Bit worried after watching 'wanted down under' silly I know but.....

[samandcraig]

Yeah I understand what your saying.....so if your missing a lot of the things you did back in the UK it does have a lot to do with where you have come from then x

[Lazy Cow]

just looking for some reassurance really x

 

You know, it doesn't matter what the economic climate is like, I think people have been looking for reassurance with their move since this site began.

 

Migrating is undoubtedly a huge decision, but although there have been times when this really was an easier place to live the way you might've imagined, one thing doesn't change. IMHO. Luck.

 

I truly believe there there is an element of luck, whether in getting a job, a house, or meeting people who will welcome you into their lives.

 

I also firmly agree with those who say the ability to take knocks and thrive regardless is down to attitude. Positive things might not always happen to positive people, but being positive certainly helps in dealing with not-so-positive things.

 

I suppose what I'm trying to say, whatever the climate, there are no guarantees. I think it's great if the TV programme is giving a more realistic / negative view on resettling here. This way you will be prepared for the worst, whilst being excited for all that makes South Australia a great place to live.

 

LC

[Blossom]

Yeah I understand what your saying.....so if your missing a lot of the things you did back in the UK it does have a lot to do with where you have come from then x

Ahhhh yeah, in that sense for sure. But anywhere in the UK has access to far more than there is here. Here you don't even have the choice to go to it if you wanted to. If you never went to anything like that it would make no difference once you got here. I think that's more the type of person you are rather than where you come from though.

If you are someone who loves running/walking/cycling then you will be just as happy here as in the UK. I'm not into those lol.

[samandcraig]

yeah I understand what you mean, it's an XL country and basically you have Adelaide or nothing!!

[Jessica Berry]

I managed to find my post which I put on here back in April 2014 regarding the 2014 episodes of Wanted Down Under, copy and pasted below....

 

We are currently over in the UK on holiday. My parents recorded the recent Wanted Down Unders for Adelaide which we have watched while we have been here as I was interested to see the information they are giving out to potential migrants. We have watched 5 episodes and have spent most of the time yelling at the tv! In one episode, one of the participants stated they would not consider taking a job in Adelaide for anything less than $130K. In my opinion you could have stopped filming and ended the program there! If they had been asking my advice in the profession they were in (and on the information shown) I would have said it would be highly unlikely that they would get a job on that salary in that profession (in the current job climate) as a new arrival migrant. To be fair to Wanted Down Under, the episodes we saw where the migrant spoke to an actual employer within their industry, in my opinion they did give them an accurate picture of the current job climate and told them it wouldn't be easy to gain work in their professions.

 

If people have been looking at this forum for a while, it should not come as a shock to them that they may struggle to find work when they first arrive, it may take them 3-6 months to secure work, it may be temporary/casual, they may need to take a job at a lower level or on a lower salary to get a foot in the door, they may end up doing a completely different job to what they have done in the UK - the information is on this forum. People that have lived here a while (I have been here 7 years) in my opinion are not trying to put people off coming, we are trying to give a realistic view of the job market and the changes we have seen over the past 2 years and help people prepare for this. There will always be new arrivals that get work quickly, their skills are genuinely in demand and they have no trouble finding a well paid job (my OH is one of them) but it wont be the case for everyone, people need to come with realistic expectations and consider whether they are up for the challenge - if they need to be.

 

To add...some of the houses they showed people on WDU were appalling and I do think that some of the choices were made purely to make good tv and get a reaction from the participants. Nikki Chapman also stated at the start of each program that a third of migrants will return to the UK. My personal opinion is that many people have unrealistic expectations about what it takes to start a new life from scratch. I have known people return to the UK after only being here a matter of months because things 'were not working out', it takes time, often years for all aspects of a new life eg jobs, emotions, financial, friendships, making a house a home etc to come together.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Jessica Berry

[samandcraig]

I completely agree with everything you have said, we watched WDU and thought oh god what are you expecting!! It's like they want everything handed to them on a silver platter, and a lot of them want and expect so much more than they have in the UK, this seems just so unrealistic and I'm shouting at the tv saying don't go if that is what you expect! It's a very frustrating watch and we aren't even out there yet.

