A young British woman who felt "bored" in the UK booked a one-way flight to Australia for a trial shift and now earns £19,605 more a year, saying she "can't imagine moving back".
From wedding coordinator to sailing instructor
Maisey Relph, 23, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was earning £21,000 a year as a full-time wedding and events coordinator after leaving college. But she said "every day felt the same" and after two summers working as a sailing instructor in Greece, she started looking at work abroad.
Maisey began applying for sailing instructor jobs in Sydney "for fun" and moved for a trial shift in September 2023, despite never having visited or knowing anyone there. She secured the £27,000-a-year job and hasn't looked back – now working as a £44,605-a-year end-of-life support worker in Perth.
A new life in Australia
In the UK, the average starting palliative care assistant can expect to earn around £25,000 a year, according to the Government's National Careers Service. Last year, the number of 16 to 34-year-old expats returning to the UK fell by 15,000, according to official figures.
Maisey, now living in Perth, said: "I actually had a pretty good life, but I was bored. Every day felt the same and I had no excitement."
"I just thought, 'do you know what? Let's just book a one-way flight for literally a trial shift. If it doesn't work out, then I'll find another way to make it work'. My parents didn't believe me until the day they drove me to the airport. I didn't really have a plan B because I thought this is plan A and I'm going to make it work."
From Sydney to Perth
Maisey had sailed around different Mediterranean islands with her family growing up and felt there had to be more to life than what Britain could offer. When she was invited for a trial shift, she jumped at the chance – flying to Sydney with little more than a hostel booking and the address of her shift.
She secured the sailing instructor job at Balmoral Water Sports Centre on the North Shore of Sydney, before later becoming a supervisor at a café during the quieter winter months, making roughly £18 an hour with additional penalty rates for weekends and public holidays. Her hours fluctuated as a casual member of staff due to her working holiday visa, leading her to pick up nannying and driving for UberEats to stay afloat.
Work-life balance
But it was the lifestyle outside work that convinced her Australia was where she wanted to stay. She said: "On a Monday morning I'd get up and go for a walk along the beach at sunrise. The one thing I noticed immediately when I first moved here is that nobody asks you about your job."
"They don't talk about work. If I went out with three of my girlfriends in England we'd each complain about work and take it in turns. Here, nobody talks about that. They talk about what they did at the weekend, or what they're doing before or after work. It was very apparent to me that in England you live to work and in Australia you work to live."
Life in Perth
In May 2024, Maisey bought a semi-converted campervan for £6,550 (AUD $12,500) and renovated it herself for AUD $2,000 along with some additional repairs before living in it full-time. She would wake up beside the beach each morning before work and later completed a 17-day solo drive across southern Australia to Perth.
She said: "If someone had told me a few years ago I'd be living in Australia, working on a beach and waking up by the ocean every day, I would've laughed. It very quickly becomes your new normal, but sometimes I'd sit there during my morning meditation and think, 'oh my God, this is actually my life.'"
New career in end-of-life care
After settling in Perth, where she pays the equivalent of £1,507 a month on rent and bills for her beachside apartment, Maisey unexpectedly discovered a new career after a friend introduced her to support work. She now works as an end-of-life support worker caring for patients with terminal brain cancer – a role she says she has found unexpectedly rewarding.
Maisey currently earns AUD $37 an hour, around £19.36, which is considered the "lower end" for her work in Australia as she is new to the industry. She currently works six eight-hour shifts each week, although her hours vary depending on clients' care packages.
A changed mindset
Maisey said: "Don't get me wrong, it's a hard job. It can be very upsetting and very emotional. Some days I have to come home and go for a sunset walk on the beach or just switch off. But I love my job."
"If this opportunity had come my way in England, honestly, I don't think I would've taken it. Australia has changed me as a person. Seeing everyone live their life to the full has completely shifted my mindset. Everyone here gets up at six in the morning to go for a walk with friends and grab a coffee before work, whereas in England you wake up as late as possible and moan and groan."
Despite the high cost of living and working six days a week with terminally ill patients, she says her work-life balance is "100% better" in Australia. "Working around end-of-life patients, you're reminded how important this life is," she said. "Everyone should take every opportunity they can."
Future plans
Maisey is now applying for the AUD $12,000 partner visa with her Australian boyfriend, Sam, after the couple have been together for more than a year. When Maisey is waiting for new participants at her job, she continues to pick up work at UberEats to save for her visa and stay on top of her bills.
She said her family originally expected her to return to Britain after three years, but simply wanted her to be happy: "It's easier said than done with the cost of living, but my quality of life is just completely different. I can't imagine moving back to England."
