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Australia vs UK -- should I move?


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Great input by all of you. I appreciate it very much to have that many opinions on this topic. I guess I will take Steven's test later. I am busy now, but may answer in more detail to some aspects later. But two things: sunshine is not the top priority (more quality of working and living). Hong Kong has been mentioned. It could become of some interest, but not at the moment.

 

I know, it's quite random, but I read up on the scary spiders:

Every property has a redback (not too bad) but white tails seemed to be everywhere, 2-3 a week in our house and they are a problem, worst case scenario amputation.

This seems to be a myth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_spider

The bite of the white tail has been wrongly implicated in cases of arachnogenic necrosis. The misassociation stems from a paper presented at the International Society on Toxinology World Congress held in Brisbane in 1982. Both the white tail and the wolf spider were considered as candidates for possibly causing suspected spider bite necrosis, though it later turned that the recluse spider was the culprit in the reported cases from Brazil.
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One new poster at hpc wrote a post on this topic today. He went to Perth and did not like it so much and says many expats are like that. Here's his post:

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/ind...p;#entry1173400

 

Here is that post:

Firstly hello to all, I am new to this forum and this is my first post. Anyway, as most of the people leaving the UK go to Oz i thought i would contribute. I emirgrated to Oz (Perth) last year and hoped that i would be living the Australian dream after watching this country go down the pan with youth crime, drugs, immigration and general feeling that being British does not count for much anymore. So off i went and after 2 months of sun, sea and sand began to miss the UK, you see Perth is a beautiful place if you like constant sunshine and the sea but believe me it wears a bit thin after a while and blimey is it boring. Then there's the shops all owned by a few companies that sells cheap crappy imports from China. There is no choice in WA as its operates like a seperate country. It is very expensive and wages compared are a lot lower there so the standard of living is much more expensive as everyday items are not cheap i.e. mars bar about £1. You pay for everything, no NH but a Medicare system where you pay and then get rebates, but most people have private healthcare, it's a very american sytem. Houses generally are built in the middle of no-where with no infustructure to deal with growing populations.

 

The problem is though that when people go over to Oz they take all their cash and naturally want to settle and fit in so within days they have bought a brand new car and within a couple of months a house. But being in the holiday mode it seems all ok then of course the boredom starts, you start missing family, friends and yes, the rain. But because they are tied up financially they keep on trying to believe that its really great place to be and yes it is but most people i knew had second jobs to make up the money, so having a lay-in on the weekend forget it the noise soon wakes you up, but your probably be at work anyway!

 

I knew quite a few families and although they dont admit it out loud they do admit it (reading between the lines) that they should not of put their eggs in one basket and not of got so bogged down, financially.

 

So, what has this post got to do with the UK well as I said it can be a great place and some people do generally like it but they are normally younger people, with not many ties and no family in toe. If you are thinking of going to Oz then its a good time as the boom in property is over and bargains are to be had but a word of warning, rent (expensive) at least for 6 months and resist buying as you may be a lot worse off than UK sellers are now. I got to say though that Oz give $7k rebate to first time buyers and no stamp duty, what does the UK government do? money grabbing gits who continue to undermine the hard workers of this country when most families are struggling, it's a bloody disgrace but the UK with all it's faults still is home and sometimes the grass isn't that green elsewhere and although theres a lot of people leaving, theres a lot cominig back, you just dont here about it in the media.

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GF your last post echos my sentiments exactly. Very nearly 6 of 1 .... It is what you make it, however there is one thing I haven't said to date and that is if we hadn't gone I would have regretted it to this day. I think my overall stance on this would be, if you want to go and have a look, if it gets you excited thinking about a new life after reading the comments here then go.

 

As per the spider comment, this IMO is nonesense. Go there, watch the TV, hear the people on TV explain what happened and look at their wounds. I think this is akin to finding a dentist that believes that wisdom teeth have the force to move your other teeth around, they just will not believe it until it's proven to them, I am contrary proof of this myth!

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I am an ex-pat in the UK (I am European). My wife is American. So, moving is not new to us, but we have neither family nor friends in Australia. Everyone would be away half around the globe suddenly. Take this and a price spike in air fairs. That is my major concern.

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Oh dear what must you think my mouth looks like... :blink: I had braces for years, I had 12 extra teeth, yup 44 in total, they now aren't as straight as they used to be, nothing disfiguring.... honest. ;)

 

BTW isn't England in Europe?

 

Sorry to hear this.

 

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I am an ex-pat in the UK (I am European). My wife is American. So, moving is not new to us, but we have neither family nor friends in Australia. Everyone would be away half around the globe suddenly. Take this and a price spike in air fairs. That is my major concern.

