scarlett

Hi, I'm sorry I really couldn't advise. I have made friends with somebody else who also returned from Oz, she rented her house out to her sister.....she trashed it! They no longer speak and it has divided the family. We paid around £80 a month to our agents, as part of their agreement they were suppose to inspect our property every three months, it was first inspected nine months in....when I questioned it they said the tenant was having a difficult time and couldn't get an amicable time to allow the agents in- I was offered a £30 refund. When they did the first inspection nothing was noted, when my husband and I inspected the property a week or so after we found two holes in the lounge carpet- literally cut out holes! There were numerous issues but I believe the truth of the matter is the agents just want your money. Over the past twelve months, since our return I've spoken to various people who rent out their house.....they have all done their own contracts and reading between the lines I think (and this really is me reading in between the lines) they have rented to people who would be easy to remove should any trouble arise....illegally! Renting is a legal minefield....I feel your dilemma, I'm sorry I can't advise you but it really is all down to the tenant that walks throughout your door.

Hi, we rented our house out when we left for Oz. Sadly Oz didn't work out for us so when we returned we served our tenant her three months notice. Legally, tenants DO NOT have to vacate a property until the moment a bailiff arrives. My story is one of those horror stories you hear of but think its very unlikely- our tenant wanted a council house, the council advise tenants NOT to move out of a rented property (known as gatekeeping) as a result we had to go to court to get a court notice. We used a company which cost us £800 as we had no idea about property laws, the tenant was ordered to pay the court fees (around £200) but isn't obliged to pay them unless we pay to take her back to court! Again, the tenant isn't legally obliged to vacate upon the vacation date stated on the eviction notice, therefore we had to go back again to get a high court order to request the bailiffs to remove the tenant. We were lucky, the tenant left a few days before the bailiffs were due to go in but she caused nearly £2000 worth of damage (iron prints in carpet, holes in carpet, paint off walls, sink blocked, blinds broken and the place was FILTHY). In my case, the tenant wanted a council house but there are lots of loop holes in the law here regarding tenants and believe me, the law supports the tenant!! If the tenant fails to pay rent the procedure is pretty similar to mine. Estate agents are very reassuring about managing a property but in my experience its all a sales pitch! My advice would be to google tenant rights, see what exactly you're getting yourself into because we had no idea we would have no right to gain access to our house because legal contracts were exchanged (contracts actually mean nothing). Personally I would never ever rent out again, especially MY home. We have heard lots of horror stories about renting but equally I have heard a lot of success stories, it all depends on the tenants. It took us seven months to get our home back, in the business that was considered QUICK, most agents and solicitors expect it to take about a year or longer. We were made homeless during this time and myself, husband, four year old and newborn were put into a hostel without kitchen facilities (how we were suppose to make the baby's bottles is unknown) and ended up moving into my MILs, all four of us crammed into the box room with my four year old on the floor for seven months in total.

No, I don't go out of my way to be offended. You'll find this is my first post of the sort. I just stand up for myself. And for the record, I didn't jump to any conclusion about the post being about me. Why would it be about me, we have never exchanged posts as far as I am aware. For me, it's the end of the matter.

Thank you M2M, thankfully we see ourselves as successfully trying to improve our future, but as Tink says, we didn't realise what we had until it had gone. So, we are returning to the Uk to continue our successful future, just in another country! But there are members on here who simply want both sides of the story or know they are not the only one out there who feels the way they do and it's not nice to be judged in this way.

I've only been here six months and I'm hoping to return to the UK in four months. For reasons personal to me and my family it hasn't worked out, and we are gutted about it but I certainly wouldn't say I was one of those 'types'. In fact I find it quite hurtful that people can make that assumption about me, we all have our own story to tell. Its comments like this that could make me and my family feel like a failure if we allowed it to get to us. It's comments like this why I don't respond to genuine questions from genuine posts who are simply trying to hear both sides of the story. In answer to the original question, only you can decide whether the move will work for you. Be sure you're not just running away from the Uk and Australia offers you what you are after, not just money. There are lots of people for whom the move has been the best thing they have done, but it really will come down to you and your family and what suits you and where offers you a better life. Good luck, it's a tough decision and we're all only trying to do the best for our family :-)

Hi, Im currently 'trapped' in WA, waiting for us to get enough cash together to buy flights back to the UK. I have a long story about why we have chosen to return and why the dream didn't work for us but I wanted to share the emotions I feel here, simply because there is more in the Uk for me- like you. You have already pointed out reasons to remain in the UK and those reasons will still exist. Regarding family, you may feel helpless on the other side of the world and trust me, as good as Skype is, it's difficult because of the time difference. We now only Skype every other week because the Uk are still at work whilst we are at home. My parents are deceased and I don't have any siblings so I didn't leave any significant family behind BUT I have really missed my husbands family, just the interactions with them. One thing we didn't consider before moving was whether family would need US, and typically just after we left my Mother in law and her husband went through a difficult few months when they could have really done with our support, and of course, we felt helpless. You mentioned your career. I think this is a vital component to making the move successful if you are really into your job and thoroughly enjoy what you do and have prospects. For a number of reasons I had to give up my career (teacher) and I think this is one of the driving forces for returning. You don't sound ready to leave the UK for whatever reason and it may prove difficult to settle, I was ready to leave the UK and have still found it difficult to settle! As for your husband, only you know the answer to that but I can't help but wonder why he is determined to go to oz whilst you are going through an emotionally tough time with regards to your mum. I don't know your circumstances and I'm certainly not making any judgements but it just doesn't seem very supportive (I don't mean to offend here, just offer food for food). Good luck with your decision :-)

