Tektronics12:
Personally, i dont think it's a Wise Decision.

Anyway, you need to do 4 things. 1) Learn Australian English with their Accent Quickly..2) Get the Required CPA Certificate..3) Be Jokingly Friendly with the Locals there and forget about Racism Bullshit...4) Learn how to Drive

This would take you places. Goodluck!

I'm sure you do not consider a man of 48 as a child. The decision I took is not only in my best interest but also I'm my offsprings best interest.

I started conversing with Australians the first day I landed.
I regret nothing. A friend of mine, an accountant too, list his job in Nigeria. He has not been able to find another in two years.

He is a taxi driver now. He kept wishing he migrated like me when he had money.

Etosha:


Please sir, I am sorry to ask, what is your purpose in life? To live in a decent environment, work and pass on...?

My purpose in life is to give my children the best.

If I ever trained my children in schools abroad, it is mission accomplished for me. God has already started it.

AmuDimpka:
that dude isn't telling the truth truth me...he wants validation ..give it to him

Bro. My wife was here for two years before I joined her.

So it was very easy for me. I even started looking for job from Nigeria.

austin2023:
Did you learn their language, before you started working as a forklift operator?

Australia is an English speaking country.

boxypane:

Nice moments indeed. Pls how much do I need to move to Australia?

Depending on the route. We came on student visa. It actually cost the whole family a lot.

With the current exchange rate, its going to cost more

FireUpNow:
Congrats man. I am so happy for you ooo. A 50 -69 years old man is still a young man. Have you seen a Kangaroo? I love that animal when they fight.

I actually saw three near my street the day my family went for early morning jogging.

The first time I'm seeing kangaroos.

seborrhic:

The three months is the shocking part.
If he is correct and truthful,then he had well laid out plans and is lucky.
I am just imagining someone going to a new country and already started doing well at 3months.Shelter,kids already in school,fees settled,got a job already and saving.
Thats quite an enormous achievement

I sent my wife here in December 2021.
The original plan was for the family to move together but on a second thought I said no.

She worked really hard and I supported her the much I can from Nigeria.

It was much easier for me because I had my partner here already.

EleventhWeirdo:
@Usefulsense

If you had ACCA from Nigeria, I believe your experience with accounting job hunting in Australia would be different. Its hard to imagine an FCA of our noble ICAN packing trash in Australia. ICAN needs to do more in terms of bilateral cooperations with other professional bodies. You would have been able to practice with your FCA in England, I believe

Sir, I am not packing trash in Australia. I work in the warehouse. I make in a week my gross in a month in Nigeria. After the monthly expenses, I have 1,600 Australian dollars left in a month. This is more than my monthly gross.

If I had known, before coming to Australia, I would have obtained membership of ANAN.
If I had ANAN, I would have been a member of CPA Australia. They recognise ANAN. They don't know ICAN.

lacasera14:
So you exchanged your big man life in Nigeria for steady power, water, security, no car honks, organized society, and what again? I think you were not big man enough in Nigeria. Because the big men in Nigeria enjoy all those things you traveled out for. Ask them.

Most of your big men and politicians in Nigeria have their children schooling here and majority of them have houses here.

There is a reason for that bro.

Ishilove:

You sound like an inferiority complex afflicted Uncle Tom. A lot of what you described is a cultural thing. Malaria is geographical. We are in the tropics and the malaria causing specie of mosquito is in this environment, hence the malaria. Even the so called 'big man mentality' you mentioned has absolutely nothing to do with 'big man-ism'. When you are in a position of authority, you can make demands on your junior staff and it will be well within your rights. You can't do that over there because you are not in that position so just shove it and stop raving like a well fed house boy.

You better free yourself from your blatant inferior, house nigger complex

See them. Hate filled souls.

travelzcruix:
Thank God for you brother and I pray my opportunity comes sooner. I will break the poverty chain in my family.

Sure, you will. This I know.

chineduisaac:


Sir you mentioned that you will discuss why things goes sore between husband and wife abroad which eventually leads to divorce. I'm quite interested in this topic

This will be discussed in another thread coming up soon.

I want to sincerely thank everyone who had contributed one way or the other in this thread.

One point I didn't state here is that I sent my wifey more than two years ago on student visa.

