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From Australia to Nashville TN

Aussiemika

Aussiemika

New Member
Hi y'all, 2 months in from arriving here permanently with my wife (now 6 months pregnant) and 3 year old from Australia and we've found I guess we have found it to be a tough transition so far.
I was bought a house here prior to us arriving (having seen done so in May on our activation trip) so do have a place to call home, our shipping container arrives next week from Australia after it's 2 month voyage across the globe.
We sold our house in Australia which gives us a nest egg in case things go wrong here. We also took 12 months leave from our roles in Australia as a fall back and are fortunate to both of had substantial long service and annual leave owing. Had to leave our Rotweiller in Australia as the $7000 to bring her was too much and her 9 year age was probably getting a little risky too.
For the first week of being here we stayed in a hotel whilst we bought beds etc to stay in our house. We had a rental car until we found one to buy, probably rushed in to what we bought on account of our 3 year old being hard to live with! It was tough to transition with her also going through the changes and not understanding what was happening.

Work
I have had no success in finding work so far despite having applied for over 80 jobs, no interviews to date, gets to be a little demoralising. I have 20 years experience in my professional field however no college degree. This seems to be a big issue with the applications (I work in finance). We had allowed 12 months so still have plenty of time but it is frustrating! My wife will not be looking for work for at least another year.

Child care.
It's been interesting to compare from back home. We have looked at many daycares and finally settled on one which she starts at next week. $190 a week full time, which compared to $110 a day in Australia is great. Not 100% convinced on the center and will look at another couple this week even though she is starting there. The great schools have 12 month waiting lists (or longer), sools that have vacancies have very poor reviews. My tip on this would be to start looking before you go. Once you have a date, start researching straight away. We left it till we arrived. Big mistake.

Healthcare.
Given I do not have work at present, we are paying $1000 a month with a $7300 deductable. Ludicrous, however given the baby will be born in February, the only other choice was to go back home. The system is hard to understand however we do have a broker that is assisting us. We need to choose a new marketplace policy by 15th December so another meeting coming up this week with the broker.

Have been thinking of starting a blog to diarise the transition and experiences. For all of the similarities between Australia and the US, there are a lot of differences which even after coming here for 15 years I did not realise until actually living here.
 
Thanks for posting some notes. It's important for people to come here with their eyes wide open - and info like this helps to get people thinking. I'd like to offer some tips.

Buying a house immediately. My wife is a realtor, and I would nearly always recommend people buy as soon as they can. However, unless you are really sure you are going to be able to start work and so on around that area, I would recommend new immigrants rent for a few months or a year, even if they can afford to buy a house mortgage free. Basically that is to make job search easier. Being prepared to relocate to where the jobs are is really helpful to get a job (in professional work).

Next is choice of area to try to settle in. Nashville is a low income place. Unemployment levels are good, but poverty levels are higher than the national average. Basically, that means there are jobs there, but they are low paying jobs. Unless you have a really good reason to be there (like family, or a specific employer/industry), I would not recommend that type of choice. Low income means lower cost of living for sure - but you want plenty of good paying work opportunities, and you chose the an area lacking that. I'm sure you had your reasons, but it wouldn't have been my plan.

Jobs.
It's tough to get your first job in the professional field. It's easier to get a new job once someone has taken a risk on you. Since a VERY high percentage of people get degrees here (even if only in basket weaving), not having a degree means you don't even get considered for many jobs. So - you will probably have to take a backward step careerwise, and then work you butt off to get promoted. Once you do that, you are more likely to trade that work experience upwards. Try and get with some recruiters so they understand your track record. Online job search systems will almost always exclude you for lacking a degree. So - make direct contact with companies. Try networking through professional groups (like if you are an accountant, hang out with accountants). Use Linked in to make some acquaintances, especially at companies you want to target. Many growing companies offer referral fees to employees when they recommend someone who gets hired. So - don't be shy.

Healthcare.
Make sure you are getting the full subsidy as a low/no income person. You need to get a good provider/policy for the birth. The best policies will cost a bit more, but end up with low or almost no bill for the birth. A broker should be able to help you choose.
 
Thanks for the response Britsimon.
We decided on Nashville as we have been coming here for the past 15 years, having been investing in the property market here over that time. We also have a support network here. I actually had an option to relocate to LA and continue to work for my current employer (an international bank) however we decided that we were moving to the US to live in Nashville, not LA. This has always felt like home to us.
The bridge is not burnt so I can always reach out to them again should thing crash and burn here, just a pain in having to move again!

I've had my resume re-written by professional here to tailor it to the US market, Linkedin is a good tip which I have been using, Indeed seems to be where the majority of roles are advertised. Networking is also key which will become easier once my 3 year old starts daycare!

