Jambos in oz

[bobthejambo]

hi all me and the wife are looking in to moving to oz,

was looking to find out from my felow jambo's what life is like downunder

 

i there any places to give a miss when looking for somewhere to live?

 

any info would be great

 

thanks

[hughesie27]

Is Oz pretty easy to emigrate to?

[bobthejambo]

i think i takes about a year to sort everything out,

if you are a skilled worker it is easyer to get a visa

[teepee]

really depends on your points score as to where you can settle, it took us 2 years to sirt it all out because we all wanted to move to sydney due to the wifes family being over here as well.

 

We came in on a 457 buisness visa which means if you can find work before you come out, your employer sponsers you and it cuts through all the red tape, that emans your a temporary resident for 4 years, you can apply for perm. res after 2 years which again is sponsered by the employer, although you pay for it, we'll be appluying in july, once you get that your sorted.

 

If you dont mind working and living in Tasmania or WA you'yy prety much get straght in as there ctying out for people there...really depened on what skill set your under.

 

If you can get in do it, the place is great, cant see me ever going home to be honest, but i know its not for everyone..it really depeneds on how much you want to be here.

[bobthejambo]

i have done the points score test and i can get in as im a motor mechanic,i think the wife likes the look of victoria any idea what is like there

[Legend Claws]

Not here permanently but have had a great time in the last 9 months. Living and working in Melbourne at the moment, much prefer it to Sydney in terms of things to do and I must say the people!

 

One thing that would really put me off moving here is the racism and the insular outlook that a pretty large percentage of the population seem to have. The insular thing is a syndrome of large countries I suppose and I may get used to it after a while.

 

Things to remember are that the weather isn't great all year round and it is not as cheap as everyone makes out. Property is as bad if not worse than home and petrol is rocketing at the moment.

 

There are so many postives to moving here it is hard to list them all it is just a case of thinking is the grass really that greener?

[Legend Claws]

Is Oz pretty easy to emigrate to?

 

You need to be skilled and a degree helps mate.

[Gards]

Bob

 

I'd recommend this site for a lot of your questions:-

 

http://britishexpats.com/

 

The Aus discussion forum has lots of people in similar positions, looking to find out best place to go, etc.

 

We're out here on a 4 year sponsored 457 visa. Just got here in January although I've been here 3 times before.

 

We're staying in Richmond in Melbourne which is pretty close to the city, has loads of things around it and to be expected - bloody expensive!

[teepee]

Not here permanently but have had a great time in the last 9 months. Living and working in Melbourne at the moment, much prefer it to Sydney in terms of things to do and I must say the people!

 

One thing that would really put me off moving here is the racism and the insular outlook that a pretty large percentage of the population seem to have. The insular thing is a syndrome of large countries I suppose and I may get used to it after a while.

 

Things to remember are that the weather isn't great all year round and it is not as cheap as everyone makes out. Property is as bad if not worse than home and petrol is rocketing at the moment.

 

There are so many postives to moving here it is hard to list them all it is just a case of thinking is the grass really that greener?

 

 

Cant disagree with any of that apart from Sydneys better than Melbourne;)

 

The one thing i really noticed when i first moved here was the in spite of having a huge multi-cultural mix, it can be quite racist, but that being said i still think the majority of people here are warm and welcoming.

[Legend Claws]

Cant disagree with any of that apart from Sydneys better than Melbourne;)

 

The one thing i really noticed when i first moved here was the in spite of having a huge multi-cultural mix, it can be quite racist, but that being said i still think the majority of people here are warm and welcoming.

 

The racism is a problem and they speak about it pretty openly which I suppose (depending on what circles you move in) we are not used to that in Scotland.

 

Sydney is a great city, no doubt about it I just prefer the Melbourne suburbs to the Sydney suburbs but I do live by the beach which you can do in Syd too!

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

i have done the points score test and i can get in as im a motor mechanic,i think the wife likes the look of victoria any idea what is like there

 

I emigrated about three months ago to Melbourne. It's a fantastic city but like all places has its good points and bad points. I think the thing for us now is that the first three months have been spent sorting out the 'basics' - house, car, job, schools etc. It's the little things that make you homesick and, with the 'big' things out of the way, it's now the interesting time for settling in properly.

 

I find some things here hilariously funny, like the weather. People say Melbourne is cold. At the moment (late autumn, apparently) it's around the 20 degree mark and here that's the cue to pull on the winter woolies. Melburnians will also tell you that you can get 4 seasons in 1 day here. Having grown up in Northern Ireland, they don't have a clue what they're talking about.

 

I can't say much about country Victoria if you fancy that more as the most I've ventured out of the city has been down to Mornington (leaving aside a weekend to Brisbane) and it was really nice down there.

 

Drop me a PM if you have any particular questions.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

Cant disagree with any of that apart from Sydneys better than Melbourne;)

 

The one thing i really noticed when i first moved here was the in spite of having a huge multi-cultural mix, it can be quite racist, but that being said i still think the majority of people here are warm and welcoming.

