Should I stay or should I go???

[KazzyG]

Hi all

New to here, so please be gentle. I can get into SA due to SS and my occupation having high eligibility. I've filled my VETASSESS forms in and have the card details to put in and press 'submit' - there are a few things stopping me and that's probably a lack of knowledge.

I'm 37 and wanting to bring my 2 x cats and 2 x dogs with me (costs a fortune but hey ho). Few questions, how would a single female be received in Oz? How hard is it going to be realistically to find a rental property with my animals - leaving them behind is not an option. I'll be coming over with approx £12,000 - will that be enough until I get a new job? What areas would you recommend - obv don't want anywhere dodgy? I can live anywhere in SA but would prefer to be within 40 mins of Adelaide. Also, I've read on a few threads that there's some hostility towards poms in Oz - is that your experience?


I won't miss my family as I hardly see them, and I only see my close friends about 4 times a year now due to me living in Scotland and them in England so not worried about leaving them behind.

Thanks for your help in advance :-)

[Adelaide_bound]

Hiya - we're not there for another month or so ourselves, so can't answer some of the questions,but wanted to say hello (tis a friendly bunch on PIA) and just pick up on a couple of points.

You get good and bad where-ever you go in the world. That means people not liking other people as well as full on crime stuff, so yeah, there are people who don't like Poms over there, but imho, there wouldn't be so many Poms over there if it were that big an issue (or indeed, an issue at all). As a single female - that again depends on you - its not an orthodox country so its not like women need a chaperone or anything, but like any westernised country, if you go out in a bra top and hotpants you probably will attract attention (then again, having seen some of the beach attire not even that might be too true in some places lol). IMHO NZ is more parochial than Oz and as a single female over there I never ever felt anything other than completely relaxed and comfortable so not an issue at all imho.

The £12K imho (again lol) would be completely fine....if you didn't have dependants. From what I have heard it is harder to get a rental with pets, and you may need to pay a pet bond, so obviously that costs more and you have to be less flexible, but its not the end of the world. However, I am also a firm believer in you make things happen because you need to on whatever situation you find yourself in, so if you are prepared to do the leg work its not a terrible situation to find oneself in - I've heard of people moving with less with more dependants etc. It might be worth seeing if you can stagger the pets arrival to give you longer to find somewhere to rent so you aren't stressing about them coming out of quarantine, but seeing as they need to be in there at least 30 days (although something in my head thinks it might have gone up, but equally that might just be me going slightly mad lol) it gives you time, even after their arrival to find something - for me it would just be a time thing. I'm sure people far more knowledgeable than me will come on and give the actual situation as it stands in SA, but we were under the impression there were certain rules in certain council areas about the number of pets/cats you can have etc, so that's something to look into as well.

HTH a little - no-one can tell you whether to go for it or not really, as only you know you, but it is often said it is the things we do not do that we regret in life, not the things we give a go to.

[KazzyG]

Thanks Adelaide_Bound.

I have no issue with upping sticks and moving abroad due to me moving every 2 years whilst being in the UK!! I just want a heads up on areas to avoid if a single female so that I can price accommodation etc. I wasn't aware of the council rules re. animals so thanks for that, definitely something I need to look into more

Good to know my funds should hopefully be enough, although if I'm realistic I think it's more likely to be £9k. The animal export companies over here are soooo slow at providing quotes, and I've heard there can be up to £1500 price difference.

Ooooh one more thing, does anyone know how comfy the economy class tickets are when faced with a 22 hour flight or are you best trying to upgrade if possible?

Thanks.

[Sol]

Hi Kazzy - I'm in the same boat as you, but without the pets: A single woman wondering how it would be to move overseas alone lol I am however, planning to get myself a couple of pets after I move

[KazzyG]

Hi Sol

If I was in your situation I wouldn't hesitate. The added cost of exporting them over is a killer, I could get my parents to look after the dogs for a few months I guess and just bring the cats over for a start, but it's the concern over trusting my mum and dad to take them for their blood tests etc. Then obviously I want to be sure that I can find somewhere for us all to live in a good area. It is possible, I do it now in Scotland and I can't imagine Oz is any worse than here for renting with pets.

Hi Kazzy - I'm in the same boat as you, but without the pets: A single woman wondering how it would be to move overseas alone lol I am however, planning to get myself a couple of pets after I move

[Squareman]

What is your motivation to want to live in Oz? If you are in so much doubt about the move, added to the fact that you dont seem to have any idea what life in Oz is like, my suggestion is that you come over here on a recce holiday first. It will cost you extra money, obviously, but no where near as much as an 'emigration gone wrong' scenario, given that you have pets. Come and take a look, meet prospective employers etc. Then make a more qualified decision

[KazzyG]

I have friends in Oz and it's something I've always wanted to do since I was 22, my main motivation though is that I don't actually think my job will be around in the UK in 18 months time, and there are more prospects in Australia. I've recently got divorced and my husband wouldn't emigrate with me, now I feel it's my time in life. I don't have any doubts about doing it, but similarly it's surely not unreasonable to ask where decent areas for a single female are, or how difficult it really is to rent with animals? It's no different to what my concerns were when I moved 350 miles to Scotland - and I don't regret a second of that move either, I just like to have all the facts.

[Squareman]

My suggestion was based on the simplicity of your questions. You asked how a 'single female would be received.'. This is a very basic question, something that might be asked by someone planning a trip to Qatar or Libya!

I still recommend a recce visit. Everyone has different tastes and expectations. A forum such as this can help you REFINE your decisions, and there are some lovely, honest and very helpful people on here to help you do that (and some grumpy gits like me) but there's no substitute for first-hand experience

[KazzyG]

Maybe i didn't choose the correct wording initially, but i felt my follow ups clarified things a wee bit. I'm happy to do a recce but it will leave me short for the animal exportation and i don't believe you can make a decision on a week or 2's experience

[Squareman]

I think it would be invaluable. It was to me and many others who have gone through this. Up to you though......

Good luck