[flyingcampbell]

I am a nurse and work in South Australia, but not in Adelaide. if you want to get an idea of job opportunities take a look at the SA Health website and check out the nursing vacancies available. Not sure how experienced you are or what area you work in but at the moment, with state government cutbacks, there is a shortage of permanent nursing positions within the public sector, not sure about private. Many positions are advertised as temporary or casual. There is usually agency work available but again it will depend on your experience and area of nursing. If you are prepared to be flexible and determined you will find nursing work somewhere but you would need to consider where you were going to live & how far you were prepared to travel each day. For example having lived near Seaford for a couple of years the furthest I would travel for work is the Royal Adelaide & Flinders would be my ideal location, but that is just a personal preference. I did get worn down travelling into Adelaide everyday on the train & if you work late shifts the train timetable is not ideal, finishing at 2130 means you catch the 2200 train & arrive back in Seaford around 2300, fine if you are working late the next day but not if you are on the early shift & need to be back at work by 0700. With the Southern Expressway open & working both ways, Flinders is only a 20 minute drive away. You could drive to the RAH but you would need to consider whether you are prepared to battle through traffic during busy times and pay parking fees. As an alternative to travelling to Adelaide from the southern suburbs you could consider the country hospitals down south such as South Coast Hospital at Victor Harbour, again it would depend on your experience and nursing area but its worth thinking about. The SA Health website lists all the hospitals in South Australia, Metro & Country, so you might want to look at areas you are interested in living in & then investigate the hospitals within a 50 - 60km radius. With the country hospitals it is definately worth making contact before you arrive as they can have vacancies that are not advertised and may be happy to meet with you once you arrive in South Australia.

[clan mac]

Hell's Bells this makes for grim reading! That said I appreciate the candour. I think my concern is this; how can you budget for being out of work for up to 6 months?????? The days of cash rich ex pats arriving with a few hundred K are long gone I would imagine. I'm gutted! There is no way we can afford to be out of work that long! We simply do not have enough money to survive. The cost of getting there and bringing your stuff from the UK isn't cheap. Don't think I'm gonna get much sleep tonight.

 

Lorraine

[snifter]

Hell's Bells this makes for grim reading! That said I appreciate the candour. I think my concern is this; how can you budget for being out of work for up to 6 months?????? The days of cash rich ex pats arriving with a few hundred K are long gone I would imagine. I'm gutted! There is no way we can afford to be out of work that long! We simply do not have enough money to survive. The cost of getting there and bringing your stuff from the UK isn't cheap. Don't think I'm gonna get much sleep tonight.

 

Lorraine

 

I think if you are aware of what may happen, have a set amount of funds to work with, you can make it work. It may mean a smaller rental, kids sharing a room or some such to begin with in a cheaper area perhaps, or you buy an old run around car for $2000 rather than splash $6000, 7, 8 or more.

 

Yes it can take some people a long while to find a job but others find them sooner. Do as much research as you can, budget carefully and be prepared that one or both of you may be out job hunting, taking casual work or perhaps doing something different than you did before, if it gets you through those early months. Also if you'd not considered it be prepared to try self employed or advertising yourself as a carpenter available for jobs etc in the listings. I don't know if you need any other certificates once here or any of the finer details that may apply. I see plenty of individuals advertising themselves/their trade and have found one or two people this way rather than going to a company.

[chrisda]

I noticed on another thread that a member is recruiting nurses.

Dont know if it will be any use but perhaps dropping them a pm would be good. User name LynzandStef

[Jessica Berry]

Hell's Bells this makes for grim reading! That said I appreciate the candour. I think my concern is this; how can you budget for being out of work for up to 6 months?????? The days of cash rich ex pats arriving with a few hundred K are long gone I would imagine. I'm gutted! There is no way we can afford to be out of work that long! We simply do not have enough money to survive. The cost of getting there and bringing your stuff from the UK isn't cheap. Don't think I'm gonna get much sleep tonight.

 

Lorraine

 

There are ways to maximise your chances of finding work quicker. So for example (and this is just one example which of course will not be applicable to everyone) recruiting in Adelaide slows down drastically in November, December, January (I have wrote this on the forum many times). As a guide statistically on average it takes approx 3 months to find work, so if you arrive in November your job prospects may not pick up until late January so 3 months from that date and you are looking at close to 6 months since arrival.

 

I do a lot of contract/casual work which means no holiday pay, no public holiday pay or sick pay (you get an increased rate to allow for this, but sometimes that is questionable depending on what industry you work in) and if a contract I am working on finishes in Nov, Dec, Jan I have to ensure I have enough money saved to cover me over that period as the chances of picking up other work will be slim until the New Year. One assignment I was offered I had to wait until the start of Feb because it was too hot for the workers to start on the project, so even though I was in the office, the construction side of the business had an impact on when I started. A lot of business will finish their casual staff leading up to Christmas because they will be shutting down over the Christmas period.

