over fifty

[soul]

HI all,

Just wanted to ask a question?

Am I the only divorced lady on pio trying to find a way to live and work in australia?

I am 56 years old and I only have friends in melbourne, my son and daughter live here in scotland,and they dont want to move to oz .

I have no qualifications but plenty of experience in childcare.

IS anybody in the same situation as myself? if you are I would love to hear from you.

val .

[Guest Sam&Si]

Hi Val,

 

Noticed you hadn't had any replies so just want to bump this up so others will see it. I know that there are plenty of people in their 50's and older that use this site and I'm sure they will be along soon to say hi and maybe offer some advice.

 

All the best

[jewatt]

HI all,

Just wanted to ask a question?

Am I the only divorced lady on pio trying to find a way to live and work in australia?

I am 56 years old and I only have friends in melbourne, my son and daughter live here in scotland,and they dont want to move to oz .

I have no qualifications but plenty of experience in childcare.

IS anybody in the same situation as myself? if you are I would love to hear from you.

val .

 

Hi Val welcome to PIO I am in my late 50s though got an OH who is going to Aus with me so I can imagine it is all a bit daunting for you to be doing this on your own I also live in Scotland but we are going to the Gold Coast and apart from my daughter and her partner and his family don't know anyone over there but I have started to get to know people on this site which is great so I don't feel I will be completely without friends but as you say you have friends in Melbourne where I presume you are going.

As for work I will probably do some kind of work as I also worked in Care and don't see any problem with getting something, I had an interview while over there with a Care Home and they couldn't have been nicer offered to have me train for their qualifications even to do a refresher course to take up my Nursing again which I,m sure you could do, one thing I know is age means nothing over there unlike UK the first thing people want to know is how old you are but if you are not too fussy what you want to do I,m sure you will find something from what I have read on site Woolworths , Coles and lots of other places have vacancies so if its something you really want to do you have to give it a go I,m sure it will all work out fine,

Keep in touch and if I can be of further help just pm me.

Regards

Evelyn:smile:

[lizg]

Hi Val

 

Sent you a private post as I'm too shy to share all my private and personal info!!!

 

Thanks Sam & Si and Jewatts for bumping up post as I think this is really relevant how people with years of experience, skills and knowledge (and qualifications) can't get in because they are over 45 and have to pay a fortune through other routes to get entry. The bottom line (as we all know both here and in Oz) is that they are scared of the future drain on the economy of people heading towards retirement!

 

And Australia is supposed to be the first nation with an excellent Ageism policy. The restrictions on over 45's as`far as visa options go seems to dispute this????

 

One rule for one and another for the rest!!

 

Liz G.

[Quoll]

The first thing I would advise you to do is to get financial advice - Australia is not kind to its elderly: we have no universal age pension, it is means tested and you have to be very poor with associated horrible standard of living in order to access it. Most Australians hitting 55+ are expected to be self funding in their retirement. When you come here, your UK pension is frozen at the rate that you bring it over - no CPI increases or bonuses. All depending on what visa you come on, you may not be able to access any benefits for a couple of years at least.

 

I am not so sure that I agree with the previous poster about age not mattering in Australia - from my experience it has always mattered here and over 40 you are considered old (many folk do actually retire at 55 if they have had their financial houses in order over the years!). At the moment unemployment is low but the situation is changing quite rapidly so it will become progressively more difficult for the older amongst us to get positions as the squeeze continues - employers do tend to go for inexperienced youth if they have the option (generally cheaper to hire and more likely to accept casual conditions).

 

Childcare is a big industry here but they do generally expect some qualifications - cert III usually at least and my observation is that it is largely a young person's game - it is a popular choice for those young girls who probably dont have the desire to go to university but choose a TAFE path instead, a lot of girls who have spent their lives in special ed see it as a pathway into employment (but not, obviously exclusively that cohort) - the pay is pitiful too.

 

Dont get me wrong, I am not saying you wont get a job, if you get here while the unemployment rates are still low then you should pick up something - there still seems to be quite a bit in retail at the moment, you cant walk through the mall without seeing signs for staff wanted but it doesnt say what they are expecting.

 

Good luck with your planning but, as I said, do get financial advice before you make the leap.

[lizg]

Quoll

 

I don't disagree with anything you have said. I only quoted the ageism policy as it's supposed to exist but as you've highlighted clearly doesn't. I never said age doesn't matter Quoll, it clearly does and I have no expectations otherwise. I didn't want to give personal info but I think it may be relevant to this post- I have a post grauduate diploma and 20 plus years of management experience but as I'm over 50 it counts for sh.. all, and this is my point.

 

M only route is via a CPV which will cost in excess of £20,000 by time it's complete. I feel worthless and the visa route only reinforces that - may as well shoot myself now!!

