38 year old single don't know whether to move to Aus or not

Paddy Dreadful

I am a 38 year and I am considering a move to Australia on a 5 year migration visa

I am living a fairly boring life here in Ireland, I work all week and don't really have many friends to do stuff with at the weekends and need a change

My job as a QC Analyst is okay but It gets boring and stressful at times, Id like a complete change of scenery.

I'm on decent money in Ireland (55k) because that includes a lot of over time and shift but my basic is quite modest at (34k). However even though I had to go to college(science) to do what I'm doing I only have an Ordinary degree and my experience in my position hasn't been great.

The following are the pros and cons of going

Pros

1.I have a brother over there
2.Better whether
3.More things to do
4.its a change
5.I only have myself to look after

Cons

1.Most Irish people over there are heading back home now as they say Aus is heading into a recession
2.Salary-Anyone involved in Engineering/IT or had a trade heading over there made/makes a fortune however QC Analysts and Lab chemists make a fairly modest wage of around 50-60k over there

I suppose the fact I am single and have no dependants should allow me to do this, can anyone tell me what are the prospects of re-skiling/further education whilst I am over there, I would appreciate advice also on the situation

catbear

Can only comment on Perth and confirm that the boom that drew so many Irish in the last decade has ended.

Batgurl

Have you posted about this before?

PK2008

Go for it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If it doesnt work out you can always come back.

Do it!!

Shy Ted

Batgurl wrote: »

Have you posted about this before?

Looks like a rerun all right.

With regards to OP's question though. Have you anything to lose by going?
Do you love your job and will you regret leaving it, or Ireland for that matter?

You're obviously spending a lot of time contemplating this move, which would give me the impression that in a couple years time you'll ask yourself what if? And thus have regrets for not trying.

If you have a brother that you can stay with, then you're flying. It'll take a lot of the stress away while you do look for work.
It's also a massive help to have someone advise you on the transport systems and how things work in Oz, whilst also having a group that you can socialise with.

I can't really comment on your industry, but I think its important to have connections out here.
If your company has a division or subsidiary in Oz, I'd look at the options of getting into one of them. Just don't burn bridges with your current employer, if you do decide to leave.
Maybe you've got a former colleague that's out in Oz that you could approach for advice?
If you don't know anyone personally, try LinkedIN for people that work in your industry or used to work with your employer and just contact them for the advice.

gifted

7 years (43 now) ago I applied for a permanent visa for Australia, plumber by trade, done all the paperwork and paid the application fees. Received back notification to go for a security and medical check, happy days. Met a woman one weekend and 7 years later I have 3 beautiful daughters and a big mortgage in Galway. My advice would be to...RUN man. For the love of god just go for it. It's one of my biggest regrets that I didn't go for it. Before you know it you could be in a position like myself where you can't go.

Canis Lupus

Do you feel confident you'll get a job here easily and if it all falls through get a job back in Ireland easily?

If yes then **** it come over but remember life is the same everywhere and it's what you make of it. If you don't have many friends in Ireland you won't necessarily have many over here and at 38 everyone your age will be mostly married with kids.

Have you considered trying London? It's my favourite city to have lived in so far.

Tigerandahalf

Have you travelled before? Are you just bored of your current set up? Would a career break or a 3/4 week holiday break give you the time to mull things over. If you don't have hobbies here are you going to magically jump into hobbies over there and have a great life. The weather in Oz can be overrated, sometimes it is just too hot to do anything.
Many people retire and are left bored and depressed as they have no other focus in their life outside of work.
Going over to Oz as a 38 year old isn't easy. What do you want out of it?

catbear

Take a career break and go there on taster, stay with your brother and check if the lifestyle suits. We moved to Oz in our early forties and found it really boring. Everyone seemed to work longer hours than Ireland and while I absolutely loved my job I just found that apart from the sunshine the whole lifestyle thing is oversold.

However if I'd been in my twenties when I moved there I could easily imagine been settled down in some anonymous suburb wearing a bintang wifebeater (look it up) with a bunch of ankle bitters called Bret, Brad or Charlene, Kylie and dreaming of fishing trips with my mates where one of us will invariably lose a limb or get bitten by one of the many small critters that can actually kill.

After the kids had left there'd be the divorce, I'll either get a Thai bride or focus on a car restoration like a 70s Holden Monaro. Then I'd head towards a boozy retirement spending all my savings down at the casino.

Now that's the life!:)

Edit to add: this is the exact lifestyle of a contemporary of mine who moved to Oz in the early 90s.

duke916

Paddy Dreadful wrote: »

I am a 38 year and I am considering a move to Australia on a 5 year migration visa

I am living a fairly boring life here in Ireland, I work all week and don't really have many friends to do stuff with at the weekends and need a change...

I suppose the fact I am single and have no dependants should allow me to do this...

Im 37, single and just got PR Christmas gone after 5 years waiting! Goin in two weeks with no plans to return. Like yourself, need a change. No kids, no ties.... ask yourself what have you got to lose? Worst thing that could happen, you come back to Ireland. Best thing, you have the time of your life. Its a no brainer.

As far as recession, the people who returned from Perth are the people who are in trades. Mining also going down the toilet at the minute. Ive been chatting to lots of people I know in Sydney and its far from a recession. Perth and Sydney are like two different countries in terms of work and lifestyle.

