Why are you going ?

[Guest zoefitton]

Im in a similar predicament the school is teaching my son stuff he was doing 2 years ago, he was in a gifted and talented class in Sydney and they dont have that provision in Melbournes primary schools. Unfortunately Im finding a distinct low aspirational attitude amongst the teaching staff in the local public school who intimated that private is what you have to do if you want them to have a decent education. Its a worry so much so that it isa making me seriously consider a return to the UK.

[mrsindecision]

Work, education and connectedness were the reasons for us returning and on all counts we were right - we are still in the early stages of our return so we do feel very up and down about our decision - mainly missing the sunshine (not heat). Living abroad does mean you get to avoid the family crap that everyone has but also means you miss out on being connected and supported. Work wise everything is great OH back in old job - put back on the same pay scale earning significantly more here doing the same job. My work is brilliant got a contract that allows me to work from home and be there for my teenage daughter back with a team of people who are professional and respectful none of this brash bullying many of us had in Oz. My daughter is being taught properly in a state comprehensive getting the best grades of her life - she misses the relaxed comfort of her old school but is definitely more herself here - although British kids can be very up front which is challenging - but Aussie girls were very underhand and bitchy so not sure which is worse - the latter I think. Coming back is hard and I do think you have to give yourself time - part of it is letting go of the dream and accepting that the dream doesn't exist anywhere so you've got to make it happen for yourself where ever you are.

[caramac]

got a contract that allows me to work from home

 

Or on a train! Meet up again soon?

 

C x

[Guest Bailey Bunch]

My desire to go and live in UK is more to do with my sense of belonging - I am here at the moment and I belong here full stop. My DH has been commenting on how good I look in the pictures I send him - yup, I am happy, totally, fantastically happy (drive around with a big grin on my face even in traffic jams) and he just doesnt "get it". There is so much to do and see, the people I have met have been fabulous - friendly, chatty, funny, helpful and downright "nice". I could live in pretty much any of the places I have visited this trip (ahem, not Bradford or Burnley though) and have been gobsmacked at the beauty of autumn here - arrived just in time for the leaves to change and what an amazing palette of colours.

 

Sure, I have elderly parents who arent in the best of health and it would be brilliant to be here for them as I am an only child. I also have a son here and it would be wonderful to be here for him too and to share in his big life events (that's why I am here this time of course) but I also have a son in Aus and it would be a wrench to leave him and his kid(s) but I could do it, would do it in a heartbeat - my life here is a whole life and not some pastiche. I dont know if it is an age thing or a contempt of the familiarity of Australia - if I hadnt been there for so long and was still in the first 10 years of "gee this is an adventure", would I still feel the same way? No idea. I do know that this is where I want to be for the rest of my life.

 

Quoll,

 

I would just like to say that I have been reading your posts for a number of years now, (sometimes under a different alias), and I would like to thank you for always being 'right on the button' about every topic you comment on.

I am reasonably happy in Australia, at least while the UK suffers and Oz is on the up, not sure how I would feel if it was the other way round, but wish I had listened to you more intently when I was migrating. It would have made some of the hurdles alot easier to get over.

I implore anyone migrating to read Quoll's posts to get a true picture, warts and all, of Oz instead of reading some of the blinded horse crap that often appears on here.

Thanks Quoll, I feel like calling you Mum.:biggrin:

[mrsindecision]

Quoll,

 

I would just like to say that I have been reading your posts for a number of years now, (sometimes under a different alias), and I would like to thank you for always being 'right on the button' about every topic you comment on.

I am reasonably happy in Australia, at least while the UK suffers and Oz is on the up, not sure how I would feel if it was the other way round, but wish I had listened to you more intently when I was migrating. It would have made some of the hurdles alot easier to get over.

I implore anyone migrating to read Quoll's posts to get a true picture, warts and all, of Oz instead of reading some of the blinded horse crap that often appears on here.

