# General Advice for people coming to Australia



## AussiePool (Aug 22, 2008)

Hi all,

After moving from the UK in the 1990's (firstly to New Zealand and since 2001 have been in Australia), I am happy to offer the following advice for people thinking about coming to Australia.
I read on this forum so many; "What will it be like?", "What is that like?", "Where is the best place?", "Will it be the same?" etc etc. Listed below are some realities from a first hand experience, some you will like, others you won't, but I hope it helps.....
*Don't expect it to be sunny and warm all the time, like it is on 'Home and Away etc. It isn't! Yes, there are warm places in Oz, but also some cold ones. We live in Queensland (the sunniest state) but have had minus temperatures this winter.*
*Don't expect good customer service. You won't get it! If you ask a man to come and repair your roof today, he will laugh. Expect next Thursday*
*Do expect to be called a whingeing Pom! Give your own back (Ned Kelly, criminals etc) and they will respect you for it.
Do expect to see spiders, some very large and many poisionous. My advice if you have a morbid fear is to get therapy now, or don't come.*
*Don't expect to be able to walk down to the local pub. There won't be one! If there is, it will be nothing like the one you left in the UK.
Don't expect the roads to be in good condition. Even in the large cities some of the roads are no better than 'goat tracks'.
Do expect to be taxed on everything! We live in the highest taxing country in the world. You even get taxed when you buy a second hand car from Mr Jones down the street!
Do expect generally warm, sunny days (except in winter unless you live in Darwin). Excellent beaches and a laid back lifestyle.
Don't expect 'corporateness'. Even the CEO is addressed by his first name.
Do expect a very frustrating health system where everything is geared towards private health insurance. My advice? Don't buy private health insurance. Get a Medicare Card and if you need something urgently, pay for it there and then.
Don't expect the same standard of housing and build quality as in the UK. You won't get it!
Do expect a much higher standard of living than in the UK. For skilled people, you will earn the same in Aussie Dollars as you did in UK Pounds, but then things will prove to be much cheaper than you're used to!
Do expect much better fresh fruit, vegetables and meat.
Do expect excellent cold beer (but get used to people asking you if you prefer warm beer!).
Do expect a much cleaner country than the UK. We have NO dog poo on the pavements.
Do expect frustrating telecommunications (i.e. Internet). Telstra have a monopoly on it here and what they say, goes!
Don't expect to see many snakes. They hate humans! We've been here 7 years and I have seen one live snakes and 3 or 4 road kill and we live in a country town.
Don't expect to see crocodiles, even in Darwin, except in a zoo.
Do expect waking up at 4am in summer in Queensland (we have no daylight saving) and expect it to be dark at 7pm.
Do expect a frustrating banking system where not only do you get charged for everything, you will have to pass a 'points test' to even open an account (based on forms of ID, Aussie passport will get you 200 points, a UK passport will get you zilch!).
Do expect to be bitten to death by mozzies and sandflies. Fill your cupboards with personal bug spray, fly spray and stronger chemicals (Mortein). You WILL need them.
Don't expect a higher standard of education. You won't get it. There is no national curriculum as each state has it's own rules.
Do expect high patriotism. Australians think there is only one country and one race in the world...Australia and Australians.*

These are general, everyday do's and don'ts. Above all else, remember things ARE different here. It's a DIFFERENT country. Yes, we speak English, yes we drive on the left and yes, a lot of Aussies came from English stock. That's where the similarity ends.
When moving countries, or even towns my advice is this. You MUST give it two years before you decide if you like it or not. The ones that manage that two year barrier generally go on to stay.
There are some negatives in the above statements, but believe me, I live here and now wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. I think it's a wonderful, clean, warm, open country in which to live your life. I only hope you give it the chance it deserves.
I am more than happy to continue to help with specific questions but I hope this helps make up your mind. Hope to see you in Oz one day!