[mrsB13]

A bit late in the thread I know...but as a family member of people who have taken part in the show I can assure you lots of the things in the show are untrue, house prices were inflated, job prospects were not truthful (as in wages, hours etc) and house valuations in England were staged. Alos all financial bits were compared to english prices and you can't think like that, it tribe based on the adelaide standard that way you gain a more realistic view, everything seems extortionate when compared to here. My in laws moved out to adelaide 4 years ago and a haven't looked back since, it definitely hasn't been a walk in the park for them but a move to a country on the other side of the world is never going to be plain sailing. Myself, my husband and our 2 girls (9mths and 8yrs) are moving over in May. Job markets struggle wherever you are BUT if the move feels right for you then go for it, obviously there will be some struggles but that's all part of the adventure isn't? Good luck and I hope you find the jobs you are looking for.

Gemma ?

[trevorpayne]

To be honest I love it here although I have never lived any where else in Australia.

We are just an average family with a 13 year old daughter.

on the plus side kids are stay kids here a lot longer, they are more confident,pleasant the opportunities for the children regarding sport are second to none.

walking around the shopping centres is relaxed by that I mean there are not large groups of teenagers intimidating shoppers.

the weather is fantastic.

my wife worked at flinders then moved to the repat hospital not a nurse but admin the wages are fairly decent I bought a jims mowing franchise that's going great flexible hours and again decent pay.

we have a house on a big block with pool and 500 metres from the beach I'm not blowing my own trumpet because we could never afford this in the Uk.

this weekend I worked a couple of hours sat morning then went to a Willunga farmers market, followed by a visit to Aldinga bakery for some of the best pies I have tasted which we ate at port Willunga one of the best beaches I have seen,then on home before taking my daughter to an athletics comp at the international track. The cost for Saturday about $35.00 food coffees etc.

Sunday read the papers breakfast all outside in the garden before going to another athletics meeting for my daughter at Hectorville oval picnic packed a couple of beers in the club house cost again about $20.00 .

so a full weekend out and about beech,market picnics, athletics for a family of 3 about 30 pounds.

in my opinion I wouldn't live any where else, yes it's a lot slower than the major cities but you can't beat being relaxed.

However when we came here I worked every hour I could Sat Sun etc and had some crappy jobs but you only get out what you put in.

just my opinion and not everyone will agree .

good luck

[samandcraig]

To be honest I love it here although I have never lived any where else in Australia.

We are just an average family with a 13 year old daughter.

on the plus side kids are stay kids here a lot longer, they are more confident,pleasant the opportunities for the children regarding sport are second to none.

walking around the shopping centres is relaxed by that I mean there are not large groups of teenagers intimidating shoppers.

the weather is fantastic.

my wife worked at flinders then moved to the repat hospital not a nurse but admin the wages are fairly decent I bought a jims mowing franchise that's going great flexible hours and again decent pay.

we have a house on a big block with pool and 500 metres from the beach I'm not blowing my own trumpet because we could never afford this in the Uk.

this weekend I worked a couple of hours sat morning then went to a Willunga farmers market, followed by a visit to Aldinga bakery for some of the best pies I have tasted which we ate at port Willunga one of the best beaches I have seen,then on home before taking my daughter to an athletics comp at the international track. The cost for Saturday about $35.00 food coffees etc.

Sunday read the papers breakfast all outside in the garden before going to another athletics meeting for my daughter at Hectorville oval picnic packed a couple of beers in the club house cost again about $20.00 .

so a full weekend out and about beech,market picnics, athletics for a family of 3 about 30 pounds.

in my opinion I wouldn't live any where else, yes it's a lot slower than the major cities but you can't beat being relaxed.

However when we came here I worked every hour I could Sat Sun etc and had some crappy jobs but you only get out what you put in.

just my opinion and not everyone will agree .

good luck

 

Sounds like you have a very nice life in Adelaide, I hope we can say the same, always lovely to read the positive posts.....thankyou

[vernsdownunder]

hello all,

 

I have just watched one of the new episodes of 'Wanted down under' and I couldn't believe the similarities, this couple had similar age kids as me, they were renting and she was a midwife (I am a nurse) and they were in adelaide. We move in October hopefully...so we watched with interest.

It was quite a disappointing episode they didn't show much of adelaide which was a bit annoying. Even on lifestyle the family only took their kids on a little bushwalk...which was pleasant enough but even one of the children said she had a bit of a boring day! Lol

But that's not what is worrying me lol I know there is plenty of lovely stuff to do....

what was worrying is that both of them, struggled on the job market, one had to take a pay cut as a pharmacy assistant, and the midwife would struggle to find a position due to graduate midwifes also struggling to find work. She was at flinders medical centre...which was where we were looking...

