Please help. Should I move to Melbourne from UK ?

[grahamffc]

I think think decision comes down to what you and your wife view it as. Whether you and your wife are desperate to move to Australia one day or whether you see it purely as an opportunity that might advance your career and improve your standard of living?

 

If you were earning £53k in London going to $110k in Melbourne would be about the same standard of living. But £53k in the shires...you'd want at least $150k in Melbourne to match that. So in short it will not provide you with a better standard if living, especially as your wife will probably find it very difficult to get a job.

 

That said though you shouldn't view your job as a cash cow and need to ask yourself questions around it...How long have you been in the job? Would you be looking for a new challenge in the near future anyway? Is the high probability of the job being taken from you for reasons out of your control?

 

If the goal is to move to Australia one day then it's better than going with no job as most people have to do.

[flag of convenience]

I wouldn't accept it. You would be at the mercy of your employer on a 457 to remain and work place conditions can be taxing over here. Besides getting a chance to move to and live in Melbourne, I really don't see anything to sway you into accepting the offer.

As others have said your wife may find it difficult to find employment and the cost of living is very expensive.

 

You never thought of living in Australia previously and obviously have a good life over there. From where I sit very little reason to give that up just to experience something a little different. It may well prove to be an inferior brand.

Do come for a holiday at some stage and check it out. Perhaps another opportunity may come up? Although I think there is nothing wrong with life in England.

[smc28]

As someone who is going through redundancy on a 457 visa I would 100% agree that you shouldn't give up what you have in the UK unless you have always wanted to try life in a different country/Australia. Plenty other posts have highlighted the difference in living costs and the salary isn't great - especially if your other half cant get work. My partner took 6 months to get a job when we came over as employers can be put off by the 457. I completely understand the turmoil you will be going through so fingers crossed you can come to a decision as quickly as possible :-)

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Firstly relocation packages are hard to find, BUT, the amount they are offering you will almost be gone just in short term accommodation for when you arrive. Although you are lucky as there are just the two of you. I have no idea on flight costs but you will not get a long term rental from overseas as agents demand that you view the property first, so this means you need accommodation for when you arrive. Now there are two members on here who offer accommodation suitable for a couple for around $500 per week, however, if they are full or it is too far out you need to factor in around $1000 per week, it can take between 3-6 weeks to secure a long term rental so if you budget on 4 weeks that is around $4000 gone of your money straight away.

One thing I would be asking is if you did take the plunge could both yourself and your wife go back in to your UK jobs if it didn't work out over here? Also I would be asking how soon they would put you forward for PR.

Would your wife be happy not seeing you every night? It's a new country she may not have work or a car and be stuck in one of the outer suburbs with no one to talk to.

 

A few years ago I would have said jump at the chance, now I think people need to weigh up the pros and cons and not just imagine a beach bum lifestyle (not saying you are but just a general comment)

[jen85]

Hi All

 

This is my first post in the forum, and after a sleepless night (well quite a few in fact) I am looking for some help and constructive advice from the wider world.

 

I am going to pour out my heart and thoughts and be completely honest and open so that I can hopefully receive some helpful comments on If I should take the plunge or not. I would appreciate anyone who can take the time to read this and offer some advice.

 

The Job situation :-

 

About 2 months ago I was given an opportunity by a previous UK employer to move to Melbourne - although employed by an Australian company.

I am in sales and the role would be to promote and sell a product made in the UK and imported to Australia within the building and construction sector all over Australia and parts of New Zealand. This is a product I have prior specialist knowledge of and hence the opportunity. The likelihood is that I will be working from an office in Melbourne but the job would involve extensive travel and many nights away from home. The visa is a sponsored visa (457).

 

I have been offered a relocation package of $7k, salary of $90+super and $17k annual car allowance. Current salary in the UK is £48k + company car and working from a home office. Therefore, the Australian Salary is equivalent to £53k UK salary. Most nights in UK I am at home but some european travel on occasion. My wife is settled in her UK job and earns approx £25k per annum. She would be giving up a long term job in the UK also - and therefore without a job to begin with in Australia.

 

I enjoy my current job in the UK, great boss and people, and a recent promotion to Business Manager from Sales Executive which is great.

 

Apart from a Skype interview I have never met the people I will be working for. One more concern to the pile.

 

The Salary in Australia is not a big step forward compared to current salary so I do have some concerns regards to living costs as I do not currently live in a city. Rental opportunities might be limited with pets and what quality of property might we end up in ?

 

However, the challenge of a new role, a new country and life is exciting......but for how long would the excitement last ?

 

 

The UK Home life

 

I am married (no Children) but we do have two cats, which we couldn't leave behind and they would cost a small fortune to take (about £5k !)

