The PROS and CONS of Living in Australia | An American (in Australia) Perspective

One little trick I used to use with my leave. We used to work 12 hour shits. If you only use 10 hours leave for your day off you can save 2 hours for later and the 17% loading will top your pay up to a normal weekly level. You're welcome.

I totally agree with you on the subject of governmental bureaucratic incompetence insofar as to long it takes to get anything done pertaining to visas and immigration issues. I have looked into obtaining Australian citizenship several times and after living in Australia for over sixty years I have still not been able to bring myself to endure the mind numbing attitudes of the public serpents in government departments. Nothing is done to assist you, it's almost as if they take great delight in hindering you at every opportunity. Don't worry Kaitlyn you are not alone in the land of the great unwashed.

Yeah the visa situation here in Australia is bloody embarrassing, that's what happens when they eviscerate the public servants and give it to private companies. The longer it takes to proccess visas the more money the private companies make, definitely not in the best interest of Australia.

Yes Caitlyn anyone moving here from the americas or europe makes massive sacrifices, it is a lot better now than 30 years ago. Still not the same as physical contact with family and friends, it's a true pity flights aren't anywhere near the prices similar to pre pandemic times which is sad.

With Long Service Leave, be careful if you want to use it to holiday in the US. I did that 20 years ago ( that makes me feel old) and had trouble getting in through immigration. I had booked and paid for a 7 week holiday but the buffoons at immigration had trouble accepting that I had a job in Australia and my boss had agreed to me having a 7 week break. I'll admit I wasn't aware how toxic the employment conditions were in the US and it never occurred to me how incomprehensible my situation would be to them. Regardless, as immigration officers, it was their job to be familiar with typical vacation arrangements people they a were likely to encounter from around the world would have. It was not my job to second-guess how backward their thinking was.

Regarding making friends, it depends on where you live. We moved from Melbourne metro to a regional area. I lived in my old house for 24 years and knew about 10 of my neighbours. Where I am now, I was friends with about 10 people in the first week and it has just grown from there. Yes, cities are bad but not indicative of the whole of Australia.

Hey, I can't believe how much Aussie slang you are use automatically e.g. whinging poms cracked me up. Any American will spend a week trying to suss that one out.

Its a pity the immigration people can't process these applications faster, the delay has such a profound effect on peoples lives and their forward planning.

Great to have you and your videos back I was asking a work friend one time why move to Australia? He said it's a better place to bring up children then England. Please that was his opinion not mine. I don't know what it would be like bring up children in another country

I'm an Australian who spent 17 years in the US. I've been back for 20+ years and i still miss German chocolate cake 😢 Making it myself just isn't the same

A good video. Can’t you make those pound cakes yourself? Aust was isolated for so long we’re used to the tyranny of distance. Many from OS aren’t. Airfares are the obvious example. Would travelling as far as Hawaii help for getting things you miss? I hope you can find solutions to your understandable issues.

Three years working in the USA, first year as a non-resident Alien, then as a resident Alien and then as a non-resident Alien. Had the chance to accept a tenure-track professorship but the gun-crazy nature of the place was the deciding factor. The shock to the American psyche about moving out of the USA is more related to the lack of awareness of anywhere outside the USA. Going to Europe or anywhere is a big transition for Aussies – but we are a bit more adaptable and knowledgeable about the positives of other countries. While portion size might be cool, I prefer quality food – with an occasional preference for healthy options – influenced by my parent's European culture and high food standards. Real flavour beats sugar and fat even if the latter are addictive. The biggest things I miss is good Southwestern Mexican food and Eskimo Joes!

Kaytlyn I have lived and worked in a number of countries and had to gain either my residency or renew working visas and the most it ever took me was a couple of months so Austarlia is ridiculous. I was at work one Sunday (normal work day) in Oman when I got a phone call from my wife telling me that my father had unexpectedly passed away and I needed to try and get home by Wednesday for his funeral. The company was really good and got me on a flight out of Dubai on the Monday but I had to take a 4hr taxi drive across Oman and the UAE to get there. I did the flight then had to get a shuttle in Sydney to take me to Newcastle. I was there for the funeral and one extra day before I had to do it again in reverse. I have spent xmas, easter new years etc. in Islamic countries so you can imagine how different that was and access to known foods that wasnt going to happen. I even had to apply for a liquor licence in the Gulf countries to buy and drink alcohol. My kids did a year of high school in South Africa so you should try and manage that. A couple of years later my wife and I left the kids at home and we lived in Mozambique for a year which is not only Islamic but they also speak Portuguese, You should try living in one of the worlds poorest 3rd countries and see how you feel lucky for us South Africa was only an hours drive away. I gained Platinum membership with Qantas because I was flying so many kms with them a year – long haul is just another flight for most Aussies who travel. I appreciate how hard it must be for you because whether I was with my family or by myself whenever I felt homesick I always had an end date to look forward to. I guess one advantage you have over me is that it was no use talking to anybody about Australia in some of the countries I,ve been in because nobody had ever heard of it.

One of the issues of crap that Katlyn DOES talk is visa processing, while her information is BASICALLY the truth it is NOT the full truth, because if you have a visa pending you cannot get ESPORTED, which means you get MORE time up your sleeve to work on it.!

Those bin chickens are Ibis.

Women tend to "Vent " men do not understand " Venting " . Here is something to consider ONE of the drugs I receive for Cancer now costs me about $30 a month in the USA it's $20,000 thats about $30,000 Australia per month . Another drug I was on 10 years ago was free yes free . In the USA that would have cost me about $400,000 Australian per year . When you get ill things are soo much better in Australia , and imagine if it was you child and you could not afford $400,000 per year , or your partner needing $360,000 a year .

Meeting people is MUCH harder in the big cities (Sydney, Melbourne, and increasingly, Brisbane) than in the smaller cities and towns. If you’re out in a pub on your own in a small town, people will say hello, and might invite you to join their group. This never happens in big cities (all over the world – it’s not just an Aussie thing).

Wow this is so insightful. Thanks!

Honestly my jaw hit the floor when I saw another YouTuber from the states talking about her husband getting 3 weeks leave after working full time for a company for 5 years. I was even more shocked when I learned typical annual leave is only 2 weeks. Unions helped to fight for our leave rights. More ironically my husband is due soon for his long service leave and works for an American founded company. I know their staff don’t get the same leave and rights in the states. He even got paid parental leave at full pay for a couple of weeks when I had our last bub too.
I agree that there’s so many great products I see available in the states that we can’t get here. Bin chickens 🤢😂🤣

When my aunt moved to Australia in the late 60s, as a Ten Pound Pom, back then, she may as well have moved to Mars. The only way to stay in touch was by letter, or, in emergencies, an expensive international phone call. These days, with FaceTime, etc, things are massively different. The hardest part is the time zone thing – finding a time when you and your people back home are both awake and available!