[Markham82]

Hi All,

The reason that I am writing this is for some honest advice about moving to Western Australia, from people that have made it and those that have'nt? It seems that everytime me or my wife mention the move to Australia to family, we get the same old comment "The grass is'nt always greener!". Its frustrating because its something we really wanna go for!

We are a family of four with two children aged 10 and 5 years, my wife is 30 and I am 29 years old. I know that it would be hard at first and things in Australia are expensive, I'm not looking at the move thinking I could get away with not working and spend days on the beach etc ......Im looking at it for my children and spending more time with them. I have so many questions, like would they fit in to the schools and find new friends easily, my wife is a dental nurse so would she find work, would we be able to find a childminder that our children would be happy with whilst we were at work. What Im basically saying is I would love to hear from families that have made the move and have got on well, instead I keep reading about people moving back and not enjoying the experience at all?

If anyone that reads this does have anything good to say about the move I would really be interested to here from you, what parts of Western Australia are good to bring up my family, with nice schools and friendly atmosphere!!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Guest]

Greener than what? It really depends on what you are looking for, what you are used to, what you can afford and of course if you'll get a visa!

Dont know much about Perth myself as were in NSW as thats where hubbbys family are from. Australia has huge amounts of things that are 'greener' than the UK but the same can be said for the UK compared to Australia. Especially depending on what type of visa you would be on as visa status brings privileges such as child care benefits and if you would have to pay school fees etc!

For instance some professions manage to earn considerably more in Australia but not all.
Many think more time with the family, I think less because Ozzies usually work longer hours and get less leave. But the time with them can be better if the weather is good and you make use of the public parks, beaches etc which just are not the same in the UK.

I felt Australia was too expensive for the low wage I could earn and it would have lowered our standard of living. You need to look into wages you could both earn along with rents & costs of living. SEEK - Australia's no. 1 jobs, employment, career and recruitment site

It really is greener for many folk, but you'll never know for sure unless you try!

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/australia-expat-forum-expats-living-australia/4989-thinking-emigrating.html

 

[Hassan_Warraich]

Hi All,

The reason that I am writing this is for some honest advice about moving to Western Australia, from people that have made it and those that have'nt? It seems that everytime me or my wife mention the move to Australia to family, we get the same old comment "The grass is'nt always greener!". Its frustrating because its something we really wanna go for!

We are a family of four with two children aged 10 and 5 years, my wife is 30 and I am 29 years old. I know that it would be hard at first and things in Australia are expensive, I'm not looking at the move thinking I could get away with not working and spend days on the beach etc ......Im looking at it for my children and spending more time with them. I have so many questions, like would they fit in to the schools and find new friends easily, my wife is a dental nurse so would she find work, would we be able to find a childminder that our children would be happy with whilst we were at work. What Im basically saying is I would love to hear from families that have made the move and have got on well, instead I keep reading about people moving back and not enjoying the experience at all?

If anyone that reads this does have anything good to say about the move I would really be interested to here from you, what parts of Western Australia are good to bring up my family, with nice schools and friendly atmosphere!!

Thanks everyone!

I am not that experienced in addition to that yet have to through it all.....but one thing is for sure. and I am crystal clear in my belief that...everyone is unique with own set of priorities,parameters of success, previous circumstances and above all the socioeconomic class to which one belongs......success of some might be failure for some..........

I would second _shel....you'd have to give it a try...if you're interested...be confident and just do it to avoid any repentance in future...its you and only you who can figure it out....though collecting info is vital but decision should be yours in each and every case!!

Anyway best luck with whatever you upto.

 

[Maz25]

I can't really comment on family life in Perth as I moved on my own. I'm happy there and would not consider moving anywhere else, at least for the foreseeable future. I've made loads of friends and generally find people are very friendly and happy to strike a conversation, even with a random stranger.

I like the fact that people are polite and always greet you with a smile.

