Migrating to Australia - Thoughts & Advice?

[pyroboy1911]

IMO, going back into medicine would make PR and income matter something less to think about.

going to Aus this feb, University of South Australia in Adelaide

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by ToyotaFreak

Just checked my manual, 57 litres.

I think the restricted shopping hours in WA is there to protect the smaller shops. A lot of people agree on having extended shopping hours in WA, but in the end, people voted "No" in the referendum.

The Pencil Guy » Now the madness is about trading hours!
Shopping hours - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PerthNow poll backs Premier's open shopping hours | PerthNow
Sunday shopping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hmm.. That means petrol costs about AUS$1 per liter. Hey, the exchange rate is something like AUS$1 = RM 2.8-3 right now, so petrol costs about RM 3 per liter.

IMHO, restricting trading hours is stupid.

What do you guys do the rest of the evening and night???

[Papercut]

FYI Adrian, the minimum wage for someone your age over there would be around A$12 per hour (maybe more? Ballpark figure) regardless of what you do. Hell, you could flip burgers in the daytime and run TechARP at night and make a decent living if you were so inclined

Perth is definitely not a place for everybody, as TF has already brought to your attention. There are plenty of other states to try though, for more activity and a wider range of establishments that open past 5pm.

Eating out is indeed very expensive so cooking at home is essential for your financial well-being. A Malaysian can definitely survive though, there are places to get pretty decent and fairly authentic Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine in all the large cities (ie. Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, etc).

I'll try to be as objective as I can here...
Good things about Australia: Generally friendly people, the four seasons (some people like it - I'm not suited to cold or low humidity myself).
Not so good: Booze & drug culture and all the problems it brings - fights and hooliganism, drunk driving, etc.

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by empire23

- From what i garner, to get a full PR you generally need to be in a list of high priority skilled migrants, which changes from time to time depending on the needs of the country, they generally take alot into consideration, and one stands a better chance if they're educated in aust. Although my gf's brother was denied a PR even though he held a PHD and Professorship at Monash, and got it by the virtue of his wife, an accountant.

Yeah, will have to try our luck. Will be consulting a migration lawyer eventually.

Originally Posted by empire23

- Money. If you have significant amounts of cash to invest in the country and can show that you have the funds to buy a house and live comfortably, it generally reflects better on you. It's just one of those things they take into account.

Hmm.. The trouble is the Ringgint is about 1/3rd the value of the Australian dollar. I guess I will have to save up a LOT more money!

Originally Posted by empire23

- You'll probably have to sit for their medical board exam. A family friend, a dentist a graduate from UM had to sit for such an exam as he described it. Expect some form of bias depending on where you go.

Yeah, I heard it's not cheap. Comes to about RM 18,000 (AUS$6K) just to take the exams.

Originally Posted by empire23

- Useless English tests. If you have a valid IELTS or TOEFL cert you stand to get past their stupid migrant english test which uses the listening and speaking parts of the IELTS test. Band 6 and you'll be fine.

I think I have TOEFL somewhere! I hope the results don't "expire".

Originally Posted by empire23

- I hate perth and australia generally. Stupid fudgin hot place, been to Aust 6 times and i still don't like the place, it's as boring as staring at my nuts. Maybe it's that accent and my metal image that sees australians as all crocodile wrestlers. I much prefer the UK but they kind want Business and Economics educated migrants.

Hmm.. I understand that Perth is hot. I would personally prefer somewhere cooler. Unfortunately, the UK is a mite far away (19+ hours by flight!) and they just closed their doors to all non-EU migrants.

Originally Posted by empire23

- It seems that the orang puteh have not discovered the magic of ceiling fans.

Seriously??? I thought the Brits came up with the ceiling fan. Surely, the Australians would have them too?

Originally Posted by empire23

- Everything stops at 5 depending on place. Lazy aussies.

Arghh... That's a potential problem. We are so used to going out until late at night... either shopping or mamaking... What do Australians do after 5???

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by pyroboy1911

IMO, going back into medicine would make PR and income matter something less to think about.

going to Aus this feb, University of South Australia in Adelaide

Hmm.. Not necessarily. I heard that the pay is pretty low. More or less similar to what government doctors here earn.

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by Papercut

FYI Adrian, the minimum wage for someone your age over there would be around A$12 per hour (maybe more? Ballpark figure) regardless of what you do. Hell, you could flip burgers in the daytime and run TechARP at night and make a decent living if you were so inclined

Perth is definitely not a place for everybody, as TF has already brought to your attention. There are plenty of other states to try though, for more activity and a wider range of establishments that open past 5pm.

