Moving back to uk from perth in 1 month

[flag of convenience]

Hi everyone well Im back on poms in oz after 1 year, my last post was an update about my move over here!
We have decided to head back to the UK after arriving here on 29th June last year, our flights are booked for 19th July to Birmingham & believe me it cant come quick enough, we even have a calender crossing off the days!! This is not because we hate Australia as Perth really is a beautiful place its just not for us & we are so keen to just get on with everything & rectify our lives. We are gutted as Australia has been our dream for 3 years & the permanent residency visas took 18 months to go through, there was so much heartache & stress involved & now we just feel as though its all for nothing!
We came over here as my husband is a plasterer & with the uk economy there was just no work around, we also thought it would be a better life for our 2 children ages 9 & 6. We did come on a reccie trip in Nov 2010 & we liked it but now I know we were just looking through rose tinted holiday glasses & that when you have to accually make a living in this very very expensive place its completely different! I gave up my good job within the UK government, we sold a very nice house, the children left a lovely school in the uk & we made the move, we all had a week to settle in then my husband started looking for work & to our massive disapointment we realised that this perception that we had of us coming here & all my husbands work troubles going away was not real, he applied for job after job & no one was interested. We came over with savings but they were massively disapearing but we kept our chins up & got the children into a nice school in the area that we wanted, Butler. The children loved their schools & settled in very quickly. Anyway to cut a long storey short my husband decided to go up the mines as one of the dads at my childrens school was a superintendant fire fighter & said to my hubby if he did various courses he would get him up there, in Perth it is very much a case of not what you know its who you know! My hubby spent $3,500 on the courses passed them in 6 weeks & went up the mines, 8 days on 6 off. The money was good but after 3 months I was starting to feel incredibly lonely, the kids just wanted their dad around & I felt myself thinking that we hadnt moved to Australia for this lonely life, we had moved for a 'better' life. I told my husband I would rather go back to the uk than live like this & that I would look for a part time job aswell whilst he tried to use some of his qualifications to get a job in perth. I have 12 years admin exp so I started applying for jobs, my husband started applying for jobs aswell, he got called in for a couple of interviews but never ever heard anything back from them. That seems to be the score over here that you put yourself out to travel miles to get to an interview then they dont even have the decency to let you know either way! People keep telling me thats WA for you! I just think its bloody rude!
I have been applying for on average 4-6 jobs everyday, whilst my husband was up the mines I qualified as a personal trainer, another thing I was conned in! I was guaranteed an interview at the end of the course after I had paid $3,200 but this never materialised & when I qualified & asked them about it I was told the work had 'dried up'!
I was applying for personal training jobs then eventually got a job in a local gym, I was only given 10 hours a week & my weekly wage is $200, our shopping bill is $250 per week so I dont even cover that. I was told they have no more hours for me. I carried on applying for admin jobs as I had given up on personal training & I had also given up on part time jobs as Im sure in Perth they just dont exist, they dont believe in job share to create more jobs for working moms & I do believe that the UK is much more child friendly when it comes to working moms. I carried on applying for full time jobs but to this day have never had an interview, I just keep getting rejection emails saying my resume looks good but I have been unsuccessfull! I thought I would do ok as I have worked for the uk government for years but obviously not & am thinking that the accent may go against me.
My husband started working for a plastering company but the requirement is 80 square metres a day! This has damaged his shoulder & he is in constant pain. When we first moved here I said to someone 'god the wages are high arnt they!' & the reply was 'yeah but you have to work for them!' that comment couldnt have been more true!
The children have settled in fine but we all miss family aswell, we thought we would find it easier but its so hard & I think the children need their grandparents & cousins around them.
We are glad that we have had the chance to experience living in Australia but we now feel its time for us to leave. Some people say you should give it at least 2 years but if we stayed any longer we would have no savings left, this experience has cost us in the region of £20,000 so we want to go now so we have enough left for a deposit for a house in the uk.
There is absolutely no argument that the climate is better here but I feel we would be much more satisfied now in the uk & we will appreciate it for what it is, dont get me wrong we are totally dreading going back to find jobs in this recession as we have to rebuild our lives again but I would rather have to do that than stay here. We havent experienced 'booming perth' & I think unless you work away or work 14 hour days plus saturdays like my hubby has to then lifes a struggle here cos of the cost of living. We are not prepared to live our lives like that, we came here for a better life not to be work horses, lifes too short!
I feel as though my confidence has been dented in terms of jobs & I feel since moving here that I have turned into a different person & just want my old self back. We have met people here but they arnt like real friends who you have loads in common with in a way you are just thrown together & we just feel so isolated here.
Anyway enough of my waffle!! Were busy having removal quotes at the minute what a nightmare that is the cheapest so far is $4990, it only cost us £800 to bring over & its more or less the same stuff as we sold most of our furniture! Just the car to sell, a Mitsubishi Pajero for $16,000 so if anyone knows of anyone who wants one let me know!

Bring on the 19th July!!!!

Very best of luck on your return. It is very important to have posts as yours to confirm WA is far from being as easy as some folk seem to think. It is often quoated the low unemployment figures but the folk on short hours and a lot of very stressful work places makes it less than idea.
Perth being small and insular is very much who you know in many areas anywhere.

Costs as I often voice dissent on and will certainly continue to do so are way out of sync. Most are not in mining and the price to pay in cases for those that do can be dear.
Realationship issues not least.

[Mrs WebWeazel]

Hey Hayley,

My OH is in Perth at the moment (the kids and I are still in the UK) and its horrible being away from him so I can understand why you were not happy with the FIFO life. At one stage Webweazel and I considered him doing the FIFO thing, but after this experience, I am defo not going to allow that!!