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

that was sweet of you to pass all this information.. of-course it will come handy for those moving form US or UK, I am from India, and things are more or less the same here. Although It is much cheaper here, our monthly expenditure for grocery does not cross 5000 Indian Rupees for me and my husband, that makes it about 120 A$, but the earning scale is in proportion to our spendings.



Cheers to good life
anj


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## UsmanArshad1 (Jul 10, 2008)

*Nice to hear this ANJ*

I think then i must also try to come at there... as i am in pakistan. and doing job in IT profession.
So what else difference you would like to share... in concern of asian coming to australia...


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## jam (Apr 23, 2008)

hi, thanks for the infomation.

i was wondering if you could help, we're moving to brisbane in jan, hopefully. i have a job in the mater hospital, can you suggest any areas that would be ideal to settle, we have two small children aged 3 & 1 yrs and don't mind travelling upto half hour to get to work. any advise would be grateful.

many thanks, jam x x


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## Maria6 (Aug 22, 2008)

Thanks AussiePool for your candid post. Very helpful and the sort of post that makes this forum so valuable for those of us thinking of moving to Oz whatever our circumstances. Perhaps it should be made a sticky?

Maria


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Thanks AussiePool but I just wanted to balance some of your thoughts with our experiences  

We're down in SE South Australia and it's been chilly in the mornings but we haven't a had a 'proper' UK frost yet although we've had air frosts. It hasn;t dropped below zero.

We've have FANTASTIC customer service. We get things done quickly and efficiently - far better than the UK in our opinion.

We've only been called Poms and not the whinging bit 

Depends on where you are with spiders. We've seen 2 huntsman but have had far fewer spiders in the house over the winter than we had in the UK. You do have to be more respective since as you mentioned some of the them are poisonous. 

Again roads depends on where you are. We've found that the cities in SA and Vic have pretty good roads (again better than the UK) but the interstate roads may not be as good. Around here everything moves by big trucks and they mess up the roads on a regular basis. Always check out the transport in the are you are moving to - we don't have trains here in SE South Australia but we do have coaches and the airport. 

Agreed about the taxes! I didn't know about stamp duty on cars (it was just houses in the UK) and so the price we see on the car isn't the one that you pay (add delivery costs and stamp duty in South Australia). 

Weather: When we arrived in July 2007 (winter in Oz) it was still warmer than the summer we left behind in the UK! 

We have private health insurance here but haven't had to use it yet. There are penalties is you don't take it out! 

Housing again depends on where you are. Around here there are a lot of houses that are stone or brick and they are built to a better standard than modern UK houses. However land and house build is common and so people choose their own designs and to some extent build quality. You can also have transportables which are like big mobile homes. 

Around here property is cheaper, but food is more expensive. Maybe because we are in a rural area we find that a lot of Aussies have 2 jobs to pay for the lifestyle if they are not professionals.

Agreed that the veg and meat are a better quality but we pay more for it here too. 

There are lots of options other than Telstra! 

Banking:As long as you have bills and/or a driving licence and visa we were fine. Although you do get charged a monthly fee on some accounts the money is transferred much quicker - 1 to 2 days rather than 3 to 4 as in the UK. 

We got bitten by mozzies last year when visiting but not when we were out here. 

Patriotism: I find it strange at Rotary to be toasting the Queen  



AussiePool said:


> These are general, everyday do's and don'ts. Above all else, remember things ARE different here. It's a DIFFERENT country. Yes, we speak English, yes we drive on the left and yes, a lot of Aussies came from English stock. That's where the similarity ends.
> When moving countries, or even towns my advice is this. You MUST give it two years before you decide if you like it or not. The ones that manage that two year barrier generally go on to stay.
> There are some negatives in the above statements, but believe me, I live here and now wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. I think it's a wonderful, clean, warm, open country in which to live your life. I only hope you give it the chance it deserves.
> I am more than happy to continue to help with specific questions but I hope this helps make up your mind. Hope to see you in Oz one day!


