Sydney

Am still here and will be for some time yet not taken enough of Australian money yet to jet back off to our life in the UK.

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.

(Sorry that should read 'Buying UK house while Aus Resident!)

Hi,

After a bit of advice, or wonder if anyone has been in a similar situation. We are currently residing in Aus but know that we'll be moving back to the UK, realistically within the next couple of years (it's where we want to be long term).

Really at the stage of life where we need to be back on the property ladder, and want to buy my long term family home, have had a house before (sold and equity now in UK bank). Currently renting here in Oz (don't enjoy renting!), and could realistically buy here but don't want to if we are going home.

Trying to research possibility of expat mortgages etc (a minefield!), in order to buy a UK house, which we could rent out until our return, then move in ourselves. Plan would be for a long holiday in UK soon to view properties, talk to lenders etc, but just wondered if anyone else had been done this or knows anything about it?

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.

Hey Sydney thanks for your advice mate. I reckon you rolling high good for yah. I have some commitments plus thinking of buying a house I gotta save mate.

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.

According to the DWP, at the moment you need 30 years to qualify.

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.

Just out of interest by the time I do finally move over to Oz I will have paid national insurance for around 12 years. Will I be entitled to anything as it stands when if I make it to whatever age they deem as being pensionable these days?

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.

The main problem is that there are no votes for politicians backing this. Also the costs would be substantial particularly if they ended up compensating those who have had their pension frozen for decades. I am well aware that this will affect me one day when i reach pension age (which has already risen to age 67) despite paying tax and NI in the UK for 38 years but am resigned to it.

 

:confused:

You sound like the defence attorney for the government.

Hi Syd

 

its a noble cause mate which has been mentioned on here several times, but with all the cuts going on by the government and them still insisting on wasting billions of pounds on bogus overseas aid and benefits for those who haven't paid any, or hardly any tax in to the pot, there's no chance of them doing a U turn on this, after all UK pensioners who have paid tax all their lives and deserve their pension to be index linked, but now live abroad, arn't a problem to these parasitic immoral politicians, are they?

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

Now that our decision to move back to the UK (after 10 years in Oz) is set in stone I'm feeling a bit apprehensive. It's the right decision but I'm nervous that I won't settle and will pine a bit for our lives here. I love the UK so it's not that, just wondering if I'll always feel restless I suppose.

 

How long did it take you to settle back in the UK? Do you still feel a bit restless sometimes and if so, how do you deal with it?

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.

Yes. Lifestyle seems to imply spending money.

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.

I agree with you Sydney, and we fall into the latter camp. It's great having a few years living somewhere else but I've never had the desire to emigrate permanently. It's a shame that on PIO those of us choosing to move temporarily are looked down upon by those who have emigrated permanently (not everyone of course, just a few!). It's not a competition, everyone has different desires from life and want to get different things from it. I'm happy that Australia has given me the chance to try living here and working in an industry which barely exists in the UK. It's given me great experiences both in work and leisure and I will take predominantly happy memories when we do finally leave.

I think moving to a new country with a family is very difficult these days, and if things don't work out and the decision is made to return home then so be it. On the other hand some of the excuses I've read on here over the years for going back home have been extraordinary. Quite often those returning home take license to rubbish Australia because too often it's them who feel like failures. And they shouldn't.

for you guys who made the big move to australia and ended up going back for what reason did you go back to uk and had you any regrets in doing so.I have just been here since start of june and already thinking about it im easy going pretty much could settle anywhere but after trying the job market here im wondering was my move the right one.would rather be skint back in uk with family than be skint here no family,hopefully i dont need to return and money does nit dry up but i dont want it to end up that way.always done ok for myself in the uk and never been out of work much.just thought i ask you how long did you last here in oz,to be honest did not think i be writing this or so soon,but having kknd of forced my wife to come and having our 1 yr old i dont worry if i made a wrong move

By asking, "how long did you last", you make emigrating sound like a penance.

QUOLL mentioned on here a few weeks ago that we should "enjoy the adventure as opposes to the punishment." Some people move countries for a new life and others are happy just to have a holiday.

What's interesting about it?

 

This thread contains more information on the subject than the article.

 

'Money for old rope' springs to mind if the articles author received payment.

Only trying to helps mate. The article in a national newspaper just confirms the trend to shy away from retail banking when moving large amounts of money.

Came back 2010 and still flat and wished i never left even though i wanted too right up until the last month or so but it seemed to late to change decision. I suppose you remember the good times but i wish i never went in the first place coz i can compare. What really eats at me is the fact my visa expires dec 2014 and i dont want to let it go and would love to go again.

Two major things in life mate......... disappointment....... and regret.

Disappointment that you tried and it never worked out, or regret that you never tried in the first place. At the end of the day there's more to life than a choice of Australia or UK. Time to move on for a lot of folk on here.

Interesting article in Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/expat-money/10252220/When-moving-large-sums-youre-better-off-with-a-currency-broker.html

Been back 18 months and still think it feels natural. No better no worse just different. Each to his/her own really. Having the choice about which country you want to settle in can cause a bit of stress. Most people don't have that curse/luxury. I don't think one country can compensate for the other if that makes sense. Good luck.... Syd.

I am still getting the oz child benefit after leaving and informing them mid November last year. I think there is about $3.5k in reaped benefits but now my tax rebate has gone back in and I really need the case closing and shutting as I want back what is rightfully ours, close the account.

Send a letter to your local MP in Oz and ask him/her to forward it on your behalf.

I think you have to be clear why you want to emigrate in the first place. One couple I knew in Australia said they wanted to go home because they felt they were missing out on so much in the UK/Europe. I thought they could have thought of that before they left. I honestly think it has to do with a change/opportunity/different way of life. I recently signed up to Facebook to contact a friend, and although I only gave minimum details of myself I now have twenty "friends". My point though is when I look at facebook pages of "friends" in the UK and then Oz, NZ, it's quite stark how different their life/lifestyle is. It appears to be much easier these days to just up sticks and go back to the UK as opposed to years ago when the distance seemed huge. I'm enjoying the UK, but I wouldn't be here if I was younger. Something about old bones, old country.... Syd.

Yes. Sent that amount and no probs. You open an account with them, get an agreed rate for the amount you want to transfer and give them details of the account you want the money transferred to. What the banks charge is criminal. The difference in transferring £100k back to the UK could amount to a holiday or even a small car. Good luck.... Syd.

So after 26 years I have decided to go back to the UK after a recent holiday there - what do I have to do in terms of being allowed to work there again? Is it just NHS that I have to get sorted? I have got family finding out some stuff but am keen to start some research - whats the best site for me to go on? I am an Australian Citizen and currently do not have a UK Passport - is this something that would be favourable? Also whilst there and I come from the south coast I could not find out where to start looking for a job - they don't seem to have something similar to Seek? So many questions hope someone can help :biglaugh:

You should also look at back dating some NHI pension contributions as you are in likely to get a pension from Australia, unless of course you are pension age now and presently receiving one. Check with the BPiA and they'll advise you on this. http://youle.info/bpia-blog/ they tend to give more favourable advice than the UK govt.... Good luck... Syd.