Leaving the UK an option????
Leaving the UK an option????
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stevieb

Original Poster:

5,253 posts

290 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
I been thinking for a while to pack my bags and take the family abroad. I have 3 options avalible to me.

I have a job offer for Canada, an interview for a job in New Zeland, and a further Interview in Australia.

If you had the chance would you go? i am thinking and thinking about it but one day i am saying well go for it, the next i am against it. Current job is a bit boring but as safe as any job can be at the moment.




Don

28,378 posts

307 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
stevieb said:
If you had the chance would you go? i am thinking and thinking about it but one day i am saying well go for it, the next i am against it. Current job is a bit boring but as safe as any job can be at the moment.
Like a shot.

I've worked in Australia and loved it. Worked in the US too, but I wasn't tempted to move there like I was with Australia.

Canada is pretty amazing but I've only visited. I think I'd enjoy living and working in Vancouver, though. Lovely city, lots of wonderful places nearby, Rockies not that far away and they have a big IT industry...famous for games development (shame I'm not into that).

john_r

8,354 posts

294 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
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If my kids weren't tied up in exams for the next 3-4 years I'd be off like a shot! Either Perth or New Zealand would be my first choices if I was working; north Portugal or north Mallorca if I was fully retired...

Don

28,378 posts

307 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
Oh. I loved NZ when I visited. The wife even suggested that perhaps, just perhaps, she would consider moving there. But her enthusiasm didn't last past working out how far away her family would be.

That's your main problem: Family connections...

SVTRick

3,633 posts

218 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
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Anywhere that speaks English and your not nailed into the ground by the Tax Man.

Now where did I put my expenses claim form.....

Edited by SVTRick on Wednesday 3rd June 15:37

tigertwo

179 posts

228 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
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Can't speak for Canada, but Australia is a great option (of course, I am biased). Either Australia or NZ however will be something of a culture shock. We tend to take things pretty easy over there - NZ even more so than Oz. Unless you are in the middle of Sydney, the laid back 'she'll be right, mate' attitude can take people from Europe by surprise.

That said, there are few places in the world I would suggest are better to bring up children.

Having grown up there and lived here for the past 13 years, there is good and bad with both. You still have to pay tax, the speed limits are draconian, cars are stupidly expensive and it takes days to get anywhere in Australia, but the weather is fantastic and the way of life is second to none.

Good luck and if you need any other advice on Australia, give me a shout.

stevieb

Original Poster:

5,253 posts

290 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
A couple of options allow me to keep paying the mortgage on my home in Surrey while working/living abroad. Just in case anything goes wrong when i am out there.

I have 4 kiddies age 7, 6 and twins who are rapidly approaching 1. I am worried about the schools. If we did come back would they be behind when compared to the UK system.

Also i dont know how stressful it would be doing a big move. But i would only be doing this for a 12 month Trial..

Also if life is so good out there why are there so many people coming to the UK for work? At least half of the workforce in my department are people working under work permits.

The job i am chasing in Australia is in central Sydney. The one in NZ is in Auckland or can be based in Christchurch. The Candian job is in Ontario



Edited by stevieb on Wednesday 3rd June 12:18

tigertwo

179 posts

228 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
OK - it has been a while since I lived there, but I'll try and help as best I can.

The school system over in Australia is very similar to here. State schools vary in quality depending on your area so you probably need to spend some time doing research (no different to here really). As for being behind, I shouldn't think so - the syllabus will be different in some respects, but what the kids will learn by living in a different country will more than make up for it, I'm sure.

Your idea about keeping a base back here is a really good one. Having moved from Australia to here, back to Australia and back to here again and selling everything up each time, just in case things don't work out it is a lot easier to come back to something.

There is no avoiding that the move is huge. I won't beat around the bush - it was the most stressful thing I have ever experienced (and I did it twice!). Granted, when I moved back here from Australia I was doing it on my own so that made it worse. However when it was done, it was worth it.

If you know people in any of the locations already, that is helpful. It can be pretty lonely when you arrive in a country and you don't have a support base. Sure there should be plenty of Pistonheaders to help in that respect.

tigertwo

179 posts

228 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
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And just to answer why we are all over here...

The UK is actually a pretty good place to live (believe it or not!) OK, the weather is consistently rubbish, but you get plenty of benefits here which you don't get over there (I am sure most of my fellow countrymen living here will agree with me).

No matter what, it is a balance - you have to make some sacrifices for the gains of living elsewhere.

smack

9,768 posts

214 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
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tigertwo said:
And just to answer why we are all over here...

The UK is actually a pretty good place to live (believe it or not!) OK, the weather is consistently rubbish, but you get plenty of benefits here which you don't get over there (I am sure most of my fellow countrymen living here will agree with me).

No matter what, it is a balance - you have to make some sacrifices for the gains of living elsewhere.
As one of those fellow countrymen, I agree! Else I would have left a long time ago!

But it is much easier to make the move when you don't have a family, and mainly children. From friend's experiences, whether the kids are happy, will make or break living in another country if successful.

Sods Law

3,280 posts

248 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
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If i got the opportunity I would be gone, to any of those places.