Walmley_Villa Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I've been offered a job and relocation to Perth. Married with two lads - 11 and nearly 15. We have a decent life in Sutton although I work away. Kids are in good schools and the eldest has now started his GCSE's. Really not sure what to do so would appreciate any thoughts or advice. Cheers, Walmley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Australia or England? Do you really need to think about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I know. One is a poisonous desert and the other is home to Aston Villa FC and The_Rev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I know. One is a poisonous desert and the other is home to Aston Villa FC and The_Rev. Well that cancels out that arguement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I've been offered a job and relocation to Perth. Married with two lads - 11 and nearly 15. We have a decent life in Sutton although I work away. Kids are in good schools and the eldest has now started his GCSE's. Really not sure what to do so would appreciate any thoughts or advice. Cheers, WalmleyA few Perthians on here, but I've spent a fair bit of time over there so here's my two cents (and apologies for any offence caused). Negatives: It's miles from anywhere. If you move there, just accept that you won't be seeing much of the UK. Jumping on a plane is always trickier and more expensive than it sounds. Pubs are very expensive. About four pounds for a pint of Guiness! In the absence of centuries of architectural history and other forms of culture as-we-know-it, it can seem a bit bleak and consumer-driven. Housing can be expensive (so be sure you know what you're getting into or you'll have to live in a dump and/or in the sticks). Positives: Very very, no, ridiculously good weather. Probably the best year-round weather in the entire world (possible exception of Cape Town and parts of the Mediterranean). Miles and miles of beautiful beaches. It's on the tour circuit for most bands, etc. So it's not at all a cultural vacuum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 This is the perspective of a born & bred Aussie so be mindful that I don't really know what you'd be giving up to be coming here. I have been in Perth for about 8 years, having grown up in the eastern states (I'm a Victorian lad at heart). What the Crackpot says is pretty true. Perth is at heart still a big country town with a massive inferiority complex. However, I have lived in every state and territory apart from Tasmania and the NT and I have to say the climate and lifestyle in Perth is 2nd to none and I can't see myself leaving for quite some time. It really comes down to what you are looking for in a new life. For your lads I would be looking at the fact that the education system isn't the greatest unless you are really proactive and do research on the area you live in & what facilities are available. Many of the public schools are great but a few of them I know are barely better than day release from the local prison... Also, if they are chavvy types and liable to find a bit of trouble on the weekends you might want to be careful as there is not a heck of a lot of stuff for teenage boys to do except find trouble. That said if they are sporty types they will not want for something to do - plenty of football of all types, cricket, baseball, hockey etc - you name it they'll find it and because as CPF said the weather is fricken perfect it really is a great way to spend your time over here. Culturally, if you have a concept of you & your family being the only Poms in the street, wherever you are in Perth, think again. The suburb I live in is probably about 50% UK originated, 20% Saffers, 20% Aussies and 10% "other". None of that's particularly bad in itself, but roughly 60-70% of that 50% comes from either Liverpool or Manchester, and not the classy parts Then again, the Poms don't exactly have a monopoly on dickheads - there's plenty of them from all walks of life As for watching the Villa - a Foxtel (pay tv) connection is a must and you will generally get to watch each Premier League game. The coverage is usually 10-11pm start for a regular day match, but the evening matches generally start 3-4 am depending on the time of year. I don't know how practicable this is but I would recommend if you can afford it & the time off making a whirlwind trip over here with your family and just have a look at the place. It's a pretty big decision but you can be assured that you are not the only ones to have made the move from the UK and, by and large, it's only a relatively small percentage that turn around and go back home... If you have any specific questions about the place please feel free to ask & I'll answer if I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walmley_Villa Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thanks fellas. I'm hammering the net for info and have been for the last week. Looking at Northern Perth around Ocean Reef, what is the best way or source to judge schools as they all look pretty good...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Just checking how far Perth is from other places. It's about the same distance from Perth to Sydney as it is from Birmingham to St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. It's hardly breaking news that Australia is a big place, it's about the same size as the contiguous United States, but when you make comparisons like that it really hammers home just how vast it is. It's still somewhat bizarre to me that for all that size it's population is about the same size as the London and Birmingham metropolitan areas combined. I'd be tempted to go though. I think I'd rather go and come back after a year if I couldnt settle than not go and spend the rest of my life wondering what it would have been like. I think the kids are a big factor, 15 & 16 years of age is probably the most tricky time to move as its exam time. If you can handle that then it might be the best thing you ever did. Are you a homeowner? Do you need to sell up or can you arrange to rent out your house? I presume you will be renting in Australia to begin with so you will be able to live in the catchment area of the best school which means you arent locked in to any financial deals down there immediately. Do you think it will be easy to find work in the UK if you do decide to come back? (is the new job with your existing company or with a new employer?) and how long do you have to make your mind up? Do you have enough money to have a couple of weeks in Perth to have a look at if before you decide? Can you get any financial help from whoever is offering the job with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thanks fellas. I'm hammering the net for info and have been for the last week. Looking at Northern Perth around Ocean Reef, what is the best way or source to judge schools as they all look pretty good...? Ocean Reef is a very nice area (about 20m from my place). Beaches are gorgeous along there and it's not too far from the CBD. If you're to be working in the CBD, from Ocean Reef it's probably a 5-10 minute drive to the train station and from there 20 mins into the city. Re Schools it is only really by word of mouth but from what I can tell the High School in Ocean Reef has a pretty good rep. In general the more affluent the area the more chance you will have of a decent school and Ocean Reef is certainly a relatively affluent area. (Aussie cricketer Mike Hussey lives