RMG

If I suggested to my husband or kids that we tidied the house at weekends there would be a riot. we work to live, enjoying life, travelling, having fun as a family ( writing this on our way to Thailand). Both of us work, kids get lots of attention and interaction. Different people enjoy different things, no way is right or wrong as long as the people doing it are happy.

Lake Garda is fab, take mountain bikes, lots of cycling, canoeing, windsurfing and climbing plus gelato shops and relaxation. I travelled extensively in the UK as a child as part of a mountaineering club, learning to ski in Scotland, Ice climbing and walking in Scotland ,LKC you have chosen a beautiful place to live. I only went abroad at 21 and have travelled extensively since it’s a wonderful world with lots of diversity , enjoy.

Love Barcelona, beach on one side, Gaudi architecture and parks, beware the ramblas the cost of drinks is prohibitive! Enjoy. As you so rightly stated we are all different and wouldn’t life be boring if we all liked the same thing.

I am on my way home to my lovely house, in a lovely village, with green fields ( courtesy of the UK weather system!), friends and family near by. Fly home on the 2/4/18 start work on the 3/4/18 back to the NHS in all it’s glory. Sad to be leaving Australia this time round but oh so happy to be returning home. I am well aware it’s going to be hard to readjust but then again I think within a few weeks it will be like we have never been away. Wish me luck ?

Just had to quote this to get Johndoe name on it, your photos are stunning. They make me excited about our impending return to the misty mountains of the lakes and Scotland. I am sure however once we get home we will miss the flora and fauna of Australia. Regarding the topic , it’s all in the individuals perception. The first time I lived in Australia, I hated it with a passion, had Australian friends , immersed myself in the community, travelled as a family for 10 months doing and seeing lots but I was always desperate to return to the UK, Europe etc and was very negative about Australia ( not Australians as my friends kept me sane). This time round I am sad to leave, happy and to be returning home to the UK to be with family and the UK countryside and history - not the political climate though! I will miss our friends here, the countryside, the ease of travel and the easier working conditions. Happy to be going home, glad we had the adventure, I don’t feel we have failed by returning. We have done and seen lots , given our kids experiences ( we are backpacking round Thailand on our way home). Life is for living, trying not to cause harm and being happy. Your photos Johndoe show that both countries are beautiful and unique in their own way. It does not matter which one is best both have their positives and negatives but we are lucky to have the choice of relatively decent countries so we should just enjoy them. For the record the Aussie Kids I know are just as happy. / unhappy as the British kids of the same age. As long as my kids get through their teenage years unscathed in whichever country I will be happy.

They are 14 tomorrow, 12 and 8. All girls. It’s a hard choice as both countries offer a good lifestyle. First time round I hated being in Australia, although I enjoyed travelling round for ten months as a family. I was overjoyed about going home and loved being home. My husband yearned to return so he came back first and eight months later we returned as being apart was extremely difficult for all of us. we returned last January to a different area than before and I have to say its been difficult to make the decision. The kids are thriving in the senior school here but when we dicussed this, they said they would thrive any where as they like learning. Since 2013 they have never wavered they just want to be home, but they do like the fact they have options for the future as they are now citizens. As a family we make decisions together, we as adults have a good life in both countries but we also miss family and friends. Family and friends have never pressurised us. one thing i would say is that my Aussie mates understand the readons we are heading back, my ex pat mates don’t, although when speaking to some of them truthfully they secretly hanker to return but cannot due to partners/ other commitments. Good luck, it does take a while to settle. PM me for a chat if you want to.

Funnily enough it’s my kids that are the impetus for returning. They miss family, friends, U.K. countryside, European history and our house in a village. We have lived in Australia for nearly 5 years with a year back in the U.K. We have the same lifestyle in both countries although I have to say Nursing is easier over here. We are returning in April to the UK to family and friends. I will miss my Friends here ( funnily enough mainly Australian not ex pats as we have immersed ourselves into communities) but I am glad we are going home and happy my kids are the driving force. Both countries offer the same opportunities for them and we are outdoor people who will walk and cycle in any weather........I won’t miss cycling over snakes!!! Brexit concerns me but we will still be able to visit Europe and my kids have an Irish grandma so hopefully they will have choices!.

253 new citizens at the Canberra ceremony today,( 4 of which were my family). Congrats to all and Good luck to all those waiting. Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum it helped a lot whilst waiting for the government to get its act together.

Hi I posted here a few weeks ago and was asked to inform the forum of the time line. Applied 28/05/2017 Interview /test 26/11/17 Approved on line ACT Skilled Migrant PR from UK

Hi, My husband has been invited for an interview and standard test. Is the interview part an actual interview or is it just an appointment to verify the original documents?The letter seems to be a standard letter. Also we have tried to open the 4 practice tests on the department website but cannot access them on any computer tried applemac, ipads and windows. We are technophobes so any assistance would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

I asked a tax consultant whether we could file a tax return prior to leaving. He said yes we could but they don't do anything with it until June 2015, he also said we can file a tax return from abroad. Not sure whether that helps.

