Has anybody ever lived and worked in Australia? I'm considering getting a working visa to go there and find a job. Haven't had any luck here so I might as well try over there. What do you guys think? Good or bad idea?
Have a few relatives there and a couple of friends going to school there. They seem to really like it. But why randomly pic Australia? I went to visit when I was young and I learned this: Spoiler
a friend of mine recently spent a few weeks there, in sydney......he has been to 50+ countries.....and came back raving that the quality of life in australia is tops....."it's like the best of america, europe, and asia all in one"
Ok, the life is good. But what about the jobs? How easy or hard do you guys think it is to find one (a non blue collar job) compared to here?
I love Australia. Although I haven't lived there, I have visited several times. It reminds me of Texas, Florida, and Southern California in terms of geography, and definitely Texas because of people's laid-back attitude. However, Australians aren't as dedicated to their work life as we are. They don't have the hustle and bustle like the average American worker. A lot of them don't even go to college because their minimum wages are very high (nationalized healthcare sys too!). Also, they are very environmentally conscious versus Texans. In addition, it's very expensive compared to our cost of living. They don't champion gun rights as much as we do either. What I didn't like: lack of diversity. Many people have been immigrating there, and they work a lot harder for cheaper than the locals, so there has been growing tension and xenophobia. Melbourne was my favorite city followed by Darwin and Hobart.
Never been, but I've rarely heard such consistently glowing reviews of a country as I do for Australia from people who have lived or visited there. Is this purely job related, or are you also interested in experiencing life in another country?
Everyone I know likes it there -- but the big issue now is the strong Aussie dollar creating inflation and a very high cost of living, and causing people to move to London or NY because it is supposedly cheaper. But this is specifically Sydney. It's probably not as bad in smaller towns. My (Israeli) sister-in-law is married to an Australian and lived in Sydney several years before relocating to Hong Kong and then New York. Considering all the places she lived, complaining about rent prices vs. Sydney makes it sound very expensive. I also have a friend in LA married to an Australian doctor that claims she does much better in California. I would research rent prices and cost of living issues before making the plunge.
Do it. You might end up liking it. You have to try and considering you have a relative willing to take you in, you don't have much to lose by giving it a chance. It's fun to experience different cultures.
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All depends on what you want to do and your qualifications. Sydney while probably the best city is not the greatest if you are an unqualified worker, costs an arm and a leg to live anywhere near the city. There are plenty of big $$$ jobs in mining, not sure if you will be able to get these on a visa or not. You would be in crappy spots but you could smash some savings up quickly. Also any of the non mining jobs in these locations will be easy gets but not as much coin. If you're just looking for whatever work you can get and a base to see the country from but still have all the advantages of the big city I would go Melbourne. My brothers partner is over from Denmark and has had no trouble getting work.
Australia is great but the cost of living is getting ridiculous. Everything is 50 percent more and housing in Sydney and Melbourne is about the same as San Francisco and New York.
My sister lives in Melbourne and likes it. And I understand the economy is pretty strong. But, how are you going to get a work visa? Do you have a citizenship that would qualify you? Do you have a skillset that would earn you one? If you plan to work under the table, there are probably a lot of minorities that will hustle a lot harder and live on less than you can (I don't know you, I'm just prejudging you for being American ).
I love in Sydney and can back up what people are saying about how costly is is. Having said that, if you can afford to live here, do it! People come here on holidays and enjoy themselves. To live here is great! Another city I would suggest you take a look at is Brisbane. I've been there a few times and really liked it.
So you guys think it would be hard to get a work visa? I was told by my aunt that it was easy and attainable within 48 hrs of signing up for it. Thanks for all the input btw. Really appreciate it.
I've heard it's hard unless you have family there or have gotten a job offer. The Oil and Gas industry is booming there. Funny that a prison colony is doing background checks. BTW, if you think Police are bad here just wait till you run into Aussie Cops.
