Hey, @minismallholding.

Wow. That's interesting about Australia. Sounds more like a business in many ways. I'd settle for being able to keep my job for as long as I wanted as long as I was meeting a set of agreed upon standards that were high but achievable. That doesn't happen hardly anywhere anymore, at least not on the corporate level from what I can tell.

re: friend's husband

So, is there some kind of unemployment compensation? how are they getting by? Is it that hard to get a job or does he not meet their experience, education and skill sets?

re: probationary period

I've had a couple of those, but I can't remember any of them running past three months.

re: welcome

Not what I would have thought about Australia. The few I've met in person all seemed to be very nice, but they were on vacation and we weren't trying to work together. :)