I agree that it's just similar enough to lull you into a false sense of security sometimes  We love it here too. 

One other thing to mention is that you will miss your family and friends at some stage. It still hits me every now and again.

Join in the community. Yes it can be scary at the start but it's the best way to start meeting people and making friends.

Regards,
Karen


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

UsmanArshad1 said:


> I think then i must also try to come at there... as i am in pakistan. and doing job in IT profession.
> So what else difference you would like to share... in concern of asian coming to australia...


For Asians moving to OZ, specially India, Pakistan and surrounding areas

1. Its warm here in India, touching 44* in summers and winter time it gets as low as 3* with dry winds. so Australia will be much better through the year. the winters it seems are warmer and summers are cooler than here in Delhi atleast. depending on where you come from and where youa re headed.

2. Customer service isnt the greatest here but as the economy is getting better and people are getting aware of customer rights, things are getting better but OZ seems to still be better.

3. POM.... i cant comment on this one because I dont really know what the asians are called there.

4. Spiders, we have cob webs every now and then at our house, I have to clean them every weekend, so there are enough spiders here as well, have not come across any poisonous ones, so asians will have to keep an eye open but we are somehow not paranoid about spiders.

5. I grew up with hardly any pubs around, but now we do have night-clubs, not just few but many, and they are expensive. I like the BYO in OZ, which is not the case in India.

6. Roads... I dont know if you have much about Indian roads coming in the newspapers there, every monsoon, the roads look like stoned paths, because of corruption, the roads are made with less of cement and more of sand topped with coal & tar, come monsoon, the situation is so bad that the car service stations gear up for the tyre wear and tears, so its bad, at-least here in Delhi, OZ would be better any day.

7. Taxes, my husband pays about 30% of his salary in taxes even after investing a bit, there is a limit to which one can invest, which means you end up paying taxes no matter what you do. we pay road tax, insurance on the cars too, though the road tax is one time but the insurance is to be taken every year, not because it is compulsory but because the accidents are so normal that if you dont take the insurance every year, you end up paying a huge amount if at all you meet with an accident.

8. Health System, We have never got any benefits from the government whatsoever on health issues, there are the govt. run hospitals which are dirty and cramped, the rush is so bad that people who can spend prefer going to private practitioners. But in India the medical is very cheap, for a consultation you pay anything between 2A$ to 12A$, for everyday health issues like common cold, cough etc, not many people go to the docs, they takes the medication which is available off the shelf, so for Indians, Health care will surely be very expensive but the medicare provided by the govt. will be a boon.

9. Corporateness.. cant generalise because some places specially the BPO's the seniors are addressed by their names and at some places you have to call them sir, but this does not seem to be of an issue at all.

10. Housing is getting better in India but since it is still developing the standard isnt very good, though we stay in a high-rise building, we are on the 20th floor but if you go to the villages, they have mud built houses, probably with no electricity still. but the construction is very very low on cost. Labour is very cheap here in India so for most of us it will be a shock to pay huge sum to get something fixed in the house.

11. Income VS expenditure, Here in India the income is almost 1/4th of what it is in Australia. a person earning 25,000 A$ annual can lead a more than comfortable life. but there are those who earn 10,000A$ annual and still do not crib. Milk, Veggies, Pulses etc are all very cheap. A liter of milk costs us slightly less than half a dollar here in India. I pick vegetable for a week for about a dollar and half. one full chicken of 800 gms would come for 3A$ here. Our home rental is about 250A$ a month, which is what we might pay once we are in Australia for a single room for a week. So folks from Aisa are in for a big shock once they move to OZ. If you want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment with no luxuries, just a normal place, it would cost us 1,10,000A$. but in Australia that is the amount normally people pay as a downpayment, depending on what they are buying.

12. As I mentioned earlier, the roads are bad during monsoon, they are dirty through the year, with lot of mud/sand on the sides, cows moving on the road as if they are there on a morning walk, I am not trying to show india down but this is the stage we are in right now, which will improve I am sure but roads in UK, US and OZ are way too clean for us.

