Accepted a job in Brisbane. Moving from the Southwest US.
Apparently Grace Removals will be shipping our stuff.
We have a kid that’ll be eligible for 1st year in January. Public or private school?
How did the housing market get so bonkers?
Am I going to have to bring extra ketchup through customs for my kid, or is the tomato sauce close enough to make an easy switch?
Moved to Brisbane from San Francisco in 2004, have used used Grace with no issues. Sold most big stuff before the move and replaced it here and was mostly happy with that as it took so long for the container to arrive. We stored our stuff in California as the place we were in there was sold out from under us while we waited for our visas. It may have arrived earlier if it had been shipped directly.
Public school all the way, but have had some challenges with 1 or 2 schools, mostly not the school’s fault but the kids at the school. Private school for three kids would have financed a few houses.
I miss Mexican/TexMex but at least the ingredients plus recipes on YouTube are much more accessible than 20 years ago. You may miss the version of “Chinese” food from the US as the interpretation here also tends to be a bit different.
Houses, not even going to go there. An untimely divorce has ensured I’ll never own one, despite being well above median pay.
I cashed out my 401k when I moved, not sure how you handle it if these days or if your balance is higher. I didn’t have to deal with US income tax post move as I’m originally Canadian, but a cousin with US citizenship had to settle a rather large bill with the IRS, followed by denouncing citizenship.
Be warned that Brisbane salaries have a bit of catching up still to do. If you can get an employer that pays the same for Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane you’ll be 20-30% better off. Pay here is also often quoted including superannuation, so make sure HR isn’t slipping one past you.
I read this in an American accent.
Appreciate heads up on the superannuation. I understand the company to pay 14% of base pay into super, on top of “normal” pay. I’ll verify though. All the tax stuff as an expat has me spinning. Fortunately we shouldn’t have to worry too much until next year.
Yeah, not sure if you intend to return to the US, or stay in Australia forever, but basically there is trouble with getting Australian Super to the US, or 401k to Australia.
The US-Australia tax treaty basically ignores super/401k etc and it can have big tax implications. Eg, withdrawing from a US 401k as an Australian taxpayer is regarded as taxable income.
Best to get tax advice, as everyone’s situation is different.