We are currently being sponsored by her employers.

I wouldn't have embarked on this journey if I wasn't sure of having my papers.

Thus it was a lot easier for me because my partner was already here before I came with the children.

To make it fast here at my age, ensure you come with your wife. Both of you will together make it faster especially if none of you is selfish.

Wifey bought me car as soon as I landed here. This is because, to get a job here, you need a car. In fact, in some job adverts, it is an important requirement.

Don't come alone at my age especially if you have no pathway to getting your papers. It is very difficult to get papers except you are under sponsorship.

To come here, please do the following:

1. Learn how to barb. The importance of this cannot be over emphasised. If you are the type that visits barbing saloon every week like me, learn how to barb.

I barb myself and my son every week thereby saving over 160 dollars every month.

2. Learn how to drive. This one is also very important. Please it is in your best interest to do that.

3. Forget some of your cloths in Nigeria. The mistake I made is that I came with all my corporate wears. My suits, trousers, good shirts and ties etc. The are useless here. Come with enough jeans, chinos, pollos, canvas, winter wears, cardigans etc.

4. Come with food ingredients. Till today, I find it difficult to eat some of the sugary foods here. Thank God I came with loads and loads of egusi, ogbono, scent leave, crayfish, Maggi, ogiri, pumpkin leave, utazi, ukwa, ukpaka, pepper, etc.

My bag wasn't checked at the Sydney Airport.

5. Treat malaria before coming. There are no malaria here.

6. Go and learn a skill. Eg forklift driving (counterbalance and high reach). You will most likely start from a warehouse when you land here.

7. Have some money at hand for the first few weeks of your stay before you come in.

8. As soon as you get in here, please network and find other Nigerians. This is very important. Here in Australia, Nigerians behave like brothers in helping you to settle in. Note that nobody will give you money.

It was yorubas that helped me so much in finding a job through their contacts. My fellow igbo brothers were there for me too.

9. Finally, when everything has failed, hold on to God tightly. I am a living witness.

shoodboi2:


I disagree with this. 65 year old Australians work because they have nothing to fall back on. Work isn't fun and doesn't enable them to exercise their bodies. Work is even more brutal over there.

These western nations -- US, Canada, France, Australia, and others -- are extremely capitalist. They want to take the last drop of your soul out of you and require you to keep working to pay bills after bills after bills for your daily survival.

The average Nigerian retires at 58 - 65 and is still able to live a decent life almost comparable to when they were working.

You can never compare that to Australia where they have to work into their 80s to keep body and soul together. And when they're no longer able to work anymore, they're thrown into an old people's home and the cycle continues.

You're new to the system, so it's still "freaking" you. You even hope to get your accounting job back someday. I hate to be the one to say this, but the possibility of you getting that job back is very low.

You've already been sucked into, and will continue to be sucked into, this forklifting/labouring career and the longer you stay in it, the harder it is to switch to accounting.

The man who inducted me in the warehouse where I work is 65. He is a made man. He told me he comes around to work because there is no one to stay at home with.

This man has about two houses he receives rent from every week. The rent is enough to pay his bills for life.

As per accounting work, I already rejected one because they wanted me to sign an undertaking that I will never leave before completing one year.

The pay they offered is exactly what I'm earning in the warehouse. I made it clear that if I must sign the undertaking, I will need at least 10Aud on top of my current earnings.

Bros, I will move into accounting before the end of April. Some recruitment firms are already on my case.

However, if I don't get it, I'm already doing better than I was doing while in Nigeria.

chidi4sam:


Australia pays the highest wage when compared with UK, Canada, US(in some companies) with minimum tax rate. In June this year, there is going to be a new minimum wage to be implemented with lesser tax rate. You can verify this on Google if you wish.

I saw it. It has been in the news

benchosky:
We re talking money you re talking career progress.. receive sense

I know the guy was joking when I read his submission.

AmuDimpka:
I hear you...someone that has her papers and kids there but money to enter flight come Nigeria is an issue

This is not true bro. This is a country where student build houses back home in Nigeria within 2 years.

There is something this family is not telling you.

Your three months savings in Australia will pay for your flight ticket to and fro Nigeria and you still have some change to throw around.