I wasn't a cat person 4 years ago, but been converted so all you non cat lovers out there, I can understand if you think me and my wife are crazy for even considering spending £5k on taking them to Australia. They are part of our family though. my wife and I are 40.

We own our own 4 bed detached home (or should I say - the bank does) - and we live in a nice part of the UK, near a big castle, the river Avon and a theatre where some bloke called Shakespeare was/is famous ;-). As UK places go, we are happy here, but always long for the beach as I was brought up as a child on the south coast (Poole). We would rent our house in the UK to begin with.

 

On my side, family is relatively small, but parents are still around and my wife's family are quite close by. I have no brothers or sisters.

For me therefore, I would miss my parents but there isn't a real social or family hold on me in the UK. Most of my close friends are no longer close by and live in different parts of the UK. I would also miss my wife's family although not quite in the same way.

 

So - What to do and final thoughts ?

Although my wife is anxious and nervous, she is very supportive of the move. She has visited Australia on holiday (loves the place) and has some relatives over there but not especially close ones. I have never been to Australia so a complete leap of faith and can only go on what I read and see on the internet and the opinions of others.

 

I enjoy the outdoor life, cycling in the UK and we both try to keep fit and go to the gym and swim as often as possible around work commitments.

Therefore the outdoor life attitude in Australia sounds great - but with the job and travel, exactly how much free time will i have to spend time at home with my wife, enjoy Melbourne, go out on the bike, swim in the sea etc. Maybe a lot, but totally unknown right now.

 

I enjoy just about any sport - but I have absolutely no interest in Cricket and I don't follow rugby (except for the world cup), and I have no idea what Aussie Rules football is all about. Although I don't regularly go to games in the UK (perhaps 3 Liverpool games each year) I think I will miss the premier league. Is that weird or stupid and does it make any difference. I talk a lot about sports in the job I do (mostly football), and concerned that I wont have this same connection or passion in Australia with the 3 most popular Australian sports that I have no interest in. I love motor racing though, but not quite the same is it. Perhaps I can learn to Love Aussie rule rootball, who knows.

 

I am concerned about leaving a good career in the UK and making a massive mistake. On the flip side is this the opportunity of a lifetime and should we take the risk ?. Perhaps only we can answer that one. Sending my cats by container is a major worry (apart from the expense) and not something I would want to do again in the other direction if things don't work out.

 

What about the healthcare cover. Yikes - Just been quoted about $180 every two weeks for family cover...and that includes a corporate discount.

 

Then theres the visa cost - not covered by the company which is going to set me back about £1200 for both of us.

 

Am I over thinking all of this, or is it just coming to a head. I suppose its not something I was looking for and something that came looking for me and in all the chaos, not had the time to fully consider everything over a long period like many do.

 

If I go, I really don't wish to be a 'whinging pom' as they say, and if I go its going to be all or nothing.

 

Feel the world is on my shoulders right now. PLEASE HELP !:wacko:

 

Sounds like you have good comfortable life in the UK, trading that may be tough! Cost of living here in Aus is higher and with no guarantee for your wife to get work quickly you may quite an adjustment to your lifestyle.

[Guest]

Reading your post and looking at the figures you have mentioned and the visa you would be on, I would stay put mate.

 

1) Economy here is going southward and the UK economy is on the rise, especially in construction so you should see a return on the upsurge soon.

2) The salary you have been offered is no where near what you earn in the UK and unless the company is also providing quality housing then I wouldnt bother. You should have been offered $200K if your on 53K in the UK.

3) At your age coming on a 457 isnt the best option really as you will be stuck in that job and as the economy is going south here (Melbourne in actual recession) you may find it hard and struggle and cant move to another company.

4) You probably have a nice comfortable life where you are, coming here will be like you were 20 again starting from the bottom and believe me its a knock to the confidence. If you come back you have just walked from a nice comfortable life and it may be a little struggle sorting yourself out on your return.

5) Melbourne weather is almost the same as the UK so why bother

 

If your hell bent on this then do it, regret it or not at least you did it.

 

however if looking for adventure, take a sabbatical and tour Africa or South America for 6 months. Here isnt an adventure, its hard and its the same groundhog day of going to work etc...

10-15 years ago when the pound was strong it was a different story moving here, now its hard work.

[surfndirt]

Hmmmmmm, yeah interesting one hey....

 

Not sure what side of the (evident) fence I fall on here. As others have said - the economy here is in for a bit of a downturn but surely that is no news to anyone now.

 

Regards Mellers - it's a tricky one really. Personally, it's actually all about what there is to do outside of the city (dirt bikes, surfing, 4x4 etc).