Thanks Quoll, I feel like calling you Mum.:biggrin:

 

Ditto

[Quoll]

Quoll,

 

snip

Thanks Quoll, I feel like calling you Mum.:biggrin:

 

No worries son (or is that daughter?)

 

Most people on here call me a miserable old g*t!!!:biglaugh:

 

The few of you I have met dont really think that though (at least I dont think they do:biglaugh:)

 

BTW another great day for me today - after Sutton Hoo and Orford Castle the other day, today was the day of the swans and seeing the Whooper and Bewick swans at Welney, flying in after a hard day's nibbling in the fields was truly awesome! The wind was bitter and I admit to wearing a beanie and (horror of horrors) gloves!!! But we (long time friend and I) were out in it and returned quite unscathed if a little windblown and truly exhilarated!

[Prairie Girl]

We moved back to Canada from Australia because of the cost of living mostly. Many things much higher yet DH made similar wage. Name brand cosmetics and clothes, books and CD's, DVD's, many groceries and other items significantly more or even double what you pay in Canada, despite the dollars being almost the same in value. Rent in Sydney is so high, especially if you need a 3 bedroom. It's also harder to buy houses or units there with no help from real estate agents unless you pay a large fee to a buyer's agent. There is also no stamp duty in Canada! Also, Medicare coverage is patchy and it's hard to find a doctor who bulk bills, but in Canada Medicare is free with only a few things not covered.

We did miss seeing family once or twice a year but if cost of living wasn't so high we would probably still be there. We were really sorry to leave because it was a dream as we had lived in Sydney before, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

[Guest TLC1]

We have been on the Sunshine Coast for 18months now & I long to go back. My husband feels we need to stick it out longer as it cost us so much to get here. We are definitely worse off over here, my husband works shift's and we earn a lot less despite the cost of living being a lot higher. The reason I want to go back is just simply I miss my life! We moved here to be closer to family, but it's not enough.

[Guest chris955]

I'm afraid to say your story is all too familiar. Lots of people seem to feel as though there is something missing here, I have heard it called a 'buzz'. As you say along with the high and rising cost of living it creates quite a dilemma.

[Guest Arg]

I came to cheap Australia (cheaper than the UK) but I found it expensive at least twice. Lot of bull**** - like MODL list or critical skills list - no jobs at all or hard to find. Who needs these people here? Nobody.

All is overpriced and overrated, and Aussies trying to convince me I leave perfect paradise to live in ****-hole UK. But in the UK I see lot of jobs for me and in Australia I can't find anything, having occupation in "high demand". I move back where I can have a job, good pubs, holidays.

[Guest lost over here]

I also was under the impression Australia was cheap but since we arrived in 2006 rent in Sydney & the price of groceries have increased by a ridiculous amount. We do live in a house in North Sydney but we have been overspending each month for over the past year despite the fact that we have no car & live cheaply. In the UK we are planning on me working full time while my husband looks after our two young children. I estimate we will be better off financially & be able to buy a house which is a luxury we have no hope of having here in Sydney. Its a high price to pay for living in the sunshine! We are leaving 26/2/10. Its hard for me to let go of the dream of living here but the dream and the reality are so far removed its laughable.

[Prairie Girl]

I also was under the impression Australia was cheap but since we arrived in 2006 rent in Sydney & the price of groceries have increased by a ridiculous amount. We do live in a house in North Sydney but we have been overspending each month for over the past year despite the fact that we have no car & live cheaply. In the UK we are planning on me working full time while my husband looks after our two young children. I estimate we will be better off financially & be able to buy a house which is a luxury we have no hope of having here in Sydney. Its a high price to pay for living in the sunshine! We are leaving 26/2/10. Its hard for me to let go of the dream of living here but the dream and the reality are so far removed its laughable.

 

Thanks for this post because it mirrors what we experienced. The nice weather didn't mean much when the rest of our life wasn't working because of the expensive groceries and rent. We didn't have a car either.