AmuDimpka:
someone who is an accountant earning 1 million plus and leaving Nigeria to be a forklift driver in Australai hasn't made much progress..he is at the lower ring of career ladder there and that's the truth ...

It's like been a medical director in Nigeria to travel and be a truck driver ...the person hasn't made progress in career ...that's the truth. Forget all the money . Within him he will know the truth and will tell himself the truth forget these things ....

That's the way I measure progress...notdollar and cents ! At 48 yrs he is a forklift driver how long will he work and click career ladder in Australia...maybe 15 yrs or plus ...then calculate his age

For me measure of progress is different.
A toilet cleaner in Australia lives a much better life than the regional manager of Zenith bank in Nigeria.

AmuDimpka:
been active at 80 is different and working at 80 is different

I want to retire at 58 plus .. that is what I want of life ..then I can travel around

And you think that is better because it is your choice.

It is my prayer to be strong enough at even 90 to work.

Most Australians that work at age 70 do that by choice. The can decide not to and still live better life.

AmuDimpka:
no wahala...I wish you luck. At 55 - 60 one should be retired travelling around yhe world. That is my perspective not learning forklifting at 48

When you say learning forklift at 48, I'm already a licensed forklift driver. Licensed to do counterbalance and high reach anywhere is Australia.

I'm no more learning bro.

Here, you see 65 years old Australians working. Not because they don't have anything to fall back on. But because it is fun and enables them to exercise the body.

AmuDimpka:
after all these...I still have someone that is in Australia for over 10 yrs ...the person seff is finding it hard to secure air ticket to come home with his family


How una dey take look some of us ...una think say we are daft ?

This your person came in as an illegal immigrant. I can tell you that for free.

As an illegal immigrant, you will see shege.

No body comes in through legal means and stays up to 10 years without going home. Except the person decides not to.

In Australia, even if you're packing shit or faeces, you will live a decent life.

Life is much better here.

TheBillyonaire:





Yes it is very humbling my brother. I can not imagine a man at almost 50 years decelerating from being a Boss to a Boy Boy for Oyibos. In exchange for clean 247 electricity and security. Definitely, they are better organized than us, right?

But it depends on where you lived in Nigeria. You mentioned being an Igbo man, so it could be that your city is not properly organized as opposed to other places with serene air and cleaner environments.

Alternatively, working as a warehouse handy-man is boy boy in your language. But congratulations for promoting yourself from big man to boy boy.

I promise you that we will build Nigeria, so your children can have a better place to return to, and hopefully you will be visiting often and not when you are too weak to be useful to Nigeria.

There is no boy boy here. It is only in Nigeria that people are treated as boy boy.

Here people drive latest model of any car brand to work. What is the work? Cleaning, picking and packing cartons.

That big man mentality is why Nigeria is in a bad state.

AmuDimpka:
he can save 4 - 5 million monthly...dey play !

Abi you dey tell person wey no get people for Aussie

Well, ignorance is bliss ... At that age he should be planning retirement and not emigration to go and start life again

That's my own opinion and I think I have right to that

Who told you I started life afresh?

In Nigeria, I worked for a private company where you're treated like a slave and where people are sacked on daily basis.

I took the best decision to live Nigeria. Here, I am working. I am not begging.

My life here is even better than what it was back home in Nigeria.

You're shouting plan your retirement. Who told you I am not planning my retirement?

If I work here for the next 3 years, I will have a 3 story building of 8 flats somewhere in the East.

Can #2m net salary a month do that for me in Nigeria?

In Nigeria, my gross pay was about #1.3 million per month and my take home is #1.057m.

Here in Australia, despite the fact that I have not fully integrated into the system, I comfortably save 1,600 dollars per month out of the 4,000 dollars I make.

By the time I fully integrate into the system ( like getting Australian drivers license, there are jobs you cannot get without an Australian license) there is no way I won't earn more than that.

For your information, there is dignity of labour here. You don't talk down on people here.

I am not under any pressure. I didn't migrate at 48 to look for papers. Our papers are already coming this year through my wifey.

SuperOnyi:







Congratulations sir. I hope you emulate all of those great behaviors of the Australian citizens including dropping that "big man" syndrome most Nigerians display.