Also when they looked at cost of living it showed they were massively worse off financially ..

and finally the houses they were showing, albeit cheap weren't the best....

arrghh not what we wanted to see ...

 

So in reality I know this is just a programme carefully edited etc...but what I want to know from fellow migrants, is how easy was it to find jobs on arrival, and financially is it do-able and how easy was it to find a rent that you want..

we are looking at Coastal areas down south like port noerlunga and seaford areas

 

just looking for some reassurance really x

 

hi nurse bucko

 

will pm you

[Jessica Berry]

I managed to find my post which I put on here back in April 2014 regarding the 2014 episodes of Wanted Down Under, copy and pasted below....

 

We are currently over in the UK on holiday. My parents recorded the recent Wanted Down Unders for Adelaide which we have watched while we have been here as I was interested to see the information they are giving out to potential migrants. We have watched 5 episodes and have spent most of the time yelling at the tv! In one episode, one of the participants stated they would not consider taking a job in Adelaide for anything less than $130K. In my opinion you could have stopped filming and ended the program there! If they had been asking my advice in the profession they were in (and on the information shown) I would have said it would be highly unlikely that they would get a job on that salary in that profession (in the current job climate) as a new arrival migrant. To be fair to Wanted Down Under, the episodes we saw where the migrant spoke to an actual employer within their industry, in my opinion they did give them an accurate picture of the current job climate and told them it wouldn't be easy to gain work in their professions.

 

If people have been looking at this forum for a while, it should not come as a shock to them that they may struggle to find work when they first arrive, it may take them 3-6 months to secure work, it may be temporary/casual, they may need to take a job at a lower level or on a lower salary to get a foot in the door, they may end up doing a completely different job to what they have done in the UK - the information is on this forum. People that have lived here a while (I have been here 7 years) in my opinion are not trying to put people off coming, we are trying to give a realistic view of the job market and the changes we have seen over the past 2 years and help people prepare for this. There will always be new arrivals that get work quickly, their skills are genuinely in demand and they have no trouble finding a well paid job (my OH is one of them) but it wont be the case for everyone, people need to come with realistic expectations and consider whether they are up for the challenge - if they need to be.

 

To add...some of the houses they showed people on WDU were appalling and I do think that some of the choices were made purely to make good tv and get a reaction from the participants. Nikki Chapman also stated at the start of each program that a third of migrants will return to the UK. My personal opinion is that many people have unrealistic expectations about what it takes to start a new life from scratch. I have known people return to the UK after only being here a matter of months because things 'were not working out', it takes time, often years for all aspects of a new life eg jobs, emotions, financial, friendships, making a house a home etc to come together.

 

It is a case of deja vu! We are again back in the UK for a visit and have watched the 2015 Adelaide episodes of Wanted Down Under. We enjoyed the ones we watched this time (we did less yelling at the tv this time ha ha) and spotted places/houses we recognised. I thought the job/other information was fairly realistic, although again some of it was 'made for tv' so people need to take that into account. For those people thinking of making the move over to Adelaide, I would advise watching it and using it as a guide.

[Adaobijoy]

Well Said Doug M!, could have not said it any better.

[Rammygirl]

You still around Nursebucko? Still coming?

 

the exchange rate will make a huge difference I'm guessing that episode of WDU was filmed when the pound bought you 1.8 ( or less) dollars, now 2.1 and rising. Now that makes a huge difference, especially when bringing cash from sale of a house.

 

The historic average is around 2.2 so reverting to the norm really, although we once got 2.5 we have bought as low as 1.4:(

[yoda22]

Not so long ago a few of us were attacked on this forum for being overly negative with regard to jobs outlook for arriving migrants. Adelaide is an economic basket case and slowly it is dawning on people. If you are coming here to work be warned. It is not impossible but do your research and realise the unemployment rate is the highest in the country and climbing. Enthusiasm will get you so far but reality bites when you are here, There are many who may have no problem but unless you are highly skilled and in demand it will not be easy.

[mikymik1]

There are nursing jobs out there. You can PM me and i can suggest places to look, so you may be able to apply in advance of landing. Some nurses also take on agency positions to allow themselves to get experience, and get a foot in the door in an area they like.

 

My friend and I both moved out 3 years ago and we both find money goes further here, and your pay as a nurse here is higher to reflect the increase in cost of living. Also, IMO the health sector is far better-resourced here than in the UK so I find working here is a lot more enjoyable in comparision.