Hi, not sure what the options are for newly qualified nurses from overseas working in the UK, I was informed by a colleague the other day that the NMC want 2 years post experience before allowing overseas nurses to register. You may need to check that out with the NMC website. I am aware of the shortage of jobs for graduate nurses in Queensland, just seems such a waste of money training people then not to enable them to complete their training in the graduate year, its a travesty. Good luck with it, I have been a nurse for over 20 years working primarily in ED and I still love it.

Hi I think most of us thinking of going back have been honest. I have friends here, I like work, we have fun, we have integrated, but my kids went out to play whatever the weather in the UK, we went away same number of times (2 x month), travelled independently in UK and rest of world with the kids. Australia for us is an adventure, one that we felt we may turn into our home but as so many have said something is missing, for many its the answer of their dreams , for many its not. I am not condemning either way, but the most memorable walks/ adventures/stories actually have been due to the UK weather systems, we as a family have always gone out in all weathers, so 48 Sundays in out of 52 has never existed in our household. Pub meals at the end of a long day is missed with family/friends not just reserved for Sundays. As pointed out earlier its also easier to move as a couple but with 3 school aged kids in tow its not fair to keep uprooting just because you don't like an area, if I did that I would imagine I would end up with very unhappy kids. They are happy here but looking forward to travelling, learning on the go and ultimately returning to family interaction , their friends and their home environment. Wherever we live we will make the most out of it and enjoy the experiences it gives but for me Australia does not quite tick all the boxes in the same way as the UK does. Ihope everyone that makes the journey enjoys their experiences as it is an expensive/ hard struggle to get here.

We have now been here over a year. We arrived with our eyes open, having both been here previously (working and visiting). We have 3 young children, both of us are working. We have integrated, kids are settled in school, have friends, have play dates (for both the kids and adults!), go camping at least 2 x month, have travelled loads in our local area, Australia is a fantastic country but my kids don't play out as much as they did at home, we do not do as much exercise and although we are better off there is "just something missing" . I miss the UK, family/friends/house in the country(but close to a good cities)/ mountains/scenery/pubs/proximity to Europe and northern hemisphere, probably do not miss the weather! Do we stay for 4 years to get citizenship (heart sinks at the thought), or does this open another can of worms, giving kids more choice later, 2 kids in 1 country, 1 in another. Do I really want to make that happen, could happen anyway without our assistance!! Or do we save like mad for 6 months, travel round Australia for 6 months and return home giving kids access to family who love them, friends who support us whatever we do within reason ,(although friends we have made here would also do that!) and a country that still offers so much even though most say its going to the dogs!. We came over here for an adventure and to experience another culture/country and visit this side of the world with the kids. We have already backpacked round Vietnam with the kids for 3 weeks. We were open to making our lives here but 1 year on and we still want to go home (only the 4 year old wants to stay for the weather!). So to cap it all both country's are beautiful in their own ways and I have found Australians to be welcoming and friendly but home (UK) is still where our hearts are, so we are planning the big trip and home next year, much to my Aussie Sister's dismay (but she lives in the remote area and will be moving on again soon). I don't expect reply's just wanted to put my feelings/thoughts down. Obviously we may change our minds and suddenly fall completely in love with Australia and I will be writing on here saying its the best thing since sliced bread!

We have now been here for 9 weeks, arrived end of May, by the 1st week of July my OH had started work as an Senior project engineer , he applied for 9 jobs ,had 5 interview offers went to 4 of them and got offered 4 jobs. yes he is working at a lower level than he was in the UK but even at that level his Salary is a good one. He had applied for jobs from the UK but had no response as he was not in the country. He adapted his CV and chased agents and the companies he sent his applications off to. Our main problem is lack of available childcare , I have yet to find long term day care for my 3 1/2 year old that is acceptable so I can work, but that will come eventually. I cannot as yet say we are happy here but again I am sure that will come and if not in 2 years we will return to the UK. In the meantime yes we are lucky as it did not take long to get a job but it has to be said that local agencies in the Illawarra said to him that there is no work in this area and looking at local parks (where I spend a lot of time!!) there does seem to be a fair amount of unemployment esp round the steel works. I agree with other posters make sure you save enough to live on initially as the cost of living when converting money is horrendous. Good luck to all. PS Would I do it again knowing how I feel now, the answer is no, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and we are lucky that we have not sold up in the UK so if no happier in a couple of years we will return having had an adventure!