Life in Australia - What to Expect When Moving Abroad

Before taking the plunge to move across the pond to Australia from Ireland, I thought I knew what to expect. Sunshine 365 days a year, a higher standard of living, and AN overall more relaxed way of life. While some of my previous expectations may have turned out to be true, there were a lot of things that did not. everyone's experiences are different, this is just an insight into some of the things I learned after moving to Sydney.

1. Wages

Before living in Australia had ever even become a thought in my mind, I always remember hearing of those who had fled to the land down under where they apparently made enviable amounts of money and never wanted to come home. Others moved to Australia where they stayed and worked for a few years, only to return home with enough cash in the bank to afford their dream car and start building their own home. That, however, is definitely not the case for a lot of people. The current minimum wage in Australia is $20.33, and while this sounds like a lot, the cost of living in Australia tends to be pretty high, especially in the likes of Sydney. 

For the majority of those that move to Australia, they may pick up work in the likes of retail, cafés, and offices. These jobs tend to pay around 20-25 dollars per hour. If your plan is to move here and make bank, you may want to look for work elsewhere. For many of the guys who decide to move abroad they can easily pick up work in the booming construction industry, where little to no experience or qualifications are needed, but the rate of pay is extremely good. I soon came to realise that the big money is to be made in construction, and all those I had heard of making a good living for themselves were those in the industry. For us girls it can be a little more difficult, most go into traffic control where the pay is not as high, but still definitely much better than that of café work. Traffic control work is a great way to get yelled at on the daily just for doing your job, not to mention rotting your brain with the levels of boredom, (speaking from experience). Even with good rates of pay though, rent can take up the bulk of your income, while eating out and going for drinks will set you back a decent amount as well. If you are willing to sacrifice some of these pleasures you can save some good money, but if you are like me and here on a working holiday visa with limited time, it can be hard to resist when there are so many exciting things to see and do on your days off. 

2. Rent

Prior to moving to Sydney, the thought of renting my own place never crossed my mind as being something worth stressing over. Then, the reality hit. The renting process in Sydney is much more tedious than I could have ever imagined. Like most, I didn’t have a job organised before moving, so there were a few weeks of applying and attending interviews before I got work. When viewing houses in Sydney you often have a lot of competition. In our case, there were older couples who already had stable jobs and references to show. When applying for houses here in Sydney we came up against many obstacles. They really only cared if you already had a job with payslips to show how much you earn/how you’ll be able to pay rent. They did not care for renting references from home or from anywhere outside of Australia, our previous rental history was irrelevant. Once you've finally filled out the application form it can often take up to a week before you even hear back from anyone. When starting up in a new country things can be difficult enough as it is and the system of applying for houses added to a lot of stress. The whole situation felt a bit like a catch 22, and we ended up spending weeks upon weeks trying to find somewhere to live, all the while still being unemployed and burning through cash much quicker than we would have liked.

3.  Weather

When you think of Australian weather the first thing that comes to mind is blue skies and endless sun. While the weather is amazing and summers can be blistering hot, when the winter months roll around you better brace yourself for a change. We were of the idea that the Australians don’t really experience winter, the sun still shines and the temperatures soar above those we are used to back home in Ireland. Then I experienced my first Australian winter. Temperatures dropped significantly and I found myself running around K-mart in a last-minute panic, desperately trying to source a hot water bottle and find myself some cosy winter clothing. Oh, and let's not forget the rain. Do not be fooled, Sydney gets rain, and a lot of it for that matter. If you are thinking of moving to Australia this is just a heads up that yes, it can get pretty damn cold and yes, prepare for some serious downfalls of rain. 

4. Aussie Lingo

Australian colloquialisms are something you will only begin to grasp after spending some time here and having some very awkward moments where everything seems to get a little bit lost in translation. Aussie slang mainly involves making words as short as possible, because who really has the time to form complete sentences?