13. Internet and Telephones, These are the cheapest in India.. a local call would cost a cent and std(domestic) calls are for 10 cents, ISD would be about half a dollar. We pay 22A$ for unlimited broadband, we have options for bandwidth, from 128kbps to 2 mbps, ours is a 512 kbps connection. So is not the case in Australia, unlimited option is not available from most operators and a limited internet connection would cost close to 30A$ per month.

14. There is no day light saving here in India, so again, no issue on that front.

15. Mozzies and flies are common, I have mossie repellant in my house switched on 24X7. Maximum dengue cases are in Asia, but yeah, it is irritating, I hate mosquitoes and flies in my house. Though there are none as of now but the moment I spot one, I run after it to kill it with a spray in hand 

16. Many Indians move to UK, US or Australia for further studies, there are good courses available here but the limitation of seats force most of those who can afford to go out and study, I know atleast a dozen kids who r in OZ right now for their education and about dozen who are back from OZ after studying, they hate being back and loved it in OZ but are here to take care of their family business. 

17. Patriotism is good, I love my country, even after writing all the things in this post about my country which are not good, but India has come up after being ruled by the British like no other country. the economic growth is commendable. I know there is a lot of corruption, because of which most of our paper-work took ages, further delaying our application, but the country is great, some people are unwanted here but its alright, no-one / no place is perfect. 


TO SUM IT UP, better wages, better standard of living, better career and better future for our kids is what brings us to OZ. 

Anj


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## UsmanArshad1 (Jul 10, 2008)

*If you could provide a list of basic expenses*

Hiii Anj

It would be rather better if you could provide some basic list of expenses other then extra expenses. so that i could get some basic idea that how much i must earn to support my family back in Pakistan and also save some for me.

I knew there is threat of *cost of living* but concern is that you tell me as ur Indian and ur physic is not that much differnet as other non asian. 
So what if I m alone and need a room on rent with one bed n lil kitchen and toilet .

So how much my salary so that i could bear all these BASIC expenses n send some money back home.

Also mention about electricity, Gas water bills. transportation rent.
Remember i m not that much impressed by high fi life. 
Be simple and normal are my adjectives of life style


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

where are you planning to live Usman? A good salary in Adelaide might not even pay the bills in Sydney...


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

UsmanArshad1 said:


> Hiii Anj
> 
> I knew there is threat of *cost of living* but concern is that you tell me as ur Indian and ur physic is not that much differnet as other non asian.
> So what if I m alone and need a room on rent with one bed n lil kitchen and toilet .
> ...


Hi UsmanArshad1, 

There are links in the "PLEASE READ" post that will take you to property websites for whatever area you are looking for and that will give you a guide for rental prices. 

Check out the "Cost of living figures" in the sticky post towards the top of this forum since this gives you normal expenses for various parts of the country. All those figures are from members who are already in Oz  

Regards,
Karen


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

I so much agree with Karen,... Thanx for saving me the trouble of writing so much again. .

Still, on an average, a good house, say a single bedroom apartment would be anything over 250 A$ per week, This I am talking in Brisbane, In Melbourne add another 100$ and in Sydney it should be over 400A$, depending on the area you choose it rises or drops a bit. An average deposit, form what I have seen at various real estate links would be 1200-1500A$. SO just for that initial rental of the house you would need 1500-2000A$, plus daily expenses

Households / grocery etc would be a 1000$ a month, transport should be another 400$. If you are particular about Indian / Pakistani food, it would go up a bit since the spices etc are imported from respective countries and thus add to the cost. I have studied a lot of sites and feel its best to change your taste bud to those prevailing there to save on cost initially.

Frm what I have heard, the cost for a single person (a student) per month would be 1200$ including food, rental at backpackers etc. 

I can not give you detailed information since I am yet to move there. A friend told me that we should carry atleast 6000A$ with us for initial expenses till we dont find a job. Over and above that every penny that you carry would be an advantage.

