Expat Life

GO HARD OR GO HOME | I love travelling, but lately I’ve realised this love is not as unconditional as it once was.

What is it about being approached by a salesperson in a clothing store that turns men into spineless whimpering children?

RIGHT SAID ED | It was my birthday last week and as I prepared to celebrate turning yet another year 'younger', it dawned on me that sometimes in England, the Poms have things round the wrong way a little.

When can I apply for my UK Tier 2 Visa extension?

POLL POSITION | The Murdoch dominated Australian media landscape is set to face new scrutiny, with the government recently announcing an inquiry into the industry.

Sometimes it’s best not to ask, don’t enquire, just walk away from Morris Dancers.

CHRIS'S KITCHEN | Australian Times is pleased to introduce a new regular columnist, Australian chef Chris Ark. An expert in the kitchen but also supremely knowledgeable in the perfect paddock-to-pan transition, Chris has relied on 15 years of experience to make him into one of the most exciting Aussie chefs...

Deano from Tamworth, Josh from Sydney and Raquel from Market Bosworth live in this week's Our House in West Hampstead.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: There is one skill that I did not expect to pick up when moving to London; the ability to survive a face-off with a fox.

A helpful observation of greetings for new Aussie settlers to our motherland.

Yacine from Springvale, Tony from Melbourne and Owen from Melbourne live in this week's Our House in Camden.

Is there some way I can get a UK spousal visa because of my fiancée’s passport?

GO HARD OR GO HOME: According to Sky News, wild swimming is a new "craze" sweeping through Britain where people swim in natural waterways, like rivers and lakes. Come again?

Rod from Sydney and Chris from Melbourne live in this week's Our House in West Hampstead.

For most Australians, coming to live in London is certainly challenging and regularly frustrating, but altogether probably the most thrilling and rewarding experience of our lives. Occasionally though, the subtle British cultural quirks and London’s social idiosyncrasies wear down an Aussie’s typical cheer. The city gets the best of them;...

ASK THE EXPERT | I am subject to an ancestral visa. My child is not mine biologically but is my dependent. Can they come to the UK on my visa?

GO HARD OR GO HOME | After receiving a little package of Aussie goodies from my folks, I thought I'd repay them the favour and send them some treats from the UK, including the dreaded Penguin.

Mark and Prue from Willow Tree live in this week's Our House in Notting Hill.

No dinner party attended by Aussies in London would be complete without a discussion of the baffling Ugg boot phenomenon.

n How many times have you wondered “When is a good time to transfer money” or “When is a good time to exchange travel money”? asks Herman Howell of Sable FX.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: It’s that time of year when Antipodeans begin their mass evacuation from the UK and I am asking myself, ‘Should I stay or should I go?'

I’m starting to get goosebumps as the realisation comes to me that I’m about to go through this again.

ASK THE EXPERT | Is there a body regulating immigration advisors in order to protect clients?

Sable Group explains an important investment principle.

GO HARD OR GO HOME | I refuse to give in to the taunts. I’ll continue to talk the Australian way, because calling White Out 'Tipp-Ex' is just not cricket.

I can’t help but love the British reaction to a 30 degree heat-wave. And from a place where the populace go out and 'buy' sunshine.

GO HARD OR GO HOME | Through the destruction, violence and despair caused by the recent riots in the UK, there was one thing that brought a smile to my face — seeing all the love being sent from Down Under.

Anthony and Jake from Sydney live in this week's Our House in West Hampstead.

Obscene pensions, climate change, war and increased tuition fees are all worth protesting, and I am proud to be part of a democratic society with the right to peaceful protest. However last week’s London riots were utterly mindless.

Jono from Sydney and Anna from Gloucester live in this week's Our House in Hampstead.

It occurred to me the other day that I have been living with an Australian for far too long. It's not that I don't like Aussies. Just their behaviour starts to become infectious after a while and that isn't good for us proper Brits.

Chef de Parties and above required for ongoing casual work over the summer and beyond.

Winter is the hardest time of year here in the UK without doubt. No Christmas BBQs. No New Year’s beach parties. No Australia Day sunburn. And I have just realised it is only just around the corner.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: A recent incident has crushed what little faith I had in the goodwill of my fellow Londoners.

Tommy from Sydney, Mel from Melbourne and Ste from Kendal live in this week's Our House in Clapham Junction.

I have a love/hate relationship with London and Londoners which is inversely proportional to my attachment to my nationality. If I let it go, I can adapt better to life here.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: There's a myth here in the UK that Australians and Kiwis don’t get along. I’d never heard of this so-called rivalry until I moved to the UK and, well, I really don’t like it.

Banks are not the only option for foreign exchange and international remittance, but most consumers don’t know this.

I have recently acquired British citizenship through naturalisation. My mother is an Australian citizen, and living in Australia. I have heard that there are family visas that can be applied for relatives of UK citizens?

Since being here in the UK there have been occasions where I’ve noticed myself looking down my nose at a certain group of people. And if you’re reading this, there’s a chance you’re one of them.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: When it comes to festivals, everyone seems to have a different idea about what items are ‘essential’.

Last week I met a man who was fluent in nine languages. I can speak one. English. And even then, my fluency in that is debatable. It was a ‘we’re not in Melbourne anymore, Toto,’ moment for me.

Why do Aussies make the tortuous slog to a place where warm beer, 4pm darkness and bitterly cold winters are staple? Well, there's a whole host of reasons. From travel to music and even careers, Aussies are finding it all in London.

Ben from Melbourne and Agnes from Hobart, Tasmania live in this week's Our House in Leytonstone.

Phil from Wee Waa and Ali from Penrith live in this week's Our House in Kilburn.

People tend to adopt similar strategies in their approach to interview preparation but what will make you stand out from other job seekers? Adam Whitehouse provides a few tips on how to succeed at the interview stage.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: There's a well-known joke that Londoners love to queue. But forming an orderly line is so central to life in this part of the world, it's no laughing matter.

Chris from Brisbane and Phil from Bris-vegas live in this week's Our House in Hammersmith.

One of the main dilemmas of the expat lifestyle is: which country will your children support and/or play for in sport? Bon8 takes us through one very tough question for an Aussie dad.

GO HARD OR GO HOME: Like most Aussies living in London, spending a couple of years abroad was something I had dreamt of doing since my teens. But maybe living abroad actually isn’t every young Australians’ cup of flat white.