With regards to jobs, I think it really depends on your field. My first job - well, I could only describe it as your worse nightmare and I would not wish what I went through on my enemy! But, that said, I've found a new job and I'm really happy with my new employer. The issue of local experience did not even come up at my interview - they were interested in my existing experience and how I would apply it within their business. It is always a good idea to find a recruitment agent - I was not a fan of agents before I moved here but I found a great agent who turned out to be a Godsend!

My first job involved long hours, zero recognition and plenty of bullying! My new job involves reasonable hours, lots of recognition and an amazing support network, so I guess it really depends on the company and the people around you in terms of how happy you will be at work.

A lot of people describe WA as boring but I always find that there are loads of things to do and I'm always out and about - a bit less so now simply because it's getting cooler and being from the tropics, I'm always cold anyway. Nothing that a cardi can't solve though!

I like Perth and would thoroughly recommend it but as others have stated, it really boils down to your expectations. If you start off with realistic expectations and do not expect everything to be rosy, I think you'll like Perth, particularly if you are an outgoing and friendly person, who loves to mingle and is not scared to go out there and face new experiences head on.

 

[andystack]

I moved to Perth with my family 3 weeks ago from the uk and we are enjoying every minute of it. My children are 2 & 4, there are plenty of parks and great beaches, the local park has a free fair on tomorrow. People moan about the cost of things compared to the uk but it is all relative as wages are much higher.

The one thing you will miss is the NHS an the free schooling.

If you need any info on Perth please feel free to ask, only here 3 weeks so I'm still learning daily

Ps the people here can not drive for toffee

 

[Guest]

Totally agree on the driving, no one seems to pay any attention to road rules! I already mentioned many people appear to get a premium on their wage, you obviously do Andy, but not the case for every field. I would've been taking a 40% pay cut! That's why its a good idea to research seek for average wages being offered in your field to see is it's acceptable & remember you may get paid less in one state than another if you were willing to move anywhere.

 

[Markham82]

Its really great to hear from everyone and those that are enjoying it. Andy im sure ill have more questions fpr u ;-)

In terms of wages between 70 and 80k for me and whatever my wife can earn as a dental nurse either full or part time.....which im sure wont be much but hopefully enoigh for the food bill ect.

As a family in the uk we never really go out as its either to cold or to expensive i.e. bowling ice skating cinema.....so would love the outdoor way of life!!! We all love the hot weather.

Im wondering whether we could live a reasonable lifesfyle on that salary, i.e. a renting a nice 3 or 4 bed house nothing to fancy, food, a car which would have to be finance or hire purchase again nothing fancy a car is a car at the end of the day......and the rest of the isual bills and insurances that come with everyday living. Again, we are realistic we know we will never libe that rich lifestyle but just want the kids to experience new things, have some outdoor fun and if we do have a little left over then we go oit for meals or new clothes etc. Can ot be done.....hopefully if my wife found work even for a few extra dollars im.sure we maybe okay???

Thanks again for those that replied. im typing this on my phone standing on the cold so my spelling may be all over the place !!

 

[andystack]

Lol, also typing on phone so no proof read
Couple of things to think off.
Child care is very expensive so your wife may be best working slightly diff hours to you.
Cars, I bought the wife a 2007 ford focus Friday and paid $9k so more than the uk.
Average 4 bed house in WA in Perth around the 5-550 week mark you can also get some for a hell of a lot more, go down to rockingham or up to clarkson and you can get the from $400 look on domain.com.au

 

[shussel]

Hi,
I can't comment on living in Perth as we relocated to Sydney and I think you've already had some great advice here. What _shel says is very true. I don't think life for myself and my husband is necessarily greener here but it's different and for now I feel it's better for our children...and if we think they're in the best place then it makes all the hard work worthwhile. We've been here two years and work just as hard, if not harder than we did in the UK and we're not better off than we were in London. However, when we do have family time we have quick access to great beaches and parks and really make the most of it.
Another consideration is that you'll never know until you try and you don't want to regret not giving it a go, if the finances appear to be workable (sounds to me like they would be) then there's no harm in giving it a go. There's nothing stopping you from moving back or somewhere else if it doesn't work.
Good luck with your plans.

