StraighttothePoint

Looking for somebody who is an Excel 2007 advanced user. Need them for a couple days paid work - to begin with anyway. Must be in Perth and be able to prove experience, skillset, use of the product at that level etc. Could do work around their current job or contract.

You will be fine. If not you can always coffee with the thousands of other, what to appear to be unemployed women, in the Butler area. How many walk around, do coffee or lunch or shop in Ocean Keys and appear to be doing nothing but wasting away the hours? Maybe all the husbands earn a bomb and they do not need to work. Beats me though. Now don't shout at me, look at my handle. I just say it as I see it. All advice / comments come with a gaurantee of authenticity by the way so prove me wrong and happy to withdraw them.

Tosh. We never had a global financial crisis here and so we never had anything to get over. It has not hit here but if people start borrowing loads of cash just to get onto the spiralling property market then we soon will have! Interest rates will go up, costs will increase as greed takes even more control and those that will be hurt the most will be the ones that just made it onto the property market ladder, those that lose their jobs and those that get no pay rises. (Ordinary low paid workers in Perth do not get annual pay awards remember that before you jump on the next plane out here.) It is ok if you work in a high paid job in one of the resources sectors, as these people seem to think they are bullet proof, or a plumber in the northern suburbs but ordinary Aussies are hurting. Trust me.

Fellow Scot here and happy to send you some 'hard cold facts". Sent you a Private Message with my e-mail address.

Is there anyone out there moving back to Scotland and taking a container?

Come over and rent. Stay in that for a year to learn about the place and make a decision once you are settled and sure. Drip feed your money across based on that tactic. If you get a job(s) here then you start to earn and that can also help you decide on tactics. As for the exchange rate I would bet and say that it will keep dropping for a while yet given the strong Aussie dollar. As to when it turns that is the key but by adopting tactics above the pain may not be so great. Why the rush to get money across and buy? British style? Renting here is like in Europe everyone does it.

We are in Joondalup. Houses were first built here about 15 years old. Bigger blocks, lots of trees and vegatation, 5 minutes to the freeway, 2 minutes to local shops, 5/8 minutes on bus to shopping centre and railway station, 15/20 walk to same, 10 minute drive to beach and when roads queit 20/25 minutes to city. However because the northern suburbs are getting so busy and congested we are heading south next year. Deep south to try and get a bit of piece and quiet Getting far too busy here for us now.

I think that living costs here have gone through the roof. And you are right people do have different ideas on what cost of living means to them. I believe the things to consider are what do you earn here / will earn here rather than what you have / have had in the UK. Also bearing in mind the recession in the UK that has meant a lot of costs have been reduced. I am back in Scotland every year and I think it is so cheap there, much cheaper than before, in relation to food and drink purchases. Anyway I did this for somebody not long ago and maybe this will help put it into some kind of perspective. I do not have a mining job or charge the high end tradie rates as a lot seem to do here. (Mainly incomers who work out there hourly rates by what they need to cover their costs rather than the charging the market rate!) Obviously this is my example and each person will have their own view. Going for a point of beer here $8 = 4.60 pounds Glass of wine $8 = 4.60 pounds Glass of Coke $3.50 = 2 pounds 24 bottles good quality beer $50 = 28 pounds Good quality bottle wine $15 = 8.60 pounds Cup of coffee and slice of cake $9 = 5.15 pounds Going to the cinema per adult $16 = 9 pounds Renting a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom house near the beach roughly $450 per week = 260 pounds Electricity bill for us on 2 monthly cycle (2 adults and one teenager) $200 = 115 pounds Gas bill for us on 3 monthly cycle (2 adults and one teenager) $115 = 65 pounds Broadband connection (ADSL2) $50 monthly = 28 pounds (Lower end connection) Telephone line rental + calls on 3 month cycle $120 = 68 quid (NB: I use Skype for all my calls to Scotland so this keeps the phone bill low.) Petrol $1.20 per litre = 72p per litre Meal out for 2 at a Thai restaurant with BYO wine $60 = 34 pounds Our weekly shop on average Supermarket (includes all meat) $180 = 100 pounds Bread x 2 @ $4 a loaf = 4.60 pounds Milk $4 three litres = 1.75 quid Fresh fruit and vegetables once a week $30 = 17 quid Total circa 125 quid a week and that is with us always eating out once per week. All day train fare for three people after nine am each day and at weekends $9 per day = 5.15 pounds Return flight to Melbourne $450 = 260 pounds Hotel room for two adults and a child on average $120 per night = 68 quid A one year old car circa $25000 = 14250 pounds Car Insurance with good no claims circa $500 = 285 pounds (2 named drivers both over 25 with no points on licence.) Annual Car Tax $500 = 285 pounds Government Tax on any car purchase is an additional 3% of purchase price. Based on what you think you want, i.e. near beach, not too far from the city, near a train station, near a school and shops then an established 4 x 2 house could be anything between $480k and $1mk Government Tax on any new house is an additional 3% of purchase price. Now I know that all this could be open to debate but that is an honest average cost of things here from somebody who does not earn a lot. I hope it helps and if anyone wants to know specifics please ask. As somebody else said on this thread coming out here is an expensive exercise and one that may not get financially easier but the question maybe is "will we as a family, all of us, not just me, be happier doing this?"

"Maybe $7 in a pub that you would not take your missus into if you can find one". A pub that is not a missus !! :-)

No.... How much is a pint of beer here, lets go with a 5% lager? Between $8 and $12 depending where you drink, Subi for example is a rip off. Maybe $7 in a pub that you would not take your missus into if youcan find one. At todays exchange rate thats somewhere between 4 quid and 7 quid. How much on average in Scotland, Edinburgh say, 3 quid. England less probably in some parts. Same here with wine, spirits etc. Even a slab of Corona here works out far more expensive. Maybe you are not a drinker? But honestly I have virtually stopped going to the pub here maybe once per week now and thanks usually for one drink. When wefirst arrived it was as cheap as now it is just getting as expensive as everything else.

I will get in first, and per my handle, be up front. I have lived here for 7 years and my wife is from here, a Perth girl. She works as a check out chick in a store in the north of the city and everyday speaks to literally 100's of immigrants. Some shifts she says that she may only speak to a handful of Aussies. Anyway.... For every one that says they love it she tells me there are literally dozens who say they would go back in a minute if their other half agreed. That is a worrying statistic to be honest. I know that some people will tough it out but a lot will remain very unhappy for a long time. My wife reckons that there is a band wagon in the UK that folk are jumping on that somehow says the"grass is greener". Perth is a great place if you have a young family and you can stick it out but the volume of immigrants now who are finding it tough says it all. Good luck.

Look I am not tax expert and I am sure that there is plenty of advice is available both within the UK and once they arrive here however basic rule is that if you have an income, and you are above the tax threshold, then you pay tax on the balance of any "income". For example you can earn $6000 here before you need to pay tax and then all other income is taxed at specific rates depending on the amounts involved. All types of income are listed on the ATO website and bank interest is one of them. Bottom line we all have to pay tax. The key is to minimise your tax liability and that is where, depending on how much capital and income they have or acquire, you need advice. There are all sorts of ways to minimise your tax due and all legal. Paying into a superannuation fund here is certainly one of the ways. Handing it to inlaws as gifts is another. There are a multitude of them. The problem you face is that the ATO will be reluctant to answer because it is all hypothetical at the moment. Go to an Australian tax specialist in the UK.

Clearly this is a very personal choice but rules are rules and in place for a reason. What can you guys offer Australia? Sorry if that sounds blunt but other than buying a house and spending a few bob you will not add value to one of the country's employment goals, i.e. Australia needs, young skilled labour. More retirees could add even more pressure on their public and health services without a comparable financial redress. What you are facing is not uncommon and thinking out of the square may be the way to go. Why live here? Why not visit for a period of time each year. Less costly in the long run, no visa hassles and best of both worlds as you get to see all your family members. If you can downsize in the UK, buy a flat, lock it up and come here for six months per year. Get the best of both worlds without all the hassle. The only burden then is two gruelling flights per year until you do not want to travel. After all the grandkids will grow up, they will go out a lot here given the lifestyle, your family may have to move for job reasons and you would need to follow, you may not settle, you may hate the intense heat, etc etc. By visting for six months each year you wil probably see them just as much as living here. Sorry if it is another view that you do not want to hear but IMO it is worth considering. Being grand parents can bring emotional choices so stand back and try and think out of the square.

My understanding is that you pay tax where you are classed as resident. This is standard. If you are coming here on a retirement visa, and stay for the majority of the year or permanently, then you would pay Aussie tax because you would be resident. If you then continue to get your state pension paid into a UK bank account you can fill in a form in the UK, cannot remember the name of form or the ref number but it is a common process ask your bank, that stops tax being taken from any interest. Then when you fill in your tax return in Australia you declare all income on that including any UK cash. That is an option. If you need the money here options for getting at it include, transfering it via an online bank account to your Aussie account, use an ATM here to withdraw or leave it and save it for any return holidays or visits. Of course as a previous poster says it will all depend on your own personal circumstances. For example there are a lot of retirees in Oz on your type of visa who only stay here a portion of the year and choose other options re their tax.

Yep fair cop I am wrong. Currambine station is closer but I was splitting my sides trying to imagine Kinross as central so was getting confused!! As long as you do not need to travel daily into the city centre then all is fine however getting from many of the Perth suburbs to the city on a regular basis is a nightmare given the growth of the place. You know and I know that Perth is one big suburb with roof after roof sprawling as far as the eye can see and so you can base yourself in any of these areas and be happy depending on your wants and needs. However point remains that if your daily work is in Perth city being as close as possible is the way to go now.

Kinross is nice, it is handy for the beach and some shopping centres but it is absolutely not central. Central in my mind are areas / suburbs very near Perth city. Kinross is within commuting distance to the Perth if 1) You can get from there to the Joondalup train station easily, 2) Can get on the train when it arrives and 3) Can be bothered with the long wait on the freeway if you drive to the city. Now if you are a tradey or somebody who does not have to go to a city office then this may not apply to you however my advice is clearly weigh this up very carefully.

There are lots of private care bodies who are looking for trained staff and also plenty of public sector oportunities so your wife will be ok. Lots of trade apprentiships and also engineering, mining etc so again if he has half a brain, does not wear a white baseball cap and a shellsuit he will be ok. Bills. Electric and Gas are expensive as you want them to be - use more pay more just as in the UK. Learn how to cool your house to save on electric bills, keep the family out of the shower, don't waste water by running the taps and so on and you will again keep costs down. Rents high. Mortgage rates very high although a bit of a buyers market at the moment. Petrol on the rise. Food costs soaring. State taxes at every turn, eg when you buy a house (circa 5% of purchase price), when you buy a car (circa 7% of purcahse price) and so on. Broadband costs higher than UK. However that all being said no idea what you do and you could get a job earning a bomb and so it would not matter a jot how expensive things are here. Best advice is to look, listen and learn and do not extend yourself initially until you understand the local ways of doing things.

And I thought that the original poster was generalising. Who says it will be much better than back in the UK? Chances are? The reality is that it will suit some people and not others and given the current economic situation in Perth / Australia that could be a 50 / 50 split at the moment. Bear in mind if you do not work in one of the boom sectors it is same old, same old for a vast majority of people especially struggling families. Much better will depend on where you are coming from, how much money you have, what kind of job you can get, where you live, if you settle, if you make friends, if you gel, if you can stand the heat and so on and so on. Perth is fantastic but so are a vast number of locations in the UK.

Based on the replies so far you will note clearly that everyone is chasing the dollar!!

Nope it is right to worry. Unless he likes sport, can talk openly to strangers and /or he is from another planet bringing a 16 year old to the other side of the world will be difficult. Wait until he is 18 and let him choose!!

How ironic..... I have just been watching a TV programme about when the West Indians arrived in England in the 1950's how they were totally ignored by the local population. Now 50 years later all you lot want to meet up with fellow English people. Anyone got any Aussie friends yet or has that not worked out either?