Eating out is indeed very expensive so cooking at home is essential for your financial well-being. A Malaysian can definitely survive though, there are places to get pretty decent and fairly authentic Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine in all the large cities (ie. Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, etc).

I'll try to be as objective as I can here...
Good things about Australia: Generally friendly people, the four seasons (some people like it - I'm not suited to cold or low humidity myself).
Not so good: Booze & drug culture and all the problems it brings - fights and hooliganism, drunk driving, etc.

Hi Papercut!

Well, at this time, I'm just planning for an exit strategy (George Bush should do the same! ).

I haven't been to Australia so I'm trying to gather as much info as I can before I head over there for a look-see. If it's not that great, then I may have to consider a more distant destination like Canada.

Of course, I'm not looking for a place with the best of Malaysia like 365 days, late night shopping; night markets, mamak sessions, etc.

If there's such a place, I would like to settle down in a place with a reasonably cool climate, clean air and low level of crime. If I do go back into medicine, it will be at a place with a good working condition. Living costs should be reasonable, as I'm not rich to begin with... and whatever I have will be cut down to 1/3rd when I get over there!

Which part of Australia do you think I should check out? Thanks!

[PsYkHoTiK]

Well if Aussie it is, Aussie it is. I usually recommend my homeland...

About costs, do not convert. You intend on working there so use dollar to dollar. Example: McD's meal here is around 4-6 bucks. Pretty cheap for us over here. If you convert to RM its not. But it doesn't matter. You earn in local currency. Compare that dollar to dollar with RM. A dollar here goes a LOT further then a ringgit there.

As for how things are there, it is important to remember that you are migrating to another country. Not the other way around. You conform to them.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Adrian Wong

Yeah, will have to try our luck. Will be consulting a migration lawyer eventually.


Hmm.. The trouble is the Ringgint is about 1/3rd the value of the Australian dollar. I guess I will have to save up a LOT more money!


Yeah, I heard it's not cheap. Comes to about RM 18,000 (AUS$6K) just to take the exams.


I think I have TOEFL somewhere! I hope the results don't "expire".


Hmm.. I understand that Perth is hot. I would personally prefer somewhere cooler. Unfortunately, the UK is a mite far away (19+ hours by flight!) and they just closed their doors to all non-EU migrants.


Seriously??? I thought the Brits came up with the ceiling fan. Surely, the Australians would have them too?


Arghh... That's a potential problem. We are so used to going out until late at night... either shopping or mamaking... What do Australians do after 5???

huh? the UK is a 12-14 hr flight away for a direct flight from KLIA to Heathrow. but yeah, there is currently an issue with immigrants, with the Conservative Party proposing a cap on the number of migrants into the UK and the government tightening regulations, and also there's a glut of junior doctors currently here

and no, I've not seen a single ceiling fan here in the UK yet

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by PsYkHoTiK

Well if Aussie it is, Aussie it is. I usually recommend my homeland...

About costs, do not convert. You intend on working there so use dollar to dollar. Example: McD's meal here is around 4-6 bucks. Pretty cheap for us over here. If you convert to RM its not. But it doesn't matter. You earn in local currency. Compare that dollar to dollar with RM. A dollar here goes a LOT further then a ringgit there.

As for how things are there, it is important to remember that you are migrating to another country. Not the other way around. You conform to them.

Thought of the US... but it's just as far as Canada, and much harder to get in!

Yeah, definitely. But the living cost is still important because I will have to plan and save ahead of any potential move.

At least for the first few months, I don't think we will be able to find any job at wherever we move to. Have to plan on some savings for that eventuality. That's where the conversion and cost of living comes in.

Yeah, of course. Same thing when I stayed in India for 3 years. It may be a culture shock initially, but I think we will adapt just fine. We survived India after all.

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by Brian

huh? the UK is a 12-14 hr flight away for a direct flight from KLIA to Heathrow. but yeah, there is currently an issue with immigrants, with the Conservative Party proposing a cap on the number of migrants into the UK and the government tightening regulations, and also there's a glut of junior doctors currently here

and no, I've not seen a single ceiling fan here in the UK yet

Oh yeah, that is if you take the direct flight.

As far as doctors are concerned, the border is closed in the UK for all non-EU doctors.

My aunt is a nurse there. She flew home on Christmas night.