High cost of living bla bla bla....:)

[piccolo]

Thanks for the reply. I would say my OH would be hoping for a salary of $35-40 an hour, working maybe up to 50 hours a week? We really don't want to get on a plane with no job for him, we are hoping for a 457 as a result so have not started a 175 process because it could be futile if he gets a 457. It's kinda a catch 22 because for a 175 you have to get skills assessment but you don't for a 457 so we are reluctant to start spending money when he may not need it anyway.

I'm not sure that we would want to live that far out of the city as my OH's brother lives NOR in Joondanna but it seems like you defo get more for your money the further out you go, plus we have a dog and I believe that Mandurah and other areas are more welcoming to pets when renting.

[verystormy]

That salary would give you a reasonable lifestile here, not fantastic and saving will not happen much but you can live on that as a family. What does he do?
The 457 visa is a reasonable option and is what i came out on. There are some downfall of it though that you should be aware of. The main being that if he loses his job then he 28 days to find another that will act as sponsor. Otherwise your sent off packing. In 2008 there were a fair few people this happened to.
Also, you need to be prepared to move quick. When the offer for the job arrives, the visa normally only takes about a month and the employer will expect you on a plane pretty much there and then.

As for Mandurah, yes we found rentals to be a lot easier with a dog than Perth. We struggled to get anywhere nice in Perth that would take ours. But in Mandurah it seemed like most would. Its also not as far from the city as you think. By train it is 50 mins and very cheap and at peak periods run about every 10 mins.

[piccolo]

He is a Fitter/Machinist specialising in gear-cutting but can do all general CNC/Milling etc... Ya I knew we would have to be prepared to move quick but I'm being made redundant in 2 weeks and OH works for his Dad so it is doable I would say. Maybe we need to start looking further afield than just NOR.

[verystormy]

I dont have any knowledge about how in demand that is here which will dictate your chances of firstly getting a 457 and secondly of getting a decent wage from it. I had a look on seek for cnc and the salary your anticipating would be at the very top end. There was a ad for a cnc to be based in Karathar offering $44 an hour, but for that town that is fairly low where rentals can be $1000 a week.
All you can do is try and see if there is a sponsor out there. But do be prepared for the fact that a lot of manufacturing sectors in Oz are in recession after a lot of work has gone off shore so it might be a slog to find one. I was on another board the other day with an archietect and he had applied for 200+ jobs with no response, the reason being that construction is another area being hit.

[piccolo]

thanks verystormy, well he has made contact with some engineering companies and one expressed interest and said they could offer sponsorship. They asked for more info about him (all of this was over email), he gave it and hasn't heard anything in nearly 2 weeks. He has tried ringing the MD but can't get him, he'll try again tomorrow.

Any of the jobs he's seen advertised online are paying $35 average. His occupation is on the SOL for WA too. Some of the companies he's looking at do work for the mining industry, ie making parts for mining machinery, boring machines etc. Thanks for all the info though. We may start looking at places near Rockingham as he may be working in Kewdale which would mean a long commute for him from Mandurah which is not an option.

[PerthPomToBe]

Piccolo, that is very similar to what my partner is making and we are living a very comfortable life! I have the one child too. We pay 475 for rent, have two decent cars and have all the mod cons like foxtel blah blah blah! Im sure you get my drift!

Try and not worry about it too much because if you come here and love it, you will make it work no matter how much money you will be making. You wont know untill you try it!

Also I just wanted to make a point aswell about the comment your family member said about mums over here dont tend to go to work. In my opinion it is much more common for mums to work over here than in the uk. If they do choose to stay at home like myself then it is because they can afford to do so.

[piccolo]

Hiya, thanks a mil for that reply, really helpful and puts my mind at ease a bit more. Ya my Mum said that probably because all the women she met through my sister weren't working!! And hey, if we can afford it, I won't be either....I'd much rather be at home with my little girl. And if I can't afford it, then I will work.

I feel a bit more resolved to come out to Perth after reading some of the responses on this thread. I think though we were being a little close minded in relation to where we wanted to live (NOR) and I think if we broaden our view a little, we'd probably get a lot more for our money house-wise further out of Perth.

[PerthPomToBe]

You wont have to move too far away to get a decent house on your budget. Ok my house feels a little dated but once I have all my new stuff arrive on monday it is going to look fab!! I have a 4 x 2 with a pool and garden in Atwell, I am 15 mins from the ocean, fremantle and city. I have lots of friends who live nor and have similar budgets to me and have lovely houses too. I would say when you arrive come and have a look about, you dont have to move to Bunbury to afford to live here!!