there) This forum might be a good place to post at or browse to have some questions answered. Poms In Perth Rev - you are right about the size and the isolation. Fact is it's cheaper for me to take the family to Bali or even Bangkok for holidays than it is to take them home to Melbourne to see my parents. But the thing is there's hundreds of thousands of people in Perth that are from somewhere else and we're all in the same boat. If you or your missus are the sort of people who get homesick of miss extended family easily, you'll probably find it hard, but from observation people's parents and grandparents don't need too much arm twisting to visit them over here anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walmley_Villa Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Already signed up to Poms in Perth! Must admit I gather the old rental market is a bit mad with a lot of competition. I think I would come over first with the family following. The guy offering the job went over earlier this year and I knew him over here. Would miss going to VP more than anything as had a ST for over 20 years. The eldest is a very good footballer but quite shy. I would hope Oz would bring him out of his shell. The youngest is very outgoing. Thanks for your advice and I may well be firing a few questions your way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phumfeinz Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Couple of good websites you could have a look at: http://britishexpats.com/forum/ http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/forum.php and the official Australia immigration: http://www.immi.gov.au/ I'm currently saving up to learn a trade that will get me over there in the future so I've been reading them a lot lately. A lot of changes are coming on the 1st July though, bear that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanpabloingram Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Sorry to hijack your topic....My girlfriend and I are looking to go to WA to complete our regional work, any areas you recommend? At the moment it looks like Margaret River or Albany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDuck Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Pretty expensive. Too **** hot :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted June 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 11, 2012 None of that's particularly bad in itself, but roughly 60-70% of that 50% comes from either Liverpool or Manchester, and not the classy parts So Britain is still sending its dregs to Australia, then... (old habits die hard, I guess) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelboyVilla Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Hi I am a Brummie born and bred and have been living and working in Perth for the past 18/19 months and we came here with my family without ever visiting the place. My thoughts are as follows:- Yes it's isolated and expensive and the main industries here, mining and LNG are carried out in even more isolated and more expensive areas (Karratha and Port Hedland). However the wages in the mining and LNG industries are second to none and about 2-3 times the UK. The weather is good and even though it's too hot at times there's always the great beaches and Ocean to cool down on (watch out for sharks LOL) and most places are air conditioned. Winter seems surprising cool and 15 degrees here seem colder than 15 degrees in the UK but that's probably because I am soft now. Renting is a major headache over here and it is run like a popularity contest at times as competition for rentals can be very high. I have been to home opens where there are up to 20 couples present and it can be quite daunting. It is also ridiculuosly expensive and not good value for money compared to the UK. However once you get over the cost affluent areas are very safe compared to Birmingham. If you are coming over to work in the mining or LNG industries then your wages will reflect that and you should earn a good wage and afford an excellent lifestyle. It is never as good as you would imagine as it is so expensive but there are a lot of good free things to do such as the beach, the river and the parks. If you don't work in mining or LNG you may struggle. I have a 10 year lad and he loves it. Things such as sport are plentiful and as previous mentioned there are clubs for everything. My lad is currently into freestyle wrestling for which we have a local club and he is going to the National Schoolage Championships in October. They have 6 National champions at the club and it is only small. Schools can be hit or miss but if you choose a good area then the schools tend to follow suit. My lad is in a public school and the standard is slightly better than UK especially with regards to pupil behavior but I live in one of the most affluent areas in the state. It has many private schools (over 10) within 5 minutes drive so if you want you can choose that route. At the end of the day I live in an area I could not dream about in the UK and have a very good standard of living. Perth can be sleepy and on Sundays and public holidays does tend to virtually shut. I don't save as much as I could/thought I would but I tend to spend it on the lifestyle. The job market is booming and I think I could jack at lunchtime and have another job before the end of the day if I wasn't too fussy which is a bit different to the UK atm. Do research on wages here as some employers may take advantage. We haven't been back to the UK yet and have no plans to at present and my wife does miss family and friends a lot but we get through. Perth is not perfect but no where is. Should you visit? Great if you can but at the end of the day a week in Perth will not give you the whole story of living here and I don't think a visit would have made any difference to us anyway. Sorry this is disjointed but ask any questions you want as I have done exactly what you are thinking of doing. You won't be alone as a Pom over here and sometimes you struggle to find any skippys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwivillan Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I think someone needs to point out that an obvious negative point is Australia is full of Aussies... :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted June 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 11, 2012 I think someone needs to point out that an obvious negative point is Australia is full of Aussies... :wink: True.... ....so long as you don't count all the kiwis in the dole queue. :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I think someone needs to point out that an obvious negative point is Australia is full of Aussies... :wink: Are you sure ? I have a circle of about 30 friends that I see regular and only 1 of them is an Ozzie the rest are from Manchester or London with the odd one from somewhere else in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks fellas. I'm hammering the net for info and have been for the last week. Looking at Northern Perth around Ocean Reef, what is the best way or source to judge schools as they all look pretty good...? You could check out these websites. perthnow.com.au thewest.com.au perthglory.com.au Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walmley_Villa Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Thanks again folks, some great feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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