 

Totally agree. When we were buying a TV/washing machine etc. we bought the lot from a local Betta Electrical franchise - the guys there were two "True Blues" who basically went on to slag half the population of Asia. My nervous laughter soon turned into a cringe.

[teepee]

The racism is a problem and they speak about it pretty openly which I suppose (depending on what circles you move in) we are not used to that in Scotland.

 

Sydney is a great city, no doubt about it I just prefer the Melbourne suburbs to the Sydney suburbs but I do live by the beach which you can do in Syd too!

 

I think part of the problem is certain slang words that they use here which most people in the uk would find un-acceptable, to describe ethnic groups, i agree about back home, but that can be put down to the fact that scotlands is overwhelmingy white, here as you'll be aware depending on where you are you can be the minortiy being white, something that were not used to. I agree that the vast majority of people realise theres a problem and do openly talk about it...glad your enjoying melbourne ive only spent a few days there so only really know sydney....so far

[teepee]

Totally agree. When we were buying a TV/washing machine etc. we bought the lot from a local Betta Electrical franchise - the guys there were two "True Blues" who basically went on to slag half the population of Asia. My nervous laughter soon turned into a cringe.

 

yeah we bought all our stuff from bing lee's and believe it or not had a similar experinece...bizzare when you consider who was paying his wages!!!

[Mr Nobody]

Moved to Perth a few years ago and haven't really looked back. Perth is good of you have a family but would be pretty boring if you don't.

 

 

Booming at the moment and decent jobs are plentiful. Only problem is that the Boom is fuelling house prices and as someone else mentioned it is not thay cheap anymore.

[wibble]

I think all the big cities are great places to live. I have lived in Melbourne for 10 years and I can't fault it.

 

The racism that people refer to does exist, but no way would I say that it's anymore widespread than it is in London - I lived ther for 2 years and it was easily as bad.

 

In London I lived in an area that had a high percentage of Indians and Pakistanis. Everyone who lived there was very happy with the ethnic mix, everyone who didn't thought that it must be a nightmare. The Indians and Pakistanis in Hounslow were amongst the most friendly and polite people I have met.

 

Australia has a habit of slagging off whoever is the latest batch of immigrants. 40 yrs ago it was Greeks and Italians, then the Yugoslavians, then in the 70's it was the Vietnamese and other Asians, now it's the Africans (Sudanese and Somalian). Each time the newcomers pick up all the jobs no-one wants, do a great job, settle in and establish themselves and eventually become accepted.

 

The Vietnamese and Asians are emerging into the "integrated" phase - though a lot of rednecks still feel threatened. I have rarely heard a bad word about them in Melbourne. The Africans are getting a hard time now because of garbage spouted about them on 60 Minutes and other trash TV "news" programs.

 

Life is brilliant here. Your kids will have opportunities in school and through sport that you couldn't dream off back in Scotland. If you embrace the outdoor life you will love it, but there are a few small niggles that can sometimes do your head in.

 

1. TV - is absolute garbage. Ads every 3 minutes and all the American crap you can eat. You will miss the BBC, Channel 4 etc like mad.

 

2. Comedy - British comedy is the best in the world. Aussie comedy is fairly basic and you just can't get into it. Oh for a few hours of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.

 

3. Football - you will be able to watch a lot of games live on Setanta, but it's just not the same when it kicks off at 2am and there's only 3 of you in the pub to watch it.

 

4. Pub life - the drinking culture in the UK is not the same over here. People like a drink but not like the British. People tend not to do the full-scale [filter edit] sessions that every Brit does. There's not the big booze fuelled malarky every Friday after work like there was in Scotland.

 

In my opinion you have to accept that you are moving to a new country and you are going to leave a lot of your little cultural things behind. If you embrace the lifestyle of Australia you will have a ball and the family will love it. If you try to chase all the little things that you left behind you will find yourself feeling like a fish out of water.

 

Whatever you do, you can;t not try it. Sitting in your rocking chair at 75 it will be better to say that you tried it and decided it wasn't for you than saying you wished that you'd had the balls to give it a spin.

[wibble]

Another thing - everyone thinks that your accent is a hoot and they all have a few jokes about it.

 

It wears you down sometimes, but you just tell them that in Melbourne it's the Aussies that have the minority accent and most of them move on to something more interesting.

[wibble]

Have a look here for house prices (buy and rent)

 

http://www.realestate.com.au/

[Bindy Badgy]

3. Football - you will be able to watch a lot of games live on Setanta, but it's just not the same when it kicks off at 2am and there's only 3 of you in the pub to watch it.

 

Got any pubs you can recommend?

 

This question applies to everyone in Oz. I'm spending next season backpacking and I need to get places to watch football sorted before I go over;)

[bobthejambo]

thanks for all the help everyone

[teepee]

 

 

Whatever you do, you can;t not try it. Sitting in your rocking chair at 75 it will be better to say that you tried it and decided it wasn't for you than saying you wished that you'd had the balls to give it a spin.