[Guest famousfive]

We came here nearly two years ago for various reasons,one of which was to give our kids a chance to get to know my OHs family and spend some time with them.We were under no allusions about oz as we had lived here a number of times but we have come to realise we have moved on in life and feel australia is no longer for us,it no longer ticks the boxes as far as we are concerned.

 

We return in the knowledge our kids will have a more fullfilling childhood,more varied experiences,more understanding of the wider world around them and more opportunities for the future.They will return to family who care deeply for them and who understand what living life is all about.They return to friends who miss them deeply and count the days until they return.They will return to a school that actually cares that they are intelligent young girls and challenges them with appropriate work to keep them interested.They return to dancing,art,music,swimming,karate and sport after school that does not involve mom and dad needing a second mortgage to keep up with.

 

We return to a life that was more open and honest,to a social life that is varied and interesting and to a country that has a lot to be proud of.

 

Why are we going?We are going because we feel oz does not provide any of the above for us.

 

Someone has to keep the home fires burning.

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

Hi to any new members on PIO

 

Just to let you know that there are alot of people on PIO who think Australias cost of living is no different than the uk. The major utilities are massively cheaper than the uk, but other things are dearer, it is swings and roundabouts. Some people go to Australia and don't plan properly and accept low wages, i am not saying anyone on this thread has done this and, my advice is, try to get employment before you go and make sure you get a wage which is at least the equivalent to $2.2 to each £1 you earn in the uk and you should have a similar standard of living.

 

£30,000 you will need a wage of about $65,000

£50,000 you will need a wage of about $110,000

 

I am not wanting to offend anyone on this thread, and i wish you ALL the best of luck, but new people on PIO, also check these threads out and they need to know a balanced view, with help and advice about wages, in relation to the cost of living, i am not saying your experiences aren't right, but it isn't everyones experience.

[twinsmom65]

Hi to any new members on PIO

 

Just to let you know that there are alot of people on PIO who think Australias cost of living is no different than the uk. The major utilities are massively cheaper than the uk, but other things are dearer, it is swings and roundabouts. Some people go to Australia and don't plan properly and accept low wages, i am not saying anyone on this thread has done this and, my advice is, try to get employment before you go and make sure you get a wage which is at least the equivalent to $2.2 to each £1 you earn in the uk and you should have a similar standard of living.

 

£30,000 you will need a wage of about $65,000

£50,000 you will need a wage of about $110,000

 

I am not wanting to offend anyone on this thread, and i wish you ALL the best of luck, but new people on PIO, also check these threads out and they need to know a balanced view, with help and advice about wages, in relation to the cost of living, i am not saying your experiences aren't right, but it isn't everyones experience.

 

Well Jim as a Canadian who moved to Australia, I have to disagree with your post. I have found Australia very expensive. I also am friends with lots of Australians at work, and everyone I speak to has said how expensive Australia has gotten in the past 4 years.

 

My OH and I had a combined income of approx $145k a year prior to him losing his job, and we still found it expensive. On a income like that back in Canada we would have lived like kings and queens !!. We are now on an income of $50k and that is why we are going back, there is no way we can survive on that amount.

 

Also Jim I take personal offence to you saying that people accept low income jobs... you make it sound like the majority of people on PIO will be accepting high paying jobs... sorry to burst your buble mate.. but the reality of living here, is that not everyone in Australia is making $65 to $100k and if you are then consider yourself damn lucky!!

 

Jim I know that you LOVE Australia, and I don't hate Australia (it just hasn't worked out for us), however, sometimes the way you rabbit on to prospective immigrants, you would think that this country has a bloody red carpet waiting for new migrants and the streets are paved with gold, and that everyone who gets a visa will get a high paying job.

 

Sorry mate, but the dream and the reality are often two different things.... yes lots of people make a good go of it, but please stop shooting us down for those that didn't land that $100k a year job, and have struggled.

 

I really hope that when you move over to Australia it is your Utopia, as you have built it up so much, but at the end of the day, please give some respect to us moving back, the majority of us have had some hard decisions to come to !!