• Arvo - afternoon
• Serv-o - service/petrol station
• Bottle-o - bottle shop

See where this is going? You’ll catch onto those pretty soon, it’s the other phrases that might take you a while to grasp such as; 

Goon - dirt cheap wine that usually comes in a box & guaranteed to send you loopy. A backpackers #1 companion

• Thongs - flip flops
• Schooey/Schooner - a beer, not quite as big as a pint, but bigger than a can

Ridin’ the waves

I really thought when I moved here that I would be first in line to buy a surfboard and get out into the warm waters. Ah, how naive I was. I remember when I first visited Bondi Beach and saw just how many surfers there are at any given time of the day. And yes, every last one of them would put me to shame. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of newbies out there and I salute them, I really do. But as a spectator I get so much enjoyment out of watching them attempt to catch a wave and absolutely destroy themselves instead, and quite frankly I don't want to be on the other end of that. My surfing skills are not up to scratch, it has been a while and I just don’t have the confidence to kick it with the seasoned surfers. There are a lot of people in the water and it often can be a bit cramped, and I just KNOW I would be the one unable to fully control my board and almost take someone's head off. Alas, I have decided to steer clear until I can be back home in the spacious open waters of Donegal.

6. Alcohol

Besides from alcohol being expensive in Australia, something to get used to is not being able to buy it from a supermarket. Nope, you will have to go to an actual liquor store. Something that really took me by surprise when arriving in Australia was that while you can’t buy from the store, they do have drive-thru liquor shops (which is pretty cool and kinda makes up for it ). You just pull up, walk into what is basically a giant fridge, then load up on the goods and head on your merry way. Genius.

7. Friendships 

I think friendships are an interesting topic in regards to moving abroad, not just to Australia but to anywhere in the world. Everyone at some stage or another struggles with meeting new people and making new friends. It can often feel lonely, and it is something that few people will actually admit to or talk about unless someone else brings it up first. I think the best way to meet new people is by putting yourself out there, whether it's suggesting to grab a drink after work with your new workmates or signing up to join a sports team, you just have to put yourself out there (I know, I know, the most predictable suggestion ever). More often than not, people will only jump at the chance to meet up or grab food if you suggest it because really, we are all in the same boat. While it can be nerve-wracking you should try to push yourself to just say yes more. If someone invites you to a barbecue full of people you don't know all that well, just go for it! I know that in Sydney there are some groups on Facebook that organise weekly meet-ups to get coffee and catch the morning sunrise together so people have a chance to make new friends. It can be scary but as they say, nothing good ever comes from your comfort zone!

8. Visas & Work

Most people have no issues when it comes to getting their Working Holiday visa which allows them to live and work in Australia for up to 12 months. However, if you’re planning on staying longer things can sometimes get a lil tricky. If you’re planning on residing for longer than a year, you can apply for a second and third year on the Working Holiday visa. In order to gain your second year you will need to complete 3 months of regional work in your first year, and an additional 6 months in your second year to gain your 3rd. Other options are available, such as sponsorship visas, skilled worker visas and student visas. While jobs in areas such as retail and hospitality shouldn’t be much of an issue for visitors, if you’re looking for a job in finance, for example, it is likely you may come up against some difficulties as companies may prefer hiring someone with some ‘reliability’ instead of someone on a working holiday visa. Just something to consider.

9. Sharks

Okay, let’s just talk about sharks for a moment. That whole joke ‘oh, there’s a shark in the water!’, always seemed just that - a joke. It never seemed like a genuine concern unless you were to swim waaay out into the unknown, but the amount of news reports I had seen while living there about shark attacks, as well as sharks coming in close to the shore, is pretty terrifying. So yeah, stay safe out there folks.  

10. Life’s a Beach

There’s a belief that life in Australia moves slower, the people live a more laid-back way of life and the new-norm is ending each day with sunset views on the beach and a few tinnies in the esky (basically the aussie term for a bag of cans for us Irish). When living in a bustling city like Sydney it can be easy to get caught up in the city lifestyle where it is all-go. I think that the 'laid-back' aussie lifestyle will depend more-so on where exactly you decide to live, with the suburbs and more regional areas being less hectic than Sydney city for obvious reasons. Places further up the coast along the Northern Beaches really boast that beachy, chilled out lifestyle where every day starts and ends with a surf or swim. For many Aussies and travellers, life really does happen at a slower pace here.

Many things took me by surprise when I moved to Sydney. There were a lot of struggles I didn’t expect to come up against, and many of them became heightened when covid struck and threw a spanner in the works. As a result, I didn't have the opportunity to travel around Australia quite like I had hoped. In spite of that, living in Sydney has been a great experience and it is a city that has so much to offer. the climate means every weekend feels like a holiday when you’re sipping cocktails On a rooftop beer garden. With that said, I don’t see Australia as home but I can fully understand how many expats find their way here and don't ever want to come home. Me? I miss walks on cold, frosty mornings, Galways’ bustling and colourful cobbled streets, and most importantly living abroad showed me how much I take for granted what I have on my own back door.