 

Ahh GF, you of all people! That's why we save in gold! :) Price of oil (hence airfares) will be much more stable in gold than it will in dollars or turdling. Peak oil may change that relationship somewhat, but its better than nothing! As i live half a globe away from my family and friends, this is my insurance.. A few ounces should always see you home if push comes to shove!

 

 

 

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... BTW isn't England in Europe?

Not for Brits.

 

Ahh GF, you of all people! That's why we save in gold! :) Price of oil (hence airfares) will be much more stable in gold than it will in dollars or turdling. Peak oil may change that relationship somewhat, but its better than nothing! As i live half a globe away from my family and friends, this is my insurance.. A few ounces should always see you home if push comes to shove!

The question is, am I willing to spend 24h in the air and a few oz gold for each visit? Maybe not. :)

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As per the spider comment, this IMO is nonesense. Go there, watch the TV, hear the people on TV explain what happened and look at their wounds. I think this is akin to finding a dentist that believes that wisdom teeth have the force to move your other teeth around, they just will not believe it until it's proven to them, I am contrary proof of this myth!

 

I was bit at the base of the spine whilst I was out there, I didn't even feel the bite so I have no idea what bit me. It did not heal until last year, so I had it for five years. The wound was only 2 or 3mm across, never bled and wept as much as a small cut with the scab picked off. The doctor said that it must scab over and I must have be picking the scab of absently minded fashion, I said that I think someone would have noticed if I kept on shoving my hand down the back of my pants to pick it at work. Ah! You must be doing it at night in your sleep then he said, either way he would not have a sample of the fluid sent away to check for clotting factors. I know of another guy out there with something similar on his arm.

 

Don’t be put off by the wild life out there though. You are not edible and it will only threaten or bite you in order to escape. Leave it alone and it leaves you alone. We had all sorts on the acreage we rented, which was on the outer northern edge of Sydney, red backs, white tails, brown snakes, red bellied blacks, the biggest bull ants I have ever seen. We also had Huntsman spiders, goodies that eat all the other spiders, Kookaburras that eat the snakes, lizards that eat the ants. In the city I saw nothing as the majority had already been poisoned.

 

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Here is that post:

 

There are a lot of ex-pats that are financially stuck there but hate to say it, some see going back as failure. They all assume that the cost of living is less as the things that hit you in the face like food are cheaper. They spend as they would in the UK but forget that the wages are 2/3's of the UK. Before they know it their lack of Money Management has bit them and they do not have enough equity to sell up, ship things back, fly back and put a deposit on something in the UK, be it even rent. But they are living the dream, aren’t they....

 

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Link does not work.

 

?: it did for me:

A LIFE : what's it worth ?

 

A heartbroken aussie has but "his life" up for sale.

 

LIFE - http://www.ALife4Sale.com : http://www.ALife4Sale.com.au

 

The "Life" includes a 3BR house in Perth, a trial for his job selling rugs...

His car, motorbike, clothes ... "and even his friends"

 

 

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One positive or so someone who is emigrating to Oz tells me is that you can move your private pension to Australia and after a qualifying perioid (3 or 5 years cant remember) you can when you retire take the entire amount tax free, in the UK you can only take 25% as a cash lump sum.

 

It might be worth moving there for me when I retire. I am 40 now and would not consider going there to work, I had a few years in the states and had my chance then, eventually as you get older you get entrenced in the UK.

 

 

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+ I can afford a house with a garden, and actually use the garden

I can't, not in Sydney anywhere east of Strathfield without a crippling mortgage at least. I am hoping that will change within a few years :) Have a look on http://www.domain.com.au or http://www.realestate.com.au

 

Adelaide isn't that expensive and it's on the coast, I suppose that doesn't help GF though as he is going to Canberra. I here Canberra gets stupidly hot in the summer- ~40 degrees so I hope you can stand it.

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She said there was little difference to her life in the UK

 

Ofcourse the differences won't be that pronounced, after all most Aussies are actually Brits :lol:

 

If she wanted something completely different she should have tried living in a different culture but she wouldn't have enjoyed it unless she was willing to mix with different kind of people and didn't mind the language barrier. But then many people don't like the effort that comes with that.

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http://www.greenenergyinvestors.com/index....f=19&t=3409

Australians leave UK to escape credit crunch

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Thousands of Australians who settled in Britain are returning home to escape the credit crunch.

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Australian authorities have recorded a 50 per cent increase in the number of their citizens returning down under since last summer. Growing numbers of migrants from Poland, India and Nigeria are also said to be leaving in the hope of easier times and more economic stability back home.

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The cost of raising a family is said to have jumped more sharply in the UK than in any other country in the western world. The departures are harming the building industry and businesses in the City in particular, which relies on seasonal workers from other countries, is suffering.

 

The Australian government said 2,600 people had returned home each month since last June, around 1,000 more per month than the previous five years.

