Choices.....

DonDaddyD

GTV, forgive me for being so bold for a second. But why are you so motivated to leave England?

Also, do you have kids from a previous relationship? If you have a relationship with those children how will moving your current family (assuming the child are still relatively young and not living with you) to another Country affect them? How and when will you visit or they visit you?

If I planned on visiting England with any degree of regularity then it wouldn't be Australia. Not unless I was getting paid a wedge of 6 figures starting with '2' or there abouts - so the cost of flying was easily absorbed by my salary.

That said it would have to be US or Canada.

gtvlusso

DonDaddyD wrote:

GTV, forgive me for being so bold for a second. But why are you so motivated to leave England?

Also, do you have kids from a previous relationship? If you have a relationship with those children how will moving your current family (assuming the child are still relatively young and not living with you) to another Country affect them? How and when will you visit or they visit you?

If I planned on visiting England with any degree of regularity then it wouldn't be Australia. Not unless I was getting paid a wedge of 6 figures starting with '2' or there abouts - so the cost of flying was easily absorbed by my salary.

That said it would have to be US or Canada.

I must admit that I am not that keen to leave ol' blighty. In reality it is about moving up the ladder at work, my area of expertise is very niche and as such, I have to follow the work. Throughout my 20's and early 30's I travelled extensively for work, I am now more office bound, but stuck in terms of position. To re-invigorate my career (and get a bit more dough) the only way is to get the next step on the ladder and relocation may be the only way. I am very guilty of letting my career drift and now I need to man up and get the money flowing a bit more freely.

Tis true - I have 2 x another, now deceased, however, they are with their paternal dad now (I am sure there has been some debate on here about my f*cked up life!) in London and have a great life, I am immensely proud of both of them and know that they are well cared for and loved. I still see them and will still get to see them, however, I have 'real' junior mk1 to deal with and feel that my family perhaps need a fresh start - I need to take a more 'uncle' role with them.

I won't go into detail, but we had a great family loss at the beginning of 2012 and both my wife and I are re-evaluating our lives our careers and what we want for junior.

I coped, with allot of help from friends and parents/in laws and an au pair to bring up 2 kids and maintain a job/life of kind - but it was in no way what I planned. Nature sometimes throws you a very curved ball very early on and you have to deal with it. But now I have more freedom and more time, so, why not reset and go find out something about the world.

My plan is not for a long term move, in all reality - 3 years and I will be back to dirty the fine waters of the UK......

davis

gtvlusso wrote:

My plan is not for a long term move, in all reality - 3 years and I will be back to dirty the fine waters of the UK......

3 years? Out of the two, Australia, by a country (SWIDT?) mile. From what little I've inferred about you, your life, and what's important to you, Australia wins easily.

Like someone else said, I wouldn't have chosen Sydney out of the cities in Australia, but hey. It's got one hell of a lot going for it if you're feeling like "bugging out" (hate the phrase, but don't know of an alternative one).

gtvlusso

Unfortunately - the job I would be going to is based in Sydney.

Both moves are internal within my organisation and location is not that negotiable, but I drew the line at Dallas, Texas!

il_principe

Which location is best for weekend cycling?

veronese68

gtvlusso wrote:

I drew the line at Dallas, Texas!

You are indeed a wise man.

aeon

sydney is not the worst australian city to live in...







...and even if it was, that's kind of like saying 'oh, that's the heaviest of ALL the cervelos': you still totally would.

DonDaddyD

gtvlusso wrote:

I must admit that I am not that keen to leave ol' blighty.

That was an emotional post dude. I feel well..er.. all emotional right now. I hope it all works out.

rolf_f

I suppose it also depends on what interests you outside of work and family. I can't imagine that I'd find much to interest me in Australia though I'm sure much of it is very beautiful. The States (and Canada) has more variety for my interests (culture, climate, scenery, history) etc. A mate of mine, from Holland, has been over there for about 2 and a half years. He's been based in Washington DC but has travelled around a bit. He's managed to visit most of the National Parks and quite a few cities. He could never live their permanently (if only because of the lack of walking facilities!) but there has been enough beauty to keep him happy for a few years.

I've been to NY and Boston and I think that part of the US is OK - but Colorado wipes the floor with it and my mate reckons Wyoming is pretty close. I also liked Oregon and Washington State. But these places are relatively short flights from NY and a world apart.