And Usman, I would suggest you go through the cost of living thread, the cost as mentioned in there is for anyone and everyone, irrespective of country they are coming from. Remember, the electricity does not know that you are form Pakistan and are used to lower bills . Kidding.

Ask if you need more info..

Cheers
Anjali


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## UsmanArshad1 (Jul 10, 2008)

*Hii Tiffani*



Tiffani said:


> where are you planning to live Usman? A good salary in Adelaide might not even pay the bills in Sydney...


Actually its very difficult to tell but i still looking for information. The decision depends upon where are IT jobs are high and salaries are and expenses are cheap. My main theme is earning as i dont preffer such high fi life.

So depeding on above i would decide. 

Would u allow PM ...? anyway


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

UsmanArshad1 said:


> Actually its very difficult to tell but i still looking for information. The decision depends upon where are IT jobs are high and salaries are and expenses are cheap. My main theme is earning as i dont preffer such high fi life.
> 
> So depeding on above i would decide.
> 
> Would u allow PM ...? anyway


IT dominant cities are sydney, melbourne and brisbane. But not that other areas do not have IT jobs. I heard Canberra too has a lot for IT professionals, same goes for perth. If you open the job portals, you will see where there are more jobs in your field. The job sites are listed in the sticky..


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## UsmanArshad1 (Jul 10, 2008)

Well Anj... there is so much confusion. Web states show that 4 yrs exp IT professional can get 50000 A$ that makes 4100 rounded. and some what 1000A$ is going in TAXES. remaining we have 3100 and 1000 for grocery makes it 2100 and rent and travelling cut down it to 700A$ . Do you think it is good. 
Either the web states are wrong n if salaries are good upto 6000 to 8000 per month. then it would fine. but... 3000 to 5000 is not that much good considering some thing sending back to home is not deducted yet


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

UsmanArshad1 said:


> Well Anj... there is so much confusion. Web states show that 4 yrs exp IT professional can get 50000 A$ that makes 4100 rounded. and some what 1000A$ is going in TAXES. remaining we have 3100 and 1000 for grocery makes it 2100 and rent and travelling cut down it to 700A$ . Do you think it is good.
> Either the web states are wrong n if salaries are good upto 6000 to 8000 per month. then it would fine. but... 3000 to 5000 is not that much good considering some thing sending back to home is not deducted yet


Usman, as I said this was the average cost. you can cut down your expenditure. there are websites that give the cost of grocery, lemme post one for you here
Costs in Australia
and dont think that it will be a piece of cake for you or for that matter for anyone. You move to US or UK or OZ, anywhere you will take about a year to two years to settle, to understand the system and to get used to the high cost, what we forget is that the cost is high, so is the earning. according to some, your monthly grocery expenditure can be about 400A$, on an average you a meal costs 2$, that is if you eat muffins or a sandwich, the regular fast food, makes it 6$ a day and 180$ a month. you can rent a single room studio apartment and pay 200$ a week, the average cost is normally taken out by adding the lowest and the highest and then dividing it by 2. 

you have to weigh the pluses and the minuses and then decide on the move, don thtink I am trying to scare you by quoting high cost of living. what is high for some can be low for some, and vice a versa. 

and remember you start with 50,000 which will increase in some time.. its all about adjusting initially for the good that awaits.


