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Salary and Cost of Living - Melbourne


ccsn

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Hi there, I know this is a difficult question to answer but I am now at the final stage of my interview process and the company will be calling me tomorrow to discuss salary etc. I will be coming over with my fiance and two young children aged 5 and 7. Initially i will be the only one with a job until my fiance finds a job so i need to make sure that i can cover our expenses until he is able to find work. We are looking into the Ashburton area. Does anyone have a budget on weekly / monthly expenses so i can work out more or less what i need to earn. Also ideas on tax deductions. I have tried to google this but i get conflicting answers. Thank you so much.

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Hi CCSN...

I can offer you this only, not sure what job/work you do http://www.robertwalters.com.au/wwwmedialibrary/WWW2/country/australia/content/salary-survey/robert-walters-2014-global-salary-survey-australia.pdf

What visa are you coming on etc, if it is a temp visa there are other costs you will have to consider as well.

I don't want to say much more, trolls get in trouble on this site.... So let me just please the troll police by saying... it be alright mate..... just do it...

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Hi ccsn,

Good luck for the final stages! How exciting!

It is indeed hard to say, as people's lifestyles vary so much. Some say you can live comfortably on a family income of $100k, others would say that $200k is closer to the mark. People's ideas of comfort vary greatly!

One thing that may be an issue though - you may be bound by what your employer is actually prepared to pay you, rather than what you need to earn - if that makes sense. They most likely have a budget/range and are unlikely to sway outside that range.

What is it that you do? Perhaps some of us could provide guides if we know your occupation.

In wouldn't say Ashburton is particularly cheap, so I would assume you would need to be earning a decent salary be comfortably able to live there.

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Thank you. It is very exciting. I do recruitment and will be employed as a senior recruitment consultant. There will be a base and commission on and above that.

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Thank you, I will be coming in a 457 Visa

Hey ccsn - do you pay for school fees in Melbourne on a 457? Just check up as I can't recall which states pay.

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;) Such exciting stuff!!! Let us know if you find out re cost of living etc please

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You can work out your rent based on the houses you are looking at. Add:

electricity $200-300 per month (less if you dont have a pool)

gas $150-250 per month (less in summer but more in winter)

Water - $300 per quarter (probably less if you don't have a pool)

Food -$800 - 1500 per month depending on how you shop (we struggle to do less than 1500 but we buy everything fresh and cook from scratch) - I think you can almost do a straight conversion of what you spend at the moment. We found food more expensive here when we moved here but I think it is on more of a par now. You will also adjust your shopping habits and not buy as much.

Insurance - $60 to 90 for contents

Car - $90 per month fuel (assuming you don't drive everywhere and have a fuel efficient car) plus insurance of 40 to 150 per month depending on the car. Don't forget annual rego of 720 per annum. Avoid toll roads or be prepared for charges of up to 200 per month.

Presumably state schools but you still have to buy school clothes - budget 450 perchild for that as an initial outlay.

Internet and telephone - shop around - between 50 and 200 per month

Medical aid - 450 to 850 per month depending on the medical aid - as an inpatriate you require full medical and have to take out a special cover.

Budget for clothes (everyone shops differently but I would convert how much you spend at the moment)

Budget something for toys (you will have to buy something)

Budget hair cuts - 20 per child and the barber. 80 to 100 for ladies. 270 for highlights cut and blow.

In terms of salary I know of people in similar jobs. Generally the base is low (sometimes minimum wage) but the commission is good. You have to be paid a certain minimum as a 457 employee (can't remember what it is but you can Google that). As a senior recruiter hopefully the base will be better than that.

Also budget for public transport - I do Myki money so I pay per trip (3.58 a trip or for two hours of travel in zone 1) but you can buy a monthly pass (can't remember what it is but Google on the myki site)

Edited by Sunnyskies
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As HansaPlease said: "One thing that may be an issue though - you may be bound by what your employer is actually prepared to pay you, rather than what you need to earn - if that makes sense. They most likely have a budget/range and are unlikely to sway outside that range."