 

LizG

[Quoll]

Quoll

 

I don't disagree with anything you have said. I only quoted the ageism policy as it's supposed to exist but as you've highlighted clearly doesn't. I never said age doesn't matter Quoll, it clearly does and I have no expectations otherwise. I didn't want to give personal info but I think it may be relevant to this post- I have a post grauduate diploma and 20 plus years of management experience but as I'm over 50 it counts for sh.. all, and this is my point.

 

M only route is via a CPV which will cost in excess of £20,000 by time it's complete. I feel worthless and the visa route only reinforces that - may as well shoot myself now!!

 

LizG

 

Sorry, Liz, it wasnt your reference to the ageism policy I was referring to - though I did see the comment after I had posted and I laughed - being 59 myself I know how difficult it is for those over 40 to get into something new. It's the same tokenistic "we have the policy" that they have for disabilities, racial discrimination, sex discrimination etc. When push comes to shove, there are always non discriminatory excuses about why you didnt get a job etc. It has always been well known in Aus that anyone over 40 is over the hill - just look at the profile of the Public Service these days, senior execs at 30 making a right dogs breakfast because they have the qualifications but not the experience (I dont think there is anyone in KRudd's office over 29! - except him of course!!!)

 

I am in a better position than many because I have been around here a long time and have the networks so at 58 I quit the toxic cesspool I was working in, prepared to "retire" on my super:wacko: but got offered a job as soon as I walked out the door - nothing to do with my qualifications or anything but just someone that I knew who wanted someone to do something and she thought I would do it well. It's definitely a networking thing here especially for people with higher level qualifications.

 

I wish you well with your hunt for something gainful - please dont shoot yourself, it really isnt worth it!!!

[soul]

HI lizg,

I have sent you a private message.

thank you for your one.

take care val.x

[soul]

sam & si,

thank you for your reply that was a very nice thing to do.

hope your plans for oz are going well?

val.

[soul]

hi evelyn,

thank you for your reply, I wish you well and I know you will be happy in oz.

I was there in 1973 /1975 but came back to scotland and I have regretted it ever since. now there seems no way for me to return, too old they say but age is only a number.

good luck for the future,keep in touch and let me know how your plans are going.

val.

[Guest earlswood]

Have you apension plan you can bring to Oz when you retire? how will you live if you have no pension to bring....It would be to late at 56 to build any type of pension over here.....thing hard and long before you make a big mistake.

[Guest zambezi15]

I know exactly the type of trepidation you are feeling, we are also going to move to Aussie in a few months, we were advised visa should be finalised by October. And this ageism is scaring the hell out of us too. We worked for years in Africa, then moved to the Uk four years ago which with currency exchange rates was quite an expensive financial exercise...however, we have managed to sort ourselves out and life is pretty good but we so miss the sunshine and space...and decided Aussie here we come.

My qualifications or experience aren't recognized but fortunatly my husbands skills are. Hope we can work for years though, we need to build up a pension.

Nothing ventured nothing gained...

We will motivate each other

x

[Guest zambezi15]

Well we have a mortgage free house ...lost our pension with an affirmative action plan in Africa. So it doesn't matter where we are, had to start again. I have an aussie passport myu Mom was Aussie, my husband is British, but we have only paid into British pension 4 years and 7 years backpaid. Can you backpay into aussie pension fund

[Guest Sam&Si]

sam & si,

thank you for your reply that was a very nice thing to do.

hope your plans for oz are going well?

val.

 

Hi Val,

 

No worries at all mate, having read people replies to the thread I'm staggered how difficult it is for those over 45 to actually get in. So much for the nifty fifties aye?! I guess you've spoken to agents etc already, otherwise I was going to suggest you send a message to Gill (Gollywobbler) who is well versed in these matters...anyway keep us posted of progress and keep your chin up mate.

 

Liz - £20,000 ....sweet mother of mercy...am speechless! Sure puts the old 'what price happiness' saying to the test! What a scandal.

 

Best wishes guys

 

x

[soul]

hi earlswood I have a house to sell and I also have a british pension.I am still fit and I am working full-time not so long ago I was working 3 jobs now down to one full-time one.

I intend working in oz dont want to be a burden on the oz government,just want a chance to get there.

val.

[Guest earlswood]

hi earlswood I have a house to sell and I also have a british pension.I am still fit and I am working full-time not so long ago I was working 3 jobs now down to one full-time one.

I intend working in oz dont want to be a burden on the oz government,just want a chance to get there.

val.

 

If you can live on your pension and the money you bring over when you retire and can work for a few years then definalty go for it Mrs....:jiggy:

[soul]

hi sam&si,

I did have a chat to Gill and I can go on a student visa,which is very expensive.

I also had a telephone call with an immigration expert and I was told they could not help me at this time.

so still looking for answers or perhaps there is no answer,but I wont give up there must be a way,I just have to find it.

what are your plans? and which part of oz are you going to?