All the same, the sheer joy of being able to drive a short distance in the UK and end up in a place with completely different scenery and architecture is something you don't appreciate until you haven't got it. Go East of my beloved Rocky Mountains and there is nothing much worth stopping for until you hit the Atlantic several thousand miles later

gtvlusso

Glad I can project my emotions by internet proxy :-)

I guess the whole thread is a bit malformed really, because it could be construed as me being quite big headed;

'I am getting a big job in another country - suck on that'

In reality though, I am sh*tting myself and know that I won't have thought of every problem or concern; getting a rounded view from a bunch of people (some of which I have met once breifly!) seems to be very re-assuring. in a weird way.....almost like being 18 again and starting out!

clarkey cat

its called a #humblebrag

gtvlusso

Rolf F wrote:

I suppose it also depends on what interests you outside of work and family. I can't imagine that I'd find much to interest me in Australia though I'm sure much of it is very beautiful. The States (and Canada) has more variety (culture, climate, scenery, history) etc. A mate of mine, from Holland, has been over there for about 2 and a half years. He's been based in Washington DC but has travelled around a bit. He's managed to visit most of the National Parks and quite a few cities. He could never live their permanently (if only because of the lack of walking facilities!) but there has been enough beauty to keep him happy for a few years.

I've been to NY and Boston and I think that part of the US is OK - but Colorado wipes the floor with it and my mate reckons Wyoming is pretty close. I also liked Oregon and Washington State. But these places are relatively short flights from NY and a world apart.

In all honesty, I wanted Toronto or Vancouver, but that was not going to be possible due to the nature of our client base. I opted for Redmond, near Seattle, but that died a death too. We are being re-orged at the moment, so, offices are closing and consolidating.....

If it be Sydney, then so be it and be it so.

Maybe some kindly bloke will come along and give me another £20k per annum to stay in the UK.......you never know!

veronese68

Shame you couldn't get Vancouver.
My Dad was posted to the London office from Verona for 2 years. That was in 1970, he's still in the same house.

rolf_f

gtvlusso wrote:

Maybe some kindly bloke will come along and give me another £20k per annum to stay in the UK.......you never know!

This is it though isn't it? Obviously, as long as you are conforming to Mr Micawbers theory of happiness (ie that income is greater than outgoing even if the difference between the two is only 1p) then what price your quality of life?

£20k is really only going to be about £13k take home. There is no way on earth I would relocate for that sort of money unless it would make the difference between insolvency and solvency.

gtvlusso

Rolf F wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Maybe some kindly bloke will come along and give me another £20k per annum to stay in the UK.......you never know!

This is it though isn't it? Obviously, as long as you are conforming to Mr Micawbers theory of happiness (ie that income is greater than outgoing even if the difference between the two is only 1p) then what price your quality of life?

£20k is really only going to be about £13k take home. There is no way on earth I would relocate for that sort of money unless it would make the difference between insolvency and solvency.

I would say that my quality of life is substandard in the UK to what I could achieve for my family elsewhere.

Just to clarify this - I am doing too much work and taking too much responsibility at the moment for not enough cold hard cash - so, if they paid me - and I have asked - another £20k - I would be happier to take the responsibility I am taking and work the hours that I am working. As it stands, there is acknowledgement that I am being underpaid, but no actual action on the ack. There are opportunities higher up in the food chain that I can take elsewhere and gain not just financially, but hopefully give my family a bit of a different scene too.

There are very few opportunities within my tech cluster in the UK - if a job in the Thames Valley came up, with the right cash, I would take it.

Yes, career is a driver, yes, finances are a driver - however, I think my family need a break from the old routine for a bit and this is a perfect opportunity and not to be wasted.

I would be relocating for a 6 figure UK salary - both offers.

Staying in the UK would keep me on a good 5 figure salary, but another £20k on top would put me inline for the management responsibility that I have.

rolf_f

Ah well - it's all relative. The workload thing I can understand but I suppose I'd struggle with the financial aspects - but then I'm not even half way to a 6 figure salary but am quite happy with what I get paid! Any more would just be more in the bank so money isn't really an incentive.

Kieran_Burns

gtvlusso wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Maybe some kindly bloke will come along and give me another £20k per annum to stay in the UK.......you never know!

This is it though isn't it? Obviously, as long as you are conforming to Mr Micawbers theory of happiness (ie that income is greater than outgoing even if the difference between the two is only 1p) then what price your quality of life?

£20k is really only going to be about £13k take home. There is no way on earth I would relocate for that sort of money unless it would make the difference between insolvency and solvency.

blah de blah.

How do you have time to post on here then?

tailwindhome

What's best for your kid(s) both in the short and long term.

Everything else is largely irrelevant.

Is this going to be a permanent move? What happens when kid(s) marry and have their own kids. Will Grandad GTVLusso still be content in OZ?

gtvlusso

Kieran_Burns wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Maybe some kindly bloke will come along and give me another £20k per annum to stay in the UK.......you never know!