Good luck with your move back. The UK rocks!!!

Cheers
Mrs W

[roundthebend]

Hi Haley
You have answered all my worst fears,and it has given me more food for thought before I sell up all my worldly goods to live in Perth,Australia, I'm not of a 'working age' its my family that have moved out there and want me to live with them,I did visit with them last year and found that there wasnt the social side of life that I thought would be for expats, I have a busy social life here in England and feel totally sane at the moment,but after experiencing a taster for the 'good life' that we hear about in Oz, I am now wondering if I would be doing the right thing by living there permantly, I have posted a couple of times on this forum regarding making new friends but had no feed back, a little like you with your job interviews!!! Now I know how the land lays would it be the same on my return or to start out again to look into finding friends?
I am sure that you and your family will be happy back home in the UK even though the economy isnt all that great at the moment, it's a place where your hearts need to be. You've been and seen and you have gained another experience of another lifestyle.
Good luck.

[Buttercup]

Hayley, I could have written some of your post myself!

I and others on this forum can identify very much so with your post in more ways than one...
The most important thing is you tried it. Don't forget this as this takes a certain kind of person with lots of inner strength and courage to take such a leap. At least you have the option to come back as I think some people get stuck in a rut for all sorts of reasons, then find it difficult to return and ending up in some sort of 'twighlight zone' where they feel they don't belong anywhere.

We returned earlier this year, found jobs etc. You will be fine..

Like I said to someone on here the other day - if you can do what you've done everything else will feel like a walk in the park - a very green one.

Good luck to you and yours.

[graham from hull]

Blinking hell. I read so many reports on here and Perth Poms about the cost of living and social life, that its putting me off going to Perth.
People going on about how hard and ignorant the ozzies are to get on with, how expensive every thing is compared to wages.
We are supposed to be going to Perth this year on 457 visa. Me, partner and two kids. The reason for this is basically to get a job as there aint nothing over here in my trade, and ive been offered same type of work in perth.
Getting worried now. Shipping things over, $4000, selling my car and making big loss on it, selling other large items which i will make a loss and probarbly never be able to purchase again.
Bloody UK recession and **** weather. Decisions decisions decisions. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[sh7t man no way]

sounds like a roller coaster ride hayley--i hope you settle back in the UK,and your life brings you happiness,and contentment--thanks for the post it sums up living in oz as a new immigrant perfectly for some --best wishes from alan

[dxboz]

Hi Haley
You have answered all my worst fears,and it has given me more food for thought before I sell up all my worldly goods to live in Perth,Australia, I'm not of a 'working age' its my family that have moved out there and want me to live with them,I did visit with them last year and found that there wasnt the social side of life that I thought would be for expats, I have a busy social life here in England and feel totally sane at the moment,but after experiencing a taster for the 'good life' that we hear about in Oz, I am now wondering if I would be doing the right thing by living there permantly, I have posted a couple of times on this forum regarding making new friends but had no feed back, a little like you with your job interviews!!! Now I know how the land lays would it be the same on my return or to start out again to look into finding friends?
I am sure that you and your family will be happy back home in the UK even though the economy isnt all that great at the moment, it's a place where your hearts need to be. You've been and seen and you have gained another experience of another lifestyle.
Good luck.

I think we need to put a wee bit perspective in here. It is great that Hayley is going back to do what she wants to do and be where she wants to be but everyone's life is different. I have lived in Oz for many happy years and have friends who are like family there and now this comes to the big question that people underestimate - are you happy forging a new life in a new country without your family (or extended family)? Webweazel - sounds like you are in a bit of a panic - has your husband never worked away before? If not, it sounds like something you would not be comfortable with no matter where in the world you were. Anyway life is for living and being happy but as I said everyone's life is different and what makes them happy is different. So good luck to you all whatever you want to do but do not be swayed by what other people say (unless you want to be of course) for every unhappy story I hear on here I hear another ten good ones. Anyway have a really good think what YOU want from life

[Perthbum]

Blinking hell. I read so many reports on here and Perth Poms about the cost of living and social life, that its putting me off going to Perth.
People going on about how hard and ignorant the ozzies are to get on with, how expensive every thing is compared to wages.
We are supposed to be going to Perth this year on 457 visa. Me, partner and two kids. The reason for this is basically to get a job as there aint nothing over here in my trade, and ive been offered same type of work in perth.
Getting worried now. Shipping things over, $4000, selling my car and making big loss on it, selling other large items which i will make a loss and probarbly never be able to purchase again.
Bloody UK recession and **** weather. Decisions decisions decisions. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Most people go and stay Paul but some of the ones who return really were never going to be suited for oz and give a big sigh of relief when they post on here which might sound as though oz is crap...which it is far from, as I ave said MOST stay and enjoy the place, if you ave no work in the UK it is your best option, but if you ave a great life in the uk and a great job it might be worth a think.
good luck anyway.

[shirleyt]

Hi Hayley , sorry things haven't worked out for you. I remember when you got your visas and how excited you were to get there, you had even moved in with the In laws whilst you waited for your visa. I remember how disappointed you were when it nearly wasn't granted. At least you've given it a go rather than sit at home and wonder what if. Pm me if your hubby is interested in a bit of work on your return. Good luck with the packing.

[Quoll]

I am so sorry to hear that it has all gone pear shaped for you Hayley, however, I am sure that you will be able to see the UK with new eyes once you get back and hopefully all will go really well for you on your return! Sounds like a lucky escape to me!