 

Cheers

 

Karen

[Guest chris955]

Yes it's very similar for us, it just doesn't tick the boxes and like you I feel as though our kids with their interests will have a much more fulfilling life in the UK.

 

 

We came here nearly two years ago for various reasons,one of which was to give our kids a chance to get to know my OHs family and spend some time with them.We were under no allusions about oz as we had lived here a number of times but we have come to realise we have moved on in life and feel australia is no longer for us,it no longer ticks the boxes as far as we are concerned.

 

We return in the knowledge our kids will have a more fullfilling childhood,more varied experiences,more understanding of the wider world around them and more opportunities for the future.They will return to family who care deeply for them and who understand what living life is all about.They return to friends who miss them deeply and count the days until they return.They will return to a school that actually cares that they are intelligent young girls and challenges them with appropriate work to keep them interested.They return to dancing,art,music,swimming,karate and sport after school that does not involve mom and dad needing a second mortgage to keep up with.

 

We return to a life that was more open and honest,to a social life that is varied and interesting and to a country that has a lot to be proud of.

 

Why are we going?We are going because we feel oz does not provide any of the above for us.

 

Someone has to keep the home fires burning.

[Guest The Ropey HOFF]

I am not shooting you down and i have been very respectful of ALL your posts and sympathise with anyone who is struggling, PIO and the posts are ALL genuine real life experiences, new PIOers looking for info need to know that alot of people who live in Australia don't share these views. There are thousands upon thousands looking at emigrating and only a very small minority are coming back and new PIOers need to know the negatives about OZ, but they also need to realise, for most who emigrate, they love it there, its not for everyone. Best of luck if your returning.

[Guest guest22466]

I also was under the impression Australia was cheap but since we arrived in 2006 rent in Sydney & the price of groceries have increased by a ridiculous amount. We do live in a house in North Sydney but we have been overspending each month for over the past year despite the fact that we have no car & live cheaply. In the UK we are planning on me working full time while my husband looks after our two young children. I estimate we will be better off financially & be able to buy a house which is a luxury we have no hope of having here in Sydney. Its a high price to pay for living in the sunshine! We are leaving 26/2/10. Its hard for me to let go of the dream of living here but the dream and the reality are so far removed its laughable.

 

Homes in Sydney are very expensive to rent and buy however that is where most people have to live to get decent work to provide for their families. In the UK there are still cheaper housing and near work too...thats the differences. As the UK is less widespread then most things are within easy reach. Everyones experiences of finding a job and a home will be different depending on their circumstances but I see Sydney City as the main place holding the jobs and expensive homes. Local jobs are hard to get as everyone holds on to them as they dont want to travel into the city every day too. Id love to live near the coast but not many jobs and well expensive.....

[Flake]

In response the ranking you used from the 'International Living' Magazine. I quote from their website.....

 

How the numbers are crunched

To rate and rank the 194 countries considered in this year’s Quality of Life Index, we took into account:

 

Cost of Living (15% of the final ranking). This is a guide to how much it will cost you to live in a style comparable to—or better than—the standard of living you’re likely enjoying in the U.S. Our primary source in this category is the U.S. State Department’s Index of Overseas Living Costs, used to compute cost-of-living allowances for a Western-style of living in various countries. We also consider each country’s income tax rates.

 

Culture and Leisure (10%). To calculate this score, we look at literacy rate, newspaper circulation per 1,000 people, primary and secondary school enrollment ratios, number of people per museum, and a subjective rating of the variety of cultural and recreational offerings.

 

Economy (15%). We consider interest rates, GDP, GDP growth rate, GDP per capita, the inflation rate, and GNP per capita to determine each country’s Economy score.

 

Environment (10%). To figure a country’s score in this category, we look at population density per square kilometer, population growth rate, greenhouse emissions per capita, and the percentage of total land that is protected.

 

Freedom (10%). Freedom House’s 2009 survey is the main source for these scores, with an emphasis on a citizen’s political rights and civil liberties.

