[Summerleft]

No secret we have been thinking about bogging off to Canada for a while now as I have relatives over there but
I admit having seen that BBC prog about going to OZ I started to look into it
Well pro's OH would earn 3 times his salary and is already ringing a company about applying for some jobs to see what happens, even though wages are less on the whole than the UK.
Property cheaper
cost of livng bit more expensive but all in all looks like a great fresh start that we have been craving, the UK is slowing strangling anyone trying to start a life together and we are just getting older without being able to start it.

But .... family , cost of visiting the UK, what can I do out there, need to look at keeping the business registered here maybe and just working out there (not sure on that need to check)
Have to be resident to buy a house, cant buy easily if not,
Pets in rented is very hard to get them in!
Plus pets have to be in quarantine both ends so about 2 months, couldnt take them all

Still all in all just a thought at the moment allthough OH is running off at a tangent and Im holding the reins tightly although secretly excited lol

Anyone done it, doing it , or there?

[Dave]

Went out to Oz for 6 weeks back in 99, after friend went to work there for 1 year. He would have stayed if it wasn't for his other half missing family back home. I stayed in Sydney, visited Melbourne for a week & Brisbane. Brisbane was way to hot in Dec/Jan for my liking. Saw the new year in, standing on roof of building opposite of Sydney Opera house, whilst they set off $1M of fireworks

If i had the chance I would be there like a shot. Lot easier going people, much more family orientated, houses cheaper (although not central Sydney etc). You find people spend much more time outsdoors due to weather, locations & crap TV (5 year old episodes of "The Bill" were the treat of the day ) .

Not sure how hard it is to get in to country now. Used to be on a points system & back when I went hairdressers , nurses & IT people scored high.

Although houses are cheaper, you have to take in to account potentially lower salaries. Brits with some collateral are laughing, but if starting from nowt it might not be as tempting as you think.

[Markulous]

I worked in Canada for a year a few moons ago and loved both the country and the people - I'd go again

I visited my Aussie brother in Oz (Brisbane) a couple of years ago - I disliked Sydney, the distances (had to fly everywhere), the boring weather (and I was there for the "best" weather) but loved the people - I'd go again

Some very good friends emigrated to Oz - back within a year as their kids hated it

Next door neighbour's daughter met a Yank (both in IT - IBM) in 'States where they had big house, swimming pool and 2 cars. Moved to Oz (still with IBM) and back to 'States within a year - poor wages so couldn't afford a house (so rented) and only one car (and hated the fact there's no night life)

Tho' with the 'Big Dry' as they apparently call their drought, things are getting pretty desperate

I'd still go again........ to visit! But I still well remember how I felt after hitching around the 'States and every day was identically hot and sunny! I was bored senseless, welcomed my first cloud (upon return to UK) and have never seriously complained about UK weather since

I would definitely advise visiting first, preferably in the winter (when it's at it's hottest/dryest). I travelled to Oz next to someone who was moving there (another IT person, as it happens!) who had visited first, loved it and continues to love it (she's even getting hitched soon!)

[Dave]

Sister in Law emigrated to NZ about 3 years ago, due to better life for children & quality of life. They haven't looked back

Also know people who emigrated to Canada & love it there. Few years back it came top for "Quality of Life"

You're only on this planet once, so a shame not to experience living in different parts of it

[Markulous]

Now NZ (South Island) I really loved - superb scenery, lovely people, great climate (snow! yippee!) and loads of sheep(!) so wouldn't mind the lack of wild animals (there are none!), expensive luxuries and poorer wages

[LadyStardust]

Ooh that's a tricky one! My husband and I lived in Hong Kong for nearly three years in the early 1990s, so that gave us a taste of ex-pat living. It was superb (at that time) but we have more responsibilities now, like property and ageing parents, which would make a move abroad again more of a difficult decision. However, we both acknowledge that it's definitely on the cards nearer our retirement (millions of years away!).

Two of my in-laws have moved to inland Spain in the past few years. One couple is now retired, and the other couple is fortunate in that his work is offshore anyway, so he doesn't have to live in any particular location. They have all settled in really well and love the slower pace of life, family values and the climate, which can be quite seasonable.

Yes, I agree with you, Markulous, New Zealand is a really viable option. There's loads to do and there are still big cities only a short flight away (Auckland or Sydney) if you really want them.

Anyway, good luck with your thoughts, Summerleft. I think you should give it a go while you're still young and embarking on your life together. You can always come back!

[Summerleft]

Hmm, lots to think about and conflicting info.
House prices seem high, renting is cheap, mortgages seem v high, Oh is in IT lol and theyv'e already said his wage would be double what it is here which I think is unusual because normally its lower, but i think thats because they would offer him a promotion.
Canada has the bonus of relatives there, but longer hours , less holidays and lower wages still.
Parents are deffinately a thought, and worried about other costs, also need to get to t he bottom of the housing is cheap housing isnt confusion lol

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Summerleft

Oh is in IT lol and theyv'e already said his wage would be double what it is here which I think is unusual because normally its lower, but i think thats because they would offer him a promotion.

