Hi Guys,we have been here 5 months and unfortunately have had an endless number of problems with health and job issues.,childcare.We have come to the sad realisation that the jobs situation in Adelaide with our jobs will not improve.We would probably be better suited to Brisbane/melbourne.Unfortunately we are on a STNI visa so have to stay here for 2 yrs.We cannot afford to stay here for 2yrs on .the current dire wages my husband is receiving.He is currently in his 5th job in 5 months in an attempt to get better money,but whilst promises are made at the interview they sadly fail to come to fruition in his pay packet.His confidence has been seriously knocked.We lived in Queensland in 1989 and he was earning then what he is earning now in Adelaide.

We are currently having to pay in excess of $500.00 per month to keep our items in storage as therental is not big enough to store the contents of our 20 foot container.Our rental runs out at the end of March and in an ideal world we would return to the uk then.Our dog only had his rabies jab in Jan and cnt return until July/August.Our daughter is due to start secondary school in Sept and sit SATS in May and therefore we need to get home asap to sort her out a place before they finish in July.We need to buy a house before then in the uk in the right catchment area for a school and t oget a mortgage we need to get jobs,a logistical nightmare.We cant bear to put our 2 yr old scottish terrier Kieran in quarantine so just wander if any one might know of a dog sitter, or a kind person who might be prepared to look after him for a few months .i am not just saying it, but he is a well behaved little chap. Any advice suggestions gratefully received.Thanks Sue

Sue,

I can't help with the dog I am sorry, we are in a rental, plus Paul would flip!

I just wanted to say it is a real shame you are going, but I know how hard things have been for you both on the job front! Is it worth having a talk with DIMIA and seeing if there is any alternative, you never know!

I hope everything works out for you with your return ..

I am sure I'll see you before you leave!

Nikki
xx

P.S Good luck with the dog :sign03:

Although there is a moral obligation for you to stay 2 years in SA, if you have a genuine reason for moving interstate (ie because of your work situation) the government will not stop you. Why not ring the local STNI unit in Adelaide and talk things through with them. You might find living in another State suits you better workwise and enables you to stay in Australia.

With regard to storing your furniture, you do seem to be paying way over the odds. If everything is still in boxes you can stack them floor to ceiling height. We got a 20ft container full of boxes into our carport and stored it for my brother in law for 2 months. I realise that this may not be practical for everyone, but have you checked out http://www.ustoreit.com.au/storageUnits.htm it might save you a few bob.



Good luck! adelaidegirl

Hi Sue,

Sorry to hear your going through a really bad time. My advice would be to try a different state first before going back to the UK as a lot of people return only to realise why they left in teh first place, this way is really costly to have to come back again. at least if you try another state first you can always return to UK as a last reosort knowing you gave it a good try.

We know all about the wages as Darrin has the same job as your husband. As adelaidegirl said, your STNI is only a moral obligation and there is no legal requirement that you have to stay here (that I am aware of). We were orignally going to come here on STNI and asked our agents the question and they said it is purely a moral obligation.

Wishing you luck with your decision
Marie
xx

Hi Sue, I can understand where you are coming from on the job front, anyway.
My other half is on a very minimal wage and we are scraping by, I can't find work because what I did in England is all voluntary here.
I guess you are thinking that everything is mounting up, and you are feeling frustrated, depressed and guilty of the fact that you uprooted everyone to come over here for the want of a better life, but instead you have gone backwards in time to when times were hard in the uk and that you had to struggle, perhaps?

We too are on an STNI visa but would like to go to Queensland, where there are more opportunities.
I would be interested in knowing how to contact the STNI place, see if you can move elsewhere or are you all out of fight and resigned to the fact of returning?
At least have a look at the possibility and then you would be able to keep your dog, of whom I would love to have but am also in a "no pets allowed" rental.

I really feel for you right now and hope you can come to the right decision for you.
You can get over homesickness in time and unfamiliarity but if money is tight, then you can't go on struggling.

Keep us informed of your decision and let's hope things will turn around for you.

Julie :D

I know what you mean about the wages, jon is not on good money and they want 'blood' as well!!!!! he is really unhappy in his job

We have been here for 3 months and i would say we are going through a bad patch at the moment. Jon with his job, Hannah is struggling with school and settling into the life out here and it hasn't helped the episode we had with matthew over the weekend!

Regarding moving interstate - our agent made it quite clear to us that although we are on a STNI visa, if things really didn't work out in adelaide, and there were valid reasons for this, then the government wouldn't stand in your way to move...

Good luck with what you decide to do

lorraine

Sorry its not worked ou sue. Just out of interest does anyone no what the average wage in south australia is? I hear a few moans about wages but I never no what they are as you never see jobs advertised with the salarys.