Often the budget has a salary component plus an on-cost component.The employers most likely used a similar HR guideline during for their budgeting as the Robert Walters salary survey above. Perhaps ask if this is a newly created position or vacant position. As you dont want to price yourself out of the market either and depending on your years of experience price yourself according to the salary guideline range and perhaps just slightly below that.

Lets assume you have a unique set of skills which the employer found difficult to fill from the local market:

a. Remember the employer always has a risk; if this is a new position then you can assume that the employer is prepared to pay a premium.

b. If this is an existing position and you dont know why its vacant and why it gets filled by a migrant its may be fair to say the employer is prepared to pay a premium.

c. If this is an existing position and the previous person did a great job the employer has an expectation for the same salary.

My guess is that the employer is prepared to pay a premium (however I have hear the opposite side as well) but follow up with a statement that says surely (s)he has a budget and you don't want to compromise their budget negatively. Show that you are prepared and open to negotiate but your skills offering is good value for money.

Not sure if this is the best answer.....my other thought is just get the damn job!

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Ccsn,

What line of recruiting is it? IT, mining etc? You will adjust just fine on whatever they pay you!!! I'm positive...

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Hey Everyone, thank you so much for your lengthy responses, very helpful and very much appreciated. I will probably aim to build up my desk in Legal & Business Development. Wow car reg is expensive. I am having my discussion with them at 7.30am SA time. NiniJ i see you are also based in Ballito.....maybe we know each other? Ottg, you are right, i just need to get the damn job :)

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Car registration is expensive because it also includes an insurance component - which pays compensation for injuries and fees should you be involved in an accident.

So it's a bit more than just registering the car.

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So the offer was not what i was hoping for....is it ever? Its $70 000 plus sup plus comm. Will we be able to survive on this until i start earning comm and until my Fiance gets a job?

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Good luck!! Let us know how the interview went - holding thumbs for you!! And yes - we do know each other. :-) I figured out who you were by your online name "ccsn" rather quickly hahaha! (Janine)

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:o That obvious huh? ;-) hahaha. We must chat on FB sometime. This is such an incredible opportunity for you guys but I can also imagine how scary it is . . . we have been "talking" about it for 2 years now but havn't actively started the process until now. Having kids changes things big time - who knew ;) I'm sure "C" will get a job soon once you are all there as he is extremely talented and a man of many abilities. Maybe we should get together for a "Auzzie" chat soon? Braai or dinner or something?

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So the offer was not what i was hoping for....is it ever? Its $70 000 plus sup plus comm. Will we be able to survive on this until i start earning comm and until my Fiance gets a job?

Well it doesn't sound too bad to me...but it will be very tight so hopefully you have some cash to chip in until the commission kicks in or your husband starts earning too.I'm not sure what the industry normally pays.

I think a job in hand is very valuable.

Good luck with the decision!

Edited by Bronwyn&Co
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So the offer was not what i was hoping for....is it ever? Its $70 000 plus sup plus comm. Will we be able to survive on this until i start earning comm and until my Fiance gets a job?

I don't think that's bad at all, depending on the commission of course. But even if you didn't earn a cent in commission, you should still be able to survive on $70k until your other half gets a job. Plenty of people do.

You will have to budget carefully, but survive, definitely!

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They upped it by $5000 so I feel a lot better. I will have enough money to carry us for 2 months or so. I have to budget hectically here so it wont be something i am not used and can only be up from here. Just so blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to starting a new life in Aus :))))

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They upped it by $5000 so I feel a lot better. I will have enough money to carry us for 2 months or so. I have to budget hectically here so it wont be something i am not used and can only be up from here. Just so blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to starting a new life in Aus :))))

I think that's fair because Melbourne's not exactly the cheapest state and you will have to pay visitor's medical cover...what sort of a job will your fiance be looking for? Edited by Bronwyn&Co
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He has his own businesses here doing dekking and wood work projects, no qualification though so not sure yet.

Oh that's good. You should look into whether he needs certification to register for small handyman-woodwork type jobs. I think there will be a big demand. He can work for himself as soon as he's certified. Just register for an ABN & keep track of the income, issue invoices & pay tax.

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