Australia...?

Will works for an educational tour company that sells trips to HS teachers and students. This means that he is constantly around the buzz and talks of adventures and journeys to foreign countries. Anyone who knows Will and me knows that we love to travel. We have both travelled pretty extensively on our own, and have done a fair amount of travelling together over the past year or so (most notably to Ireland over New Years this year.) So for Will, working in this environment everyday really puts an itch in him to travel even more. About a month ago he got a company newsletter indicating available positions within the company. The majority of these jobs were overseas, which got us talking...

Will has never lived abroad and it is one thing he would love to do. I have lived in Spain for a summer, but I've often thought about living abroad for a longer period of time. He suggested that we think about moving abroad for a year after our lease is up in October. I thought he was joking at first, but am realizing more and more everyday that he is serious! That's one of the things I absolutely love about this guy- he is always up for an adventure, and he makes me want to be a more adventurous person.

He knows a couple people who have lived in Australia on a work visa through a program called BUNAC. No idea what that stands for, but what it means is we can gain a one year work visa from them for about $450 each. This program holds an orientation when you first reach Australia to help acclimate you to the country, then they assist you in finding jobs and housing. With this visa we would be able to get jobs (probably in the hospitality industry) and be able to travel freely around the country for a whole year. The beauty of the program is that you can work the whole time you're there so you can actually fund your trip while you're there. You don't have to save up a huge amount of money before you go. The main catch is that you have to be under 30 to obtain the visa. Will isn't getting any younger (he just turned 28- oh my! dating an older gentleman) so if we are serious about going, next year is pretty much the only opportunity we have.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to going to Australia:

PRO- we already speak the language, so it won't be too big of a culture shock to settle in a new country.
CON- we already speak the language, so we won't be able to become fluent in a different one. (HUGE con for me- my #1 reason for wanting to move abroad is so that I can become fluent in another language)

PRO- There are several job options through this program. We could work in the hospitality industry, in a retail store, on a farm, on a boat, or in a restaurant. Since we speak english we are more likely to get better paying jobs.
CON- If we decided to move to a different country (where we don't speak the language) our only job option would be to teach english. Teaching english does not pay well at all. And it's time consuming.

PRO- I would get to see a different side of the world. I have not travelled to that area before, so it would allow opportunity to get to New Zealand, Fiji, Thailand, Asia. All countries I would LOVE to visit!
CON- The Asian countries are cheap to visit as far as food and lodging, but pricey to actually get to!

So, there's a lot of things to weigh in our decision. If we do decide to go, we will put our stuff into storage at the end of October, spend a couple months at home with our families for the holidays, and then meet in LA and fly out to Sydney after New Years! Then we'd be residents of Australia for a whole year. Wow. Crazy just thinking about it.

The good news for me- I have talked to my bosses about the Australia option because they offered me a promotion at work on Wednesday. Currently I am a "sourcing specialist" which basically means I source candidates and companies online for the recruiters to call on for potential job opportunities. On Wednesday I was formally offered a position as a recruiter. When I joined the company in February they told me I would be in my sourcing role for at least 6 months to a year since I have no prior recruiting experience. So, it's a pretty big deal that I was offered the promotion after less than 3 months. I decided to postpone the offer, though, because of the Australia option.

If I became a recruiter I would have to reach a cap before I began to receive bonuses for the placements I make. As a sourcer, I receive bonuses (although MUCH smaller) as soon as my candidate is placed. If Australia is going to happen, I would much rather make money now and be able to save up. As a recruiter it takes about 9-12 months to reach your cap. For those keeping track, that's about the time I would be heading across the ocean. That means I wouldn't have any bonus potential this year. Hmmm, not a great deal for me (right now at least.) Plus, being a recruiter is about making connections and keeping in touch with those people. It wouldn't serve me well to make contacts and then disappear on them for a year....but, I digress.

Long story short, my bosses Carla and Echo (really awesome women to work for) are very supportive of the idea and assured me that if I decide to go they will hold my position for me here and let me become a recruiter when I return. What great news! It would be like taking a leave of absence for a year and coming back to a promotion.

So, that's the newest scoop on me. Lots to think about, but really exciting, too. Hopefully we decide in the next month so we can start putting our plan into action!