Emigrating To Australia

RE: Emigrating To Australia

An On MRCVS — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 22:54:52 GMT

Thanks, I appreciate any and all advice!

Aine, I don't think that sounds much different to the UK to be honest!! I had been warned prior to locuming in Australia a few years back that work would be difficult to come by in the major cities and poorly paid but I didn't find it too hard to get enough positions and made a number of great friends and contacts. Our major reason for emigrating is not professional, its just the best route for a visa.. we have been over a few times for both work and holiday and just feel at home. We recognise there will be a lot of challenges and it won't be easy for a variety of reasons but are both convinced it is the right thing to do for us. As a natural worrier and control freak, its hard not to try and consider all the possible ramifications 10/20/30/40 years down the line but decisions we have made over the last few years in that fashion haven't worked out so we are now focusing more on what makes us happy rather than what seems to make the most sense!

Corporate practice is here to stay, regardless of which country you are in, but I think there will always be a place for a quality well run private practice, and they will increasingly benefit from the insight of those who have worked in corporate practice and returned to private. Corporates do a lot of stuff well, but not everything and its knowing how to compete that is key.. but I don't want to turn this thread into a corporate vs private debate as I'm sure there are plenty of other people who have experience emigration who will also chime in!?

Alistair - I appreciate your thoughts, and I will try and send you a message to pick your brain further when I get a chance, thank you.

RE: Emigrating To Australia

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 16:35:55 GMT

Fook me. And I thought it was the Garden of Eden. That's one less place I'll buy my villa/chalet then!!

RE: Emigrating To Australia

Alastair Franklin — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 03:48:12 GMT

Hi Anon,

I moved out here to Oz almost 10 years ago. Only meant it to be for a short time, but stayed. Everyone will give you different advice based on their own experiences (good and bad), so read everything with an open mind!

First off, you need to decide what sort of visa you are looking for (and what, more importantly, you may be eligible for - use the wizard on the aus immigration site). Sponsorship is arguably the easier /quicker option, but has more potential drawbacks (depending on what visa you have). You could seek the advice of a (registered) immigration agent for advice, but if your application is straightforward, no reason not to DIY. Plenty of advice online (eg britishexpats.com). Also check out the govt lists of 'wanted' jobs. This varies from time to time, and vets dropped down from the top tier a while back (but I don't know what the current deal is). Consider also what your partner does / will do - applying under their job may be an option too.

Re jobs - yes the place is becoming more corporate for small animal practice (particularly larger towns / cities in Vic and east coast), but IMO no more so than the UK. There are a lot more specialists now than there used to be, but still (I believe) fewer per capita than the UK. Besides, if you are away from the major cities, referral may not be an option anyway - lots of 'çountry' vets doing referral level stuff. The job situation is variable, depending on what part of the country you are aiming for. There are still a decent number of jobs around, particularly if you don't want to be in a capital (and even then, there will usually be work for experienced vets). Salary is generally low for GP work compared to the UK, but certainly manageable (despite beer being more expensive over here.)

Distance is always a factor - you are 24 hours flight away from family, however that is not a major problem for most expats I know. I'm not fully appraised of the education differences, but according to people in the know they are not huge (at least at primary / secondary levels). University is potentially different though (and if you are out of the UK for a period of time you may lose automatic rights for your child to attend a UK university as a domestic student). Also be aware that on certain visas you need to pay for state schools (varies from state to state though).

Good luck, and message me if you want any more info.

Alastair

RE: Emigrating To Australia

Aine Seavers — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 00:38:56 GMT

I married an Aussie so emigration etc not an issue so cant help there. Be aware that corporate practices and large petshops/barns now rule the landscape with specialist practices also the norm- so if you have speciality you should do ok, otherwise you will find this an overcrowded and underfunded profession life-vets here dont get paid much more than vet nurses-one of the worst paid professions and why the AVA association has a team that deals with depression and suicide within the profession. If you have a young child and you have extended family here then less of an issue-otherwise raising a family with zero support is a hard life- been there done that, not fun- and as one gets older and rest of family far away esp as kids want to go back to europe given Australia is still so physically isolated and days to get anywhere within it let alone out of it , you can end up thousands of miles away from the people who mean most to you. A lot of emigres here have returned back to Europe and UK, so think very carefully about this life choice. Working young and free and actually living here where one can access schools etc for children( the education system here cant hold a candle to what comes out of the UK/Ireland in primary and secondary school learning) and have family support is a whole different ball game.