Should we move back!

[JackyJax]

Hi Gypsy (great name by the way!), I know what you mean about people not understanding the desire to return to the UK.

On paper our lives in Australia are idyllic- nice house, easy walk to work for my husband, great schools and daycares near by. I cycle in the park most mornings and have lots of lovely friends. I am bored though but am not sure if that's with Australia or with life in general.

My husband is struggling to have the same enthusiasm that he once had for his business. After ten years of really slogging out his guts, I think he's ready for a change. He can't sell the business so there's no money to be had there but he thinks he could get a good job in London in his area if we move relatively soon as he's worried that his age will become an increasing disadvantage.

I wish I was one of those 'oh what the hell' kind of people but I tend to over think everything! I guess I'm interested in finding out what happens for people who were in Oz for a long period of time and then moved back to UK. Did it work? Did you end up with a good group of friends? Were your children happy?

If I'm honest, I'm also concerned because if we moved back in eg July/Aug next year, both of my children would be in school in September (the youngest one would be nearly 5 then) and I just have images of dropping them off at the school gate then lumbering home and not talking to a soul all day. Am worried I will go quietly mad. I know making friends takes time but I'm worried about how I'll adapt to feeling alone because a) I'm new in the area and b) both my children will be at school whereas I've always had a child at home (apart from the 2days I work) for the last 7 years or so. Any other mums dealt with this?

[RockDr]

Hi Gypsy (great name by the way!), I know what you mean about people not understanding the desire to return to the UK.

On paper our lives in Australia are idyllic- nice house, easy walk to work for my husband, great schools and daycares near by. I cycle in the park most mornings and have lots of lovely friends. I am bored though but am not sure if that's with Australia or with life in general.

My husband is struggling to have the same enthusiasm that he once had for his business. After ten years of really slogging out his guts, I think he's ready for a change. He can't sell the business so there's no money to be had there but he thinks he could get a good job in London in his area if we move relatively soon as he's worried that his age will become an increasing disadvantage.

I wish I was one of those 'oh what the hell' kind of people but I tend to over think everything! I guess I'm interested in finding out what happens for people who were in Oz for a long period of time and then moved back to UK. Did it work? Did you end up with a good group of friends? Were your children happy?

If I'm honest, I'm also concerned because if we moved back in eg July/Aug next year, both of my children would be in school in September (the youngest one would be nearly 5 then) and I just have images of dropping them off at the school gate then lumbering home and not talking to a soul all day. Am worried I will go quietly mad. I know making friends takes time but I'm worried about how I'll adapt to feeling alone because a) I'm new in the area and b) both my children will be at school whereas I've always had a child at home (apart from the 2days I work) for the last 7 years or so. Any other mums dealt with this?

I would suggest if you don't want to go back to work every day, maybe looking into doing some volunteering during school hours. Gets you out of the house and doing things, and meeting people, I'm sure there are lots of organisations in and around London who are crying out for that bit of help.

[TheClarkeFamily]

Have a good look in to it. My personal view is that the NHS is in an awful state and waiting lists are longer than before for treatments. Prescription meds are expensive now, you dont get much change from a tenner (Almost £8 per item)! The last few weeks we have had riots in major cities, there is record unemployment in many areas and considering its August it is only 15 degrees some days!! So many boarded up shops in places that have gone under cause they can no longer survive. England is nothing like it used to be years ago. Our house we paid £123k for only 4 years ago, its now only worth £105k as the market is on an all time low, slowly rising but makes us in negative equity with no chance of moving in this country and we earn good money between us. We are applying to move to Perth in January and hope to be there asap, can not wait to get out of Uk as it seems to be intent on destroying itself slowly :(

[Quoll]

Have a good look in to it. My personal view is that the NHS is in an awful state and waiting lists are longer than before for treatments. Prescription meds are expensive now, you dont get much change from a tenner (Almost £8 per item)! The last few weeks we have had riots in major cities, there is record unemployment in many areas and considering its August it is only 15 degrees some days!! So many boarded up shops in places that have gone under cause they can no longer survive. England is nothing like it used to be years ago. Our house we paid £123k for only 4 years ago, its now only worth £105k as the market is on an all time low, slowly rising but makes us in negative equity with no chance of moving in this country and we earn good money between us. We are applying to move to Perth in January and hope to be there asap, can not wait to get out of Uk as it seems to be intent on destroying itself slowly :(

Of course one has the view from whichever country one is thinking of moving away from but bear in mind that Australia is also part of the Western world and subject to very similar sorts of pressures. Australia seems to be 3 - 5 years behind the UK in many aspects and if our current government continues the way it is going, a lot of the issues you have raised about UK will also apply here in spades. We are very dependent upon China continuing its resource grab and once that stops (as is likely, given the punitive actions of the government on the resource sector) then the West will begin to suffer more like the east coast - when you already have a couple of states which are verging on bankrupt then things arent as rosy here as you may think.