Very unusual ... you sure it was £'s & not $'s they quoted My colleague who left IBM in UK did same job in IBM in OZ (had to quit UK job, as seen as different companies ) & from his experience same job = 75% rate. Obviously this means nowt, as if houses are cheaper then it becomes relative

More important to judge how many times annual salary goes in to price of equivalent houses / Big Macs & Beer

[fionaB]

no no no no noooooooooooo, have never been abroad even on holiday and certainly would never even DREAM of going abroad to live....... mind you .. the plus side is that i wouldnt have to see the parents! lol
OH would love to live in Germany, his bro already lives there...... lol im fighting to not even go there on holiday......... just cant understand why people would even want to think about leaving this country!

Fi

[Les Meehan]

Summerleft, having left the UK twice now, once in 1991 to Charente in France and now to Andalucia Spain, I can only say DO IT ASAP!

BUT do not under-estimate the financial, cultural and other issues. If you or OH are in a job that can take you there then that would be the best possible option. Going to an English speaking country is far easier than others since language is one of the biggest problems people have to cope with in a non-english speaking country. Most of the Brits in spain do exactly what they say they won't do, create english only communities and isolate themselves from the local people/culture (and then complain about the locals!).

The key things are planning (take your time and do your research about everything), financial backing (having work will make a dramatic difference), being realistic about how close you are to other family members and whether you can be happy being separated from them.

The important thing is can you and OH deal with the stresses that a move abroad can bring? You will need to support each other on many levels during the 'honeymoon' period of the first year or two. You both have to want this, it won't work if one party isn't sure!

My advice: GO, GO, GO and GO as soon as possible and never look back. Many folks here (spain) start to get 'homesick' (never suffered that and haven't touched UK soil since leaving four years ago) when they encounter difficulties, especially financial. Funny that?

Let us know when you get to your particular Shangri La!

[silkstone]

As everyone has said, there are pros and cons. Oz is very different from NZ - especially South Island. The Auckland area is similar in many ways to the Oz conurbations.

And that's the problem - and why I wouldn't want to live in Australia. It's the most urbanised country in the world. You can set off from the centre of a city, and an hour or so later you're still driving through the suburbs. They sprawl like crazy. OK, the suburbs are mostly pleasant and the plot sizes are large by comparison with England, but that's why they sprawl so much. If you want to live on the edge of open countryside, you're much too far away from the city for it to be convenient.

There's no equivalent to the English (or Scottish/Welsh/Irish) village. It's all suburbia or isolated settlements in the middle of the bush.

Adelaide and Melbourne have a temperate climate, but Sydney gets too hot for me, and Brisbane and Perth can be like ovens in the summer. And then there are the bush fires and the water shortages. The drought is serious and is affecting most areas, especially parts of Western Australia. We have friends up in Brisbane and they regard water restrictions as the norm.

No, sorry, but Australia is a big desert with a rim of green around parts of the edge, and the rim is getting smaller and hotter all the time.

NZ is a different story, apart from Greater Auckland which is also a big sprawl with lots of traffic and 1/3 of the population of the whole country. South Island is beautiful but cooler, and the south-west is snowbound through the winter. Christchurch is probably the nearest there is to a home from home! I could live in South Island quite happily, if they were silly enough to let me in.

Unfortunately wages are generally low, and many Kiwis go to Oz to make their money. There has been an influx of Pacific islanders into parts of NZ, especially south Auckland, and that has created quite a few social problems. I've never seen as much graffiti as around parts of Auckland.

Canada - haven't a clue, except that it's bleedin' cold in winter.

[Les Meehan]

Originally Posted by silkstone

Canada - haven't a clue, except that it's bleedin' cold in winter.

I just love that closing sentence!

Summer, come to spain we can do photo outings together!

[Summerleft]

lol thanks all, my fault I calculated wrongly! hed get about 4k more than hes on now with the same company. There are many reasons to go, one inc his completely tattered credit history, it will never sort itself out due to 3 redundancies in 2 years, if we move to OZ you start from scratch and build a new one up. It would mean we could have a life rather than constantly figting to resurrect this one. We have been through a lot, most of which I don't talk about but it does on the face of it seem like a fresh start is possible. Lower wages maybe but it means more to us than that, dont really want to go into details lol

I would miss my parents however when I lived in the south it wasnt uncommon for us to go 8 months or more without seeing each other due to finances so I'm used to that but as thier getting older I worry about thier health and I think my mum would be very very upset.
Also my furries, 2.5k per dog to get them over and 1.3k per cat so couldnt take them all. But as the non animal lovers keep telling me whats more important!
Sorry didnt mean to get all serious there





Anyway it would be a good year and some saving before we could go but maybe its the new start we are looking for.