What is the reality of living in Australia?

if you are looking for a lifestyle change alone then Oz is the place to be. Working here compared to NZ we have found has 1 major difference - security of your job does not exist.

If there are less then 100 workers and work slacks off you can be laidoff without notice which has happened to our friend 4 times in the last 3yrs that he has been living here as a exkiwi. He is highly qualified and at Manager level in his field.

You need to consider if you like commuting to work or not, public transport here is excellent. Back in NZ our family travelled up to 20mins from home for our jobs, here one of us travels 1 to 2hrs morning and night using trains.

My field of work is office/admin,work is definitely available just need to be organised and exact as to what you can offer the employer or agent when applying. I was offered 4 out of 5 jobs within 1week and accepted the best one for me.

Keep in mind if you have a car there may not be parking for it, same as NZ so thats where the commuting comes in morn and night on top of your days work.

If your determined to make it here you will be fine,don't expect a bed of roses cos that it definitely isnt. Bottom line is if your tough you will make it, if your not think twice before leaving home.

its hard to answer because it all really depends on each individual situation..in general though, have found aussies to be a lot harsher and brasher than kiwis (especially the women! - think of nz women cops multiplied as a nation) and there is racism here that might not be so blatant in nz. its a bigger country than nz and the "real aussies" can be brutally racist.

but its up to you and your outlook and all the best with your decision and or move.

I personally believe Australia's economy is one of, if not the, most stable economies in the world. As long as the world wants its mineral resources it will continue to be.

The Govt looks after its people better than our govt. does. I have 3 children, they all live in Queensland, so Im not too familiar with Melbourne, sorry. All my children say the same thing - there's jobs everywhere, its easy to find work, and its so hard to find work in NZ. And on top of that, the pay is almost double.

However, you pay for everything there because theres more control because theres way more people there.

On a more personal note, my husband is a teacher and he was made redundant 7 years ago. He now works 3 hours away from home and comes home on weekends and school holidays. Hes been doing this for 6 years. He sent his CV to several schools in an area he wanted to live. He received a phone call from one of these principals and a week later was told the job was his.

He's 57 yrs old, thats why he cant get work here. Over there they are desperate for older experienced teachers, but not here. So at this late stage in our lives we are emigrating to Australia and hopefully a better life with our family. The likelihood of this happening here is probably impossible.

Aussie is the land of opportunity, NZ the land of lifestyle.

the myth that you just turn up and get a job is just that, i work in the roading industry rocked up here applied for a job then hit the wall, i had to get all these, and then you may not get a job. for myself this is what i had to do...

1. show my passport as i.d

2. show my licence as i.d.

3. change n.z licence for an australian one.

4. get a medicare card.

5. provide proof of where you worked and lived in n.z.

6. proof of where you live here.

7. get a bank account set up.

8. provide a bank statement, to provide proof of where you live.

9. get a white / blue card, an induction card.

10. get a t.f.n...tax file number, [ i.r.d. ]

11. apply for a construction ticket for any machine licence that you hold or, require to use. note...i have all my licences 1234567.frwt plus endorsments, here that dosen't mean a thing.

12. every machine licence you have like grader, digger,etc you have to get a ticket to prove that you are competent to operate that plant. they have schools here that charge on average,$1550.00 per ticket to do this for you,but worse you dont even get lunch. i got sucked in for my first lot but iv'e found a cheaper crowd since then. so you really need to work out what licences you need ,myself ill just get what i need otherwise the nine rd machine licences that i hold would cost about $13,950.00.not kidding mate.

13. you need a good car.

14. and you need a good g.p.s. navigator, unlike home you dont get picked up and dropped off,at a yard. [ you find your way there and back,this can be 2 hrs one way, you only get paid when you arrive at the job, your time ends when you leave the job be prepared to be knocked off at any time, they are quite ruthless here, example..you arrive 6.30 on site only have a grader ticket, finish the job by 11 they send you home. because you only have a grader ticket you cant jump on a roller to fill in your day like back home.rain is another factor any sign of a few drops your gone, kills you if you have driven there then sent away.

15. be prepared when you apply for jobs for no return calls, this seems to be the norm here. [ after a while i send them a [ thank for not returning my call, message, but be polite ]

the race card, ah ! yes its alive and well here like anywhere else, it could be against your skin colour or because you are just a kiwi or because you back the warriors just be humble and deal with it ,like anywhere around the world there are good and bad p.s there are good ones here.

well my brothers and sisters from the land of the long white cloud i hope this is of help of what to expect, sorry for going on to long chur mare