The NHS is still to be envied when you live in a place with semi privatized medicine and Australian housing is known to be well overpriced - there is a slow leaking bubble at the moment but it has to burst soon.

It does seem that people intending to move away from UK have this vision that it is only they who are doing it tough and that the rest of the world has streets paved with gold - we are all in the sh*t at the moment!

[Conniebygaslight]

Of course one has the view from whichever country one is thinking of moving away from but bear in mind that Australia is also part of the Western world and subject to very similar sorts of pressures. Australia seems to be 3 - 5 years behind the UK in many aspects and if our current government continues the way it is going, a lot of the issues you have raised about UK will also apply here in spades. We are very dependent upon China continuing its resource grab and once that stops (as is likely, given the punitive actions of the government on the resource sector) then the West will begin to suffer more like the east coast - when you already have a couple of states which are verging on bankrupt then things arent as rosy here as you may think.

The NHS is still to be envied when you live in a place with semi privatized medicine and Australian housing is known to be well overpriced - there is a slow leaking bubble at the moment but it has to burst soon.





It does seem that people intending to move away from UK have this vision that it is only they who are doing it tough and that the rest of the world has streets paved with gold - we are all in the sh*t at the moment!

3-5 years behind Quoll...? you are just too kind

[Hatton]

Hi JackyJax, we had exactly the same dilema as you but in reverse. My Husband is Australian, similar age and had lived i the UK for over 20 years. All of his family were still in Oz and we had no famiy here in the UK. Everytime we visited Australia it brought it home that his parents were getting old and that our young children were missing out on seeing all of their family and it broke our hearts to leave everytime.

We tried to move to Oz on and off from 2004 to 2010 to move but things kept getting in the way pregnancy, selling the house etc.

We finally left the UK in Jan 2010 with our 3 young children 3,6,8 to live in Australia.....unfortunately my husband felt like a fish out of water more or less instantly. The family aspect was great and it really was wonderful for the children to have grandparents and aunts & uncles around-husband got a really good job but with a horrendeous commute- but we couldn't get the UK out of our system at all.

We returned to the UK within 8 months and we are much happie here. We miss the family in Australia dreadfully but our life in the UK is so much better-both financially and emotionally. We totally underestimated how much we love the UK.

Unfortunately my MIL passed away at Christmas and my husband had to return for 3 weeks, it was very hard, but we feel grateful that we got the chance to spend time with her and tha the children got to know her. We have no regrets at all but for us we feel happier living in the UK with no family support than in Oz with it.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do

My hubby is also Australian and has taken to life in the UK instantly, he does miss his family which is a real big issue with him at the moment but he really does prefer living in the UK, It really is hard when you have strong ties in both Countries and that is the problem of being married to some one who has family in another Country, no real easy answer is there.

[landv]

Ditto to what Quoll said.

Also, you think paying 8 pounds for prescription is bad, wait till you will most likely have to pay $35 for your prescription here.

[northernbird]

Ditto to what Quoll said.

Also, you think paying 8 pounds for prescription is bad, wait till you will most likely have to pay $35 for your prescription here.

Whilst I hate to agree with the doom and gloom merchants I would agree with this. Last time I was sick (the only time in 6 years). I paid at least $300 in appointments and prescriptions. A lot more than the free doctors and 8 quid prescription charge.

[fish.01]

Of course one has the view from whichever country one is thinking of moving away from but bear in mind that Australia is also part of the Western world and subject to very similar sorts of pressures. Australia seems to be 3 - 5 years behind the UK in many aspects and if our current government continues the way it is going, a lot of the issues you have raised about UK will also apply here in spades. We are very dependent upon China continuing its resource grab and once that stops (as is likely, given the punitive actions of the government on the resource sector) then the West will begin to suffer more like the east coast - when you already have a couple of states which are verging on bankrupt then things arent as rosy here as you may think.

The NHS is still to be envied when you live in a place with semi privatized medicine and Australian housing is known to be well overpriced - there is a slow leaking bubble at the moment but it has to burst soon.

It does seem that people intending to move away from UK have this vision that it is only they who are doing it tough and that the rest of the world has streets paved with gold - we are all in the sh*t at the moment!

I disagree that the australian economy is related to the uk economy but just 3-5 years behind. Both experience world events at the time they happen in their own way given their own economic circumstance. Anything else is coincidence. I also disagree that two states are verging on bankruptcy.

To the OP it sounds like you should go back and try it. The advice about moving in winter and not cutting ties straight away sounds like good advice to me.

[Petals]

I also disagree with the fact that Australia is linked to Europe these days. Our economy is more asio pacific orientated these days. After all when the European Economic Community started we were the first to suffer lack of trade for our lamb. Hence we had to find markets elsewhere which we have continued to do here.

As for States being bankrupt, people may be, but governments have tended to be very careful with money since the early nineties.

Unfortunately when one is unhappy living where one has to one seems to only see the dark side of the moon, come on to the other side and look at the sunshine.

This has nothing to do with whether anyone should go home or not go home, most go for personal reasons and nothing to do with economics or the country really.