Be careful advising people to not worry about their STNI situation. We still have to do our 2 years at some point but if we changed our minds and wanted to stay here then we would use the argument that we would of had enough points for a 136 visa instead of 137 STNI due to the MODL points list altering whilst we were going for our visa and that both myself and hubby are working in a rural community paying tax etc etc etc BUT even this wouldn't guarantee us being able to stay here so I certainly wouldn't say that even though it is moral agreement there will be no problem. There will be a time when you apply for citizenship or a resident return visa and the federal government can see you haven't upheld your STNI agreement and could remove your visa, so be careful.

It is the federal government that give you a visa but the STNI means the state government has given you a leg up to get that visa. If you annoy the local government then you could in effect ruin your chances with the federal one....as I'm sure they would rather listen to a state government than to Joe Bloggs.

One thing I would say though is that in out situation we spoke to the state government ASAP and so they are fully aware of our plans and they are fine about it. So, do take people's advice about speaking to them and explaining your situation if that is what you want but from my understanding of your post there is more to it than just the job situation.

Whatever you decide I hope it works out for the best and sorry I can't help with your dog but I'm sure someone will.

Sasha :)

What type of work does your husband do?

Steve.

Steve from previous posts he's a Panel Beater.

Sasha :)

Really sorry to hear things are so bad Sue :(

Hi Dean,

A couple of links that may be of interest

http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/10...33;OpenDocument

http://cracker.com.au/viewthread.aspx?thre...ategoryid=11061

Jet :)

Cheers Jet

this is def worth a read by everyone too

http://www.demographia.com/dhi-ix2005q3.pdf

puts hings in a perspective why maybe alot of people end up returning

Hi Sue,

I'm so sorry to hear things have not worked out for you.

The financial side of things really is one of my worst fears :(

We've decided to give it 2 years max and if we struggle, more then we are already expecting, and believe me from threads read on here and expats we are expecting the worst, will return home.

There is no shame in that. You have given the dream/adventure a go and a the very least you can say you've done it. :D

I have also contacted out Agent about moving around, I believe the pay for nurses is more in NSW, and can echo what others have already said. If you given it a go and it's not worked, speak to the STNI folk. Our agent has advised they would rather you consider moving to a different part then leave Oz all together.

I should imagine that this may be the last thing you want to consider though. I know that, although we've asked, once we'd decided Adelaide wasn't for us and assuming we couldn't afford to visit other places to check out work etc, we would cut our loses and return.

Whatever happens I wish you the very best of luck and am sure everything will come together and work out in the end.

Take care (((hug)))

Sue xXx

Hi Sue.

Sorry you have decided to go back, but after our chats I completely understand why, you have had the odds stacked against you almost from the start and with Isabella to consider I think you are probably doing the right thing.

I will be sorry to see you go, my girls really loved having Isabella around, let me know if I can do anything to help, but i'll see you next week for a proper chat anyway.

Chin up.

Sarah

Hi Sue,

I am really sorry that things are not working out for you. It will be sad if you go, but you have to do what is best for your long term future.

I would love to offer to have Kieran for you but I don't think that Angus would be very happy about it. He really is top dog in our family. Before we moved into our rental Angus boarded at Dogtrainers ( 08 8388 7519 www.dogtrainers.com.au ) at Verdun outside Handorff. He was in excellent condition when I collected him and clearly very happy. I would be more than happy to board him with them again.

Let me know if there is anything that we can do to help. Hope you are feeling up to a coffee and chat next week.


Clare :D

Sue - Your being very realistic, and you have the guts to admit it, unlike others. Its not all its cracked up to be here is it - I agree, and I should not be complaining cos my salary is way above average looking at the stats some have put on here, however, it makes no difference. Despite my overinflated salary, the cost of living is much higher ( me and my husband are both working 40 hours a week in order to make ends meet!!!!!! - I was looking at our income and expenditure today - the telephone bill is a joke - around $120.00 a month - I used to pay £20.00 - and the thing is I dont ring hardly anyone up here cos I dont know anyone. Its only the calls which are made for the odd thing like buying our house or insurances etc.

Dean25, some interesting figures - I enjoyed looking at them!!! It puts a lot into perspective for me and my husband. We were much better off were we lived in the UK!!!!!

Snappy - I am not sure what you are talking about, but Im sure you have your reasons for not coming here sooner, and I dont blame you.

I would give the govt of SA a ring and let them know your predicament - and see what they say - if you have to move away in order to get a job I cant see why they cant stop you, after all you have tried your upmost. If they aren't supportive, I would go back to the UK.

I dont feel sorry for you, I just think that you are being realistic and have to make the most of a difficult situation. It takes a lot of guts to do that.

Hi im getting worried,as i arrive Feb20 and im a bricklayer is there work out there for me as i be dumb to go some where and struggle as i have a small family to worry about.

thanks

Jason

People live to their means wherever they are, and we all require different things in life.

Personally we are having a great time however we can see why some folks are having a hard time.

