Hulo Beachgal,
Deciding to move to a new country when you've not experienced
living abroad is a huge step! You have my admiration. :)
I'm currently working in Melbourne, and I got my PR status in Jan
09. I've been working since March 08 though, because once u apply
for PR onshore, u are allowed to work unlimited hours, in any
fields of work and in any state within Australia until your PR
application has been approved/rejected.
I studied and lived abroad in the UK for 3 yrs before coming back
to work in Singapore. I got bored quickly because my colleagues
"worked in the same manner", "spoke the same things", "targetted
for the same stuffs". Everything in Singapore, as we all know, is
orderly, well-mannered and unfortunately, packaged the same for all
of us. We go through the same education in schools, taught the same
syllabus in college, and then slog to strive for one common thing
at work - recognition, promotion etc. Yeah, why are there so many
of us singles out there? Because we don't even have time to
co-mingle and have a healthy work-home balance with the amount of
OTs we put in, so that we "look productive".
I am a Singaporean at-heart, I have true blue Singaporean traits
like being kiasu, kiasee and the rest of it,
Singlish included! Even staying overseas for a prolonged period
won't take away some fundamentals of being Singaporean because I
was borned and bred there. But I think after tasting some great
concepts like freedom to think and say what you want
(responsibly, of course), and the nurturing environment
for individualism, it became quite difficult for me to revert to
the stifling way of life back home.
Eventually, I quit my job in the civil service and went to Perth to
do a postgrad degree. Australia and the UK are vastly different
countries, and I have learnt a lot from these western democracies.
Some concepts I still don't embrace, some I readily
accepted. But to make that final step of deciding to settle in
Australia has been a little difficult. Are you ready to miss the
significant occasions from people whom you have known all your
life? I have already missed numerous weddings, births and deaths of
people I should have been there for. I will always be a missing
entity from commemorative photos and the likes. Discussions of
jokes and events will be foreign to me, because I wasn't
there.
But I am single, and I have the ability (or freedom) to
pack and move, wherever I like, whenever I want. At that age, I
decided I wanted to explore other horizons, and if all things fail,
I can always return to Singapore. I still choose to have this
alternative, so I will not be considering Australian citizenship
for now.
I moved to Melbourne because I was a little bored of Perth, not
because it was lacking. I just wanted a taste of something
different, and Melbourne had many things to offer which I wanted -
fashion, anime and a fusion of Victorian and Asian influences. I'm
still very Singaporean, I'm a city girl but I also want the option
of relaxation and taking things slow. Melbourne has been great
because it's all classy, chic and uptown in the city, but you can
drive out to the country within 1 hour and you're there with
nature, the beach, the bush walks and the sun. It's been fantastic
so far, and I really enjoy myself.
Work-wise, I've been pampered silly. Having worked more than 9
hours per day in Singapore, and coming back on the occasional
Saturday, I realise the Management here is adamant about work-home
balance. I get shooed off by the CEO if I'm still working past
5.30pm, and they allow compassionate leave for anything -
grandparents' deaths, children requiring parents to take them home
from childcare, or coming in late if you need to drop off your
children at school in the mornings. Although I'm single, my married
colleagues with children actually do enjoy far better benefits than
I do, because of their family commitments. It's very encouraging to
see that, because it allows me to think of settling down in a
positive light, and colleagues DO come back to a job after 12
months of non-paid maternity leave. The rights of workers here are
highly enforced with regulatory practices by independent
authorities. We have none of the nonsense in which authorities are
all under the whim of the same government. So, if you appeal your
case to a Tribunal or an Ombudsman, you don't have to fear that
it'll be rejected in favour of the authority that you're going up
against.
Even if you're not politically active, it is a comfort to know that
Opposition parties wield great powers, like stopping a Bill from
passing through Parliament etc. I'm not saying that other
governments are the best as compared to Singapore's, after all, no
government is perfect. But still, they have the fundamental rule in
place that they are accountable to the public.
I'm currently looking for a house to buy, after getting PR now.
It's best to source out when you're in the country, and living
temporarily in someplace. It may be seen as a waste of rent, but
it'll be worse if you plonk your hard-earned money into a
less-than-favourable property. It's a great time in the market to
buy, but not to sell in Australia now, so be very careful! When I
first came to Melbourne in 2007, I was very new and I didn't know
the suburbs well. Also, as a Singaporean, there are many things to
real property which we are not well-versed in, unless you're
looking to buy an apartment instead of a house with land. Now that
I know some friends (especially older adults who owned and
built their houses), I can obtain advice and guidance
especially on the suburbs, since location is very
important. Also, I have my own preferences since I have already
lived here for a year, and visited many suburbs to see my friends
over this time.
Oh yes, my visa is the Skilled Independent Visa (Class 885). So,
yes, it is for permanent residency. But there are also many
subclasses for this type of visa, so you need to find out which
ones suit you better! For my visa, I had to meet the 2 year
criteria of staying in Australia before I could apply.
I got my current full-time job by applying through employment
agencies for any kinds of work. Don't be fussy in the
beginning! It may feel like you're "downgrading" initially, since I
felt this way! But hey, I wasn't too fussy because I did need the
money for my rent and food! And do your best in every job
you're offered, be it temporary, part-time or casual. I managed to
secure this current one because they decided to offer me a
full-time position after I finished my 4 day contract with them!
Yes, 4 days! I wasn't a PR holder then, just a Bridging Class Visa
holder, awaiting for Immigration's decision on my PR application.
Sometimes, companies just want to assess you first, so just be a
good worker (I'm sure as Singaporeans, we overcompensate,
haha!) and keep your nose out of trouble. You'll do
fine. :)
Melbourne's been good because of the numerous Asian stuffs found
here. Food-wise, it's expensive compared to Singapore, but it's
reasonable for the salary I get here. I wear Korean/Japanese design
clothes, eat at Jade Garden or Singapore Chomp Chomp for my
char kway teow or prawn noodles craving, and drink bubble
tea at lunchtime during work. I get my pirated Red Cliff DVD from a
stall next to my workplace, and my church place is filled with all
kinds of people from all over the world, Malaysians and
Singaporeans included. Melbourne's full of life, it's vibrant and
you get all the cheap Asian utilities and even hell money
from Asian grocery stalls from everywhere. I'm not
kiddin'! But walk down the CBD, and you also get a glimpse of
Victorian churches, cathedrals and cute little alleyways. There's
beautiful old houses in the suburbs, and pretty lawns and white
picket fences - things you don't get back home.
Weather-wise, I love Melbourne much better than Perth. This is
highly subjective and personal, because I prefer the cold. I loved
London when I was there, I didn't care that it was wet and grey!
Likewise, it really depends on you whether you'll love one place
more than the other. I haven't been to Sydney (travelling up
there next month!) so I can't make a comparison between the 2.
However, these 2 suburbs are touted to have big Asian populations,
which means you can have access to Asian things/food/items since
they set up stalls/shops everywhere!
Hope this has helped you somewhat! :)
