MD looking for a home, Australia or US?

Go to Australia and then work in the bush.

Write your memoirs about it.

Profit!

Did I miss where he said he’s a gynecologist?

I didn’t see anyone mention it in great deal but I suspect visa and work permit requirements will be a big factor to consider. In general it is extremely difficult to immigrate to the United States - for most people it is practically impossible. There may be exceptions for doctors. I’d begin there: research the exact requirements for a migrating doctor in both Australia and the United States: I guess this will include actual government work permits as well as the credentials required to actually practice medicine in each location.

One negative about Australia (although I do want to visit someday) is they have a lot of animals that like to eat your face.

So does the US, you know.

I don’t now about Australia, but alot of areas (& even entire states) in the US have shortages of obstetricians/gynecologists because of the cost of malpractice insurance.

Bush joke.

I suspect you’d find the culture and social structure more familiar in Australia but that is not necessarily a positive, it depends on what you want. Housing is definitely expensive here and that is partly because the economy here is good. Australia didn’t have a recession as such, just a period of low growth. As an example of the difference in economy, my savings account never went below about 4.5% interest where as I think in the US it has been much lower. The flip side of that is that it is more expensive to borrow money. I think the current interest rate on my mortgage is around 7%.

Well, not much lower. My wife has perfect credit; our mortgage rate is 6.75%, and she signed in 2008.

Interesting, I’ve just checked mine and it’s 6.76% which is nearly the same as yours but there seems to be a big difference in what you can earn with a savings account. ING Direct are paying 4.9% with a 6.25% 4 month “welcome rate” for new accounts. The best ING in the USA have to offer seems to be 1.1%.

There’s a massive shortage of doctors in the bush in Australia because no one wants to live there.

Because there’s no infrastructure, no jobs (unless you work in the mines or you’re a teacher or doctor being paid lots by the Government to be there), and you’re a long way from anywhere…

Well, that’s enticing innit? :wink:

I have lived in the US all my life- I love my country and would put my life on the line for the basic freedome I enjoy. However; I have traveled heavily in Australia and New Zealand. I would not hesitate in moving to New Zealand. Australia is a US wannabe. I love the aussies but the kiwi’s have it best. Imagine the California coast during the 1940’s- wow.

It’s because they’d prefer to live in a city, but if you need to work in the “bush” in order to get your visa and subsequent residency, I don’t think it’s a big hardship.

It’s easier to get in the USA than Aussie so go to Australian when you’re young. Aussie has a milder climate compared to the USA in terms of the cold. It is also has much hotter tropical areas.

New Zealand is also worth looking at. Christchurch, Dunedin, on the South Island and Wellington (rainy) or Aukland up on the North Island.

See, this is what I meant about us taking ourselves too seriously. :stuck_out_tongue:

For the love of whatever Deity you believe it, do NOT move to Dunedin. It is a silly place

Seriously, don’t. There’s something… odd about Dunedin, and people who spend too much time there are liable to become “different” in a way that’s really hard to explain, but other Kiwis will know what I mean.

The thing with the South Island of NZ is that there’s actually bugger all to do unless you like skiing, hunting, fishing, trekking, boating, and that sort of thing. If you want to go clubbing and sitting in trendy cafes and restaurants all hours of the night, you’re going to be disappointed. Sure, there are nightclubs and trendy cafes and restaurants in Christchurch and Dunedin, but there just isn’t that “buzz” that you get somewhere bigger and more cosmopolitan, for want of a better word.

I felt like someone should give him at least a little warning.

Like our climate, our ‘bush’ regions are also many and varied. Getting a job in the dusty outback is very different to say a town on the north coast of NSW, or in one of the communities in rural Victoria or Tasmania. MANY people make a choice to leave the bustling, overcrowded cities and re-locate to any of these areas, so it is patently false to say that ‘no-one wants to live there’ Weedy.

Certainly the bigger cities have more to offer a professional person in terms of consumer and cultural options, but unless you are right out the* Back of Bourke* (so to speak) accessing these facilities is mostly no great hardship. We have roads, cars and even the INTERNET out here nowadays. :smiley: