a contractor but had a period of about 10 weeks last year when I couldn't find work (or at least not at a rate I was willing to accept). There are small signs that the market is improving a little but its hugely worse than it was a couple of years ago, massively worse than after Y2K also.

 

This site is good to assess trends and pay in IT skills in the uk IT Jobs Watch, Tracking the IT Job Market the stats look good but because they are compared to 12 months ago when jobs where virtually non-existant they may be a bit misleading.

 

I'm looking for work in Melbourne now, expecting to arrive in May and may take Lyn's advice to approach companies directly.

 

All the best!

[Graemsay]

I've just had a contract go south, so with impeccable timing I'm getting to experience the IT jobs market again.

 

It feels a bit multi-speed right now.

 

If you have an in-demand and niche skill then there are opportunities out there. I'm mainly a Java / J2EE developer, but more recently have been branching into Adobe Flex and the iPhone. I've targeted ads with all three skills, but it's the last two that seem to get all the responses from agents.

 

Rates seem down on 2007 or 2008, but up on 2009.

[Guest Mr Happy]

Sounds like the AIS and environs would be the place to look as that's where most fed sports funding goes.

[Cam]

Unfortunately AIS are only interested in high performance sport. ASC have their much touted Active after Schools Program but funding is only guaranteed until Dec 2010 so there could be alot of people out of a job afterwards, also it's not hitting the targets it was supposed to hit so will depend on gov priorities. Ironically as the most overweight nation in the world very little funding is going into prevention, unless you count breastfeeding initiatives!!! But Vic Health & a few of the local authorities down Melbourne way seem quite proactive so we'll see. Will probably hear today.

 

To be honest the main issues with going back are the inlaws & the weather!! & with Oz citizenship we're lucky enough to know that Oz is always an option.

[shaunkaren]

My OH is in IT and we moved to Melbourne in January, we chose Melbourne over Sydney for two reasons, the cost of living and we liked the feel of Melbourne more. OH managed to get a job in IT a few weeks before we landed which has made all the difference. From a financial point of view I would rather have the costs of relocating interstate than the costs of returning to the UK. We rent a 4 bed in berwick and it costs $400 per week.

 

Also agree with others UK economy is very uncertain at the moment, the election will happen in a few months and whichever party gets in there have got to be cuts and tax increases to get the economy out of the recession. Also since moving here I haven't heard about a recession and have even found a number of job opportunities for myself which I don't believe I would have found in the UK.

 

Good luck with your decision, it is a tough one to make but if you have a job offer and they are willing to help with relocation then I would take the attitude of 'nothing ventured nothing gained'

 

Karen x

[Cam]

Thanks Karen. I haven't heard yet about the Melbourne job, was hoping to hear by Friday, but as they ask for references before they make a job offer here if that end is slow I guess that makes the job offer slow!!! Fingers crossed!!

 

We had kind of decided that if I was offered the job we'd go to Melbourne (why not? seems a fab place & as you say UK isn't looking too healthy at the moment) but with a little more investigation around areas, costs & jobs for my husband.

 

I do think if I'm not offered the job we'll go back as there's no point in staying without a job when I have a good one at home, it's a real shame, but let's hope we get some good news today. Unfortunately we can't stick around & wait as my maternity leave ends on 15th April, so with my annual leave am due to either return or take a career break in May.

 

Really glad all is working out so well for you. Looks like we should have gone to Melbourne as a first port of call as there have been more opportunities down that way since September, oh well!!!