One man is revealing how he has been able to make £400 more a month thanks to moving to Australia while working fewer hours doing the same job he had back home.
John MacDonald, 35, moved his family from Staffordshire, UK to Redcliffe, near Perth in Western Australia, in August.
Prior to relocating down under, he had been working as a policeman in his local area for nine years.
However, Mr MacDonald became fed up with the staff shortages in policing in the UK which meant he was working 19-hour shifts.
His wife, Debbie, who also works in policing initially had the idea to move to either Australia or New Zealand.
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Despite this desire at the time, the “opportunities weren’t there” for the family to make the move but the couple decided to plan to make this move a reality.
Eventually, Western Australia Police opened a scheme for UK officers to transfer which the MacDonalds were quick to take advantage of.
The couple bought a car and rented a new three-bed home, enrolling their three children in a local school.
According to Mr MacDonald, the move was the “best decision” the family could have made to better themselves.
He explained: “I absolutely loved my job in the UK and I never wanted to do anything else from the age of 16.
“But UK policing has been gradually hit by cuts over the years – less staff meant I was working alone and did lots of overtime.
“Not only is it tiring but it affects your family life – I was missing things at home that I shouldn’t have because I was at work.
“My wife and I always said if the opportunity came up to move to Australia or New Zealand, we would. When it did last October, we were the first ones knocking on the door.”
In terms of the practical benefits of moving to Australia, the family man broke down how his financial and job situation has vastly improved.
The policeman added: “Staffing here is double what it is in the UK so there are fewer long shifts and more people to share the workload.
“I’m never working on my own here either, because they don’t allow it, so it’s a real comfort blanket. In terms of attitudes, I would describe UK policing as a bit demoralised – and I certainly don’t see that when I look at faces around Western Australia Police.
“My take-home pay last year in UK policing was £52,000 including overtime. To put that into perspective, over here I earn £60k – working fewer hours than in the UK.”
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