Have any single parents already made the move to Oz?

[Guest female25]

Hi Ya

I'm not a nurse I'm guessing your looking for nurses. I really want to move to oz! I'm guessing you wouldn't have any trouble with your childs father? Is his name on the birth certificate?

[Guest jane99]

Hi Ya

I'm not a nurse I'm guessing your looking for nurses. I really want to move to oz! I'm guessing you wouldn't have any trouble with your childs father? Is his name on the birth certificate?

Hi. Not at all. Welcome! Its just that Emma and I happen to be nurses, but this thread is for single parents.

 

I did have some trouble with my sons father for a while, but he eventually agreed to me taking him to Oz. I had to get a statuatory declaration drawn up by a solicitor. I know some people have had to go to court to get permission to take the children.

 

Where in Oz are you thinking of going?

[Guest londongirl]

Just found this thread. I am a single parent, with one 13 year old daughter. We came over to Oz 8 weeks ago, looked round a bit and have stopped in Adelaide. Any other single parents out there?

[Guest jane99]

Just found this thread. I am a single parent, with one 13 year old daughter. We came over to Oz 8 weeks ago, looked round a bit and have stopped in Adelaide. Any other single parents out there?

 

I am in Sydney with my 13 year old son. I have a friend in Adelaide, she is a single Mum too, if you message me I will pass on her details to you. Good luck! Its a hard road but Im sure it will be all worth it.

[Guest jane99]

Just found this thread. I am a single parent, with one 13 year old daughter. We came over to Oz 8 weeks ago, looked round a bit and have stopped in Adelaide. Any other single parents out there?

Just realised Emma is (Ems) just above on this thread so you can message her yourself! Tell her Jane told you too!!

[Guest londongirl]

It is great to see other single mums who have gone it alone and moved to Australia, especially those who seem to be happy with the way things are going for them. I have been here only 8 weeks, having left my business and my daughter's good school behind and moved to Oz with no job or relatives to go to. I took my daughter on a tour of Australia to help me decide where to settle and I chose Adelaide because it is very pretty, has lots of fantastic places near it, and also my daughter's dad has an aunt here. She is supportive up to a point, but has her own family.

 

I'm finding it much more difficult than I thought it would be, for several reasons. With no job or accommodation set up, and no relatives of my own, there is no obvious place to head towards. With my daughter out of school it is very difficult to explore areas, business opportunities, rental accommodation with her in tow. To get her into a state school, I need proof of residency, which means committing to an area, and I don't feel ready to make a commitment, not knowing how work would turn out in a particular suburb. What I have done is get a short lease for a holiday apartment, so that I can enrol her at a primary school and look around other areas during the school day. However, she needs to start secondary school in January but we are not 'zoned' for a good state school here.

 

I have no adult to discuss experiences or to help me make decisions. My daughter still wants to go home to be with her friends and her Dad. She is fed up with me being stressed all the time. My friends in the UK and people I meet here say I am brave to do this but at the moment I just feel guilty for having disrupted my daughter's education. Sorry to sound so negative about it all, and I'm sure much of my experience is down to not having any real anchorage points, e.g. a job or some relatives to help us out, or regular income of some sort to ease the financial worries. With those things, one would have a very different experience. Australia is a brilliant country in so many ways, and people who live here seem very satisfied with their lives.

[suzy+1]

I came out to Perth with my 3 yr old daughter nearly 3 yrs ago now-those first 6-12 months are definatly the hardest, as you say-having no anchorage points and must be even harder for you as i atleast had a job to come to but having no family and friends support to start off with is so tough. It does get better though. Hopefully your daughter may settle more once in school and making friends etc.

[Guest scoop]

Hi there

Just read your post from 2005. did you ever make it to oz?

I am thinking of moving out there with my two teenage sons. I keep getting cold feet but the desire just wont go away.

Let me know how you got on pls.

D x

Hi hun x kept bottling it really but now my boy has started asking to move!! he's 6 now and I have started seriously thinking about it again, I am at an age where if I don't do it now I never will and I hate living with regrets! Being back on here is the first step I say!!

 

SCoop

x

[Guest londongirl]

I admire any single mums who migrate to Australia, especially with teenagers. I have been here just over four months, and am still in Adelaide, but I have decided to go with my daughter back to England.

 

I find Adelaide to be a relaxed, family friendly place (if you have a car!) and people are welcoming and helpful. We have quickly made friends with Aussies and other ex-pats, but of course it takes a long time to build close adult friendships. Despite liking Australia, my daughter still wants to go home to be with her UK friends and her Dad.

 

My daughter went to school for the last few weeks of primary (she's 13) and I used the time to explore business opportunities, suburbs, and rental accommodation. I found I didn't feel ready to make a financial commitment with no obvious links to the place. Again it takes time to feel a connection with a place, if you don't have a ready-made community.

 

I had to give up my daughter's UK school place to come out here, but I do feel the whole experience has been incredibly educational for her (and me) and so I don't regret it (as long as I can get her a decent school place when we return!).

 

In hindsight, I would encourage anyone considering migrating here to establish as far as possible some connections - relatives or friends who will help out, and to research as much as possible before you get here, so that you have a game plan to follow. Above all try to be realistic about what the new life here will be like. The biggest shock for many people seems to be how expensive everything is.

 

Hope this helps those of you thinking about migrating here.

