Guest darzo1979 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 As the title says will a move to oz give me equal or better lifestyle to UK (Scotland)? My Current situation in the UK is as follows:- Myself and my partner earn approx £60K in the UK (Approx 94,000 Aus D) We have a 6 year old child, who is watched by my parents, so no child minding fees We have a 3 bedroom flat in the UK, but realistically if we sold now we would probably only cover the mortgage We have a 1 year old car, that if we sold we would prob make a loss on this, and have combined debts that cost us in the region of £300-400 per month (i.e. loans/credit cards) I have probably painted a rather bleak picture above, however we have to be realistic!!! I have the prospect of a job in Perth city center area with sponsored visa, job salary is from 70,000 - 100,000 AUS D (i wouldnt accept anything less than 80,000 AUS D). the package includes relocation costs (i.e. one way flight for the family, 1 months furnished accommodation, and 1 months car rental, and removal costs for our furniture etc) My partner works for a well known supermarket/food store as the store manager and earns approx £30,000 (i.e. half of our combined income in the UK). How easy would it be for her to get a similar job in OZ, and what are the salaries like for this type of work? As wee have a small child, if we both worked full time, we would require child minding, what are the average costs of this? If this costs alot, she may just look to work part time (i.e. 16/20 hrs a week) what is the average wage for this type of work Any advise would be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Welcome to Poms In Oz. There are numerous threads about this very same subject namely http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/dilemmas/121735-do-you-really-have-better-life-oz.html By using your search button and inserting the very question you have posed you will come across many similar threads and posts. I thought I would give you some reading material until some members come along to give your their opinion. Good luck with your plans and best wishes Susie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I was speaking to someone on here that worked for a well known supermarket too and apparently they have been offered some sort of transfer to australia, i think the supermarket was aldi. I guess it all depends on what you want out of it. bigger house? better lifestyle? adventure? beach lifestyle etc etc Sounds like your getting a good relocation package so if you want a adventure then give it a shot. Someone else will be around to tell you about childcare etc. where in scotland you from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darzo1979 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I was speaking to someone on here that worked for a well known supermarket too and apparently they have been offered some sort of transfer to australia, i think the supermarket was aldi. I guess it all depends on what you want out of it. bigger house? better lifestyle? adventure? beach lifestyle etc etc Sounds like your getting a good relocation package so if you want a adventure then give it a shot. Someone else will be around to tell you about childcare etc. where in scotland you from? @suzie thanks for the info i will give them a good read. @scottishstacey i live currently in sunny paisley, so the prospect of Pert appeals to me:wink: My gf works for Iceland, not sure if they have branches over there, but am sure there are the oz equivalents looking for employees I was all for it until i started doping some (not alot) research and it looked like the cost of living was a lot higher than the uk:shocked: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I also forgot to give you the link to our sister site http://www.perthpoms.com/ which is very vibrant and full of good information also. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Im still in the UK at the moment. But I have done my figures for living and I reckon you could live pretty well on 80k and let the mrs stay home and look after the baby !!!! Alot of things ar expensive in Perth, but theres so much you can do thats free. Sounds to me like you have an oportunity that you will regret if you pass it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 paisleys about as sunny as lanark lol theres a couple of other people on here from paisley. we're looking to move to perth too hopefully next year, your right about things being expensive and your also ring about the free stuff. perth looks lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels&john Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 $80,000 is an average salary, please dont be led into a false sense of living, this happened to us. We have never ever worked so hard in our life until we reached Aus. Please remember that in Aus you are looking at treble the price for everything apart from fuel, thats not far behind the uk now. Food, bills, especially electric etc, even a coffee is extortionate. We were absolutely shocked when we got there how expensive it was. Split the Aus salary into 3, then convert it to the £, that will tell you roughly what your salary would be out there, so $100000 will be roughly £21,000 a year. The cost of living knocks it right down. Even to me $100,000 sounds ace but realisticly its not. Please dont take offence to this but its looking at it without rose tinted glasses, its easy to fall in to that "rose tinted feeling" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Do