Nearly two and a half years here, update ...

[jim and adel]

Warning - long post!

 

A few months ago we became permanent residents after having been here since the back end of '07 as SIR495 holders. Since then I've been meaning to provide an update on our time here so far, the high points and the low, our likes and dislikes. As you good people all know, opinions can vary and one person's experience might not match another's, so it's likely that you'll disagree with some of these observations – and wouldn't life be boring otherwise?

 

As mentioned above, we arrived on the run-up to Christmas '07 and, knowing that this wouldn't be a good time to job hunt, spent the first few weeks in holiday mode, settling in and enjoying our new surroundings. This was tempered to a degree by the on arrival accommodation we were staying in which, while we were grateful for it because of the savings we made in rental costs for those first few weeks, was a bit grim. It did the job and seemed clean enough (although cockroaches made regular visits despite the place getting a good dousing by all insecticides known to man) but still felt prison-like. The road it was off was a major hoon burnout location, and we would often listen to revving engines and the screeching of brakes as rubber was laid in wiggly lines on the tarmac. On one eventful night, a car was torched right beneath our bedroom, forcing a hasty retreat from us because of the heat and lest the whole thing should explode. This was followed, a day or so later, by the arrest of one of our neighbours (in what I assume was an unrelated matter), who put up an entertaining if doomed struggle for freedom ...

 

Before making the move, we'd come over here form a three week recce and to validate the visas, and during this time stayed in four different places in order to experience different suburbs, travelling time, public transport, facilities etc. We had a great time and decided early on in the recce that we'd make the move to Adelaide. During our on arrival accommodation experience with its car burning etc, we were able to focus on the Adelaide we had previously seen on our recce and knew that not all of Adelaide was like this. I do wonder, though, what our feelings would have been had this been our first exposure to Adelaide – we might well have been on the next plane back.

 

In mid January '08 we decided it was time to find a longer term rental, and this coincided with me landing a job, thus reducing the financial burden of paying for our new accommodation.

 

We moved to Northgate (next to the new Lightsview development) and have been happy during our time here and all has been quiet, apart from the one night, just a week or so after moving in, when a car was set alight right outside our house ...

 

We've settled well into life here; Thomas loves it and the number of kids at his fourth birthday party showed that he has a healthy circle of young friends.

 

So far, Adel has looked after Thomas during the day and therefore hasn't hunted for work. Given that we're currently having a house built and are about to be saddled with a much bigger mortgage than our original dreams suggested would be the case, this will shortly have to change!

 

Incidentally, we're building in Nairne. During our recce, one of the places we stayed in was Crafers, and we loved the feel of the Adelaide Hills and it became a choice between living right by the sea or up in the hills – no 'somewhere in between' for us! Given the prices of easy-reach beach suburbs and the size of most blocks, we ended up concentrating our efforts in the hills, eventually buying just under half an acre in an established part of Nairne. Since then we've been going through the lonnggggg process of having a house designed, gaining council approval, changing builders along the way and now finally seeing the thing take shape. With a fair wind, at some point in around three months we should finally move into our new home and I think that's when we'll feel properly settled.

 

On discussion boards such as this, there is the occasional debate about whether holding a temporary visa is a limiting factor when applying for jobs. To this debate I can add only that for me it hasn't been. In applying for the first few jobs, I made mention of the conditions of my visa, highlighting its temporary nature to would-be employers. I either heard nothing back (nothing unusual there as most job applications receive no response) or I received a query asking for clarification on my visa status ... then heard nothing back. In subsequent applications I simply pointed out that I held a visa allowing me to live and work in SA, and got a far better response. Most employers don't know much about the various visa types and their interest in this matter extends only to the point that it's 'safe' to employ someone. Of course, it might be very different with another occupation, but for me, the only limiting factor seemed to be my original insistence in pointing out the visa conditions whether the employer wanted to know about them or not!

 

Still on the subject of jobs, I was very fortunate in landing a good job relatively quickly. As a result of several meetings with recruitment agents, I was interviewed by two companies (where the roles hadn't been advertised) and offered both jobs. I was notified about the second job the week after starting the first, and because this one paid better than the one I was doing I explained to my employer that I was considering leaving. My salary was then increased by my employer, so I remained and have been working here since and really enjoy it. I work in HR and my working conditions are very similar to roles I've held in the UK, it being just as much a 'corporate' environment as anywhere else; I do know, though, that this isn't the case everywhere, and anecdotally I've heard some horror stories about how some people are treated by their employers.

 

What do we like about Adelaide? Lots of things – the weather, the access to great beaches and countryside, exploring different places within easy reach, parrots darting through the trees, the wildlife, the number and variety of cafes and restaurants, and the attitudes of most people.