 

Couldnt agree more with that MJ, took me 3 years to make my mind up to move here, and that was the one thing that i kept thinking about...i didnt wan to get to the stage i was thinking 'what if'.....

 

As you say if you embrace it you will love it, if on the other hand sit there moaning thats its not scotland(as ive heard expats say as im sure you have as well, but continue to sat here) then you'll be miserable.

[Legend Claws]

I think all the big cities are great places to live. I have lived in Melbourne for 10 years and I can't fault it.

 

The racism that people refer to does exist, but no way would I say that it's anymore widespread than it is in London - I lived ther for 2 years and it was easily as bad.

 

In London I lived in an area that had a high percentage of Indians and Pakistanis. Everyone who lived there was very happy with the ethnic mix, everyone who didn't thought that it must be a nightmare. The Indians and Pakistanis in Hounslow were amongst the most friendly and polite people I have met.

 

Australia has a habit of slagging off whoever is the latest batch of immigrants. 40 yrs ago it was Greeks and Italians, then the Yugoslavians, then in the 70's it was the Vietnamese and other Asians, now it's the Africans (Sudanese and Somalian). Each time the newcomers pick up all the jobs no-one wants, do a great job, settle in and establish themselves and eventually become accepted.

 

The Vietnamese and Asians are emerging into the "integrated" phase - though a lot of rednecks still feel threatened. I have rarely heard a bad word about them in Melbourne. The Africans are getting a hard time now because of garbage spouted about them on 60 Minutes and other trash TV "news" programs.

 

Life is brilliant here. Your kids will have opportunities in school and through sport that you couldn't dream off back in Scotland. If you embrace the outdoor life you will love it, but there are a few small niggles that can sometimes do your head in.

 

1. TV - is absolute garbage. Ads every 3 minutes and all the American crap you can eat. You will miss the BBC, Channel 4 etc like mad.

 

2. Comedy - British comedy is the best in the world. Aussie comedy is fairly basic and you just can't get into it. Oh for a few hours of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.

 

3. Football - you will be able to watch a lot of games live on Setanta, but it's just not the same when it kicks off at 2am and there's only 3 of you in the pub to watch it.

 

4. Pub life - the drinking culture in the UK is not the same over here. People like a drink but not like the British. People tend not to do the full-scale [filter edit] sessions that every Brit does. There's not the big booze fuelled malarky every Friday after work like there was in Scotland.

 

In my opinion you have to accept that you are moving to a new country and you are going to leave a lot of your little cultural things behind. If you embrace the lifestyle of Australia you will have a ball and the family will love it. If you try to chase all the little things that you left behind you will find yourself feeling like a fish out of water.

 

Whatever you do, you can;t not try it. Sitting in your rocking chair at 75 it will be better to say that you tried it and decided it wasn't for you than saying you wished that you'd had the balls to give it a spin.

 

Spot on in every word!

[Legend Claws]

Another thing - everyone thinks that your accent is a hoot and they all have a few jokes about it.

 

It wears you down sometimes, but you just tell them that in Melbourne it's the Aussies that have the minority accent and most of them move on to something more interesting.

 

God it really gets to me after a while! The folk at my work think it is hilarious to send me pictures of guys in kilts all the time. Funny for a while. I just call them convicts and that soon shuts them up!

 

Good guys in general though!

[Legend Claws]

I emigrated about three months ago to Melbourne. It's a fantastic city but like all places has its good points and bad points. I think the thing for us now is that the first three months have been spent sorting out the 'basics' - house, car, job, schools etc. It's the little things that make you homesick and, with the 'big' things out of the way, it's now the interesting time for settling in properly.

I find some things here hilariously funny, like the weather. People say Melbourne is cold. At the moment (late autumn, apparently) it's around the 20 degree mark and here that's the cue to pull on the winter woolies. Melburnians will also tell you that you can get 4 seasons in 1 day here. Having grown up in Northern Ireland, they don't have a clue what they're talking about.

 

I can't say much about country Victoria if you fancy that more as the most I've ventured out of the city has been down to Mornington (leaving aside a weekend to Brisbane) and it was really nice down there.

 

Drop me a PM if you have any particular questions.

 

Haha so true! They go on about four seasons in day really makes me laugh! One daft thing is they winge about the cold but keep the AC pumped up in all buildings which does actually make it a bit chilly whilst at work etc.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

Got any pubs you can recommend?

 

This question applies to everyone in Oz. I'm spending next season backpacking and I need to get places to watch football sorted before I go over;)

 

I watch Satan TV in the house, much to the wife's annoyance!!

[wibble]

Got any pubs you can recommend?

 

This question applies to everyone in Oz. I'm spending next season backpacking and I need to get places to watch football sorted before I go over;)

 

Charles Dickens on Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD is a smelly old British pub that is open all hours for all the live football on Satanta and Fox.