Hey Lifehacker, Myself and my partner are about to move states (Queensland to Victoria), and I’m worried that we have chosen the wrong time to move but I can’t change anything now. We have left our jobs and are moving around Christmas time, and have initially organised to house sit for three weeks via a website. Our main concern is that it might be harder to find homes throughout the Christmas holidays and that finding jobs around this time might be an issue as well. Should we be worried? Thanks, OTM
Dear OTM,
Moving times are never ideal. There are likely to be more people seeking house sitters at Christmas, but other sources of accommodation are under pressure. Three weeks doesn’t really give you a lot of time to find permanent accommodation, so the clock is definitely ticking.
If you have sufficient money saved up to get by for the time being, I’d prioritise finding a house first and worry about your occupation second — the last thing you want to do is be constantly moving between temporary abodes (or worse; turfed out into the streets with nowhere to go but back home). That said, you should naturally keep an eye out for job vacancies too and squeeze in as many interviews as you can in-between house hunting.
If you need to find employment fast, cast your net as far and wide as possible. Full time work can be tricky during the Christmas holiday period, but a casual position might be easier if you’re not too choosy about your field. It shouldn’t be too hard to find temporary work in retail or hospitality, for example. Update your resume to highlight any experience you have in these areas, even if it’s from years ago.
The main advice we can impart to you is to be persistent and explore as many options as possible! If worrying will galvanise you into action, then yes; start worrying.
Also take the time to peruse our Moving and Job Search tags for an assortment of in-depth guides and useful tips. If any readers have additional advice of their own, let OTM know in the comments section below.
See also: Top 10 Things To Remember When Moving House | How To Set Up A New Home When You’re On A Tight Budget | Ask LH: How Can I Move Interstate Cheaply?
Cheers
Lifehacker
Got your own question you want to put to Lifehacker? Send it using our [contact text=”contact form”].
Comments
3 responses to “Ask LH: Is This The Wrong Time Of Year To Move?”
Suggest you keep your eyes wide open for job opportunities while house sitting. You can stay flexible until you settle the work situation.
After that you can firm up the housing location to be easily accessible to work.
Travel to and from work should not be costing you a lot of time and money.
One thing to consider is being unemployed doesn’t look good on a rental application or a mortgage application.
Also if you find employment first you can look for homes near your new workplace.Melbourne is a big city and commute times can be long compared to Brissie or other cities in Qld.
Don’t forget the possibility of ‘digital’ work. It might be difficult to use this to replace your full time income, but if you need to scrape up a few extra bucks it can be handy. Think about becoming a digital assistant or doing online transcription work and it might just keep you afloat while you keep looking. These positions might not be highly paid but they are flexible, readily available and can be dipped in an out of easily.
Regardless of the time of the year, there is no easy way of moving homes and changing jobs. Indeed, Christmas time might be challenging since everyone is in a holiday mood, but at least you have a headstart to get to know the area before you plunge into the job search the following month. Thus, you have to be persistent. It is the key!