How much do I want this

[mandymcqueen]

What to do. Been trying for 8 months now to get myself a sponsor, just got off the phone with a guy who wants to sponsor me, thing is the job is in Alice Springs.

 

I do really want to live in Oz, certainly dont want to take my kids back to UK but can I really ship them out to Alice Springs for 2/3 years minimum??

 

I know I am the only one that can answer this but hey if anyone wants to give me some enlightenment it would be gratefully received.

 

Mandy

[Guest siamsusie]

What to do. Been trying for 8 months now to get myself a sponsor, just got off the phone with a guy who wants to sponsor me, thing is the job is in Alice Springs.

 

I do really want to live in Oz, certainly dont want to take my kids back to UK but can I really ship them out to Alice Springs for 2/3 years minimum??

 

I know I am the only one that can answer this but hey if anyone wants to give me some enlightenment it would be gratefully received.

 

Mandy

 

I think many will say dont do it Mandy, but personally I would for a few years. One of my sisters in laws lives in AS and I dont mind the place at all despite the fact that I love living by water.

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/northern-territory-tasmania-act/83925-alice-springs.html

 

There are a few posts maybe see the above link...

Bobj is another good person to get an opinion from... property is expensive so hopefully you have been offered a good package. There are some good schools in the area. Alcohol//antisocial behaviour are some of the pitfalls, but if it meant going back to the UK Alice Springs would be looking very attractive to me.:wink::laugh: Good luck with your decision Susie x

[mandymcqueen]

Thanks for your reply Susie, I do agree a few years there to secure us in oz for life, I just hear so many bad things about the place, nobody ever has anything good to say.

 

Thanks

Mandy

[Guest siamsusie]

Thanks for your reply Susie, I do agree a few years there to secure us in oz for life, I just hear so many bad things about the place, nobody ever has anything good to say.

 

Thanks

Mandy

 

:hug:Mandy, the amount of people that have criticised Karratha WA (desert by the sea) was unbelievable.. usually it comes from armchair travellers. I have spent 5 years up there and seriously I felt far more "this is Australia" than in any big city. I found I thrived in these funny little places, yes shopping is dire, but thats not on my list of priorities.

AS is well placed for SA, Darwin etc and it would be a good chance of driving to the West, so many adventures to experience with your children. Camping is wonderful.

 

If this gave you the chance of saving some money, obtaining true ozzie experience for the future, I would say go for it!, As I said a good financial package is important i.e. electricity/water etc.

I am sure there are some PIO members who reside over there, hopefully you will receive some constructive reports from them.

 

Susie :wubclub:

[Bobj]

Thanks for your reply Susie, I do agree a few years there to secure us in oz for life, I just hear so many bad things about the place, nobody ever has anything good to say.

 

Thanks

Mandy

 

The Alice is so isolated that not too many people want to go there, but it has a really good and quite amazing lifestyle for those who want to put the effort in. Being a town of 27,000 people, it has a very good infrastucture commensurate to its size. Two years would not be too difficult to take if it meant that you realised your dream in the end.

Some simply magnificent drives within 100-200 km for weekend sorties.

The trouble with the "armchair travellers" as siamsusie alluded to, is that they think any town with less than 500,000 people is a "culture shock" and should be avoided. Not so; there are some exceptionally nice towns out in the 'bush', the Alice being one of them.

 

Cheers, Bobj.

[mandymcqueen]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their replies, we are having a chat about it at the weekend but I think we are going to do it, need to check out if Hubby will be able to get work up there, but I you are all right for the sake of 2 years its worth it.

[sussex boy]

Hi there, My mrs and I arrived in the Alice a couple of weeks ago, I can tell you now there is zero unemployment in town, though rentals are tough to find, its very tough for employers to persuade city folks in oz to move here, they think its all dust and no electric! Nice people and employers are really going out off thier way to make sure we are happy, very differnet from the UK. Lots of shops and regular markets, its tourist season here now and town is rammed with people making the trip to Alice. pm if I can help anymore-)

[Eera]

Another thing to think about, and please, do think about it; if you're only taking the job in order to get to Australia and then move elsewhere, please wait until you get an opportunity in the area you want to live. It will cost your employer around $40,000 to train you up and it's a bugger for them if you have no intention of staying.

 

If you're going there with genuine intent of staying in Alice long-term if things work out, fair enough. But if you're only using it as a springboard effectively you're wasting that employer's time and money.

 

It's very hard to get people to move to regional Australia, so thanks for considering it, but make your choice carefully for the sakes of both you and your employer