Adelaide?? I'd rather be in Peckham!

[Guest bennywood]

Well I came to South Australia just over a year ago with the promise of a good well paid job, nice lifestyle, great weather etc...this turned out to be untrue! I came to Adelaide to escape the UK, the bad weather, the poisonous and disgusting way society has turned for the worse and the low wages for skilled workers. I am a fully qualified electrician and so plenty of work in Oz. The money I was offered in Adelaide seemed very good and after quickly looking online I found that rental prices etc were cheap too.

All good so I thought.

So 1st week of work arrived and pretty soon I figured out that the boss was a complete ****, Then came payday and it turned out that due to my visa I had to pay emergency tax or something of that sort so I was pocketing a whole $500 per week to live on, 500 per week is not bad for the uk where my rent was 120 quid a week but now I was getting paid less than I had been over 13 years ago and the place I decided to rent was nearly 400 per week (the agency said I'd be taking over $1200 per week home) also EVERYTHING is a lot more expensive in Australia. So I had to move into a shared house, which was fun and it meant I got to meet some new people but living with students was hard whilst working full time. So I decided to look for a new job, work to me is always about having fun with the lads, but the guys I was working with were so worn down by the bosses constantly stupid demands that their souls seemed to be missing....apart from 1 guy who (wasn't australian). I found plenty of work quickly, a lot of employers seemed willing to take me on ASAP for a lot more money. Great I thought. So I went to hand my notice in, and my boss landed the bombshell saying that if I left I would have to pay him $6000 for the visa! I spoke to the agent who got me the job here and he said the same thing, I would have to work a year before I could leave.

OK so now I was stuck in a low paid job for a year, miles away from family and friends, in a house full of kids but things couldnt get any worse right? I was still in Adelaide and the weather was great........Thats when winter kicked in, apparently the worst winter in a long time although I dont believe this as the winter at the moment seems colder!

So I started to hit the town, try to meet some people make some new friends and have a good time. I'd heard that Adelaide was a bit of a party town but what I found was a ghost town full of wannabe bikee's and un attractive young blonde women who have their heads so far up their own arses they can see the backs of their own teeth! Beer prices were stupidly over priced and the pubs were all stainless steel polished mirrored places with arrogant bar staff, the clubs were pretty much empty.

So I fell into a bit of depression, this has never happend to me but it felt like I was stuck in a faraway place surrounded by tossers. Then things got worse, I was driving to work one morning and a car side swiped me trapping me in my car (something I would have paid about 150 quid for but cost me over $700). I was pulled out by the rescue crew and taken to hospital where they found nothing wrong with me apart from bruising of the legs (what is sad is that after the accident I sat in the car hoping one of my legs was broken, at least that way my boss would have to let me go home). When I got back to my share house I received a real s****y call from my boss asking why I hadn't turned up for work, when I told him... all he said was that I need to present a doctors note. So I went to the doctors and he signed me off for a week.....a week of my boss ringing me up everyday asking if I'd be back in to work the next day. I also got a $856 bill from the ambulance company, and as for any compensation etc because I wasn't injured badly I got a nice pay out of sweet FA. When I tried to contact the Idiot driver he simply didn't answer my calls or texts.

Now hobbling with no car I had to bus to work, borrowing a works van was out of the question, this ended up costing me a lot and over the next two months I saved up for another rust bucket. When I'd earn’t enough I found another car and started to travel away from Adelaide at the weekends. I must say that in the country towns surrounding Adelaide I met some genuinely nice people and started to feel a bit happier, the summer was not much better that the UK weather wise but the temperature was a lot better.

Things were looking better but I still had that problem of work hanging over me every monday, when I was driving back to the city most sunday evenings I'd suddenly feel down about being home.

Then all of a sudden the year was up! you couldn’t see me leave Adelaide for smoke! I went to Perth to see some friends and loved it, I also went over to Brisbane and had a great time and loved the scenery. So I decided to apply for a few jobs in Queensland....surely things were getting better?

NOPE

Turns out the agency had sorted me out a work visa, but nothing in the way of a PR or temp work visa. They had splashed out on a backpakers visa meaning I could work but only for a year, and on that visa I could only work for 1 company for the maximum of six months meaning I had broken the law by working for my boss for a year and was now in the country illegally!