For us work is work, as a nurse I am payed at yr10 so in comparison to the Uk my wages are better here. Hubby has took a drop in wages, he is working as a sheet metal worker here but is a qualified quality engineer and is looking to go back to it.
We are not living the same lifestyle we did in the Uk, I have cut back on my weekly trip into the city to spend, spend, spend and we entertain more at home, but it is a small price to pay to live in such a beautiful place.

good luck to all
jacqui

ps we are currently renting so we can't help with the dog

Would it not be possible to either try and store some of your stuff at home and with friends/cheaper storage facilities. I know it would be a pain having to live with all the boxes, but if you stick it for another couple of months till your lease runs out it might give you a bit of time to really decide what is best for you. The money saved might ease some of the pressures on you. Hope everything works out for you all.

bit of a story but here goes. I arrived in Oz sept 24, got job 2weeks later as a plumber, bit different here as they clear many blocked drains which meant digging up pipes full of you know what. the clothes got covered in it the vans stank of it and the plumbers were not wearing gloves urgh the pay was poor too, take home was 693pw rent 240. I couldnt stand it so i then applied for 2 hotel maintenance jobs and was offered both although i said no as the pay was 520 take home. ( they dont tell you the pay til end of i,view). I researched a pool cleaning franchise which looked promising, so i started alone 1st december which co-incided with the coolest dec on record followed by a poor summer, no pool work. $$ spent setting up. got job with gas board repairing gas boilers, 1 caught fire and i last fitter to touch it so i investigated,appliance not approved cos they keep catching fire, yet i still got to go thru motions. work dried up due to time of year, travelling for an hr to earn $50 bucks for the day. local paper lost 3000 flyers i paid them to distribute, they still not sort it, lost 1k on flyers. Got full days work and van head gasket went, cost 2k repairs. week later 2 tyres at $200. advertised my gas and poolcare in 2 papers for 5 weeks. NOT a sigle enquiry. Distributed 10000 flyers Not a single enquiry. unable to say i do plumbing cos i cant do business course as licence board and tafe dont know what course to do.many other small things going wrong too( found $100 and came home to tell my partner only to find traffic violation letter with fine for...$100 All in all an absolute nightmare since i got here. I love Oz ( i in Perth) but it seems it may not love me. I finding it hard at the moment to justify giving up my 30k a year job with cars and european holidays etc
Has anyone else had this and got thru it. I exhausted, i jacking biz in and will have to take paid work which is very low. I dont mind hard work but i scared t go out :unsure:

This is all very worrying :(

How do people born and bred there manage? <_<

If we go over with startup money, I can't see how they can survive and build any kind of life.

Sue xXx

It is rather alarming, isn't it? I just hope upon hope that we find work quickly.

Is this an Adelaide problem.

Is SA a bad place to go.

What to do.

Is this all a big mistake.

Expecting visa in within a few weeks.

Into IT and finance.

Help.

Brian.

I don't think anyone over here is trying to scare the people coming over, I think they are just trying to say 'come, but with your eyes open'.

It can be hard here, it isn't paradise and a lot of people find the transition from a nice comfortable life to having to struggle, very hard, wages are not good here and the cost of living is very similar, I personally don't know anyone here who isn't worse off financially, and some people are much worse off.

I have no idea how the locals manage to buy their own homes over here, I can only assume they have big debts. Someone put a fantastic link on this thread earlier about comparisons between house prices and earnings in different countries.

Like I said, I'm not trying to scare anyone, you just need to come over aware ....

'alynjohn' - You sound like you have been having a real nightmare, I really hope things pick up for you soon!

You would probably earn more (in IT) in Sydney, BUT have you seen the cost of houses there? It's all relative ..

Oh and it is gorgeous here, it's a fantastic place to live!

Nikki
xx

I call myself a local Nikki, dont have children and don't lead an extravagent lifestyle or have huge debts but manage okay.

My Mother once told me that you cut your cloth etc, never a truer word spoken.

In saying that everyone has different expectations. The streets are not paved with gold here in Adelaide but as I was once told by a wise person it is horses for courses. I cannot stress enough that one should do loads of research and then a lot more research, fore armed is forewarned. Do listen to the locals they have been there and done that. Don't rush into things either.

If all else fails then you have to do what you have to do.

Good luck with all your endeavours.

Jet :)

Definitely, SA is not the right place for teachers either. You'll do well, however, as a taxi driver or a chef.
Best of luck to all.
Morocco

You may want to consider trying somewhere else in Australia first before you waste a lot of money going back to the UK.

A few people that we know are not happy with Adelaide and are looking elsewhere, especially at Perth. One family were up here 2 weeks ago and are now moving here and 2 more families that we know are also on their way. We also tried Adelaide but ended up here in Perth and have never been happier.

I have a friend here who is a panel beater and is snowed under with work, here's a link for you to try, there are plenty of jobs.

The West Australian Classifieds - Panel Beaters Click on 'employment at the top, then on the new page type 'panel beaters' in the 'keywords' box. There were 30 jobs that came up.

So, why not take a two week holiday and have a good look around. And never forget why you left the UK in the first place.

Steve.