 

Health (10%). In this category, we look at calorie consumption as a percentage of daily requirements, the number of people per doctor, the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people, the percentage of the population with access to safe water, the infant mortality rate, life expectancy, and public health expenditure as a percentage of a country’s GDP.

 

Infrastructure (10%). To calculate a country’s Infrastructure score, we look at the length of railways, paved highways, and navigable waterways in each country, and equated these things to each country’s population and size. We also consider the number of airports, motor vehicles , telephones, Internet service providers, and cell phones per capita.

 

Safety and Risk (10%). For this category, we use the U.S. Department of State’s hardship Differentials and danger allowances, which are based on extraordinarily difficult, notably unhealthy, or dangerous living conditions.

 

Climate (10%). When deciding on a score for each country’s climate, we look at its average annual rainfall and average temperature…and consider its risk for natural disaster

 

 

This report means nothing if you ANALYZE how they came up with figures.

 

Apart from anything, numbers do not demonstrate the major factor the UK holds over Australia.

 

Ambience.

 

I will be the first to admit that Australia can hold in some favour due to the weather, unfortunately Weather is not a big enough factor to persuade a winning vote from me.

I prefer a little more substance than that. And I would say the 'Buzz' that is missing from Australian life is exactly that- Substance.

 

I am not wanting to offend anyone on this thread,i am not saying your experiences aren't right, but it isn't everyones experience

[Prairie Girl]

Twinsmom, we were on $120K plus bonus per year, only slightly less than salary in Canada and that should be a great salary but it didn't cut it. I could give lots of specific examples of products and services that cost more than Canada but that would get boring...when we left and DH told everyone at work it was cost of living, numerous co-workers started telling him how they were struggling and how they thought groceries had sky-rocketed and rents were killing them and these guys were all on 6 figures and couldn't manage to buy property or get ahead. We are NOT making this up!

[fleabo]

This thread has made an interesting read. Well done to those of you who have tried and worked out it is just not for you, for whatever reason. It is a long haul to get out here under your own steam but well done for trying. For some Australia is paradise, for others its a let-down.

 

BTW, many of you have articulated thoughts and feelings that my OH had, living in the UK, as an Australian.

 

Best of luck.

[ali]

I think that's how pio started but to be honest for the few of us that have been here from it's infancy, the site has changed so much. When Cal and I for example were migrating (and Gollywobblers mum was still waiting for her visa), there were very few of the site members who were actually in Aus. Now with a massive growth, lots of granted visas and a lot of our membership having actually lived in Aus, we now have the benefit of all their experiences. Inevitably, with such a large group, there are going to be people who will be migrating in reverse and heading back to the UK ... for this reason this part of the forum (MBTTUK) was added, in recognition that the story doesn't actually end when you arrive in Aus and for many heading home is a big reality, and one that they want to share equally just as those migrating to Aus want to share theirs.

 

People who've read my posts will know that I'm very content with my life here, no intentions of returning to the UK even for a holiday at the moment ... however, there is an element of 'there for the grace of god' .. it could have all turned out so differently for our family.

 

Everyone has a place here on PIO (IMHO), i've been proud to see the site grow and change, there will be at least something on here that every single member might relate to thinking "I hope it works like that for me" or "god that's exactly how I feel and I want to go home". That's what makes PIO the site it is, it's now not only a site for those moving, but those who've arrived, who love it, hate it or are indifferent to it ... and the site is a better place because of it.

[Skani]

Homes in Sydney are very expensive to rent and buy however that is where most people have to live to get decent work to provide for their families..

 

82% of Australia DOESN'T live in Sydney - and they manage to provide for their families elsewhere.

[Guest siamsusie]

And of course we have WA!

[Guest guest22466]

82% of Australia DOESN'T live in Sydney - and they manage to provide for their families elsewhere.

 

Well if anyone is thinking of living and working in Sydney bring LOTS of cash with you.... its not the $10 pom days with streets paved with gold anymore.....wish it was but it is not....