British woman shares the toughest realities she struggled with when moving to Australia

A British woman talked about the struggles she’s been through since moving to Australia, from finding a place to rent to making new friends.

Catherine Owen, who has been living in Australia for four months, revealed the ‘reality’ of moving Down Under from the UK on a holiday visa and many Aussies agreed with her.

The 26-year-old said she found it difficult to find a job after weeks of setting up a bank account and tax file number.

She said that while she loves Australia, finding a home amid the country’s rent crisis was “the ultimate pain” and she struggled to find a job.

Catherine was also shocked by how expensive things are in Australia and how big the country is making it hard to ‘see everything’.

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She said that while she “loves” Australis, finding a home amid the country’s rental crisis was “the ultimate pain” and that she struggled to find a job

Despite the challenges, Catherine told FEMAIL that she and her boyfriend found a room in a shared house on the Gold Coast for $400 a week.

She has not yet found a job, but her partner has found a job that he found through a recruitment agency.

“Don’t get me wrong, this country is so great and I love it here, but I just want to be transparent about some of the difficulties!” said the expat in a TikTok after.

“When you get here you have to open a bank account and get a tax code, which can take a while before you can get a job,” she said.

Catherine added that many jobs require the candidate to pay and undergo training, such as responsible alcohol service certification for hospitality positions and a white card for the construction industry.

“Jobs are so oversaturated and hard to find! Even if you have good experience, you can still struggle,” she wrote.

Catherine focused on the country’s housing crisis, which she called “the ultimate pain.”

“Renting can be quite difficult because sometimes you need the tenant’s history or huge down payments,” she said.

‘Nowhere to live! Finding places is so hard and there are so many scammers.’

The traveler said everything is so expensive in Australia and she has trouble balancing work and exploring the country for fear of overspending.

She added that Greyhound buses book up very quickly, so travel plans should be planned well in advance.

Catherine said Australia is “huge”, making it hard to see everything and very far from family with big time differences.

Her final point is, “It’s kind of hard to make friends when you’re not partying and staying in hostels.”

Aussies and expats alike said they had experienced many of the same struggles Catherine listed.

Catherine said everything is so expensive in Australia and she struggles to balance her work and explore the country for fear of overspending

‘It took me one to two years to establish myself in Australia with a good job and a close friendship group. I would never leave now, so stick with it, it’s worth it,” said one viewer.

“I’ve lived here all my life and this is exactly how I feel!” another wrote.

“It’s literally exactly the same for a girl from Sydney moving to London, so I know how you feel!! Literally relate to everything you said,” a third added.

It’s good to see one of these with the true reality of moving to the other side of the world. I had the same problems in reverse,” commented a fourth.

Not everyone found the move challenging, while others gave Catherine some advice to make the move easier.

‘I’ve lived here for over four years and have never had a hard time finding a job! I have no diplomas/formal qualifications! It’s different for everyone’, explains an expat.

“Bartending is desperate for workers and the same as baristas,” someone suggested.

‘Sydney girl here, moved from Perth and had no friends at first. Downloaded Bumble BFF and met a lot of cool people so definitely check that out,” a second recommended.