 

Many have been tempted back by a strong economy that has grown by 3.6 per cent over the past year, with the Australian dollar at an 11-year high against the pound. Jason Cartwright of Link Recruitment, an international employment agency, said the City was suffering a "brain drain" as bank and insurance workers leave.

 

He added: "In the UK's financial services sector, hiring freezes are increasingly common, but opportunities abound in the Australian market. "There is also a belief that Australia is a safer bet while the credit crunch runs its course." Chris Hurd, 45, a film-maker, returned to Sydney three months ago, after ten years in the UK, because he and his wife could not afford to raise a family in London.

 

He said: "You can't get a rudimentary education in England without paying a fortune." Nicola Brennan, 35, moved back to Melbourne after ten years as an accountant with an investment bank. She said it seemed a better place to start a family.

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"The cost of raising a family is said to have jumped more sharply in the UK than in any other country in the western world. The departures are harming the building industry and businesses in the City in particular, which relies on seasonal workers from other countries, is suffering"

 

Another reason why Sterling is bound to slide at some stage

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Another reason why Sterling is bound to slide at some stage

Agreed. The linke above was of course wrong. Here is the correct one:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtm...ustralia129.xml

 

Still debating with myself (and the wife) how good Australia would be for us. Alternatives: stay in the UK, or maybe even go to the US.

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Still debating with myself (and the wife) how good Australia would be for us. Alternatives: stay in the UK, or maybe even go to the US.

 

What about Canada, if you could get in???

 

Alberta Province is crying out for people, particularly those with some discernible skill that is in shortage.

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What about Canada, if you could get in???

 

Alberta Province is crying out for people, particularly those with some discernible skill that is in shortage.

Haven't seen any jobs in my area there (better than what I have now). But I keep my eyes open.

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Still debating with myself (and the wife) how good Australia would be for us.

Alternatives: stay in the UK, or maybe even go to the US.

 

Are you looking at Cleveland perhaps?

 

BTW, I bet you could find work in Hong Kong. The economy remains strong here

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Are you looking at Cleveland perhaps?

 

BTW, I bet you could find work in Hong Kong. The economy remains strong here

Yes, there are jobs in Hong Kong, but they have other disadvantages (in my field). No, I wasn't looking at Cleveland, but further south. :)

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  • 1 month later...

Hi GF, thought I'd answer some questions for you. I live in Oz, born in Queensland. I have been to Canberra, and I remember it being freezing cold! And, it's true that the place is Fat Cat City, so many subsidies that no other state gets. When John Howard was PM he pumped so much money into private schools there it wasn't funny.

 

For all those worried about spiders and snakes etc etc... hate to rain on your parade but the little darlings don't like cold weather much. I can't remember seeing one snake or spider while living in South Australia (Victor Harbour). This also applies to ticks. People who move from up South, don't even know half the critters that get about in Queensland. Not that big of a deal really, we're not too far North, so no crocs. You will have to do checks sometimes in Summer, though, like check your boots if you leave them outside, check your mailbox. Snakes are normally in plain view as they like to sun themselves, and yes I have been bitten by a spider in Queensland, but never in SA or in any cooler part of Oz.

 

Childcare is great here. You can pick and choose which one you'd like depending what time you start work, some start at 6 am or 7 am. I have not had any problems with childcare, but, with all things you need a see how it goes philosophy. One neg - You will need to start ringing them up for placements and such as it can be a squeeze. Public holidays are mostly on Mondays and Fridays and you still have to pay for your child's/ren's attendance that day even if they can't go.

 

I also have children in public school and while the curriculum is a bit frustrating at times, I do my bit to fill the gap. It seems not so many children were passing, so they decided to lower the standard. However, the atmosphere, care and general community attention is good. I chose a school that was featured in the newspaper alot as doing lots of different community works and being involved. There would be some great public schools in Canberra, and cashed up private ones.

 

I'm not familiar with tax in the U.K. but I have heard a lot of ex-pats say there is less tax here. But, maybe it's just subtler? Check out newspapers for the region as the PM reset the tax % on income recently and you could still find the story.

 

I have no problem with the food here (In Qld) but I do shop at Aldi a lot for all sorts of different things and go to the local farmer's markets. I'm pretty sure Canberra would have the best shops.

 

Christmas is hot. Even for me. January is a killer month and I'd say Canberra would be a bit cooler than up here. I have fair skin, so I wear broadbrim hat, sunscreen, white long sleeve shirt -- still burn. Don't misjudge the sun. You acclimatise to drinking bourbon under the mango tree and eating fresh prawns.

 

Fishing, outdoor sports are all great. Big spaces between everything, but I still walk it, just takes longer that's all.

 

Don't live near a swamp. The mozzies will eat you alive.

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