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## UsmanArshad1 (Jul 10, 2008)

Got it very well. Thnx . I was just afraid of that i switched from paksitan and could be a faliure. so i dont have no where to settle then but thank you anyway . U spoke some real time words.... Besss dantaa na kerin...  hehe kidding..
Regards


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

UsmanArshad1 said:


> Got it very well. Thnx . I was just afraid of that i switched from paksitan and could be a faliure. so i dont have no where to settle then but thank you anyway . U spoke some real time words.... Besss dantaa na kerin...  hehe kidding..
> Regards


a cousin moved from India to spain, he is working there is a restaurant manager, and his wife is working in a health & fitness centre. They were running their own business here but had some losses. they could never think of working in these fields here in India, so moved abroad, now that they are there, they say they make more money than they used to in India doing something that they could never even dream of. why I am telling you this, if you have a spouse, you both can work together and work things out.
I run an advertising agency here and my husband is an IT professional, I would be leaving everything here and moving there with him, just to that he can have a better career, as for me, I might take up a job in advertising/media/PR or I might keep working for those that I work for right now. Design for them and keep the work rolling. I might just work part-time, but yes, I do plan to work because it would help us in the initial teething period. Prepare yourself for the worse and expect the best.

bottom line, you can do anything there and make good money unlike asian countries where certain job-fields are not given respect.

Google everything that you feel doubtful about, read as much and trust me, there is enough information on the net to fill the blanks in your mind.


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## jockopaul (Aug 30, 2008)

*am i too old for move*



AussiePool said:


> Hi there, after reading your pros and cons it seems that you have a more down to earth approach on what australia has to offer. so mabey could give us some advice we are thinking of moving over and have family in melbourne, but my partner is 41 and im 40 we arnt married but we have been living together for 11 years. we have started to think we are too old we dont have masses of savings but we have some,and we fall under the required workers remit or my partner does we both have trades hes a bricklayer and im a beauty therapist we have two kidds one almost 16 and one 6 we at first thought that as work has dried up here for my partner and not likely to be back on an even keel for a long time. that the answer would be to move somewere else scotland has been hit realy hard at the moment and our savings are going up in smoke fast.. but after looking at what the wages are compared to here it seems that the cost of living might be too much for us can you shed any light on prices of rent as this would be a big factor in working out our budget the paper work just to apply medicals etc cost and we dont want to spend money for something that will not work out for us any info would be real helpfull
> After moving from the UK in the 1990's (firstly to New Zealand and since 2001 have been in Australia), I am happy to offer the following advice for people thinking about coming to Australia.
> I read on this forum so many; "What will it be like?", "What is that like?", "Where is the best place?", "Will it be the same?" etc etc. Listed below are some realities from a first hand experience, some you will like, others you won't, but I hope it helps.....
> *Don't expect it to be sunny and warm all the time, like it is on 'Home and Away etc. It isn't! Yes, there are warm places in Oz, but also some cold ones. We live in Queensland (the sunniest state) but have had minus temperatures this winter.*
> ...


please help we are 40 and 41 my husband is on the required workers list as he is a brickie but the wages seem to be rather poor compared to the uk work has dried up here and the future looks bleak we are going through our savings and we both self emloyed are we too old for the move to oz we have family in melbourne and they will sponser us we have two kidds one 16 one 6 we are a bit put off with the prices of rent etc but could get over this if we could be sure of some disposable income i myself am a beauty therapist so we could be employed full time but we are that time in our life we dont want to be working every hour just to put food in the cupboards and a roof over our heads please advise if you have any thoughts thanks helena


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## AussiePool (Aug 22, 2008)

jockopaul said:


> please help we are 40 and 41 my husband is on the required workers list as he is a brickie but the wages seem to be rather poor compared to the uk work has dried up here and the future looks bleak we are going through our savings and we both self emloyed are we too old for the move to oz we have family in melbourne and they will sponser us we have two kidds one 16 one 6 we are a bit put off with the prices of rent etc but could get over this if we could be sure of some disposable income i myself am a beauty therapist so we could be employed full time but we are that time in our life we dont want to be working every hour just to put food in the cupboards and a roof over our heads please advise if you have any thoughts thanks helena


Hi there,

I am thoroughly biased but I wouldn't live anywhere except Australia! Coming from the UK originally and still having rellies there who tell us what it's like, if you do have a chance to come here, then do it!
You're right of course, your husband won't earn as much as in the UK (Brickie would probably earn about $25 an hour here) but oh my God, the lifestyle more than makes up for that.
Brickies are amongst the 'better' paid here and as the cost of living is roughly 2.5 times less than in the UK, you would be insane not to make the move if you can.
I certainly would hurry with your decision though as once you reach 45, you will have no chance of getting in as 'nil punt' would be awarded after this.
Good luck and I hope it works out for you. Brrrrrr, the thought of Scotland scares me!
BTW, my wife was 43 when we came out here (I was 34).