My understanding and advice from the broker is that we are not eligible for subsidized healthcare (Called TenCare in TN) as we are non-citizens and have not been here for 5 years.

Given the long lead time in applying for the lottery to actually moving here, I think it's also important to make sure it is something you are 100% certain on doing. I've read a lot lately about expats getting depressed or going through different stages after the initial move. I can relate. When you are asked a hundred times where are you from, aren't the spiders big there, and why are you here, it gets a little much when you are feeling down!
Have to stay positive!
 
Thanks for this, this is very interesting. Duly noted about the schools.

I've lived overseas a couple of times before and i always rent for 6 months to get a feel of the place. Then buy if needed. I don't like being tied down so soon.

I shudder to think what health insurance will cost for a family of 4 (39,36, 11,7).
 
Hi Bob, insurance was probably my number one worry prior to coming here.
We could of taken a $2600 p/m policy with a $2000 deductable (excess) but opted for the lower monthly cost. Crazy thing is, year ends soon and we need to choose a new plan!
Not knowing how much things are going to cost until you receive a bill in the mail from your insurer seems crazy to me, there is strong debate about universal healthcare pros and cons and given the current political divide I cannot see it being resolved anytime soon.

Britsimon, not sure there is any subsidy if you have $0 income, isn't it all tax based? Having said that, I'm still being paid from Australia so that will create another layer of confusion,
 
^just to clarify/confirm that by “schools”, you mean daycare?
Public schools are available from transitional kindergarten/kindergarten up and don’t have waiting lists, or cost anything. (Not sure this distinction is clear to others reading this.)

I’m sorry it’s been difficult, that’s one thing I think many immigrants can empathize with. Hopefully it will get better with more familiarity with your surroundings. Agree with what Simon said about the job, you need to get around the auto-filters and make contact with humans.

And a small suggestion - trust us we know how annoying “what made you move here” gets after a while - but it may also lead to networking opportunities- engage people!

By the way, your medical insurance costs should come down massively when you get a job, with the combination of employer subsidies and the rates the employers negotiate. I think our cost came down from something like close to $2k to about $500 a month, for a slightly better plan.
 
Hi Susie, I meant daycares. She turned 3 on the 4th of November so misses out on Pre-K by a couple of months.

Great point about turning the questions into opportunity! That's just the suggestion I needed :)
 
When people ask me why I moved here, I tell them adventure. If nothing else, it starts the conversation about being brave, being able to take risks, being resilience, being good under pressure: all of which are skills people look for.

Happy to help if I can. I live and work in Charlotte and might be able to search out some contacts? DM me.
 
EmilyW said:
When people ask me why I moved here, I tell them adventure. If nothing else, it starts the conversation about being brave, being able to take risks, being resilience, being good under pressure: all of which are skills people look for.

Happy to help if I can. I live and work in Charlotte and might be able to search out some contacts? DM me.
Click to expand...

How is Charlotte? Does it feel safe around there?

I've been looking at Houston, Austin, North Carolina area, and Oregon. Houston seems very cheap....suspiciously so.
 
Bob22 said:
How is Charlotte? Does it feel safe around there?

I've been looking at Houston, Austin, North Carolina area, and Oregon. Houston seems very cheap....suspiciously so.
Click to expand...

A lot of people complain about the weather in Houston.

The city-data forums tend to be a good place to find about what cities are like to live in, jobs, schools, etc.
 
Charlotte is a great town. Big enough to have the amenities and infrastructure, but small enough still that it's not crazy expensive or crowded. There are bad parts you don't go near (especially after dark), but that's the same for any city (I wouldn't travel to Dandenong any time of day when I lived in Melbourne). Lots of job opportunities (two Fortune 40s headquartered here in Bank of America and Lowe's), good schools, nice climate. I've been here nearly three years and like it alot. Not sure if it's the forever place, but it's perfect for right now.
 
Thought I would come back and review this as it is now two months later and almost 4 months since we arrived in the US.

Still searching for a role although am waiting on the result of a couple of second interviews. Had a recruiter in New York reach out and refer me to a company that I had been trying to get into, has resulted in two great interviews so far so fingers crossed for that. There is plenty of work in NYC for my field but our reason of moving here was to live in Nashville so the search continues.

Baby due in 4 weeks time, I was hoping I would have employer provided insurance before now but will be under the MarketPlace policy we have (which monthly premium just went up by 30% this year!).
Took our 3 year old out of the daycare center she was in and now have her in a "Mothers Day Out" program which is a lot more similar to what we had in Australia teaching wise. Really helps to check these places out and research online before moving.
 
