London (UK) or Melbourne (Australia)?

[boardUser]

Hi all

I am moving to London next month to hunt for a job and although I have a good profile and education but the situation in UK doesn't seem very promising.

At the same time I have got State Sponsorship (SS) from Victoria (Melboune, Australia) and I have to pay the final fee to DIAC to get my PR.

Although I want to settle in UK in long term however given the market situation I am seriously considering of moving to Melbourne. I am interested in knowing what others have to say about this?

[mulderpf]

My view of the UK situation:

* High unemployment caused by government cuts + banking industry cuts
* Increasing inflation (food inflation and transport costs are the big culprits) with salary freezes in many sectors causing a squeeze on income
* Anti-immigration government changing rules all the time towards forcing more and more people to leave by making the rules more and more strict.

There still exist many opportunities out there, but things are not as easy as they once were.

It's not all doom and gloom in the UK, because I got here, got a well-paying job within a few weeks, my partner did the same so there are exceptions. However, you need to prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario, because better be pleasantly surprised than horribly disappointed. As long as you know what you are getting yourself into, it should be easier.

Personally though, I'd go with Australia for now - especially a sponsorship in Victoria - that's brilliant!!

Good luck with the decision!!

[kenfrapin]

I'd like to add that irrespective of the issues in the UK, jobs are still there for the taking but it's all down to if your profile is a perfect fit for the role. Asking a question if UK or Australia is better only taking career prospects into account is not easy to answer as there may not be anyone around who has expert knowledge on both place at the same time.

There may be few who lived a few years in the UK and now in Oz (or vice versa) but I guess your best bet, though not accurate, is to see for yourself if your profile and experience stands a better chance here or in Australia. This may really not prove anything because a single job hit here may be your dream role whereas 10 hits from Australian firms/agents will get you nowhere (again, vice versa is true)

All in all not a straightforward question to answer. Mulderpf has highlighted the issues in general on the UK economy and possible issues on settlement - if settlement is a criteria then hands down its best to stay away from the UK as prospects looks bleak for anyone planning to come here and settle after few years of working and slogging it out. Due to a huge influx of immigrants, UK borders will be closed for sometime until a point when there are enough jobs and not enough people (though personally I doubt that will happen anytime soon)

KP

[AccountantMatthew]

It's the million dollar question there boardUser!

I live in London now but have previously lived in Melbourne (I'm a Brit who got PR over there). Both cities are fantastic but in different ways - and have both similar and different things on offer.

Most importantly there are pros and cons to both.

Rental property is expensive in both cities and there is a growing housing shortage in Melbourne - so more competition and higher prices. Last time I visited there in March, I also found it quite expensive, partly due to the exchange rate, partly because it was just expensive(!) London isn't necessarily the rip-off place it is portrayed as any more but do expect to pay a lot of money for not a lot of housing. It can be a rat race too to put it mildly - but then again so can Melbourne.

Don't fully believe the 'no worries/down the beach at 5pm' image that is perpetuated about Australia. No country gets to that kind of level without hard work. I worked just as long and hard in Melbourne as I have done in London. You have exactly the same mix of friendly and rude people too.

Job wise it depends on what you do. For now London seems to have been hit harder by the global recession but I wouldn't be shocked if something happened down under within the next few years as a similar set of circumstances are arising over there now as were here a couple of years ago (housing as mentioned above being one thing). The resource industries are starting to take a down turn I believe but I'm happy to be corrected; I'm not an economist so don't place too much reliance on what I say here.

Basically economies are cyclical in nature anyway so it won't always be rosy and it won't always be doom - wherever you go.

That said there are definite pros to living in Melbourne and I really enjoyed my time there. You can get a good lifestyle and the weather, being more seasonal and less humid than other places, is bearable.

I absolutely love London too. You can never get bored here and it truly is a world city that can be continually explored. I'm biased obviously but the UK is a beautiful country.

So in a long winded way, don't necessarily go to either place just because of the job. Think what your priorities are and don't think the grass happens to be greener where you end up - there are joys and stresses in both. Either way as far as dilemmas go, you've not got a bad one. Good luck in whatever you opt for.

[madona587]

Stay away from UK ! Why ? Read what mulderpf said, UK is NOT the place if you're looking forward to settle down.

Good luck bro.

[mulderpf]

Stay away from UK ! Why ? Read what mulderpf said, UK is NOT the place if you're looking forward to settle down.

Good luck bro.

I would hate for my advice to be used for someone to stay away completely. As I said, there are still many opportunities out there to be had - it might just be a bit more difficult to get to them than it might have been 5 years ago.

The one major thing that will hopefully save Aus from being hit so hard by the recession is that it's economy is based on resources for which there will always be a demand. The UK's economy is based very much on services for which the demand is currently in decline. Right now it might be the perfect time to go to Aus, but then things change quickly - a year from now the picture might be very different.

Why did I choose the UK: I chose the UK simply because I like cooler climates (and the rules meant it was easier at the time to get into the UK). Nothing to do with career and job opportunities and the economy.

So look at the whole picture, not just the market situation and economy, there may be other reasons which could influence your decision.

[boardUser]

I am glad that I started this thread and thanks guys for your valuable input. I wanted to keep all such factors in perspective before making a final decision.

For me I see UK as

- Nearer to my home country
- Currently I have a lot of acquaintances in UK
- UK experience is important even if I want to move to Oz later on.

and I see Oz as

- a place from where I did my Masters and really like the place
- Seems attractive in terms of job opportunities.
- A place which is far far away although I expect that more people I know will be moving to Australia.

So I plan to move to UK(since I already got the work permit for the UK) and try my luck there and based on the overall factors like living, jobs, settlement I will see if there is a need to make another move!

[AccountantMatthew]

No problems boardUser! Good luck with the move over here and I hope all goes well.

[boardUser]

AccountantMatthew thankyou for the wish!!