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

jockopaul said:


> please help we are 40 and 41 my husband is on the required workers list as he is a brickie but the wages seem to be rather poor compared to the uk work has dried up here and the future looks bleak we are going through our savings and we both self emloyed are we too old for the move to oz we have family in melbourne and they will sponser us we have two kidds one 16 one 6 we are a bit put off with the prices of rent etc but could get over this if we could be sure of some disposable income i myself am a beauty therapist so we could be employed full time but we are that time in our life we dont want to be working every hour just to put food in the cupboards and a roof over our heads please advise if you have any thoughts thanks helena


Hi Jockopaul, 

If you haven't already done so please check out the sticky posts at the top of the forum. There's the "PLEASE READ..." that has links to visas, and the "Cost of living" post and the "Thinking of emigrating" post. All of them have good info that will help you.

Depending on the visa type you are not too old to get into Oz. 

There are also migration agents to ask and their first consultations are usually free - on this forum we have Alan Collett and SOMV (Veronika) and you can contact them through the links in the their signatures.

Regards,
Karen


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## SNH (Aug 26, 2008)

AussiePool said:


> Hi all,
> 
> *Don't expect it to be sunny and warm all the time, like it is on 'Home and Away etc. It isn't! Yes, there are warm places in Oz, but also some cold ones. We live in Queensland (the sunniest state) but have had minus temperatures this winter.*
> 
> ...


*



Having spent years in London and being constantly called a convict for no reason whatsoever, I would strongly recommend NOT saying that!! It is offensive, childish and rude - especially as you could live your entire life in Australia and not meet a single person who is a descendent of a convict (like me - my family moved to Australia as refugees after World War Two).
But for me, it was still worse being approached by Englishmen with a pick up line that went something like, "You're Australian and blonde. Of course you're a ****."


Of course it isn't like Home and Away!! I often wonder how Australia markets itself to the rest of the world. It seems to be very far from reality. They film half of the Home and Away episodes in Sydney in the middle of winter (and Sydney has infamously changeable and rainy weather), when it is windy, raining and cold. If you watch closely you can see all the actors have goosebumps, and that there is drizzle falling in half the shots.
If you don't want rain, go to Canberra or the surrounding region, or to the Red Centre. The drought is measured by the catchment areas, not by the city centres.


The 'local pubs' are a British thing, and only a British thing. They're not in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA. Nowhere but Britain. The Italian and Greek immigrants introduced a cafe culture, and when Australians want to socialise they head to cafes - something you'd be hard-pressed to find in Britain.
(However, I LOVE good British pubs, and they are something I really miss when I'm back in Australia.)


Unfortunately the fresh fruit and vegetable thing isn't really true anymore. There has been a lot of outcry in recent years because almost everything is shipped in from Asia and kept in storage for a few months before it is sold. Not to mention the exorbitant prices.
Mouldy produce is on display in supermarkets across the nation. Tell the staff and they won't care.


I agree about the two year thing. I have lived in a few countries, and the first few years you go from hating to loving to hating to loving a place. The small cultural differences drive you insane, and then suddenly you realise you have changed your ways.*


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## Abs (Sep 1, 2008)

*Thank you!*



AussiePool said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Thanks bud for the advice, it is no different here in Canada. I am Canadian and i understand even today we has free medical rights in England just for our being Brittish subjects way back when, do Canadians have any advantages in Australia would you know?
> I am 46 and have several trades none degree associated, (stills photographer, Videographer, film editing Adobe premiere Edius etc) i am wondering what i must do to get solid Australian citizenship, what are the different ways for me to attain Australian citizenship, i am divorced no kids. If you have room for another question then here it is, how can i open an Australian bank account so i can deposit monthly savings till i actually move there? I await your vast Knowledge.
> Abs


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

I think the magic word is 'adapt'.