 

In the scheme of things, that salary is not a good wicket really mate. Sounds and looks like alot but it aint. Hard to illustrate it to people till they rock up really - think $12 a pint / $10 a wine for starters. Then think $25 for a pub meal (just the main) and you can start to get the picture. 90k is what our junior BA's are on with 5 years experience (27 year olds).

 

I guess it comes down to the 'now or never' question really ay. Heaps and heaps to see and do - plus you will get to see the jewel in the crown; South Island of NZ. Nothing different to a corporate transfer who is here for 1 / 2 years then off home to the US or where-ever, they rarely stay as the cost of living / lifestyle equation is always slanted against Oz for the time being I'm affraid....

 

I guess it's just a case of don't take it too serious, it's a 2 year relocation to live and experience another landscape (note I didn't say country - same sh*t, different bucket).

 

Lastly, if you want to get a feel for what it's like here - splice the North of the UK with the USA and you're most of the way there....... Don't underestimate the impact of most expensive housing in the world though - does not help peoples attitudes or temper at all!

[speedy1972]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Really helpful in this decision making.

 

Mentally, 3 days ago I had my foot on the plane........but right now I haven't left the house :-)

 

I should have posted on here a few weeks ago. Its not a done deal yet, but looks like we might be staying in the UK unless we can make a significant improvement in relocation costs and salary. What looked like a 'reasonable' package to start with doesn't look so good right now judging by the majority of comments.

[CML1410]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Really helpful in this decision making.

 

Mentally, 3 days ago I had my foot on the plane........but right now I haven't left the house :-)

 

I should have posted on here a few weeks ago. Its not a done deal yet, but looks like we might be staying in the UK unless we can make a significant improvement in relocation costs and salary. What looked like a 'reasonable' package to start with doesn't look so good right now judging by the majority of comments.

 

Hey speedy glad you are coming to a decision!! Have you thought about what you will do if they do up the offer and give you a package that does work for you!! It may well happen if you have specific sales skills they need!! Might be interesting then hey ......... Cml

[Guest]

Also what ever the others are saying with regard to Salary and 99% of them on here forget when they post is that yes 2.2 times your salary is a good sum to use but even on that you WILL be worse off, a lot worse off.

Everyone forgets that you pay more tax as well as paying double for everything over here so after expenses you are much worse off.

 

We earn much less on the 2.2 rate and the exchange rate is eroding that even more, our life style/standard of living is lower also but hey were are here and I can't be arsed to move back yet. You get used to living lighter after a while, you learn to consume less and do other things or make do.

 

Depends on what your after, your situation is similar to mine - no kids so there isn't a great worry in any of it however taking some time out and going travelling is probably much better as its hard work emigrating!

[Slean Wolfhead]

Hi All

I have been offered a relocation package of $7k, salary of $90+super and $17k annual car allowance. Current salary in the UK is £48k + company car and working from a home office.

 

Sounds very similar to us, but we left our cats and we're glad we did actually. They were getting on a bit and the upheaval wasn't fair to them ultimately, we wanted to bring them and it was tough looking at it rationally.

 

If you're not getting a commission on top, I'd ask for a flat 100K and your VISA plus 10K relocation (public service can pay 9k + 3k per dependent so it's not unreasonable if they want you). You have to consider that your wife might take some time to get work, so have you the savings to cover a gap? It can happen, when you're looking for houses, getting settled in, buying a car, medicare, licenses, utilities, mobile phones, internet....one person can get a lot done if they're not working immediately.

Health insurance might be good...it depends what it includes for $360 a month, there are far cheaper policies though especially for a young healthy couple.

 

I think it's a weird thing about Australian sport. They're not all fans of everything and some detest NRL as others detest AFL....so they don't all talk about the same things anyway. A huge amount play football recreationally, but not many like it professionally. I was told to pick a winter and a summer sport when i got here, every game in every sport is on some format of TV so you can't possibly follow everything.

I wouldn't worry about football, you can watch every game on Foxtel if you're willing to stay up at night, or watch the next day. Cricket's not as big as i imagined here, AFL is king in Melbourne but it's not great viewing because so many games are complete mismatches. NRL and Super Rugby (union) club games are a very high standard compared to English equivalents. I've watched far more sport since I've been here, it's blanket coverage. They show all the UK stuff as well, plus lots of basketball and baseball...both bigger sports here than in the UK. Been watching darts from Blackpool this week, the Aussies at work love it because they just don't get things like that here where people sing and dance about.

You'd also have the F1 in Melbourne, that's a great weekend in March....they like their motor sport and V8's.

[CML1410]

Sounds very similar to us, but we left our cats and we're glad we did actually. They were getting on a bit and the upheaval wasn't fair to them ultimately, we wanted to bring them and it was tough looking at it rationally.

