When we actually plan to move to Australia, I was quite eager to move soon. But my hubby told me that we need to ensure that we have sufficient cash in Singapore for our commitment (HDB mortgage, insurance premium, parents' allowance etc) and enough cash to cover 2 years' expenses in Australia (in case we can't find a job).
But with excitement, we decided to take the risk and reduce our expectation to 1 year's expenses and found out that we could actually move there sooner than we thought. Yeah!
It was such a contrast to when I first tried to move to Sydney 4 years ago. I brought with me A$5,000 cash and I was almost broke before I found a contract job there. I almost took a job to work as a kitchen help in an Indonesian restaurant coz I need the money. My mum was worried that I took the job as a kitchen help cos I never stepped into a kitchen in my whole life! (Ok, I was a bit exaggerating, I cooked instant noodles before)
But this time, it's a bit different. Now, we're going as a couple so we need 2 persons' expenses. As parents growing older by the day, we need to set aside money for rainy days or emergencies. Even our lifestyle has changed. I'm not sure my husband can live in a cheap old rented apartment this time compared to his student days in Brisbane.
Will we be able to find job soon over there? I hope so.
On the other hand, we actually plan to take it easy for the 1st few months, take it as a holiday, before starting to apply for a job.
2 comments:
Can't you pay your HDB mortgage with CPF rather than cash (for a few years)? A Singaporean friend of mine who migrated here said that's what they are doing.
If you didn't like Sydney and your husband liked Brisbane, why don't you consider going back to Brisbane instead of Sydney? Brisbane (or other Australian city) is cheaper to settle in and you should be able to get a nice apt in Brisbane for the price of a crappy apt in Sydney.
And if you need a holiday before starting job hunt, it might be better to travel in Asia. You'll have plenty of time to relax and holiday in Australia when you settle here, but next time you want to take a holiday to other Asian countries the airfare will be expensive! The longer you are in Australia without securing a job, the bigger your pressure/stress level too. Just my 2c worth of opinions.
yeah, we have some CPF enough to cover for 3 yrs of mortgage. Currently invested into UT and stocks, so it's prob less than 3 yrs now with the market going downhill :(
I didn't survive the culture shock working and living in Sydney. I love the city, but i kept missing my friends when I was there. This time around, armed with a hubby and PIL, hopefully it'll be different.
We're still open to ideas about other cities liek Brisbane or Adelaide but Sydney seems to be a good city to start coz I work in banking sector and the openings are only in Sydney.
Well, i'm sceptical about being able to enjoy the holiday in Aust since we maybe worried abt getting a job there. But I prefer to be there and laze around than going to Phuket or Bali for a holiday :)
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