Moneycorp

Originally from Northamptonshire, Richard Powell has been living in Perth, Western Australia since January 2007. He went to stay with friends who were already based over there and found that the different surroundings and lifestyle appealed to him.

When asked what the major factors behind his move he says, “The climate was desirable as was the outdoor, beach lifestyle. I can play all the sports I like out here.” Richard arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa. He says, “In December 2006 I applied for a Skilled Migrant Visa and while I was waiting for that to be processed I obtained a Working Holiday Visa. This meant I could spend a year out there while I waited on my permanent residency to be confirmed. This gave me a chance to see if I liked it there or not, without being committed to the move. I spent the first few months out there on holiday, not working, just enjoying Perth while it was the summer. As summer turned to winter I got work as a software developer.”

Richard remains at that same employer today. As well as his sporting pursuits, he also enjoys socialising with friends and is settled with his Australian girlfriend. Although his move to Australia was pretty painless, Richard had some advice for prospective settlers from the UK: “Firstly, don’t just think about it – if you want to do it, do it. If you are aged 18 to 30 you can apply for a Working Holiday Visa and visit a few different cities over here. You have nothing to lose.”

As well as his sporting pursuits, he also enjoys socialising with friends and is settled with his Australian girlfriend.

Richard attended the Opportunities Australia Expo in London in 2006 and found it useful as he made some good contacts. Richard used Moneycorp to exchange funds from the UK to Australia. He recently purchased a car with the money he exchanged through Moneycorp and says, “Things went perfectly smooth with Moneycorp. I would recommend their services to anyone else and should I need to, I would use them again.”