Gentlemes/ladies,Jumping ship to Sydney next year. Won't be working immediately as am taking a 6 month sabatical to explore other things but assuming I want to return to the industry:what are the job opportunities like in Sydney/Australia for someone with 4 years experience with ACN/PWC advisory.How will the salries compare? My package is around the 50k mark here. Will I be on significantly lower there?People always shout about cost of living being lower in Oz, how true is this? I've been there for a month or two when I was a student but have to confess I didn't spend a great deal of time reseraching house prices/rent and cost of living.Any other pearls of wisdom?Genuine advice greatly appreciated. Happy Mondays!!!!

www.domain.com.au is a great resource for house prices. taxes are brutal. wot other factors contribute to your cost of living expenses?

Thanks for the link on housing anon.Other factors I'd be interested as an example are:Working for a multinational company (PWC/KPMG/ACN etc) Is a position in Sydney paid significantly less than an equivalent position in London?Is the culture similar? everyone goes on about the better quality of life over there. I can understand from a weather/outdoors lifestyle persepective but how else is it better? Less hours? More laid back office culture?Thanks again for any advice. Info like this is always better from the horses mouth, rather than from any marketing doss.Thanks

- All the Big 4 are known to pay under market rates in Australia. They attract candidates through the brand name and breadth of clients/projects/experience offered.- Working culture - you will be surprised to find Aussies work some of the longest hours per week in the Western world. So the stereotypical view of laid back Aussies bumming around on Bondi beach is a fallacy. Especially in the consulting industry. I think there's a strong influence from East Asian work ethic starting to pervade Australian working culture. Aussies are more open and direct in their communication style. Less backstabbing and politicking, but you'll always find elements in any work environment. As a consultant the breadth of work is not as great as in UK/Europe, so you may not always work in your specialist area. More rounded and adaptable skills are favoured.Job Prospects - are good if you already have Big 4 experience. At least much better than here in UK. Recruitment had slowed but is picking up again.Lifestyle - Definitely the cliche'd "work hard/play hard" culture, as there's a focus on balanced lifestyle. More variety of lifestyle activities to choose from. Yes they're predominantly outdoor/sporting focused, so depends on what tickles your fancy. usually lots of free open events to keep you entertained (open air cinema's, concerts, exhibitions). The quality and variety of food is way above anything in UK - cheaper, fresher, better quality). Stronger Bar/club scene than pubs.- Accomodation: You get more bang (floor space and quality) for your buck in Sydney when compared to London. Even so, Sydney is more expensive than other state capitals.- Food is slightly cheaper but you get better quality and variety when eating out. Groceries vary depending on where you shop. UK has better pre-prepackaged/frozen meals, but Oz has more variety of basic affordable produce.- Public Transport in Sydney sucks - it's usually a combination of Bus/Train/perhaps ferry, but the transport links are nowhere near the convenience of tube system. It's easier to get around in a car, but if you live within 5km of the city you can easily get away with public transport. Peak hour traffic jam's and snarls are common - especially when coming over the Harbour Bridge. Toll's through the city are also an annoyance and can add up.That's about it for now. let me know if you have any specific questions. PS. If you're moving anytime soon, be carefull that the Brit pound is taking a hammering against the Aussie dollar. Value has almost halved compared to the haydays 2-3 years ago, so setup costs may hit you harder than your compatriots a few years back.Good luck

Excellent advice and info. THankyou!I had noticed the Aussie dollar. I dabble in forex so was aware of the hammering the pound is getting pretty much everywhere at the moment. I'll have a think on my options. Still umming and arring (is that the correct way to write it...never thought about it?) about Sydney or Melbourne. Also, have a wife to keep happy so have a lot of work ahead of me!Thanks again. MC

I have recently made the jump over to Sydney from London. From my experience: Salary: most people take a salary cut of around 10-30% when they transfer from London. However, with the recent currency fluctuations my Aussie salary is now worth more than my previous UK salary. Cost of living: I've moved in to a flat in North Sydney with a great view of the water and harbour bridge, decent amount of space and I'm paying about 20% less than I used to in London. Out by the beaches it can be expensive and the transportation is pretty dreadful Lifestyle: I'm thoroughly enjoying the outdoor sports and the weather, but working hours during the week aren't much better. Hope that helpsSteven

Hi Steven,Thanks for the info. Did you move out with a role or did you secure a job once there?Also, could you recommend decent suburbs...looking to rent for 6-12months before buying.Are most roles based in Sydney or is there the usual early Sunday night flights and late Thursday return home scenario.Thanks,MC

Depends what kind of suburb you are looking to live in. The rental market is much smaller here than in the UK, but if you are looking for a unit/flat in a quiet suburb with good rail connections to the CBD then maybe somewhere like lindfield, killara or atarmon.

Genuinely appreciate the effort in providing me with some solid advice. Thank you all.Have spebnt the day looking at the pomsinoz forum. It seems to be a pretty useful source of info. Very easy week as have just finished a major role so have a few weeks breather!Thanks again.

I was asked if I wanted to take a short role out in Sydney by my current firm to try it, with a view to transferring permanantely. I have heard positive things about the market out here though - there are several firms hiring and at my firm they are pretty desperate to attract experienced people. From what I've seen, roles are about 50% Sydney based. Resources clients tend to be out west and there can also be some travel around Asia. In terms of suburbs, if you don't want to get a car then your choice can be quite restricted. Most of the guys I work with are either in North Sydney (Kirribilli/ Mosman/ Neutral Bay - near the train line and close to downtown) or out at Bondi (but transport from there can be painful). Good luck!

if you are going for quality of life, be aware that Sydney and Melbourne are like Britain in the 50s with better weatherIts very white, moncultural, and focussed around drinking. If you are in any way interested in arts or culture above lighting farts, you will struggle

Sorry to hijack this thread slightly but what about other parts of the world close(ish) to Australia such as HK or Singapore? What can one expect there?

the post by oh-zee is very good. quite comprehensive as well.Thios wont be an easy decision either way. Sydney does not offer any very significant advantage over london.As for the SG/HK etc, their working hours are brutal. Only go there if you have the perfect job ( i.e. a job you really really like), then it will be worth it. They pay well and have low taxes. Also, many multinational companies and working fpor them carries weight on your resume. Quite a bit of politics to put up with though.

Hi Try also www.realestate.com.au quite similar to www.domain.com.au.The Big4 accounting firms are slavery house. Someone rang me recently for a mangerial consulting role at one of the big 4s accunting firms. I replied AUD$140k -150k per year I was on and am a snr consultant with a couple of consulting years of experience when asked, and that my expectation would be higher to induce me over. However, I was told that sort of pay (which is market rate) are more suitable for higher end of snr mgr/associate director level with at least 10 years of consulting experience.I said I didn't have 10 years of consulting experience, just a couple and I am paid AUD$140-150K at a consulting firm (not part of any of the big 4 accounting firms) and that he was kidding himself as the salary package should not be measured on years of experience but rather quality of experience and capability. The youngest guy made partner at Deloitte was at the age of 28 (and getting much more). How about that! Eventually I said...if his client wanted to pay peanuts, they'd get monkeys and I wasn't prepared to be in the monkey business.

Oz,The point of your message was...?

I think the point of the post by OZ was that the BIG 4 , in australia, pay well below market, even for senior appointments ( excluding partner level and above). They also work you to death...and for what...below market wages..This pisses of many qualified people, but thats how it is...the big 4 simply get people from a different office in another country at a small rate if need be rather than hiring local candidates and paying them market. Their brand name allows this.

Thanks QR. At least someone is reading between the lines.