 

What don't we like? Lots of things – the standard of driving (and the lack of any action to raise these standards to anything like a decent level), the hoons, the amount of graffiti, the crime, the state of the politics, dog owners who think that beach rules apply to everybody else except them, the price and lack of variety in supermarkets, the massively overvalued real estate, dogs barking in the night, the parochial – sometimes much worse, bigoted – views of a few people.

 

Overall, are we glad we made the move? Yes. It's cost us more financially than we'd expected and can comfortably afford, and we'll have a much bigger mortgage for the house we're building than would have been the case had we made the move a few years earlier, and family and friends are sorely missed, but yes, we're glad to be here.

 

Are we here to stay? We're not sure. We don't have any active plans to move on, but then, six or seven years ago we didn't have any firm plans to move from the UK. There are a lot of places in the world that have their attractions and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if we were drawn to one or another of them in the next few years. Equally, we'd have no qualms about moving back to the UK; we had a good standard of living there and made the move primarily for the adventure and to see another part of the world, not because we hated the place. For now, though, Adelaide is home.

 

Would we recommend Adelaide to others? Hmm, this depends on the reasons for leaving where they currently are and the reasons for choosing Adelaide. It strikes me that some people make the move having done very little research (e.g. 'we're arriving next month – what's the weather like at that time of year?' – what, you mean you're dragging yourself and your family to the other end of the world and you're not aware of the climate?) and then when Adelaide falls short of their incredibly wide-of-the-mark expectations, it gets a bashing. Equally, some who have made the move seem blind to its attractions, while others are just as blind to its shortcomings (on this latter point, for anyone who hasn't realised it, Adelaide has crime! There isn't the same airspace or media coverage of it as there is in the UK, but it's there nonetheless, albeit some of the descriptors used are different: bashings, home invasions, hoon driving, rorts ...) If someone is looking for a high-rise skyline with theme parks and non-stop action, then I'd be reluctant to recommend Adelaide. If they're looking for a crime-free haven where the sun always shines, everybody is friendly and you can have a dream house with a pool for less than you paid for your last car, I'd equally not recommend it (but I'd be interested to hear about the place they do find – we might settle there ourselves). If, though, someone is looking for a nice place, where most people are hospitable, where property remains just about affordable if you're willing to compromise and be realistic, where hard work pays off, where some things are annoyingly second rate but others are delightfully first rate, then Adelaide is certainly worth a look.

 

If you got this far, I hope this has been of some use!

 

Jim

[Diane]

Brilliant post, thanks for taking the time. Really enjoyed reading it and agree with everything you have said!

[Guest Sharon and Paul]

g,day nice one Jim , ATB PAUL

[Guest Skippy]

Hi Jim,

 

thanks for your post. It's very honest. Adelaide has it's problems like anywhere in the world but I'm so glad that me and my family took the plunge!!! Anna

[Guest kerfumph]

Warning - long post!

 

 

 

 

 

Incidentally, we're building in Nairne. During our recce, one of the places we stayed in was Crafers, and we loved the feel of the Adelaide Hills and it became a choice between living right by the sea or up in the hills – no 'somewhere in between' for us! Given the prices of easy-reach beach suburbs and the size of most blocks, we ended up concentrating our efforts in the hills, eventually buying just under half an acre in an established part of Nairne. Since then we've been going through the lonnggggg process of having a house designed, gaining council approval, changing builders along the way and now finally seeing the thing take shape. With a fair wind, at some point in around three months we should finally move into our new home and I think that's when we'll feel properly settled.

 

 

Jim

 

Nairne ROCKS!

[Guest familygood]

Excellent intelligent post! So far agree with everything you have written!! Good luck with the house.

[ian mc]

Excellent post probably the best post I have read since joining true and honest

[Guest Cope]

Great post! Nice to see a balanced review without the pink glasses. Best of luck to you.

[Guest Guest75]

Thanks for such an in depth and balanced post :)

[Guest WhatNow?]

Same here. Nice to see a balanced view, well expressed!

[sueoc]

Fantastic realistic view of what Adelaide is all about.Thanks,a pleasure to read.

[Guest The Coyne Family]

Hi Jim,

Thanks what a great post,

Its great to get a real impression of what Adelaide is all about.

Best of luck to you and your family in your new home.

Maria.

[Guest sforbes]

Hi Jim

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a comprehensive post about your specific experiences. I find these posts really useful as I've not yet arrived (planned move early next year). I hope you don't mind me asking, I also come from an HR background in the UK and I wondered what the opportunities are like for HR professionals in Adelaide.

 

Many thanks,

Sharon

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Hi Jim,

What a really well balanced account of your experiences...thank you.

