fourcorners Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Hi, I'm sort of new here, used this forum a few years ago but haven't had to for while! We lived in WA (Kalgoorlie) for 18 months until April 2008 when we moved to Canada as my other half had secured a Phd there (British Columbia). Unfortunately that didn't work out and in December the same year we moved back to England. We lived with my mum whilst we found jobs which at times was very hard, but eventually I got a good job in Cornwall and we bought a house here in June last year. Andy got a job with an offshore drilling company and ironically is now working in Australia! He's working 6 weeks on 3 weeks off (with travel on his own time), so given the jetlag and travel he only really gets 2 weeks at home. And to make things worse he's found out he is being paid less than the cleaners at camp in Oz! So we're now in the predicament of deciding whether to move back to Australia permanently. I am a geologist and whilst I've got a fairly good job here (by UK standards for geos), I know I could earn 2-3 times more in Australia. So from a financial and spending time together point of view it makes no sense to stay here. I accept that it's the nature of both our jobs that we spend time apart, and we have a lot since graduating, but this is really getting silly. I like my cottage in Cornwall but it feels very lonely most of the time. I know if we moved to Oz permanently we would have no problem finding jobs (Andy would more than likely quit his current position as he'd like to get back into mining), and probably no problem finding a company to sponsor us for permanent residency (but go down the 457 route first) and relocation costs. I think we would keep our house here, and rent it out, I'm not too worried about having to sell that, which is good. I guess we've been coming to the conclusion that we can't stay in Cornwall if the price is too high (i.e. our relationship). As wonderful as it is living here, it's not really a life if we only see each other 2.5 weeks out of every 9. It's what we moved back to the UK to avoid! When we lived in Kal before yes we did get fed up of the heat, and lack of greenery and topography (Andy was into his climbing back then so used to get pretty frustrated), and distance to the sea. I'm not sure yet whether we would go back to Kal but it does give one of the best opportunities for us in terms of jobs and both going home every night (I regret that I sometimes took this for granted when we lived there before). So, I suppose I'm wondering if anyone else has been in a similar position. At the end of the day, our travels have taught us that the world isn't so big, and relocating doesn't scare us as we've already done 3 big moves in the past. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Nice post 4 corners, I have to agree with you, Kal is a bit too far from the sea, thats a huge factor for me, but you have experienced it..... I wish you well with your future plans. Susie x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mhags Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I was not unhappy with my life back home in Scotland, I enjoyed my job, kids doing well at school, loved my house, my pets, my friends & my family. However, I had a husband who was living & working in Australia for longer & longer periods at a time. Would initially be away for a few weeks back for a few then it was ending up he was here for 10 weeks and home for 2 weeks. This was seriously hard for all of us. In 2009, apart from Christmas, he was home for 6 weeks in the whole year. We knew permanent job offer was on the cards but didn't know when it would happen. This was a really hard time for me, so for us the decision to move to be together all the time as a family has been worth it and I suppose only you can decide whether it's the right thing to do. The world is a smaller place in that communication is so much easier than it was , I talk on skype, email etc have daily contact with some people. I really miss my friends & my dog in particular.However, we are making the most of the opportunity we have been given and getting on with life here. I struggle in the heat and struggle with the beasties but I knew that I would so.......! I would say, if you have been here before you will benefit from knowing what you are coming out to...that can only be a positive! I would also say life is for living & you only get one go! Good luck with your decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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