a search on www.seek.com.au for jobs in your husband's chosen area and location. Also Google Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Franklins, may as well do Myer and David Jones - DJ has an M & S style foodhall in Sydney. WA may well have some unique shops that don't operate in 'The Eastern States'. The stores don't open on Sundays in WA do they? I saw something on the news about it the other day. Can hardly believe it but when I first came to Sydney the shops closed at noon on Saturday and most of the pubs at 10pm. Will you have an equal or better lifestyle? I believe so, based purely upon the numbers who come to Australia and stay, versus the ones who either hate it and go back or hate it and can't go back. I have no complaints about my lifestyle here in Sydney compared to Southampton. But then again, I don't miss English supermarkets, English shops, English pubs, English beer, etc. because I'm contented with the Aussie ones. The only thing I do miss is my Mum and Dad and now they are gone and I'm on my own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darzo1979 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Thanks to everyone who has replied. But i must say i am a bit confused, i know it is all about opionins and what lifestyle you had when in the uk. I must admit i was a bit shocked at the house prices, do most people just rent over in aus? i know its hard to put a figure on it, but would anyone hazard a guess at what $ wage, we would have to earn to be comparable to earning £60K in uk? Darren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Lots of people still manage on that sort of wage and are happy. It just depends on what you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hatton Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 $80,000 is an average salary, please dont be led into a false sense of living, this happened to us. We have never ever worked so hard in our life until we reached Aus. Please remember that in Aus you are looking at treble the price for everything apart from fuel, thats not far behind the uk now.Food, bills, especially electric etc, even a coffee is extortionate. We were absolutely shocked when we got there how expensive it was. Split the Aus salary into 3, then convert it to the £, that will tell you roughly what your salary would be out there, so $100000 will be roughly £21,000 a year. The cost of living knocks it right down. Even to me $100,000 sounds ace but realisticly its not. Please dont take offence to this but its looking at it without rose tinted glasses, its easy to fall in to that "rose tinted feeling" Good advice, aussies to their credit have a greater work ethic than here in the UK and you do not find many shirkers, they work hard and play hard, my aussie hubby honestly cannot believe how lazy his workmates are over here and turn down overtime at time and a half on a Saturday regular, he worked far harder in Oz and Saturdays was the norm but as a result had a far better wage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CXW Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Rather than looking to compare income, it may be more useful to compare living costs - where does your £60k go now and how much would a comparable lifestyle cost in Australia? If you do a direct comparison, things often don't look too good, but once you're earning dollars, what's the point in constantly comparing costs back to the UK? Things cost what they cost, the question is can you afford what you want? One person here suggested in a thread that a better measure of costs was how long you had to work to be able to afford something like a pint of beer. Put that way, Australia may look quite different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Im sure not all aussies work very hard, theres lazy and hardworking people everywhere. My bf used to work 12hour days all the time and now they've went down to 10hours hes actually disapointed. But theres quite a lot of guys at his work that are lazy but they usually get found out and get sacked. Dont think dave will have any trouble with working hard in oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hatton Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Rather than looking to compare income, it may be more useful to compare living costs - where does your £60k go now and how much would a comparable lifestyle cost in Australia? If you do a direct comparison, things often don't look too good, but once you're earning dollars, what's the point in constantly comparing costs back to the UK? Things cost what they cost, the question is can you afford what you want? One person here suggested in a thread that a better measure of costs was how long you had to work to be able to afford something like a pint of beer. Put that way, Australia may look quite different. This might help. Full-time adult ordinary time earnings: $64,650 per year Full-time adult total earnings: $67,110 per year Male full-time total earnings: $72,620 per year Female full-time total earnings: $57,520 per year http://www.averagesalarysurvey.com/article/average-salary-in-australia/21211257/income.