IT work is plentiful over east so I wouldnt worry about that. Im a web designer and when i looked at the prospects in Perth compared to Sydney, well....that was it. Sydney all the way. Perth I have to agree, is boring and usually retired folk in Australia settle there. Apparently the whole place shuts down at 9pm so thats not the social life i want either. Id say go where the work is, but you have that here. There has to be a balance and like me, you're not getting that in Ireland. Do it or ya might regret it later. At least if ya went and it didnt work out then at least you've tried. Just my two cents!

catbear

duke916 wrote: »

Perth I have to agree, is boring and usually retired folk in Australia settle there. Apparently the whole place shuts down at 9pm so thats not the social life i want either. Id say go where the work is, but you have that here. There has to be a balance and like me, you're not getting that in Ireland. Do it or ya might regret it later. At least if ya went and it didnt work out then at least you've tried. Just my two cents!

Good advice on Perth, I've been to Perth weddings where everyone is gone home by 9!!!!!

Paddy Dreadful

duke916 wrote: »

Im 37, single and just got PR Christmas gone after 5 years waiting! Goin in two weeks with no plans to return. Like yourself, need a change. No kids, no ties.... ask yourself what have you got to lose? Worst thing that could happen, you come back to Ireland. Best thing, you have the time of your life. Its a no brainer.

As far as recession, the people who returned from Perth are the people who are in trades. Mining also going down the toilet at the minute. Ive been chatting to lots of people I know in Sydney and its far from a recession. Perth and Sydney are like two different countries in terms of work and lifestyle.

IT work is plentiful over east so I wouldnt worry about that. Im a web designer and when i looked at the prospects in Perth compared to Sydney, well....that was it. Sydney all the way. Perth I have to agree, is boring and usually retired folk in Australia settle there. Apparently the whole place shuts down at 9pm so thats not the social life i want either. Id say go where the work is, but you have that here. There has to be a balance and like me, you're not getting that in Ireland. Do it or ya might regret it later. At least if ya went and it didnt work out then at least you've tried. Just my two cents!

How come it took you 5 years to get the PR visa?

Also what kind of salary do you expect to earn in your role as a Web Designer

To everyone else thanks for your replies , I definitely need a change in my current situation

Simply just moving to Dublin is another option I'm considering

Tigerandahalf

While mining and construction would be the first to get hit all salaries in Oz are overvalued. The public servant wants a pay increase because the unqualified guy in the mines is getting double their pay and out competing them when it comes to renting or buying a house. Once the gov finances in oz hit trouble taxes will be increased and I wouldn't be surprised if they go after super/pension funds. An easy target for a gov looking for money.
IT is flying at the moment but it is well recognised that there is a bubble with investment in these companies. If the stock market comes under pressure employment in the IT sector could be squeezed. Certainly wages would.
Maybe give us a bit more info on what you want out of the move. If you are going the PR route you will be paying thousands. Maybe go on a tourist visa for a couple of months, stay with your brother and see if you like it. It seems you have Sydney in mind.

Edit - I thought you were in IT but it seems you are in a science field. Would you be looking to work in research areas where the gov gives grants? That area got badly hit after the downturn in Ireland.

catbear

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

While mining and construction would be the first to get hit all salaries in Oz are overvalued. The public servant wants a pay increase because the unqualified guy in the mines is getting double their pay and out competing them when it comes to renting or buying a house. Once the gov finances in oz hit trouble taxes will be increased and I wouldn't be surprised if they go after super/pension funds. An easy target for a gov looking for money.

Substitute mining for property speculation and that sounds like Ireland 2006.

bucketybuck

Have you any thoughts on how the United team should line up?

Long Gone

bucketybuck wrote: »

Have you any thoughts on how the United team should line up?

2 - 4 - 4 Normally

duke916

Paddy Dreadful wrote: »

How come it took you 5 years to get the PR visa?

Also what kind of salary do you expect to earn in your role as a Web Designer

To everyone else thanks for your replies , I definitely need a change in my current situation

Simply just moving to Dublin is another option I'm considering

PR (GSM 175) takes ridiculously long to get simply because they don't want to be giving them out as freely as working holiday visa's or sponsorship. Skilled Migrant PR enables you to work for who you want in whatever part of the country you feel like, giving you free reign to what you want to do, unlike state or employer sponsorship where are there restrictions on your visa. At first I was told 2 years, 2 years became 3, and after three i just left it be and got on with life. Suddenly i got the call for the Medical and then two weeks later it was granted. From what i can remember, i applied March 2010 and only got it there December 2014.

As one of the posters here pointed out, there is lots of paperwork involved and it does cost thousands to obtain (for me at the time it was €4000 including medical), but in the long run, it was worth it for me. I did however put life on hold for that time which was hard. Again one of the posters here states that he planned to go but, ended up meeting a girl etc. I made sure I didn't get into any of that because i had this as a long term goal.

As far as I know GSM 175 is now gone since 2012, there may be another visa type in its place. Australia are terrible for changing laws on immigration as it suits and altering the rules. If time isn't on your side, I'd consider state sponsorship. It means if your occupation is on a listed state, you can apply for a 2 year visa to which you are restricted to that specific state only. Once the 2 years are up, you can apply for PR while in the country and free to do what you want. Only trouble is, if your friends are in Sydney and your occupation is only listed in, say Canberra, well, you've to make that decision yourself.

As for salary, Ive been looking online and been in contact with some recruitment agencies via linkedin, seek.com.au etc and its does seem good, not amazing, but lets say better than here. I could go on about wage cuts for the last number of years with all irelands recessional problems but its a broken record at this stage. Fact is, we pay to survive, they pay for a lifestyle. Simple as.

c0rk3r

Here's the original thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057350219

You're never going to do it. You're wasting peoples time