Aussiemika said:
Thought I would come back and review this as it is now two months later and almost 4 months since we arrived in the US.

Still searching for a role although am waiting on the result of a couple of second interviews. Had a recruiter in New York reach out and refer me to a company that I had been trying to get into, has resulted in two great interviews so far so fingers crossed for that. There is plenty of work in NYC for my field but our reason of moving here was to live in Nashville so the search continues.

Baby due in 4 weeks time, I was hoping I would have employer provided insurance before now but will be under the MarketPlace policy we have (which monthly premium just went up by 30% this year!).
Took our 3 year old out of the daycare center she was in and now have her in a "Mothers Day Out" program which is a lot more similar to what we had in Australia teaching wise. Really helps to check these places out and research online before moving.
Click to expand...


I hope everything goes well in the job search and Brit provided several good advise, since networking is really important in terms of job hunting. I´m also relocating soon to Europe because of work and its very complicated to leave family and friends behind. Researching also helps a lot before making the move.
 
Aussiemika said:
Hi y'all, 2 months in from arriving here permanently with my wife (now 6 months pregnant) and 3 year old from Australia and we've found I guess we have found it to be a tough transition so far.
I was bought a house here prior to us arriving (having seen done so in May on our activation trip) so do have a place to call home, our shipping container arrives next week from Australia after it's 2 month voyage across the globe.
We sold our house in Australia which gives us a nest egg in case things go wrong here. We also took 12 months leave from our roles in Australia as a fall back and are fortunate to both of had substantial long service and annual leave owing. Had to leave our Rotweiller in Australia as the $7000 to bring her was too much and her 9 year age was probably getting a little risky too.
For the first week of being here we stayed in a hotel whilst we bought beds etc to stay in our house. We had a rental car until we found one to buy, probably rushed in to what we bought on account of our 3 year old being hard to live with! It was tough to transition with her also going through the changes and not understanding what was happening.

Work
I have had no success in finding work so far despite having applied for over 80 jobs, no interviews to date, gets to be a little demoralising. I have 20 years experience in my professional field however no college degree. This seems to be a big issue with the applications (I work in finance). We had allowed 12 months so still have plenty of time but it is frustrating! My wife will not be looking for work for at least another year.

Child care.
It's been interesting to compare from back home. We have looked at many daycares and finally settled on one which she starts at next week. $190 a week full time, which compared to $110 a day in Australia is great. Not 100% convinced on the center and will look at another couple this week even though she is starting there. The great schools have 12 month waiting lists (or longer), sools that have vacancies have very poor reviews. My tip on this would be to start looking before you go. Once you have a date, start researching straight away. We left it till we arrived. Big mistake.

Healthcare.
Given I do not have work at present, we are paying $1000 a month with a $7300 deductable. Ludicrous, however given the baby will be born in February, the only other choice was to go back home. The system is hard to understand however we do have a broker that is assisting us. We need to choose a new marketplace policy by 15th December so another meeting coming up this week with the broker.

Have been thinking of starting a blog to diarise the transition and experiences. For all of the similarities between Australia and the US, there are a lot of differences which even after coming here for 15 years I did not realise until actually living here.
Click to expand...

My question is Australia such a great country and such a nice place to live, why would you still want to move to the US ? Why do people from Developed and well to do countries such as Australia, NZ , Japan and Germany apply for DV lottery ?
 
kprasad_dv said:
My question is Australia such a great country and such a nice place to live, why would you still want to move to the US ? Why do people from Developed and well to do countries such as Australia, NZ , Japan and Germany apply for DV lottery ?
Click to expand...

People migrate for different reasons and not just for economic reason which may be personal to them. We should therefore respect their personal choice and decision to do so!
 
Even in developed countries it can be economic. Part of my reason for moving to the US was economic. House prices in Auckland, NZ in a good area is $800k USD at least. It's half that (at most) in similar sized US cities. On top of that there is just more work options.
 
Australia is a great country. And I don't want to live there anymore. There are things I don't like / things that have become deal breakers and I consciously (with my family) chose to leave. I love my country. Just have zero desire to live and work there for the time being.

Plus, I come from a family that - for the last four generations at least - has packed up and moved countries. The only continent we haven't immigrated to is Antarctica lol. Some of us have wanderlust built into our DNA,
 
I do find the health insurance very hard to understand though. I am a short term plan at the moment which seems reasonable, but once you start looking at the long term plans it becomes confusing and expensive. I really don't get how it has got to this stage in the US. So confusing...maybe you need to be born into it to get it entirely. Anyway I signed up for the obamacare thingie yesterday but even that is confusing. It's saying i need to provide proof of my lack of income but no idea how to do that since I literally have no record in this country. Provide non-existent bank statements??
 
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