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I know its different for everyone but roughly how much money would you have to be making to have a decent enough lifestyle? I thought 100k was good but doesnt sound like it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CXW Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 What do you call "decent"? I know people who earn $50k/year (one child) and think that they live decently, but then other people find it a squeeze on $100k. It really does depend on expectations and one's priorities once you get beyond a base level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Just a small nice flat or house, wed be renting but hope to buy a house in a few years, not sure if we will ever manage but hope so. We arent well off here, just average or slightly below. Some weeks we've got money left over some weeks we struggle slightly. If we move its mostly for the adventure as we're a young couple with no kids. Would still like to have some money leftover each month for nights out etc. Im not even sure what kind of money dave would be making, saw a few of his type of jobs that were 100k and above but that was working away for weeks at mines. Had a look at the supermarket websites and estate agents in perth, a lot of things are expensive but also heard from other members that you can shop around to get a good deal etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Not sure where jewels&john are shopping (could be somewhere really remote) but I'd question the assertion that food prices are 3 times the price. Fresh food is comparable in price, barring a few items. As an example, below are the prices we paid last week in dollars versus the quoted price on Tesco's online (in sterling): Fresh (free-range) chicken (breast fillet, skinless) - $16.99/kg versus £11.60/kg Beef/steak (prime fillet) - $30-40/kg versus £24.00/kg Tomatoes (on the vine) - $12.50/kg versus £7.96/kg Salmon Fillets - $33-$35/kg versus £16.67-£20.41/kg – even cheaper if you live in Sydney (similar for tuna). Basmati Rice - $7.36/kg versus £4.99/kg. Milk – about $1.25/litre versus about £0.66/litre for skimmed, purchased as a 1 litre pack Apples - $2.57/kg versus £2.75/kg (for Pink Lady) Carrots - $1.88/kg versus £1.40/kg If you've lived off prepared meals from Waitrose, M&S and Sainsbury's you'll find: the range here is far more limited the price is higher (much higher in some cases) the quality is poorer. We generally cook most of our meals and eat out on those days when we just can't be bothered. Petrol is about $1.45/litre. My sister lives near Bath and says she pays about £1.35/litre. Rates – cheaper here, we pay about the same (based on a $2 to £1) for a 240sq metre house that my sister pays for an 80sq m house in Somerset. I’m pretty sure that would be different in Sydney and Melbourne but I don’t know for sure. Gas/electric – we keep the central heating on during the day in winter (all day) and have reverse-cycle air conditioners in summer and our monthly spend averages about $240 (house has vaulted ceilings which means it’s a bugger to cool and to keep warm). I can’t make a comparison to the UK but, hopefully, this will help you gauge prices here. Cars – if you want European, be prepared to pay more. My German made vehicle cost about £10K more than the equivalent in the UK but travelling to clients is part of my work so I claim some of the costs against tax (petrol, depreciation, road tax etc). However, when I bought Ford and Toyota before that, I paid about the same as I would have in the UK for a similar vehicle (purchased new - secondhand cars retain their value or are more expensive depending on how you view the matter). Cookware – this is something that another poster on another thread used to rail about the cost of living here). I’ve just seen a 3-piece Analon set on sale on the John Lewis website for £103.60. By comparison, Peter’s of Kensington (that’s Kensington in NSW) are offering a 6-piece set for $299 and a 4-piece set for $180. Items from both retailers are on sale with the discount offered by Peter’s being pretty substantial (I don’t know anyone that pays full price for European branded cookware). If you wish to pay full-price for Le Creuset, you will notice a difference. But then how many of these items do you purchase on a daily basis, or even weekly, monthly or yearly basis. A little perspective goes a long way. Books are more expensive than the UK but it’s cheaper to get them from Amazon US anyway. (Amazon UK are, at present, offering free delivery on order over £25). If you choose the slowest delivery method (which the website says will take 6-11 weeks) you usually get the items in about 3 weeks as they’re shipped from Hong Kong. Same for CDs and DVDs. Probably you’d get them quicker if you didn’t live in the sticks like us Canberrans. Clothing – more expensive here you can save heaps by trying stuff on in the stores here to determine what size you want, and then buying online. Even with postage and packing it still works out cheaper. If shopping is your primary hobby, however, then emigration to Australia is probably not for you. Consider Hong Kong, Singapore or the US. Electrical – pricier here but, again, how many TVs are you buying on a daily, weekly or monthly basis? Wine – you get a much wider variety here than in the UK. Some stuff is about the same, some cheaper and some more expensive. On the whole booze is pricier here. Sports – my season ticket to the Rugby costs me about $300 per year. My sister’s partner pays about £300 per year for his season ticket in the UK. On the whole, you’re not going to enjoy a much better standard of living here (marginally better for most but only marginal). Different professions will fare better than others. Those working in the health service generally do better. If you work in IT, then, with the exception of very senior positions, you’re going