Regardless of who we are, we're all equal... the universe has made it so — do not be like one of these black comics who demand respect and worshipping from anybody with the same skin color as theirs but it's okay for other "races" to look down on them.

I say congratulations once again.

Australia really humbled me. Imagine a financial controller in Nigeria now picking and packing cartons in warehouses in Australia.

chidi4sam:




Congratulations Sir. Australia 🇦🇺 will favour you. It is a great country with limitless opportunities

Amen. Thanks for the prayers. Are you in Aussie?

Before I commence my story, I want to specifically thank those who advised me not to travel. Your advise was borne out of genuine love and concern. One stated clearly that I should not leave known for unknown.

However, taking the bold step to leave Nigeria at the time I did was the best decision I ever made in my life. In fact, given the same scenario and even if I am 52 and my salary was #2million per month, I will still leave Nigeria.

The first 2 months was very difficult. The mistake I made was my insistence on getting accounting job. I did over 60 applications and all of them were rejected. I have no Australian experience neither do I have Australian certification.

My wifey was indeed an angle in human form. She provided the needed support. She shouldered all the financial responsibilities all by herself. This is the part that almost pushed me into depression. As an Igboman, we consider it a taboo for our women to feed, house and cloth us.

After two months, I decided it was time to re-strategize. I enrolled for a forklift training and within two week, I obtained my forklift license.
Not satisfied with that, I took some courses and did some checks that will qualify me to go into disability support work. I obtained First aid certificate, Diploma in mental health, certificate in infection prevention and control, certificate in care for the aged and disabled, police check, working with children checks, NDIS worker check, NDIS orientation certificate and many more.

I started applying for warehouse jobs. In fact, I had to reject a lot of them. I settled for one of the warehouses and it has been awesome working for the organization.

I have not gotten what I am looking for yet. I am using the warehouse to keep body and soul together. In the warehouse where I work, you will see people of different ages. from 18 years to 65 years working and making a good living. in Australia, there is always something to do.

The only thing I miss, is the big man mentality we have in Nigeria. Where I will sit in my office, call one of my staff in intercom and ask for a cup of coffee; and it will be brought to me in seconds. You can't try that rubbish here.

The level of security here is top notch. I have no fear, i move about anytime of the day/night.

After one week in Australia, I concluded that Nigeria is a completely lawless country and an animal jungle. Here everything is ordered. I am yet to hear a driver blow his car horn while driving. There are no touts, there are no omoniles. Electricity has never blinked for one second. water is constant, gas is there. I have never seen two persons fighting in the street. I have never seen a mad man or woman on the road or street beggars. The air we breath here is different from the air we breath in Nigeria.

It was in Australia that I realized that the saying in Nigeria that Nigerian police is your friend is actually true. Break the law in Nigeria and police catches you, just give them #2,000 you are off the hook. And the circle of lawlessness continues. Here, it is a different ball game. Proposing bribe will be used as evidence against you. It doesn't matter who you are. Every one is civil.

While in Nigeria I suffered malaria every month. There is no month I don't treat malaria. Since I got to this country, I have never had headache let alone malaria.

Children are doing wonderfully well at school and are already speaking through their nose.

In conclusion, I made the best choice. Even though I have not really found the kind of job I want to do, the little I am doing now contributes in paying bills and I have savings more than my monthly gross per month in Nigeria.

If you are above 45 years and have your partner already in this country, and you are an employee of a company, it is in your best interest to leave Nigeria. Provided, of course, that you are healthy and you are not lazy.

One dark side to moving abroad is that you have more chances of being divorced by your wife. This is a story for another day as I have gathered enough reason on why families divorce and will create a thread on this someday.


I am open to any question you may have.

Last year, I sought the opinion of Nairalanders concerning my plan to move to Australia.
My major worry was my age (48) and also considering that my net salary in Nigeria was a little over a million Naira per month as the financial controller of a manufacturing company in Onitsha.

Below is the link to the thread I opened to seek peoples advice and I recommend that you go through the thread to fully appreciate
the story that follows.

[url=https://www.nairaland.com/7825207/japa-confused-please-advise][/url]. I promised to tell my story after 3 months of my stay in Australia.