You will find that a lot of mums have to stay at home here too because of the other partner working FIFO, my OH works for the Oil and Gas industry and I have no option than to stay at home for the time being. My 3 year old has to go a couple of weeks without seeing his daddy sometimes so I dont want to have him hardly see me either and be in daycare all day, but then we can afford that luxury... some families cant.

Im glad you feel a little better about your decision, some people are just so full of doom and gloom sometimes! You live within your means here just like you would in the UK.

Bev xx

[StraighttothePoint]

I moved here in October 2003, bought an old house, kept some capital up my sleeve, maintained the one car family stance and am surviving reasonalbly comfortably. If I was looking at emigrating now to Perth city then I would not do it.

Why? Because the figures do not stack up when transferring money to Oz, the hours you need to put in here now to survive are far more than we needed to do when we arrived, it is a two class society here now because with the mining boom prices are geared towards the higher paid rather than the bloke in the street, the number of available jobs for the secondary wage earner are not as plentiful as they were because so many people now need one and there are too many non Australians here trying to influence how Perth is run.

The road infrastructure is poor given there are so many new suburbs, the need for a second car is high if you end up living in one of the new suburbs, because there is so much cash here then alcohol and drug related problems are on the increase, the city schools and hospitals are now starting to creak beacuse they cannot cope with the numbers in the system and there are not enough new builds projected IMHO, the prices of staple foods and the utilities are beginning to make ordinary people really struggle so goodness knows what it is like for those that are needing support from the system and the cost of private health care is a big issue for low income earners.

Negative? Don't think so because there is not much above that cannot be argued astrue albeit I am sure people will have a their own views.

On the plus side if you do come here and are happy to make a go of it then you will survive. Aim that bit lower, manage your income, live somewhere where public transport can be used part of the time so as to reduce costs, shop clever and don't get too worried about what others have. Oh and most of all don't listen to your parents. If they are still in the same place as they were 30 or 40 years ago then why would you? Go for it.

So I hope I am being honest in saying I personnally would not move to Perth city now but everyone has to make up their own minds. If you don't do it you may regret it forever.

[verystormy]

I moved here in October 2003, bought an old house, kept some capital up my sleeve, maintained the one car family stance and am surviving reasonalbly comfortably. If I was looking at emigrating now to Perth city then I would not do it.

Why? Because the figures do not stack up when transferring money to Oz, the hours you need to put in here now to survive are far more than we needed to do when we arrived, it is a two class society here now because with the mining boom prices are geared towards the higher paid rather than the bloke in the street, the number of available jobs for the secondary wage earner are not as plentiful as they were because so many people now need one and there are too many non Australians here trying to influence how Perth is run.

The road infrastructure is poor given there are so many new suburbs, the need for a second car is high if you end up living in one of the new suburbs, because there is so much cash here then alcohol and drug related problems are on the increase, the city schools and hospitals are now starting to creak beacuse they cannot cope with the numbers in the system and there are not enough new builds projected IMHO, the prices of staple foods and the utilities are beginning to make ordinary people really struggle so goodness knows what it is like for those that are needing support from the system and the cost of private health care is a big issue for low income earners.

Negative? Don't think so because there is not much above that cannot be argued astrue albeit I am sure people will have a their own views.

On the plus side if you do come here and are happy to make a go of it then you will survive. Aim that bit lower, manage your income, live somewhere where public transport can be used part of the time so as to reduce costs, shop clever and don't get too worried about what others have. Oh and most of all don't listen to your parents. If they are still in the same place as they were 30 or 40 years ago then why would you? Go for it.

So I hope I am being honest in saying I personnally would not move to Perth city now but everyone has to make up their own minds. If you don't do it you may regret it forever.

Good post. Pretty much bang on. A lot of people are comming and not understanding that there is a good chance their lifestyle will be significantly worse than in the UK. Some assume that because there is sunshine and a beach all will be well with the world. But the reality is all the sun and beaches in the universe wont help when your sat there stressing because you cant pay the bills or when Christmas is comming and you cant afford it.

I am one of the lucky ones as i am in mining. But even miners find that life is getting tight. Last November i remember one of the supervisors comming to ask if he could use my phone because his moble had been disconected due to him not being able to pay the bill. A income of $100k, particularly if it is from a sole earner is going to be a survive existance for a family.

A lot of people also assume that WA in booming. The reality is that some industries are, but a LOT are in a very bad way. My nieghbour was laid off from his job in construction before christmas. He managed to find another working on the road works going on on the Roe highway. He is working perm nights for $57k a year and is worried as at that income they are just falling into debt to keep a roof over their heads