Salary terms

Those who have made the move urge caution in selecting the right job. Benefits and salary structures can vary drastically.

Those who have made the move urge caution in selecting the right job. Benefits and salary structures can vary drastically.

"Be careful when they quote a salary," says Kirk. "Look for a base salary plus superannuation." The latter is a minimum of 9% of a salary which everyone in Australia must pay. It's the Australian pension plan and will be refunded when — and if — the employee leaves Australia. For example, if you are offered a salary of AUS$60,000 (£26,000), but that includes superannuation, you will only net $54,600 or less.

Commissions or OTE (on target earnings) are another matter that varies from company to company. In an ad for a recruitment consultant in Melbourne, Your Network states 'a realistic OTE in excess of $200,000 for top performers'. According to Hunt: "Recruiters — good ones — are some of the highest paid people in this country."

Most say their salary in Australia is comparable to what they earned in the UK, with the cost of living about the same. Lisa Norris, director of Norris and Partners, a rec-to-rec consultancy in Sydney, says average starting salaries are between $55,000 and $70,000.

Sharpe says his new company matched his UK earnings, while Runaghan's base package is a little lower than in the UK, but the commission is excellent — "a whopping 33% of everything we bill above threshold, so all in all I am much better off financially and personally than I was at home." She finds rent in Sydney higher than in the UK, with the exception of London. Restaurants, she says, are varied, with some offering great value and others where you pay top dollar. "All in all it is comparable, although the quality of life is much higher," she adds.

Benefits offered by companies also differ. Some pay for the flight to Australia, temporary accommodation for a specified time period and container shipment. Some offer incentive holidays. "Some pay nothing. You must get here yourself. Check out what is offered," advises Penketh.

If you have to pay for household goods' shipment yourself, expect to pay about £3,500 for a full container which holds the contents of an average two-bedroom residence, says John Moynes of Excess International Movers, which makes 40,000 shipments each year to Australia. "I'm quite shocked by the numbers going," adds Moynes.



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