to be slightly better off here. The quality of life is what draws and keeps most people here. Australians are fairly easy going, welcoming, the weather (even in Canberra) is better and there’s space to breath. You sacrifice somethings and gain on others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 We're in Brisbane and have been for nearly seven years. I'd question the everything is triple the price theory too, it is not the case. I am a nurse. I work less hours than in UK and earn much more! Hubby works ten hours a week more and earns more too. Food can be cheap or dear! If you buy from greengrocers etc you can save heaps but if you are going to deli's for your food you will pay more. Fuel is dearer to me now as when I arrived I paid 77c per litre. It's double that now!!! Lol! household bills are generally cheaper for us, just the two of us too. The weather is a huge plus, as others says, you can plan a BBQ and know it'll happen!! Lol. We have more time off together too. in the UK mark found it easy to make friends.....here in oz, it's me! The old cliche is...life is what you make it. If u don't expect everything instantly and dont expect everything to fall into your lap...you'll do fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JK2510 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Food is def not triple the cost. It's around the same if you work out how many hours you had to work in the uk to pay the grocery costs and how many hours you have to work in oz to pay for it. We do that comparison with everything and we are either better off in oz or around the same! Were renting for now and we could never afford to rent or even buy a house of this size. We struggled to get on the property ladder in the UK as we brought close to the peak of the boom in 2005. We lived in Hampshire and were lucky when the house prices dropped we weren't affected too much. Sold our house in 2 weeks! I'm not quite sure what the future holds with regards to us buying here. It will happen it's just a question of when and we expect it to be as tough as in the uk. The weather is soooo much better so planning for barbies and days out can be planned without any weather dramas! My OH works slightly more hours but you do need to prove yourself etc.... The money is handy as we have had to furnish our house. I wouldn't say the ozzies work harder at his company,some are lazy and show no pride in their work. Their skills in the air con trade are so much worse and much more behind than uk air con workers. As I have said on other posts the opportunities are far greater than what we ever had in the uk. OH has been asked to become supervisor twice and a controls guy but at the moment were only 6mths into our new life and things are flowing nicely! The controls job is waiting for him when he's ready. The big key for OH is that is travel time to work has be slashes by more than 1/2-3/4s! No more M25 and London commuting! My job,yes I'm working more hours but I only worked about 18hrs pw in the UK as I reduced my hours so I would have time to declutter etc... I do do more travelling as my job is not based around a town it is more the northern suburbs where I work as a community care assistant. I have been caring for many years and in oz it's the 1st time I've been asked to train people up as a CCA in the workplace. So the opportunities are here aplenty if you work hard and are reliable. After being in oz for 6 mths and having a rocky first 4 mths(stayed with family-huge nightmare) i could never move back to the uk! I'm here to stay and I will climb every mountain there is to climb. Hope my waffling helps and makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Not sure where jewels&john are shopping (could be somewhere really remote) but I'd question the assertion that food prices are 3 times the price. Fresh food is comparable in price, barring a few items. As an example, below are the prices we paid last week in dollars versus the quoted price on Tesco's online (in sterling): Fresh (free-range) chicken (breast fillet, skinless) - $16.99/kg versus £11.60/kg 5.95 local butcher (not free range) Beef/steak (prime fillet) - $30-40/kg versus £24.00/kg $9.99kg Tomatoes (on the vine) - $12.50/kg versus £7.96/kg 4.99 Guaranteed for a year by woolies Salmon Fillets - $33-$35/kg versus £16.67-£20.41/kg – even cheaper if you live in Sydney (similar for tuna). $24 kg Basmati Rice - $7.36/kg versus £4.99/kg..$6.99 for 5kg (Riviana pakistan) Coles special every month Milk – about $1.25/litre versus about £0.66/litre for skimmed, purchased as a 1 litre pack $2 Coles Apples - $2.57/kg versus £2.75/kg (for Pink Lady) $1.99 Carrots - $1.88/kg versus £1.40/kg 99c My prices here in brizzy in red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Even in remote WA where everything has to be trucked/shipped/flown in, groceries are a few bucks more, hardly double by any standard and as for triple....:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest30038 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Even in remote WA where everything has to be trucked/shipped/flown in, groceries are a few bucks more, hardly double by any standard and as for triple....:laugh: What about Magnetic Island? :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 What about Magnetic Island? :biggrin: Thats another ball game young Kev, I believe Serco escort the fruit to MI due to the high value of its cargo:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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