I finally left Nigeria on December 7th, 2023 and arrived the country on December 9th with my children. Today, I am exactly 3 months, 2 weeks and 6 days old in Sydney, australia.

This is not a hearsay, it is not an eye witness account, it is my story.

This is intended to guide people who maybe planning to travel outside Nigeria. Should you migrate at an age over 45 or not?

Those who told me not to go are right and those who told me to travel are also right.

Given another opportunity, will I take the decision to move out of Nigeria at 48? Have I made a mistake? How am I surviving?

You will find out in this thread.

To be continued shortly .........

Usefulsense:
Before I commence my story, I want to specifically thank those who advised me not to travel. Your advise was borne out of genuine love and concern. One stated clearly that I should not leave known for unknown.

However, taking the bold step to leave Nigeria at the time I did was the best decision I ever made in my life. In fact, given the same scenario and even if I am 52 and my salary was #2million per month, I will still leave Nigeria.

The first 2 months was very difficult. The mistake I made was my insistence on getting accounting job. I did over 60 applications and all of them were rejected. I have no Australian experience neither do I have Australian certification.

My wifey was indeed an angle in human form. She provided the needed support. She shouldered all the financial responsibilities all by herself. This is the part that almost pushed me into depression. As an Igboman, we consider it a taboo for our women to feed, house and cloth us.

After two months, I decided it was time to re-strategize. I enrolled for a forklift training and within two week, I obtained my forklift license.
Not satisfied with that, I took some courses and did some checks that will qualify me to go into disability support work. I obtained First aid certificate, Diploma in mental health, certificate in infection prevention and control, certificate in care for the aged and disabled, police check, working with children checks, NDIS worker check, NDIS orientation certificate and many more.

I started applying for warehouse jobs. In fact, I had to reject a lot of them. I settled for one of the warehouses and it has been awesome working for the organization.

I have not gotten what I am looking for yet. I am using the warehouse to keep body and soul together. In the warehouse where I work, you will see people of different ages. from 18 years to 65 years working and making a good living. in Australia, there is always something to do.

The only thing I miss, is the big man mentality we have in Nigeria. Where I will sit in my office, call one of my staff in intercom and ask for a cup of coffee; and it will be brought to me in seconds. You can't try that rubbish here.

The level of security here is top notch. I have no fear, i move about anytime of the day/night.

After one week in Australia, I concluded that Nigeria is a completely lawless country and an animal jungle. Here everything is ordered. I am yet to hear a driver blow his car horn while driving. There are no touts, there are no omoniles. Electricity has never blinked for one second. water is constant, gas is there. I have never seen two persons fighting in the street. I have never seen a mad man or woman on the road or street beggars. The air we breath here is different from the air we breath in Nigeria.

It was in Australia that I realized that the saying in Nigeria that Nigerian police is your friend is actually true. Break the law in Nigeria and police catches you, just give them #2,000 you are off the hook. And the circle of lawlessness continues. Here, it is a different ball game. Proposing bribe will be used as evidence against you. It doesn't matter who you are. Every one is civil.

While in Nigeria I suffered malaria every month. There is no month I don't treat malaria. Since I got to this country, I have never had headache let alone malaria.

Children are doing wonderfully well at school and are already speaking through their nose.

In conclusion, I made the best choice. Even though I have not really found the kind of job I want to do, the little I am doing now contributes in paying bills and I have savings more than my monthly gross per month in Nigeria.

If you are above 45 years and have your partner already in this country, and you are an employee of a company, it is in your best interest to leave Nigeria. Provided, of course, that you are healthy and you are not lazy.

One dark side to moving abroad is that you have more chances of being divorced by your wife. This is a story for another day as I have gathered enough reason on why families divorce and will create a thread on this someday.


I am open to any question you may have.

The check engine light of my Toyota corolla 2006 just came on.

Is it something I should worry about?

Thank God I summoned enough courage to leave Nigeria last year.

They have realized that Nigeria is irreparable.

They are now looking for ways to japa themselves.

Jk210:


Hi usefulsense, please can I send a DM? I would like to ask some questions regarding your travel process

Feel free. I will answer all your questions.

mokset123:
hope u took our advice oh. How is Australia

I cam into Australia December 9th 2023.

Australia is a good country.