This is it though isn't it? Obviously, as long as you are conforming to Mr Micawbers theory of happiness (ie that income is greater than outgoing even if the difference between the two is only 1p) then what price your quality of life?

£20k is really only going to be about £13k take home. There is no way on earth I would relocate for that sort of money unless it would make the difference between insolvency and solvency.

blah de blah.

How do you have time to post on here then?

I didn't say that I was any good at my job or very diligent at work!

TBH, most of my work is with America or overnight (my team stretches across several timezones) so, I tend to be working until early AM and permanently on-call for Management Escalations....My hours are a bit odd.

rjsterry

Large corporations taking advantage of people with a good work ethic seems to be a common theme - i.e. letting the hours and responsibility build up but never quite getting round to reviewing remuneration as quickly. I've no idea how transferable your skills are, and whether jumping ship is a realistic option, but it might focus their minds a little. Or it might just make them lean on the next guy down whom they push up to fill the gap.

FWIW, you could do a lot worse than living in South Gloucestershire, particularly as you head north up the edge of the Cotswolds; I always realise how much I miss it when I visit the folks.

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Large corporations taking advantage of people with a good work ethic seems to be a common theme - i.e. letting the hours and responsibility build up but never quite getting round to reviewing remuneration as quickly. I've no idea how transferable your skills are, and whether jumping ship is a realistic option, but it might focus their minds a little. Or it might just make them lean on the next guy down whom they push up to fill the gap.

Probably the only value a good headhunter is.

Explain the situation to them, see how likely other opportunities are. A good one will give you an honest view.

Wheelspinner

Rolf F wrote:

I'd prefer the dole queue in the UK!

If that's true, you may as well have not said another word.

veronese68

gtvlusso wrote:

Just to clarify this - I am doing too much work and taking too much responsibility at the moment for not enough cold hard cash .

Wherever you end up you have to consider your work/life balance. If you make yourself ill through over work and stress no amount of money is enough.
I don't earn a lot, I took a pay cut to go back to work for a company I used to work for. The advantages were that I got on well with the people there, it was closer to home with shorter hours and, quite important at the time, it was stress free.
Admittedly my circumstances were a bit strange. I was still having chemo and the place I was working had just shafted me by going back on their word and stopping my sick pay. Saying that, 6 years on I'm still glad I did it and am healthy (if short of cash).

gtvlusso

Sorting through the 120 e-mails I had this morning (yes, 120!!!! can you fecking believe it!!) - NJ may be off the cards as this office may close and move to Texas anyway.....Major boo :-(

Only 13 of the e-mails I had required any immediate input......damn the efficiency!!!

rjsterry

Following on from Veronese's post, if work is stressful enough that you are posting on here for therapeutic reasons, then it sounds like you need to jump ship anyway. I very much doubt that a move up the ladder and half way round the world, albeit with improved remuneration, will lead to reduced workload/stress.

veronese68

gtvlusso wrote:

Sorting through the 120 e-mails I had this morning (yes, 120!!!! can you fecking believe it!!) - NJ may be off the cards as this office may close and move to Texas anyway.....Major boo :-(

Only 13 of the e-mails I had required any immediate input......damn the efficiency!!!

Makes the decision out of which of the 2 a bit easier then.

EKE_38BPM

Veronese68 wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Sorting through the 120 e-mails I had this morning (yes, 120!!!! can you fecking believe it!!) - NJ may be off the cards as this office may close and move to Texas anyway.....Major boo :-(

Only 13 of the e-mails I had required any immediate input......damn the efficiency!!!

Makes the decision out of which of the 2 a bit easier then.

Unless the company expect Texas to take the place of NJ. If GTV has the absolute power of veto over Texas, then G'day mate!

rolf_f

Wheelspinner wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

I'd prefer the dole queue in the UK!

If that's true, you may as well have not said another word.

Actually, my comment there was probably not well phrased. If my job was either going to end, or I'd have to relocate to somewhere outside Europe permanently, then I'd take my chances on finding another job here.

The dole isn't really a likely scenario - I wouldn't be eligible to claim it and I wouldn't be prepared to jump through the pointless hoops you'd need to get it. And I probably wouldn't find it difficult to find another job anyway.

For me, anywhere outside Europe is pretty second best at best and life is too short for me to want to be away from here for long. I'd just get bored tbh.

cjcp

If you can do it for a couple of years, Sydney would be my choice. Always good to experience something different. Regret the things you do, not the things you didn't do and all that.

gabriel959

cjcp wrote:

If you can do it for a couple of years, Sydney would be my choice. Always good to experience something different. Regret the things you do, not the things you didn't do and all that.

+1