If you can do that, anyone moving over will be absolutely fine.

And try not to keep comparing things in Australia to that in the UK. For example when you first arrive you have no sense of what the worth of items are so therefore don't know if you're paying too much for say a TV or fridge so the natural thing to do is convert $ to £. I'm still guilty of that, but it's not really a good thing to do.

Dolly


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

I guess we always convert, i would name it human tendencies. after spending half our lives in another country, we end up calculating and many a times we drop the idea of buying things that we feel are too expensive as compared. and trust me, we do go back to buy when we feel the urgent need for it. Being an Indian, we will face this problem a lot since everything is so cheap in India. if i start telling you, you will be surprised. a litre of milk costs us half a dollar, a kilo of potatoes or onion costs us 1/4th a dollar..so on and forth.
My husband went to germany a while ago and he had just a croissant and coffee at the airport for 20$ which when calculated in indian rupee is about 840. here in india u get a coffee and a croissant for about half a dollar or max one dollar. anyway, for him, he had no option but to have it since he was at paris for 4-6 hours before they took off to bremen. 
but a cousin of mine told his wife, who are both in spain now, that dont calculate, since u earn in dollars now, you can not expect to spend in rupees..


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

anj1976 said:


> a cousin of mine told his wife, who are both in spain now, that dont calculate, since u earn in dollars now, you can not expect to spend in rupees..


I would agree with that too. Like everyone else we used to compare it to pounds but if you are earning dollars then it doesn't make sense to keep comparing. 

Part of the adaption process is dealing with whatever you find here, being it different tasting chocolate or something else  

Regards,
Karen


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## Gavash (May 9, 2011)

Hi!
We have recently been granted a visa 475 for Regional Queensland and have to make a decision as to where to live. We are not allowed to stay in Brisbane and Gold Coast. My husband is a mechanical engineer with Masters in Gas Turbines and I have a 9 year old daughter. We are right now in the UK and have to make our decision in the next 10 days on two things - Firstly is it worth immigrating to Australia, considering the high cost of living and the racism or to continue living in the UK?? Secondly which city to choose to live as we have absolutely no idea about Australia ??

Regards,
Gauri


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## AussiePool (Aug 22, 2008)

Hi guys,

With your husband having a mechanical background in gas turbines, there is really only one choice for Regional Queensland and that is Gladstone. Gladstone is an industrial city with ports, smelter plants and a new LNG plant for next year which will bring in hundreds of workers. It is about to go through a real boom in Gladstone and accommodation will be at a premium as will real estate. It's city of approx 30,000 souls with most working in the industrial field.
Look it up on the web and see what you think? Although I've never lived there, I used to visit it on a fortnightly basis for work and if you need any more general advice, I'm only to happy to help.


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## New2Australia (Jan 8, 2014)

i am from india and want to work as a amusement, fitness and sports centre managers in australia, i have completed my bachelor in sports science , and few certification and and hve gt 12 yrs of experience in the same industry.

i have googled it found it amusement, fitness and sports centre managers suit me , 

want to ask few qus

does such jobs need any registration?
are they in demand ?

your advice will be helpful

thanks 
kedar


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Kedar check seek.com.au and see if they do ask for any such thing..


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## New2Australia (Jan 8, 2014)

hi

thanks for reply

i have seen profile like Amusement/sports/Fitness manager, fit my current profile .

i may go for 190 state sponsorship visa, i want to ask . once i land there 

can i start earning with odd jobs and then move on to my managerial position.

how much expenses will i incur initially ? and how much can i earn with odd jobs?

is there any Indian who is into sports position and settled down there.

kedar


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