Woman who ditched the ‘boring’ UK for Australia says she now earns £19,000 a year more – and reveals why she ‘can’t ever imagine moving back’

A British woman who booked a one-way ticket to Australia because she was ‘bored’ has revealed how she now earns £19,000 a year more than before – and ‘can’t imagine moving back’.

Maisey Relph, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was earning £21,000 a year as a full-time wedding and events coordinator after leaving college.

However, over time, the 23-year-old felt disheartened and disillusioned with the repetitiveness of her job. After spending two summers working as a sailing instructor in Greece, she began to consider the possibility of working abroad.

Maisey started applying for sailing instructor jobs in Sydney ‘for fun’ and eventually ditched the UK in September 2023 for a trial shift, despite never visiting the country or knowing anyone there.

Now, almost three years on, she works as a £44,605 a year end-of-life support worker in Perth, and has zero plans to return to the UK.

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.

Reflecting on her life in the UK, Maisey said that while things were generally ‘good’, she had become ‘bored’ and desperately craved a change in her day-to-day life.

‘Every day felt the same and I had no excitement,’ she said.

‘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.’

Growing up, Maisey had sailed around different Mediterranean islands with her family 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 trial shift.

Maisey 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 Maisey to pick up nannying and driving for UberEats to stay afloat.

However, it was the lifestyle outside work that convinced her Australia was where she wanted to stay.

‘On a Monday morning I’d get up and go for a walk along the beach at sunrise,’ she said.

‘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.’

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 says: ‘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.”‘

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, which equates to around £19.36 and is considered the ‘lower end’ for her work in Australia as she is new to the industry.

She works six eight-hour shifts each week, although her hours vary depending on clients’ care packages.

Maisey said that while aspects of the job can be ‘hard, upsetting and very emotional’, she still ‘loves’ the career path she has chosen.  

‘If this opportunity had come my way in England, honestly, I don’t think I would’ve taken it,’ she said. 

‘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 per cent 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.’

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.

While 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.

And she added that while her family had originally expected her to return to Britain after three years, they are fully supportive of her decision to relocate as they just want her to be happy.

‘It’s easier said than done with the cost of living but my quality of life is just completely different,’ she explained.

‘I can’t imagine moving back to England.’