[theveeuk]

Hi

 

I am a single parent and have been looking into moving to Oz for years now......the biggest worry is that i am a single parent and because everyone talks of how expensive it is to live out there it is such a big worry to me. I am currently training in complimentary therapy and i believe from the bits i have read that it will be my only way of getting through to oz.....A couple of yrs ago i got a degree in sociology thinking that my degree would get me in but soon realised that it was not the case. However, i am not sure how much a massage therapist would earn in relation to being able to afford to live there....in Adelaide. Does anyone know where i could find this information? Also, i have checked out rents for housing but the difficulty for me is not knowing what the areas are like...i have an 8yr old son and do not want to compromise his education and wellbeing for a life in oz, in other words, we would need to move to a nice area..Can anyone give me some ideas of places that are affordable in a nice enough area? Also, can anyone give me a general idea of the cost of moving all that way?

 

Next question is - can anyone tell me the reality of living in oz as a single parent? How many of you that have moved out there wish you were back home in the uk ?

 

Would appreciate any info you can offer......as you can tell i am in my research bit of moving! xx

[suzy+1]

Hi, im afraid i cant help with adelaide as im in Perth, but as for being a single parent over here.......i managed by working full time ( i was sponsered as a nurse) and had a uni student live with me rent free so she could watch my 3 yr old whilst i worked night shifts and later she did pick/drop off from day care/school, not sure how i would have managed otherwise with the lack of family support. Luckily it was a good arrangement that lasted 2.5 years (till i met and moved in with my partner). Its definatly tough without support, its hard to go and meet people with no babysitters etc. I think it depends how badly you want it and how much hard work you are prepared to put into it. I didnt really miss the UK for the first couple of years.....my daughter now 7yrs loves it and is upset when ever we visit and have to leave again though she does love her life in Aus too. Im sad that my family misses out on (my now 2 children) and having an every day relationship with them, we still lack family support here and my social network still isnt very strong (after 5 years) so can be tough. I dont regret coming to Aus but i do feel i have had to give up some parts of my life in order to be happy in others.

[TheresaDream]

I came here to Brisbane in 2013 with my then 3 year old son. I had to study for a year as my teaching qualifications weren't considered as 'acceptable'. I completed my Grad Dip Ed and was fortunate enough to be sponsored on a 457 visa. I have worked for my sponsor for 12 months now and the job itself is perfect for me, especially as I have been allowed to reduce from a 5 to 4 day week. My son loves his school and has settled in reasonably well. However, I have been experiencing significant pangs of homesickness, so much so that I have been back to the UK for 2 trips in the past year. I miss my close friends and my family. I have a brother here in Brisbane but he rarely gets in touch and I have given up trying to maintain the relationship. I have made a couple of good friends through work however they are busy with their own lives and I don't want to be a burden to them. I am so confused with the range of emotions I am experiencing i.e. guilt for depriving my son of his father (although he has always been difficult and manipulative), exhaustion, anxiety, depression and mostly loneliness and isolation. I am tired of struggling and am losing my sense of self. I am torn between waiting to see if my situation changes (although I don't know how this will be possible) or just cutting my losses and heading back to the UK. At 46 years of age, I am beginning to feel like this is my lot...apologies for rambling

[JockinTas]

Sorry to hear this Theresa. Quite honestly it sounds like you are really struggling now. Your health and well being are extremely important. If you don't feel any better by the end of the school year perhaps it would be better for you to return to the UK.

[Reenie]

Hi I finally found this tread too. It’s been Long!! 2005.. I hope this thread is still going cos I need answers and help!

[Reenie]

I would like to know where you all migrated from and would you need a court order for sole custody or need not for this big move to Oz? I would like more answers. So I can work towards this goal. This desire has been coming back every year.. n I hope to be able to make this move smoothly and live th life I would like with my Son. He is 7 and I would like him to love n live his life in Oz. ❤️?? Praying Doors open! ❤️ And any advise would be appreciated ??

[Marisawright]

5 hours ago, Reenie said:

I would like to know where you all migrated from and would you need a court order for sole custody or need not for this big move to Oz? I would like more answers. So I can work towards this goal. This desire has been coming back every year.. n I hope to be able to make this move smoothly and live th life I would like with my Son. He is 7 and I would like him to love n live his life in Oz. ❤️?? Praying Doors open! ❤️ And any advise would be appreciated ??

You will need written permission from the father to bring your child to Australia.   If he will give that willingingly without a court order, you don't have to go to court. 

The first thing you need to establish is whether you are even eligible to migrate. Australia doesn't accept everyone, you must have an occupation that is on the official list, and there are requirements for qualifications and experience that you must meet. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Reenie said:

I would like to know where you all migrated from and would you need a court order for sole custody or need not for this big move to Oz? I would like more answers. So I can work towards this goal. This desire has been coming back every year.. n I hope to be able to make this move smoothly and live th life I would like with my Son. He is 7 and I would like him to love n live his life in Oz. ❤️?? Praying Doors open! ❤️ And any advise would be appreciated ??

 

To be honest you've posted in a thread that is 10 years old and the people who migrated back then are not around on the forum any more that I am aware of.

You would be better to start a new thread and ask your questions there. If there are any single parents out there active they may post in reply in a new thread  Also ensure you give it a decent title so people scanning the forum don't pass it by.