We also arrived in 2007 and can relate to most things that you have experienced. We didn't do the recce first and just climbed on a plane into the unknown. One thing that I would like to add to your post concerns the locals! By and large they are a really friendly bunch. More so than I ever expected. There are always the exceptions but I have found them to be accepting of new migrants and it makes a real difference when you are trying to fit in to a new life.

 

Tamara

[jim and adel]

Hi Jim

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a comprehensive post about your specific experiences. I find these posts really useful as I've not yet arrived (planned move early next year). I hope you don't mind me asking, I also come from an HR background in the UK and I wondered what the opportunities are like for HR professionals in Adelaide.

 

Many thanks,

Sharon

 

Hi Sharon, I've not got that much experience of the Adelaide HR market other than the job I'm doing, so view this reply with caution. There are opportunities but obviously not the volume you'd find when flicking through People Management back in the UK. I think that if you're at the 'HR officer' level there's a fair bit out there but you need to establish a network or be willing to temp to get noticed. If 'head of HR' or 'HR mgr' level, there are some – less regular – openings and establishing relationships with recruitment companies that deal with these roles will give you a shot at some of these opportunities. If you're at 'director of HR' level then you might need patience and be willing to broaden out to more of a corporate services role managing several disciplines, and you're more likely to need good Aus contacts beyond recruitment agents.

When planning for our move I was willing to take a step or two back in my career (in my last two UK roles I reported to the CEO) and while this has happened, it's not as big a backward step as I'd envisaged. All being well, for my next role (whenever that opportunity comes along – I'm not actively looking for it yet) I'd expect to recover all the lost ground.

Joining AHRI would be a good starting point for making contacts, as would building a presence on some of the HR discussion boards and sites.

Good luck, Jim

[Guest theforrests]

Excellent post - thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Guest sforbes]

Hi Sharon, I've not got that much experience of the Adelaide HR market other than the job I'm doing, so view this reply with caution. There are opportunities but obviously not the volume you'd find when flicking through People Management back in the UK. I think that if you're at the 'HR officer' level there's a fair bit out there but you need to establish a network or be willing to temp to get noticed. If 'head of HR' or 'HR mgr' level, there are some – less regular – openings and establishing relationships with recruitment companies that deal with these roles will give you a shot at some of these opportunities. If you're at 'director of HR' level then you might need patience and be willing to broaden out to more of a corporate services role managing several disciplines, and you're more likely to need good Aus contacts beyond recruitment agents.

 

When planning for our move I was willing to take a step or two back in my career (in my last two UK roles I reported to the CEO) and while this has happened, it's not as big a backward step as I'd envisaged. All being well, for my next role (whenever that opportunity comes along – I'm not actively looking for it yet) I'd expect to recover all the lost ground.

 

Joining AHRI would be a good starting point for making contacts, as would building a presence on some of the HR discussion boards and sites.

 

Good luck, Jim

 

 

Many thanks for your thoughts Jim, I had thought about joining AHRI but wasn't sure if it would be worthwhile so thanks for the pointer.

 

I am glad things are working out well for you over in sunny Oz on the job front!

 

Cheers, Sharon

[adelaidenow]

Interesting you say crime is bad, I have to disagree with that, crime is very low here. The news covers every holdup, mugging etc for the whole city not just the small part you are in. There really is a low crime rate IMO.

 

A mugging in the UK wouldn't even be on the news!

 

You also say Real Estate is over valued, I don't completely disagree but since people pay the prices doesn't that mean its the right price???

[jim and adel]

Interesting you say crime is bad, I have to disagree with that, crime is very low here. The news covers every holdup, mugging etc for the whole city not just the small part you are in. There really is a low crime rate IMO.

 

A mugging in the UK wouldn't even be on the news!

 

You also say Real Estate is over valued, I don't completely disagree but since people pay the prices doesn't that mean its the right price???

 

I didn't actually say that crime here is bad, just that Adelaide has crime the same as any other place.

I disagree about media coverage. I think there's far less media coverage of crime here than in many places, and some alarming stories hardly get a mention (especially if such news clashes with Mike Rann sneezing ...)

While I'm not suggesting crime is disproportionately high, nor would I say that crime is 'very low here'. Stats I've seen suggest a fairly comparable situation with other cities of similar size in most Western economies (that is, where Aus stats are available for comparison – ABS is sparse on crime figures and in SA, OSCAR is not much better than useless) and if low level crime/antisocial behaviour is any indicator, then the tyre marks, graffiti and smashed bus stops suggest that Adelaide has no less that its fair share.

Regarding real estate, if 'people pay the prices' is the test you choose to apply, good on you; as for me, I think property is overvalued.