Sydney

Just browsing people's reasons for returning to Britain and read your post. Did you always plan to return home after making money in Australia?

Good luck with the new job mate. You certainly have enough money for a comfortable landing in Perth but I suppose it all depends on what you expect for your $68k. Single with a few bob and a job to go to sounds like a great start. good luck.... Syd.

I don't have a big ego mate if that's what you are saying. Apologies though for sounding abrupt. Returning home after a rare late might in the local pub and checking my emails only to find another "destroyed" life because someone moved to australia and will never recover from the harrowing experience, sometimes demands an instant response, sober or otherwise. This website never seems to tire of Poms returning to the UK full of bitterness and anger at Australia for not living up to their distorted expectations. On this thread alone, there's the poor beast who only stayed 20 months and there's the other one who claims he wasted 27 years of his life in Australia before going back to the UK. It really isn't Australia's fault. Get over it. I mean "27 years" to make a decision. Come on. He could have wasted 27 years in Blighty and saved the money. My own personal favourite though, is the British plumber who got off the plane with his family in tow and went home after two days because he was told he'd have to do a course to continue/qualify as a plumber in Australia. You don't have to leave the UK to find wasted lives. Anyway, Sunday morning here, a wee bit drizzle and more football on the telly can't be that bad... Syd.

20 months ! I've had longer holidays.

I think regardless of the strength of the Australian dollar, it's likely the pound will get stronger as the UK economy gets better and when the B o E eventually raises rates. Money in the UK at the moment should be a good little earner for Brits in Australia.

I did this several years ago and had no problem raising a UK mortgage based on my Australian earnings. The bank then told me I wasn't allowed to put tenants in and threatened me with all sorts of legal proceedings and I decided to sell it on after a year. Best to let the bank know your intentions about renting it out. Years on, I still have problems with UK banks.

Goodluck Shugah with the house purchase. Many things can fall into place when you manage to buy your own place. I know it's getting harder these days but it's well worth the effort. The missus and I went through the penny pinching stage many years ago just to get out first little flat and friends told us we were mad putting ourselves through it but it was worth it. Make every post a winner.... Syd.

No you need 33 years which was brought in under labour. Before that it was 44 years. Tories bill already passed increasing qualifying time for full state pension to 36 years to be reviewed every 5 years. I think it comes in 2014. Anyone wanting to recommence NHI payments may be able to backdate contributions.

At the moment the requirement for a full pension is 33 years contributions rising to 36. You would be entitled to 12/36 of a pension because of your twelve years contributions. You can continue to make volountary payments presently about £5-£600 a year. Don't be put of by the negative comments.

You sound like the defence attorney for the government.

Active lobbying taking place at the moment. Also Roger Gale's efforts.... link below. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/10285484/Lifeline-for-expat-pensioners-as-MPs-try-to-change-law.html

Just like QUOLL, I arrived in Sydney March 79 and have been back in the UK barely two years. My wife is a NZer and we packed up with no idea to how long we'd be staying but have no thoughts on returning to Australia. We still have our house there and pension fund etc but Scotland feels like a nice fit at the moment and the exchange rate has certainly helped. I initially visited Australia on a merchant ship in 1973 when I was 16 and was quite familiar with the place by the time I settled there. Couldn't leave the UK fast enough as a young man. We're far from rich but feel comfortable and self funded although most people here assume we're on some sort of benefits. Meeting old friends from long ago and rediscovering that Saturdays are for football has given me a soft landing. We suspended our private health cover in Australia and can't find anything to compare here which is disappointing, so are at the mercy of NHS which I think is dreadful, I know not all agree. Our neighbours are marvellous and politics are interesting but politicians are nowhere near as accessible as in Australia and the class system here is a constant irritation and a challenge. The UK is a very orderly place and I feel people here see that as some sort of safe/secure thing and tend not to rock the boat. Australia on the other hand is still developing and changing all the time, mainly from immigration and also from the identity crisis that Aussies struggle with, where they fit in the world has always been a dilemma etc. I'm in the pub most nights for a couple of pints before tea, and I still encourage any young people with itchy feet to get out and see the world. Even if they don't like it they can return to Blighty and appreciate what's here. I've seen the occasional Aussies passing through the UK and when we were in Italy a few weeks ago we came upon a few who were doing the obligatory overseas trip. Funny to hear them say they'd "done France" in four days, and will "do Thailand" on the way home. I find life so much slower here just outside Edinburgh compared to the eastern suburbs of Sydney. "Prospering" in Australia over thirty years wasn't particularly difficult but the pace of the city rat race at times was far from pleasant. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to get a clear picture, and the streets of Edinburgh are far more appealing to an old bloke than the humidity of Sydney during summer months. The standard of living in any country can only be compared in a relative way. If you arrive at Heathrow with a surf board then disappointment awaits, and Aussies can be arrogant travellers, (the new Yanks perhaps), but the UK has a lot to offer, and it's only since living back here in the UK that I've realised just how wealthy Australia/Australians have become. When Brits arrived in Australia decades ago they were the preferred migrant and becoming established was a rite of passage. It's much more difficult these days for young families moving to Oz, and living conditions here in Britain have improved significantly since the seventies. The supermarkets are full of interesting food and a healthy diet isn't hard to find here anymore and costs a lot less than Australia. Anyway the journey continues.... Syd.

Difficult to imagine getting around Melbourne after paying bills and living expenses with all that's left from a budget of $3,000 a month. Having said that it depends how committed you are to making a go of things. It's many years ago but I arrived in Sydney on a one way ticket and enough spending money for a week. Being broke only increased my determination, but jobs were better paying then and more of them. Working two jobs in these days wasn't all that unusual, and I think the country was more tolerant. Australia still offers an opportunity to build a life/lifestyle unlike the UK, and I'd encourage anyone who had a visa to live and work in Australia to jump at the chance. I think if you can battle through on a budget for two people of only $A3,000 a months, then you have a lot to look forward to. Good luck ..... Syd.

If you've come to Australia for the lifestyle then I think you have a shortage of cash flow if $3,000 per month is your budget.

Thanks mate.