That was the final nail in the coffin, I flew out of Australia on the 1st of August and now stuck in Thailand waiting for my tax refund to come through so I can get back to the UK

What do I have to say about my experience? Australia is a great place but do your research 1st, I didn't and I paid the price big time. I will be back sometime soon but like most people I will be giving Adelaide a miss this time. Adelaide is good if you like cold winters, low paid jobs, bogans, crap pubs, poorly constructed houses, old people and expensive cars in poor condition

[Guest Guest5035]

Two words come out of the original post...DO RESEARCH....and none of it was there fault, also the first sentence said it all..............if it sounds too good to be true... amazing..

 

stevo

[Diane]

Interesting first post! As said above, a little research would have avoided so many of the issues. Even just joining this site before today might have helped, as you'd have read how important it was to get Ambulance cover, and you might have asked a few more questions about your visa, not to mention applied for a TFN right at the start which would have avoided the Emergency Tax issue.

 

Ah well... good luck in the future! Hope letting off some steam in your post has helped you!

[tina&steve]

Do research and get insurance!!!!

Peckham is a **** hole!

[wizzywozza]

If you overstayed your visa ......... I doubt you'll be back in Oz anytime soon! There's something about this story that doesn't quite gel ...... a WHV for $6000??? Mmmmm

[wizzywozza]

If you overstayed your visa ......... I doubt you'll be back in Oz anytime soon! There's something about this story that doesn't quite gel ...... a WHV for $6000??? Mmmmm. Not to mention a sparks on a WHV working without having to through the licensing hassles others do?

[snifter]

As others have pointed out, you really needed to do your research first. You went over there on a WHV and didn't even know what kind of visa you had applied for? And the job thing does sound weird as you'd need to be licensed to work in Aus in that trade.

 

Sorry things were crappy for you, but really, it does sound like you only have yourself to blame on that one.

[scooterdan]

Telling people to research is ironic if you didn't even know what visa the so called agency got you!!

 

Enyjoy Peckham!!

[Guest Guest5035]

i forgot to mention say hello to another loser in Peckham, Delboy.... and enjoy your expensive 3 wheeler.

 

:biggrin:stevo

[likesshopping]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience - it sounds alot different to the experiences that we have had since we arrived......

 

I suppose its true what they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

 

 

 

Sarah

[Guest leeozbound]

No sympathy from me mate, sounds like most of your problems were caused by yourself. Better you go back to England and make room for someone who has done their homework and wants to make the most of the opportunity.

[Guest Guest6899]

Have to agree with others did you do any research!! cold winters, it didnt get above freezing and the snow didnt move from around our area for months, thats cold. Sorry, im all for freedom of speech but i think most of the things you have gone through is your own fault. Ambulance cover e.g is on our list to do on arrival...

[soo_the_panda]

Wow!! Ok - feel the need to comment just for anyone in the UK who may read this and wonder 'is this true.' Firstly, I have to say, as everyone else has - what you think of ANY place is totally subjective and also subject to circumstance etc - but in my opinion, what you make of it!

 

Firstly, the OP states 'I came to South Australia just over a year ago with the promise of a good well paid job, nice lifestyle, great weather etc...' - I'm unsure who 'promised' this - surely there are well paid and badly paid jobs EVERYWHERE, great weather - hmmm - a quick google would have told you this and as for 'a nice lifestyle' - gosh, isn't this a bit vague?! Your lifestyle, surely, is what you make it?! As for having an awful boss - I don't think that's necessarily Adelaide's fault?! Call me naive, but don't bosses/companies run the full spectrum from mediocre to amazing, the world over?!

 

A few points:

- Don't assume you will be earning XX salary. Don't believe everything a recruitment agent says! Websites like Seek list comprehensive salary averages for various occupations and industries.

- As for 'EVERYTHING' is more expensive in Australia, don't get me started! There are already numerous threads on here about costs. Simple: some things cost more, some things cost less. To say 'EVERYTHING' costs more here is ridiculous.

- There are 4 seasons in Australia. One of these is winter. In winter, it gets cold. It may feel much colder than you expect. Houses are not as well insulated. Most don't have central heating. Most people get over this by wearing layers, turning on heating/lighting a fire and smiling in the knowledge that we get pretty sweet weather 9 months of the year in Adelaide.