 

[Markham82]

Thanks for everyones advice, really is nice to hear from you. In terms of budgeting, can anyone advise on the below and whether the amounts are realistic and help with anything I've missed out:

- Rent, max $500 outer suburb 4 bed per week.
- Car $400 per month.
- Fuel $75 per week obviously dependant on where u work etc.
- Groceries $250 per week family 4.
- Internet phone tv. I have no idea.
- Mobiles $60 per month for two phones.
- Household bills $200 per month.
- School fees for 10 and 5 year old again i have no idea.
Is there any equivalent to our council tax to be paid.
- Health care....?

Anyone with advice on what ive missed and what im completely of scale with can u let me know......thank u.

 

[nonny1983]

Hi I'd say your figures are pretty good. $500 rent for a 4 bed should be more than enough as is what you got down for bills. We just had our first quarterly electricity bill that was $251 for a family of 5. We are expecting the water usage to be about the same. If your renting you don't pay rates just water usage.
Shopping for a family of 4 I'd say $250 is enough but it depends what you like to eat. We pay about that give or take depending on if we are needing to buy nappies.
Mobile phones $60 a month for 2 is what we pay and get plenty of usage. Internet we pay $40 a month and phone $30, the internet is unlimited usage some ppl have less. Ummmm tv I'm not sure we are making do with freeview atm until we settle properly if at all as its not that bad. It has channels for the kids and by the time they go to bed there's the usual stuff we used to watch in the UK on for free, ncis, ringer, bones, pawn stars etc etc if we want to watch anything that's not on we hook the laptop up to tv which is where the unlimited usage comes in handy.
Car I'd say if your looking to pay $400 a month why not save that before you come and spend a few grand outright on a car? We picked up a Holden berlina 1998 model with 170km on the clock for $4k full service history etc so it can be done. Insurance doesn't cost much about $400 a year rego is about $600. Petrol $75 a week is also pretty realistic, its cheaper to buy on a Tuesday and you can sign up for loyalty cards with the supermarkets that five you money off/ litre much the same as Tesco and Asda.
Clothes can be quite expensive and not always great quality or design but a lot of British retailers ship here now for a small fee, m&s, next etc.
No idea on school fees sorry as I'm in Queensland where they ask for voluntary contributions of $70 per year.
I think I got everything there lol you can check out things like weekly shopping costs on Woolworths.com.au and Coles.com.au, rentals in realestate.com.au cars and household (second hand) on gumtree.com.au and furniture and electrical costs on sites like bigw.com.au thegoodguys.com.au fantasticfurniture.com.au, aussieliving.com.au. hope this helps some.

 

[Markham82]

Thank u. Trying to be realistic and if i plan for things at the higher end then if it turns out cheaper all well and good.....thanks for the website links really useful! car insurance and car tax was something i hadnt thought about....also i thought that if i get a hire purchase car then i have the cover if goes wrong etc...as im useless with cars!

 

[nonny1983]

You don't need to have insurance, the rego, which is like car tax gives you basic third party but its a good idea to get extra cover for things like storm damage. With the cars, ours was from a yard so we have a warrenty for certain faults but as long as you stick to domestic cars, Holden or ford then taking them to a mechanic shouldn't cost too much should anything go wrong.
Depending on what type of visa you get you may want to think about medical cover too. If you get pr then Medicare is pretty good but you have to pay for ambulance and thew are some out of pocket expenses unless you find a bulk bill Dr.
Another good website to look at is iselect.com.au which is the aussie version of gocompare.
So long as you research research research you will be fine. We live on around $1200 a week and that's a family of 5 and we manage to save some too but we are not what you call extravagant. We are living in a nice 4 bed on the gold coast, have a decent car, enjoy home cooked meals and trips to the park/ beach at weekends. We want for nothing. I don't understand how some ppl struggle on twice our income but I guess its more to do with their activities than anything else?
Good luck with it all

 

[Markham82]

thank u so much......