Cold Feet !!

[Guest Linn Family]

Hello everyone,

 

We dont often often post on here but enjoy reading all of the posts both positive and negative. Just wondered if anybody was a car mechanic or knew what sort of salary car mechanic's are on. We have got our visa and need to validate it by 9th Feb 09. We were both looking forward to the move, but now we have cold feet !!! Is this normal I am sure it is. All of a sudden we are just not sure as to whether or not the move is going to be the right one, when we were so sure before. We are definately not coming to become rich as we know that that wouldn't happen, but what we want is a better lifestyle for the children and more quality time for us. The main worry for us is that it seems that some of the posts are implying that it is more expensive in Aus than over here. We both have to work at the moment and I get alot of help with childcare from my mum, and my oh is saying that he doesn't want me to have to work over in Aus, but maybe if ends don't meet we will have to.

 

Sorry for rambling on but would appreciate so good old honest poms in adelaide replies. I know we will have to make up our own minds but its good to have opinions on these sort of things.

 

Thanks

 

Teresa and Chris

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Hi there

 

No ideas from personal experience but there was a Car Mechanice on Wanted Down Under a couple of months back, in Victor Harbour, SA and his salary was £20-£25K but obviously in dollars. Lower than UK apparently but they could manage off it with just one wage and were able to rent a decent house etc. Not sure about living costs cos I am still here.

 

Good luck, hope the decision you make is the right one for you at least you have your golden ticket!

 

mandy

[Denise]

Hi, again I am still in the UK so others will have to answer your other questions, just want to say that here me and my husband both have well paid jobs which we absolutley love, we have 2 sets of grandparents looking after our kiddies and everything is cushty.

We have just lost all our equity in our house and when we get to Adelaide will be soo soo broke with the added pressure of full time child care and no jobs to go to!!

There is still not a doubt in our mind that we are doing the right thing for us and our kids, it just means we are starting from scratch and working harder than ever but it will be worth it.

Everyone has their own reasons for going but we worry about bringing the kids up in this country and really want to give them the choice of where to live when they are older.

We are going with the attitude it is going to be bloody hard work then when we get there it may not be so bad.

Hope you make the right decision for you

 

Denise

[Guest sarahsmartiepants]

I dont normally reply to these threads, but here goes....

It does have to your decision in the end but for what its worth, I wish I had come here years ago for the sake of the kids.

I dont know if AUS is more expensive than the UK, it was swings and roundabouts 21/2 yrs ago when we came with petrol, houses and red meat being the noticably cheaper items. Now petrol is creeping up and so are houses, meat is still cheap!

I know a mechanic who as worked up the higher pay that Penny was saying, he started off on a lot less than that, in fact he gave it up once and did something different for a while! His wife has to work, but she has a good group of friends and they share the childcare as she is only PT.

As to wether or not you can survive, I have no idea as I dont know you or your circumstances, but good luck with the decision making.

By the way we came from near to you, Newhaven

sarah

[Guest graandjac]

:)The troube with trying to compare the uk to here is that when you arrive here you can only compare things to the day you left the uk .....and seeing as things ( or reported)are going up in price at a rate of knots....its hard to get an accurate comparison. Somethings are cheaper by far and somethings are dearer out here...!!!!as Sarah says everyone has there own reasons for making the mlove but when they get here everything seems to turn to money and the "comming for the kids" goes out the window. forget being materalistic out here it dosent fit........as for a better place for family time and outdoor living ..........Oz wins hands down.

[Guest the staffords]

what a hard one to answer...everyone is different....but to me,i can sum it up this way,we both still have to work,we still get bills that worry you,we are definately no where near "rich"...we still dream of winnin the lotto....but...we get home from work,and the kids from school,and we jump in the pool...im a welder,and ive got a great big **ck off pool in my garden!!!....and i know that isnt no big deal...but it is to me....all my life,ive dreamt of havin a pool with palm trees around it...now ive got one...im like a pig in s*it..but im pretty easily pleased!!

paul.

[Guest Jo&Phil]

No clue about salaries for mechanics ..........but have a look on www.seek.com.au or www.careerone.com.au which are huge job advert sites linked to newspapers ... should get an idea from there (or if not salary range given at least a contact email to ask someone more in the know)

Good luck

[Guest Vicks&Stu]

Hi Teresa

I don't know any car mechanics, so can only speak from my experience.

We have been in Adelaide for 3 months now. I work in marketing and my husband works in IT, we were lucky and managed to get jobs within about 6 weeks of arriving.

When we were first here we kept converting everything we spent into £s, which when we came was only $2 to the £! I have made myself stop doing this as some things did seem very expensive when converted into £s, and as we are earning dollars we need to just evaluate whether they are expensive or not based on how much we are being paid!

I would say that basically food is about the same, clothes are more expensive, petrol is cheaper and second hand cars are more expensive. Not sure about childcare as we don't have children.

If it's a change of lifestyle you want, then Australia is certainly a good place to live and Adelaide is a great city.

It's a difficult decision - but you don't know till you try!

 

Good luck.

Vicks&Stu