Australia is a land of unlimited opportunities and a great quality of life. The fact that it remains one of the most popular immigration destinations in the world (at 6.5 million and counting) is never surprising.
But many are still bewildered, surprised, and disappointed that the country they landed on isn’t what they really imagined. The continent is physically detached from the rest of the world by the oceans which is the reason why it has a culture, political system, and a way of life different from the norm.
The periods of adjustments can be long and arduous. But in the end, it’s all worth it. The question is, do you have what it takes? Here are the top seven major challenges that immigrants face here.
If you’re the type of person who frowns upon bills stealing your hard-earned money, Australia is not for you. As we have established before, it’s quite pricey to live here.
The continent is home to one of the most expensive transport systems in the world, and the only non-European among the list. The Internet isn’t cheap either, and you have a data cap to make things harder.
Everyday expenses from groceries to rent to restaurant to electricity and gas are also pricier than in most develop countries (like in the United States).
Well if everything is costly, at least getting your own house can be affordable right? No.
This might be the biggest challenge among the citizens down under, locals and expatriates alike.
Getting your own house is the best decision you’ll ever make in your adult life, but the prices and taxes here make that nigh impossible. Australia, along with New Zealand, is deemed to have the least affordable housing markets in the world. While the global housing value rises by an average of three percent, Australia tops that by a whopping 12 percent.
And it doesn’t help that homeowners here constantly over-valuate their properties by 47% to 57%, especially those who hail from Sydney, Brisbane, and Adeliede. Basically, the factors are working hand and hand here, and it is crushing the property buyers beneath as a result.
If you hate the sun, here it hates you more.
You see, the Australia is very much like Europe, if Europe was ten times closer to the sun. And it doesn't help that the country has a great outdoor lifestyle. Here, sunscreen is your bff, and you have to slap it on every few hours like your life depends on it.
Well actually, it does! The country has one of the highest case of skin cancer in the world. Protecting yourself from the sun is a must so you can continue living a good life here while elbowing the big C in the jaw.
And if you think the night is a safer time for you, it’s not.
Climate and temperature in Australia can be erratic, meaning daytime can be ultimately warm, and night time unbearably cold. This can get worse during spring, where evening temperatures can plummet down to 8° C from a 27° C during morning.
And we’re talking about the cities here, where it is relatively warmer. Outback and suburban climates can be much, much worse,
But nothing can prepare you for winter night. In Liverpool and Richmond, for example, winter evenings can dip below 2° C and even 0° C. This makes the temperature disparity between morning and evening even worse.
Sure, getting out of the employment wheel and starting your own business is great career move, but the road can be tougher in Australia, especially if you need to hire manpower.
At $9.54 per hour, Aussies enjoy the highest minimum wage in the world (the very same reason people from all over the world converge here to look for opportunities). But if you’re still establishing your start-up, that means your employees will be getting a lion’s share of your capital. On the upside, you can be well sure you’ll be getting the best people.
If your idea of Christmas is a snow-covered yard, snow-ball fights, building snowmen, and anything snow-related, you’ll be in for a disappointment/surprise/ disappointing surprise. Yuletide here comes in the beginning of the summer holidays. Santa Clause might as well arrive in a surf board.
As opposed to a white, cold Christmas, the holiday here is more like your average Miami Bay vacation. But with lifeguards on Santa shirts and hats. And a decorated pine tree in the middle of the shore. Yes, it’s Christmas like you’ve never seen before.
It is warmer, the sun’s high, and it’s beach season. Forget the snowmen, sand castles are the December norm here.
It is general knowledge (huge thanks to the Internet) that Australia is home to the most bizarre and deadliest creatures in the planet. From the salt-water crocodile to the box jelly fish to bull sharks, cassowaries, and eastern brown snakes.
These creatures mostly inhabit the Outback and the sea, though. Meaning if you stay at home, you’ll be out of these crawlers’ reach, right?
Well, not really. As the country has been suffering from pest problems ever since. Rabbits in Australia have been damaging crops and decimating other species since the early 20th Century. The government has been fighting invasive feral bees for long now. And then there are the spiders. The Sydney funnel web, mouse soider, and the Redback spiders alone are known to wander in backyards and swimming pools and even hide inside shoes and clothes. So it is always advised to check things before wearing them.
As we have told you before, Australia was a land both of challenges and opportunities, and it still is right now. But that doesn’t mean the costs outweigh the benefits, check out Top 10 Reasons to Live in Australia and see the beautiful side of living here.