From Northamptonshire to Western Australia

Originally from Northamptonshire, Richard Powell now lives in Perth, Western Australia.

When asked about the major factors behind his move he says, "The climate was desirable as was the outdoor,beach lifestyle. I can play all the sports I like out here”.

Richard arrived in Australia on a Working Holiday visa.

"I applied for a Skilled Migrant visa and whilst I was waiting for that to be processed I obtained a Working Holiday visa. This meant I could spend a year out there while I waited on my permanent residency to be confirmed. This gave me a chance to see if I liked it there or not without being committed to the move.

"I spent the first few months out there on holiday, not working, just enjoying the Perth summer. As summer turned to winter I got work as a software developer for a company." Richard still remains at the same employer today.

"Perth is near the beach, and the sea is beautiful. It is a relatively new city, different to bigger places such as London or Sydney. It feels newer, cleaner and less populated."

There isn’t much Richard misses from the UK, apart from friends and family, and as he points out: "Perth is not a 24-hour city. Things tend to shut early here, so where you may have access to the things you need in England, this is not the case here."

Although his move to Australia was smooth, Richard had some advice for prospective settlers from the UK: "Don’t just think about it, if you want to do it – get yourself out here. If you are aged 18-30, you can apply for a Working Holiday visa and visit a few different cities.

"Also, do your research, have a look at the visa conditions and assess your options. Having a job lined up before making the move may take some of the stress out of trying to settle in a new place."

Richard attended the Opportunities Australia Expo in London and found it useful as he made some good contacts. He also got to put some questions to the Australian immigration department, DIAC, and talked to some recruiters.

Richard used Moneycorp to exchange funds from the UK to Australia. He recently purchased a car with the money he exchanged through Moneycorp and says: "Things went perfectly smoothly with Moneycorp. I used the service several times and when I was relying on them to deliver on time they didn’t let me down. I would recommend their services to anyone else and should I need to, and I would use them again."

-Story provided by Moneycorp