Fed up with the NHS? Try emigrating to Australia.

There are now 3.247 million British-born people living abroad; Australasia is one of the most popular emigrant destinations in recent years.

Barry Koolen, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Crown Relocations, explains: “There are still a great number of job opportunities for British immigrants and health care workers are often in demand.”

Although it’s far from certain you will get a visa, if you work in health care and you’re considering emigrating to Australia in search of better prospects you could find yourself better placed in the immigration application process.

Getting through the application procedure is only the first step in the process however. Making the transition from life in the UK to life abroad involves a lot of time and forward planning. Moving your possessions, finding a home, schools and adjusting to a new environment are important factors in any move and this is where Crown’s expert knowledge and experience comes into play.

Kate Mitchell was a Paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service. She worked 10 hour shifts in Glasgow, but recently embarked on the adventure of a lifetime when she left her home with partner Barbara and their adopted son Liam to start a new life on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.

“We were really keen to try something different that would alter the course of our lives.  We wanted more, for all our futures, especially Liam’s, so we started to think about our options.”  Liam is Barbara’s great nephew; the couple adopted him after his mother died of leukaemia when he was aged 1½.  “He has been paramount in our decision to emigrate.”

Kate and Barbara from Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, in Scotland first got the idea to emigrate when a colleague at another ambulance station told Kate about her plans to move to Australia.  “We did a lot of research and spoke to people who had made the move or were planning to emigrate.  We really liked the idea and the potential for us to build a different, more exciting future.”

Kate and Barbara used Crown Relocations, to help with the packing and shipping arrangements for all their belongings. 

“Crown Relocations were recommended to us by colleagues who had already emigrated, they said Crown had helped them to arrange everything and made the move go smoothly. They were quick and efficient at answering our many questions, their paperwork was comprehensive and their customer service was excellent so we felt completely confident in their ability; which is important as we are entrusting them to ship all our worldly goods half way across the world!”

“Everyone at Crown has been really helpful and they took away the pain of us having to pack up all our belongings,” said Kate.  That was especially important for her son Liam. Moving abroad can often be hardest for children. “We realised how important it was to make sure that Liam was involved in the process as this would make the transition easier for him and help him to settle in quicker.  Crown Relocations has special guides, written for kids by kids, and Liam was given one all about Australia, which he loved.  It had information about the weather, food and customs so he knows more about what to expect.”

Kate adds: “We decided to make the move because we wanted a better quality of life, now and for the future.  We are thinking long-term, about our retirement in twenty or so years, but more about making sure Liam has a bright future.  We’ve rented our house out for a year, so we haven’t burnt all our bridges, if we decide we want to come back, we can.  We’ll miss the rest of our families, but they are all keen to come and visit.”

Kate has the following words of advice for anyone thinking about emigrating and starting a new life abroad:  “Do your research and think carefully about your reasons for moving and what you hope to achieve.  You need to be patient when arranging the visas and permits as this can take a while.  We intend to take it as it comes, day by day.  We can come back if we decide it’s not for us, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.”