 

If you're not getting a commission on top, I'd ask for a flat 100K and your VISA plus 10K relocation (public service can pay 9k + 3k per dependent so it's not unreasonable if they want you). You have to consider that your wife might take some time to get work, so have you the savings to cover a gap? It can happen, when you're looking for houses, getting settled in, buying a car, medicare, licenses, utilities, mobile phones, internet....one person can get a lot done if they're not working immediately.

Health insurance might be good...it depends what it includes for $360 a month, there are far cheaper policies though especially for a young healthy couple.

 

I think it's a weird thing about Australian sport. They're not all fans of everything and some detest NRL as others detest AFL....so they don't all talk about the same things anyway. A huge amount play football recreationally, but not many like it professionally. I was told to pick a winter and a summer sport when i got here, every game in every sport is on some format of TV so you can't possibly follow everything.

I wouldn't worry about football, you can watch every game on Foxtel if you're willing to stay up at night, or watch the next day. Cricket's not as big as i imagined here, AFL is king in Melbourne but it's not great viewing because so many games are complete mismatches. NRL and Super Rugby (union) club games are a very high standard compared to English equivalents. I've watched far more sport since I've been here, it's blanket coverage. They show all the UK stuff as well, plus lots of basketball and baseball...both bigger sports here than in the UK. Been watching darts from Blackpool this week, the Aussies at work love it because they just don't get things like that here where people sing and dance about.

You'd also have the F1 in Melbourne, that's a great weekend in March....they like their motor sport and V8's.

 

Hey Slean Wolfhead sorry to hijack Speedy's post but I see you live in Canberra? We are thinking of relocating there I would be interested to hear about your experiences relocating over there; what you think it is like, what the housing is like, employment market, going out, etc. Again sorry to be asking but I am very interested in where you live. Best wishes Carmel

[Slean Wolfhead]

NO! If you have to come on an internet forum to ask this then you obviously lack the conviction to make it work. Go somewhere for a holiday and get it out of your system.

 

I don't agree, the guy's never been to Australia and it's an offer made to him, so he needs to research.

We were in the same situation with an offer out of the blue, where else do you go to get knowledge about something you know nothing about?

When we made the decision, we hit it like a steam train and never wavered for a day.

[PomCat]

Just don't take any notice of somebody that says the weather in the UK and Melbourne is roughly the same. NFI. Hope you make the right decision.

[Guest]

Will you regret not taking the chance in the future. The wage isnt quite as good but is hardly a bad Aussie wage.

 

Sometimes you regret what you don't do rather than what you do. (Just playing devils advocate)

[starlight7]

Peronally I would do it. You have no young kids to worry about, it will be an adventure. If you come, though, check out where you will live very carefully because Melbourne, like other cities, has the good, the bad and the ugly. Good is very good indeed- bad is dire. Good luck whatever you decide.

[exiled in Wales]

We're off to Warragul in September - my wife has already gone, she arrived at Melbourne at 5am on Wednesday. We are married with 4 kids (aged 13-3), the way we are looking at it is at worst it will be a 2 year adventure and then we will come home - house has been Let, our cars have been sold, half our cash transferred to Oz - so we have a back-up plan if we hate it (neither of us has ever been to Oz). My wifes salary is about 60k plus commission as a podiatrist and we got NO relocation costs so are taking a much higher risk than you.

 

I would say a backup plan will help you move forward knowing you can return - BUT - you only live once, better to regret what you have done than what you never did.

[Quoll]

If it aint broke, dont fix it is my general rule of thumb. You have a job you love in a place you like living in a house you like with pets you adore. What, exactly would be better with this move? A temporary visa in an expensive other first world foreign country - oh and a bit of adventure to be sure but would it be a huge career boost? What guarantee do you have that it will turn out to be permanent? Does your wife have a skill set that is going to be in demand to overcome the nature of her temporary residence?

 

 

If it were permanent and offered you a significant career boost then possibly, yes, take a career break if you could, rent out the house and give it a go but I'm more and more wary of people who plan to "emigrate" on a 457 visa - they could just as easily find themselves on the next Qantas flight home to nothing.

[bunbury61]

If it aint broke, dont fix it is my general rule of thumb. You have a job you love in a place you like living in a house you like with pets you adore. What, exactly would be better with this move? A temporary visa in an expensive other first world foreign country - oh and a bit of adventure to be sure but would it be a huge career boost? What guarantee do you have that it will turn out to be permanent? Does your wife have a skill set that is going to be in demand to overcome the nature of her temporary residence?

 

 

If it were permanent and offered you a significant career boost then possibly, yes, take a career break if you could, rent out the house and give it a go but I'm more and more wary of people who plan to "emigrate" on a 457 visa - they could just as easily find themselves on the next Qantas flight home to nothing.

 

 

quoll knows