- As for the description of the Adelaide night life - not sure where the OP heard Adelaide was a 'party town?' It's not exactly London or Buenos Aires, if that's what you're coming here for. Yes, there are lots of soulless modern bars. But there are also many older, quaint bars with no stainless steel in sight. The Advertiser publishes a guide to SA pubs for $15 (available in most newsagents) that's really comprehensive. The OP clearly hadn't tried some of my favourite bars: The Wheatsheaf just outside the city in Thebarton, lots of the lovely old pubs in North Adelaide, all the funky (not generic) wine bars like Cork on Gouger St, Bay Bar Dos at Glenelg, Third Cork at Semaphore, Giallo in Kent Town) all the great beach pubs (The Seacliff, Bacchus at Henley, any of the Surf Life Saving Club bars, to name just a few)

 

I'm not saying the OP doesn't have lots of valid points, but I want to stress this isn't representative of what everyone things (or surely nobody would live in Adelaide or enjoy living in Adelaide?!) There are lots of things I miss about other places I live, and some things frustrate me about living here (as I'm sure would be true of anywhere). But to sum up Adelaide as 'cold winters, low paid jobs, bogans, crap pubs, poorly constructed houses, old people and expensive cars in poor condition' I have to say I disagree - the winters were a hell of a lot colder (and longer) in the UK if I remember correctly, I personally am paid a lot more here than I would be in the UK, bogans/chavs - whatever you want to call them - are everywhere! Surely that's more of a reflection on who you choose to hang around with and the places you choose to frequent?

 

Oh and as for 'old people' - that made me laugh - are there no 'old people' in Peckham?!??!?

 

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

This actually made me laugh.

[Guest shella_n]

There are way too many things on the OP's post that don't ring true - surely this is a wind up post?

[sueoc]

This post to me is just a moan,from someone who does not like it here.We all have a grouch now and again.To me it's as simple as, some people love it here,some are apprehensive about it all , and some don't like it here.That is the same the world over.No big deal.

[xzibit]

Don't worry, this time next year you'll be a millionaire!!!!

[Guest Jane & Tony]

i forgot to mention say hello to another loser in Peckham, Delboy.... and enjoy your expensive 3 wheeler.

 

:biggrin:stevo

 

Delboy would have researched a bit more!!!!!! HAW HAW

[Guest loopylisa]

You moved across the world without doing any research. What did you expect...?

[xzibit]

You moved across the world without doing any research. What did you expect...?

 

OMG!!!! You found the font size tab!!!!

[Guest loopylisa]

And as someone else said you broke the conditions of your VISA, try to get back to Australia you wil be refused entry and you will also be subject to a THREE YEAR exclusion period. I guess we wont need to hear anymore of your whiney I didnt get it all handed to me on a plate stories anytime soon. Thats obviously the silver lining to this.

[Guest loopylisa]

^^ lmao......

[Guest Jane & Tony]

A reaction was required and he GOT IT< OH BOY!! This has made me laugh out loud. Nice to see us Pommes sticking up for the way they 'choose to live'

It sounded like a teenager wanting his 'Mummy' !!!!!

 

Don't think we will hear from him again!

 

Must visit Peckham!!! (Do Peckers live there?)

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

I think this stands as a strong remeinder to all thoes who are planning to move to the other side of the world.

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH and more RESEARCH .

Before me and the ex moved i was researching for 2 years every single night and in the end i knew more about adelaide than my own area.

I think one of the best things we done on research was the 2 week reccie, bugger the cost we were planning on moving to the other side of the world, selling our house and gambling on our futures and if not much else it put our minds at rest and it was totaly amazing as we hoped it was gonna be.

Our visa's didnt promice us great jobs, brilliant weather, big house and live happily ever after it just gave us the oppertunity to do something with it.

Yes we both had great jobs to come to, yes the weather is mostly brilliant, yes be brought the big house with pool but unfortunetly living happily ever after hasnt played its part so now my partner of 14 years is now my ex and the big dream house is up for sale but hey its all part of the adventure.

If your not gonna put the time in and do the research then you are and WILL fall flat on ya ass.

The original poster made some realy daft mistkes i just hope that others dont follow in his foot steps

[Guest SA Great]

Just another whinging pom we can all do without. I was born in Peckham...its an absloute ****hole. Left when I was 7 years old. As someone else said, I think he is just trying to get a reaction. Why do people like this bother to emigrate?