I like to hear a success story.and am interested to know how people are progressing.

take care

val.

[Quoll]

Well we have a mortgage free house ...lost our pension with an affirmative action plan in Africa. So it doesn't matter where we are, had to start again. I have an aussie passport myu Mom was Aussie, my husband is British, but we have only paid into British pension 4 years and 7 years backpaid. Can you backpay into aussie pension fund

 

Australia doesnt have the same sort of universal pension fund that UK does - we all have to subscribe to a superannuation fund of some description - you cant "back pay" like you can to the UK fund but what you can do is to make lump sum deposits - I cant remember the figures (because I am never likely to have enough money to do it) but you can deposit something like $100k pa into a super fund without any tax implications from after tax dollars if you are older and heading towards retirement. Super funds are very stock market dependent and so some of us are sitting on tenterhooks waiting for ours to go up again after huge losses this year. So it is quite possible to start up a super fund later in life, especially if you max out the allowable lump sum contributions. Otherwise the age pension is a means and asset tested benefit and you dont have to have paid into it, just be over the retirement age and be poor and a long time resident.

[Guest Sam&Si]

Hi Val,

 

Hmm...sounds like you basically need to find a nice wealthy man then...preferably Australian!

 

Our plans are all sorted, feel a bit guilty hearing how difficult it is for you?! basically it's unlikely that we'll get our PR visa through by the end of the year so I'm going to go in on my NZ passport and my husband can come in on a temporary visa. So, we've gone ahead and booked our tickets and we leave on Dec 19th. We're checking Brisbane out first and really hoping we like it (neither of us have been there) but if not we will probably go to Melbourne as we have family there and we both like it, so expensive though and the weather isn't as good as it was but still better than Cardiff!

 

x

[lizg]

Have a great time Sam & Si - maybe you can find Val a man while you're there! What visa type have you applied for?

Best Wishes

Liz

[Petals]

You only have one life and if we all worried about having enough money no-one would do anything.

 

My mother lives on the aged pension and has some funds of her own not a lot now as she is in her ninetieth year. She manages very well, her needs are simple as will be mine if I am able to attain that age. She also rents in the private market.

 

I also don't agree that all employers have an ageist policy my friend was made redundant from the CBA and she is 65 and she is now employed by the Parks Department as a part time receptionist, she got the job at 63. Another friend's firm moved interstate and she was late fifties and got a job with the NAB they both have no formal qualifications.

 

My husband is 66 and he retired and was re-employed by his employer. He did not have to retire at all he chose to.

 

There is no strict retirement age now and employers are seeing the benefits of employing older people and its slowly happening.

 

I am retired now but know that I could return to work if I so wanted as I have a lot to offer, I do not have young children, I will not get pregnant, I am immune to most virus' due to age.

 

I know when I was employing staff all of the above was considered by me.

 

Do your homework have a holiday here and see for yourself before committing to come permanently.

 

Where there is a will there is a way.:smile:

[Guest Sam&Si]

Hey Liz,

 

Yes, I will have to keep my eyes peeled!

 

We applied for a 176 in March, had our standard update on processing times from our Agent today and they are still stuck on processing apps lodged on the 27th November, the chart showed that in some months of this year they didn't process any apps at all so there is a massive backlog building up apparently, we had our meds etc done just to get them out of the way but I think we'll be looking into 2009 before we get ours through. To be honest I would be absolutely devastated if we were reliant on waiting for the PR, would leave the UK tomorrow if I could! Is yours still ticking along?

 

x

[lizg]

Hi Forgetmenot

 

Thanks for your reply. When I mentioned the ageism policy I meant the policy was positive and aimed at not discriminating against the elder workforce. Good to see it's working and that there's hope for me yet!

 

You're absolutely right about not worrying about money. If I have the choice to stay here and be a rich pensioner (mortgage paid off, good works pension, etc) or live in Oz (possibly just getting by) but getting to see my granddaughter growing up then there's no contest.

 

If I was younger I'd probably be looking for other things (more money, better job, bigger house, etc) but I've done all that and I'd give it all up (I am giving it up!!) to get there.

 

Just wish I was younger and could get there sooner.

 

Sam & Si - long route for me I'm afraid - if I'm very lucky I may get visa in December 2009 - unless you can find me a man as well!!!! lol.

Cheers

Liz

[Guest zambezi15]

Thanks for the tip, I will def look into that. However, as you say, shares are down these days, and for the first time in awhile long term deposit interest rates are the better option. I will really need to do some research and analysis of the superannuation returns . Mind you right now, everything seems to have a negative growth its when it starts depreciating it becomes scary.

[Petals]

I am sure you will find lots of men here in Aus. Most important to see grandaughter I agree and one you get to our age things are just things and I wonder why we have them.

 

Life is more simple with nothing. :smile: