The dream is over before it began...

At the first hurdle, we have fallen :-(

Steph's teaching qualification is not recognised in Oz due to the fact that she has done a BA with Initial Teacher Training and not a BA with a further year as a Post Graduate Certificate of Education. It is the PGCE that they recognise in Oz and therefore, she would have to do that first before being considered. That would entail her leaving her job and doing the PGCE full time for a year and joining people who had no teaching experience. Crazy considering she has been teaching for 6 years! Also, we can't afford to lose a salary for a year. To say we are disappointed would be an understatement. Still, we'll survive and we just have to come up with a good plan B instead.

So, our trip to Australia will have to remain a lovely holiday where we did lots of exploring, sightseeing and catching up with friends. We will be back one day for another visit cos we loved it so much.

Take care all and be happy :-)

Sydney, what a wonderful place!

Oz proved to be a great success. It was absolutely amazing and a great adventure. We stayed at an apartment in Miranda which was within easy access to the beach as well as the city centre. The train station was within 5 mins walk and Westfield backed on to us. We stocked our food cupboard from shops at Westfield, armed ourselves with a 1 week travelcard and we were on our way. We ate most meals in and had loads of picnics during our daily travels and this kept the cost down. Food over there is quite expensive and eating out is even more so. During our travels we did the usual sightseeing which included the obligatory Harbour Bridge & Opera House.

We also took the ferry to Manly as well as a trip to a lovely place called Gordons Bay and Cogee Bay. The picture below was taken at Gordons Bay.

We also went to a small wildlife park where we got to interact with the animals - much more fun than your average zoo. We fed the wallaby, cuddled koala - it was great. We met up with some friends during our travels. Steph's friend met with us a couple of days in and we had a coffee and a chat by the harbour. On Easter Sunday we met up with one of my friends and his girlfriend. She is about to embark on an adventure to Africa and India via work to educate people on hydration to avoid illness. Her trip will last 6 months and then he will join her at the end for some travlling. Sounds amazing! I hadn't seen him for 8 years so it was lovely catching up. We went to the fish market and bought some of the most gorgeous cooked fish and seafood I have ever had. It came with chips and the portions were the largest I have ever had. I couldn't finish it! We ate this in a lovely park and the girls played in the playground whilst we chatted. Then, on Easter Monday we met up with my other friend and his girlfriend. Again, I hadn't seen him for 8 years and it was great catching up. I had never met his girlfriend but I can see that they are perfectly matched. She has such a warm lovely personality and they are well suited. We all had breakfast and a nice long chat that morning and then went on to meet again a couple of days later at our place for a BBQ and a splash in the pool. That was the beauty of this place we stayed at - it was really affordable and had its own gym, pool, sauna and BBQ area. So, all in all, a fantastic trip and totally worth the long haul and the cost. Feeling very relaxed and sunned up. The pale and pasty look has given way to the healthy look. We all feel rested and the girls really enjoyed themselves. We all got to spend loads of time together and we all feel much better for it. Yesterday we were greeted in the UK with frost on the lawn and today it was rain :-(

So what does this mean for us and our possible move? Well, we viewed a couple of homes on open viewings and Steph visited a school for an hour for a tour and chat. We loved the houses we saw and the school were very helpful. My friends really want us to move out there and were falling over themselves to help us. They told me not to worry about work as they would help me find something suitable. We felt so at home and relaxed and at times it didn't even feel like a holiday. The flights both ways were not anywhere near as bad as I thought they would be and with good sleep planning, jet lag was more or less non existent.

The verdict: I am going to type an email to a migration agent recommended to me by our friends and start the ball rolling - Oz is definitely the place for us!


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Sydney is Great!!!

Wow, I am so pleased we came to Oz! Sydney is great and the weather has been fantastic. Beaches, walks along the harbour, ferry rides - gorgeous! Only 4 more days to go before we have to return to the UK :-(

Anyway, thought I'd quickly pop this update on whilst checking my emails. Will post a more detailed account of what we have been up to when we get back to the UK - don't want to get bogged down with too much technology as it will interfere with my lovely holiday :-)

Take care and hope all my Aussie blogger friends have been enjoying the nice weather just as much as we have (my tan is coming along nicely).


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Tick tock, tick tock...

Right, last 2 things on our checklist (packing and itinerary) have been dealt with. Included in our trip we will have a visit to Gordon's Bay, Manly Beach & a ferry trip to allow us the view of the Harbour Bridge / Sydney Opera House and Sydney itself from the outside looking in. Other than that, we will be meeting up with friends one day and then seeing what's around to do after that - see where the wind takes us. Hoping the weather holds out for us another couple of weeks ;-) Its been nice and sunny here in the UK so that has prepared us weather-wise for things to come... Not long now - the clock is ticking...


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Check list

• Foreign currency - Tick
• Travel documents all in place - Tick
• Itinerary - To do
• Packing - To do
• Excitement - Tick :-)

oooh, can't wait!

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One step closer :-)

We have ordered our AU$ so we are now one step closer to our hols :-) Emirates have given us some lovely posh Skywards luggage tags with leather straps so those are sitting waiting next to our inflatable travel pillows. I just have to order off eBay a world travel adapter and then we are ready to start packing on the weekend. Oooh, so excited...

18 days to go

OK, I’m officially getting excited now! Less than three weeks to go and its all becoming very real…

Wow, I can’t believe we’re actually going to Australia for our hols! If you’d have told me a year ago that we would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed it. It is very out of character for us to spend such a lot of money on a holiday but needs must and desperate times call for desperate measures… We all deserve a lovely holiday for a start.

However, this could either be a life changing trip or just a very nice holiday. If we love it and we like what we see property-wise and work-wise, we may consider making a one year trial move. If we like it but decide it should simply remain a lovely holiday and nothing more, that will then have to prompt other changes to our life in the UK.

We need to perfect our work / life balance and make the most of the “life” portion of that. Moving to Oz could be the answer but if not, a move in the UK to a better setting and a career re-assessment on my part may be the alternative. Time will tell but a lot hinges on this holiday. I really want us all to love Sydney as the better climate and more laid back lifestyle would really suit us all but at the same time, I wonder what the repercussions of that will be for my wife and her family…

Whilst we are in Sydney, we have arranged to meet with one of my wife’s friends on our second day and the next day she will be visiting a school for an hour or so in the morning to see what schools in Sydney are like (both for her work and for our girls). That will give her the opportunity to ask questions about teaching in Oz and also to get a feel for the environment. The rest of the holiday is still not organised as we have not got round to putting together an itinerary. We must get round to that… We know we want to pop into a couple of estate agents to look at properties for sale (see what the good old Australian Dollar buys you these days) and I want to pop in to an employment agency for a quick chat about work but other than that, it will be all about sightseeing and if the weather permits, strolls on the beach :-) We just have to organise the whole sightseeing and beach bit… This weekend – I promise!

Any Ideas?

Only 31 days to go before we descend upon Oz!

My mind now turns to itineraries… What to do, where to visit, etc. I want us to make the most of our time in Sydney as the 12 days will fly by. We want to make this trip a fact finding trip as well as a holiday so we need to be careful to mix it all up so that there’s enough variety in the trip whilst making sure we go to all the must see places.

So, obviously, we will have to go to the Sydney Opera House. But unfortunately for me, that’s as far as my knowledge of Sydney goes. We are interested in seeing some nice sites, beaches and parks. We will of course be looking on the internet for any inspiration but any suggestions or ideas will be gratefully received.

We will be popping to a couple of estate agents whilst we are there to get a better feel for the property market and may even try to go and have a look at a property or two to see what the Australian Dollar can buy in today’s market. I also want to pop in to an employment agency and have a chat with a consultant to get an idea of what sort of jobs I could get if we were to make the move. I am even hoping that we can investigate the possibility of my better half popping in to a primary school in Sydney for a chat and to see what schools are like down under in comparison to where she is teaching in the UK… Phew, as you can see, there is about 2 or 3 days’ worth of our break gone just doing our research so we will have to fit in there seeing a couple of friends who live in Sydney and having some family fun in between :-)

Not long to go now...

Holiday to Sydney Countdown Clock | CountingDownTo.com

Counting down the days now till our holiday! Can't wait... according to the above link, as I write this post, we have 47d 11h 20m 14s - is it a bit sad that I'm counting down till our holiday?

Weather here in the UK is less cold but still miserable so a change will be very welcome :-)

Been reading other expat blogs and they all sound so nice... I hope we like Oz enough (and that it can offer everything we need) to take the leap and get a slice of that cake - fingers crossed...

Snow in the UK vs Sun in Oz... ummm... let me think...

It snowed last night here in the UK. So, as usual, the chaos has been more or less instant with the road closures and airport disruption along with flight cancellations... you'd think we were the only country to have ever had snow... And as usual, I've had a good old moan about it all cos it just causes disruption. Now some of you may say bah humbug because the kids enjoy it. The fact of the matter is that the kids enjoy it for the first 15 mins and then moan for the next hour that they are cold... Driving in these conditions is not fun and even if you know what you are doing, do all the other drivers? The answer is: probably not. Thankfully, I do not have to drive as work is within walking distance and so is school / nursery.

All in all, this weather further compounds the fact that I hate the cold and would quite happily never see snow again unless through choice. Sydney sounds more appealing the colder it gets :-) Roll on Easter for our holidays to the land of Oz. On Friday we sat down and booked our seats on the Emirates website and chose our meals - its now a reality. We may even book a car rental for a couple of days so we can go a bit further afield. Any suggestions for places to see / visit bloggers?

Came across this picture yesterday

Was flicking through some photos yesterday and came across this one – thought I’d share it as it reminds me of the beaches back home. My wife took this photo whilst my eldest daughter and I were walking barefoot along the beach saying goodbye before we returned to the UK. It was a hard time for me having to leave but now it just brings back happy memories of the good times we had whilst we lived there. That is all I want for our family – a relaxed lifestyle in an environment where we can enjoy ourselves and just be happy in the sun :-) I don’t know if Sydney will offer that for us but I will get a good idea when we visit. Only 69 days left…

A work colleague of mine came back today after a weekend away in France with a friend and said she was amazed at how different life was just across the channel – I totally understand :-) I also got an email from my friend Rod who is from Sydney. I haven’t seen him since 2004 when we both worked in London so it will be nice to meet up with him when we are over there. He has not yet met my three girls so it will be really nice to have a catch up. I also have to try and get together with a couple of other mates whilst we are out there – it’s just getting round to organising it all…

Brrrr... Its Cold...

The drive to work today was not pleasant. I put the kids in the car and then spent the next 5 minutes scraping ice from all the windows. After dropping them off at nursery, I was driving to work and looked at the temperature on the dashboard – it was -4ºc. Not pleasant at all I can tell you. Just checked the temperature in Sydney and it is 23ºc today – I want that :-(

 

We’ve been watching more of the BBC programme ‘Wanted Down Under’ and the C4 programme ‘Relocation Down Under’. Saw a few based in Sydney and these confirmed my research that we would be able to afford to live in Oz. To be honest, I am getting a bit bored now with these programmes as they are getting a bit repetitive. Actually, after spending the last few weeks doing research on the internet, reading books and watching programmes, I am generally getting bored with the preparation process. I have researched so many aspects of the move that I seem to have come full circle and am now coming across the same information via all mediums. So, I think I may knock it on the head for a little while with the research and just look forward to the holiday instead. If Sydney is all it’s cracked up to be and we conclude after our stay that we have a future in Oz, at that point we can take all of the information I have gathered and look in to it all more seriously. In the meantime, I will continue to post more updates on this blog as there will be all sorts of things that happen which will be relevant to our potential move.

 

For now… I’ll get back to work and put up with the cold… brrr…

 

 

More research...

Today I read another book about moving to Australia with that same title. I must admit that I was hoping to get more from it than I did but all in all, I suppose it wasn't too bad priced at £2.50 from Amazn on Kindle. It gave me the information I needed for the basics that we would need to know should we move to Australia. We have also been watching more of the Wanted Down Under programmes and we have so far watched one episode of Relocation Down Under (a Sydney episode). This gave us the opportunity to see more of Sydney on screen and it looked lovely. We are getting more and more used to the idea though we do still need to see for ourselves when we visit. I also called Emirates today as it occurred to me that we can claim air miles for our flights and should we choose to make the move, these may come in handy. I found out all I needed to know about this and then promptly signed us all up so that we can claim the air miles for our flights that are already booked. Glad I thought of that one :-) I am also hoping that we will eventually get some followers of this blog who can then see our entries and offer advice. Would even be nicer if we could strike up a few online friendships with other Aussies or Expats in Sydney...

 

The dream starts here...

Welcome to our blog! Wow! I can't believe I am actually writing this blog! This is crazy... I have always dreamt of living in the sun but I never thought I'd consider Australia! We moved to Spain a few years ago but that didn't work out for various reasons I won't go in to right now but now we are actually considering Australia. I am still in shock that my lovely wife has agreed to consider it and I have been doing loads of research so that we don't repeat some of the mistakes we made when we moved to Spain. My reason for setting up this blog is two fold. One reason is to share and log the journey from the beginning so that if we do take the leap to Oz, we have a record that we can look back on and see our journey. We did this when we moved to Spain and even though it didn't quite work out, it is still nice to look back at that blog and remember all the good times and challenges we met on the way. The second reason for this blog is to hopefully make some connections with some Aussies or Expats who can share their experiences with us or offer advice through any trouble spots we may encounter. Of course, this may all remain a pipeline dream if all the boxes are not ticked... So, a bit of background history to fill in the blanks...

I am a 35 year old male from Spain who has lived in the UK all his life. I dream of a life in the sun with lots of family time as my family are my life. I am married to a 30 year old qualified primary school teacher who is British. My wife is currently working as a special needs co-ordinator. We have two wonderful daughters aged 4 and 3. We also have a dog who has been our family pet since 2007. My wife has also dreamed of life abroad and always enjoyed all things foreign (I suppose thats one of the reasons she found me interesting...). As I mentioned above, we did live in Spain for 1.5 years but had to return to the UK for various reasons. We always said we would return to Spain when the girls were older but back in September, at a birthday gathering, the idea of Oz was planted in my head and I have not managed to shake it since. One day in November, when we were both having a bad day, I approached the subject and to my surprise, she didn't say no. Before the idea went cold, I decided to research flights to Oz for a family holiday and research trip combined. Within 3 days we had researched it all, booked the flights / accommodation and were talking about a move as a possibility. In the last fortnight I have done extensive research into property around Sydney, the cost of living, exporting our car, house swap schemes for a year, visas, etc. So far we have worked out that we would be in much the same financial situation in Oz as we are now which is good. The advantage to us would be the lifestyle and climate. I hate the cold with a vengeance! I mean it... I don't just dislike it, I really really hate it! Anyway, the main problem I can foresee is my wife leaving her family behind which will be difficult for her but we'll take one step at a time. First we need to see if we like it, then if we do, we need to see if we can get the Visa. If both boxes are ticked, we can then take it from there. In the last week we have been watching the BBC programme "Wanted Down Under" which has been interesting and I have just spotted that 4oD have available the programme by Phil Spencer "Relocation Down Under" which I think we will start watching as well. I have also just finished reading "Jump Down Under" which was a fantastic read and offered a lot of valuable information that we can use if we decide to give it a go. I must get the wife to have a read of this book as it would be useful for her too.

Phew! So, if any of you feel you want to share your experiences with us or that you could benefit in following our experiences, feel free to join in the conversation, add your thoughts and views and lets see how we all get on from here.