Hi, I arrived here in WA in December just under three months pregnant. Now, this is just MY experiences and I'm sharing them to give you food for thought. I have found it extremely difficult to settle here and we are planning to return to the Uk before the end of the year. We have many reasons for wanting to return but can't deny the baby is probably the biggest factor. I have found it extremely lonely and isolating being stuck in the house as I worked full time in the UK, many employers were unhappy to employ me as I was pregnant. I had planned to go back to uni in my first year here but even they felt it would be quite a struggle for me, sitting exams whilst eight months pregnant. On top of this I never anticipated how I would miss family and friends at this time. I do wonder if this feeling was inevitable it just so happens I arrived here pregnant. My parents are deceased and I don't have any siblings so it's my husbands family I have found myself missing, I miss them talking about about the excitement of having another child in the family, the arrival of our baby, buying clothes and baby items. The crucial incident that made me decide going home was the right thing to do was when I told my husband that with this child I would like to take a pink outfit and a blue outfit so when we leave hospital you can tell what gender it is. Without sarcasm or particular thought my husband just replied, "what for, nobodies going to see it!" It hit me like a brick in the face how right he was, nobody to share this magical experience with, nobody to help in those first few weeks (and I'm having a planned c-section). There are silly things too, after 32 years in the Uk you have a good idea where to buy a decent pushchair or Moses basket, etc but when you arrive here it's difficult to find shops you feel comfortable in. This will sound weird unless you have experienced it. I'm told the eastern side of oz is much different to WA but all of my baby clothes have come from the uk. Everything is just so 'different'. My husband has settled here and would like to stay for citizenship but has agreed for our families sake that we belong in the UK, even he has now started to feel that the baby being away from the family that will love it so much is difficult to live with. On a personal note, the move here has made me ill. I believe this is because of the circumstances created by being pregnant. I have been wired up to a heart monitor as it seems I have been having palpitations (never ever experienced anything like this before) and I have developed gestational diabetes which the doctors suggest may have been brought on by the stress of moving here. If I had read this post before moving out here i would have thought, I'll be fine that won't happen to me but trust me, as somebody who has just been through the emigrating experience, whilst pregnant- you can never anticipate how something so big will affect you. Good luck in your decision :-)

Thank you for your kind words, you're right, there are so many things just not right for us here and it's other people making me doubt my own feelings!! Spoke to hubby tonight and he said he's as worried as me about going home and regretting it, like we have moving here BUT he said, we're not going through it again to move back to oz which I found quite comforting because I know now we will be determined to make the most of life in the uk instead of continuing to search for that something 'better'! Just need to decide on a month to move back, I'd dearly love to be home before the end of the year but watch this space.....

Rockdr, thank you for your post. It gave me something to think about. Before we came here we had only ever lived in the UK and felt, like a lot of people, the UK wasn't the best country for our little girl to grow up in. We chose WA as we were impressed with the respect we saw displayed by youngsters on a visit, however we were bored stiff! Over the years we must have grown rose tinted glasses and forgot about not enjoying Perth!!! What always worried me was we were running away from the UK (immigration mainly, recession), it's not that we particularly fell in love with Perth and hence- there probably lies my problem!! However, having now sampled Perth too I can make comparisons between the uk and WA and really believe the UK offers us more. My career, a house we OWN, two cars, holidays, FAMILY, eating out on a weekly basis, Friday night take away, variety of shops, ASDA!! I think I had to 'lose' the uk to realise what it actually offered us. With regards to my career, NO, I can't give it up, my aspirations remain strong, all I've ever wanted to do is teach. It's probably a driving force to return home and I feel useless not bringing home an income to help support my family and since we've been here we've never needed an additional income so much! Also, as a teacher I'm not impressed with the early years provision here an d having my own children this is very important to me- my three year old is bored out of her brains! My husband has seen what the move has done to me and my daughter and is happy to move back because of this and because he loves us! He's a bit gutted its not lasted longer but ironically, his work has gone through a tricky patch the last couple of weeks and i think this has made him wonder whether work is as freely available as we first thought. As for returning, ooooohhhh no, I'd be returning to work!! I'd have a purpose to get up each morning, I'd be contributing to the family income, I'd be able to afford to by clothes for my kids, I enjoy meeting friends for food, I'd be able to afford to join a gym, we'd visit my MIL at her holiday home every other weekend where we can take my daughter through the country side, I'd own my own home, I'd be saving for a summer holiday, I'd be happy watching my daughter thrive at school as she learns to read and put her writing skills to use. I wouldn't wake up throughout the night freezing as my uk home would be insulated, I wouldn't face a thousand dollar electric bill for two months because I need the air con on due to the heat! I wouldn't need to check the house for an army of ants, I could keep food in cupboards instead of in the fridge. My daughter commented, if we go back to England, I can see my friends!! Seeing her run to school again would make my move back worth every emotion and every penny- she's not made one friend her and she's only three. HEARTBREAKING. Thank you for helping me to confirm in my own mind, moving HOME is the right decision for my family :-))

Hi, To those of you who moved back to the UK how did you feel when making the decision to return? We have only been here five months but everything suggests we should go home and I would go tomorrow if I could but because of reading posts from people who have done this and then ping pommed I'm filled with concern! I am pregnant and the move here as actually made me ill! I think I knew within the first couple of weeks it wasn't for me, I tried so so hard until I just couldn't think straight, eventually I broke down with the midwife who was extremely helpful. Turns out I'd been having palpitations due to the anxiety, I measured as depressed and a social worker contacted me to offer support. Additionally, I have just been diagnosed as having gestational diabetes, which can often be brought on with stress! Even losing both my parents at a young age never affected me in the way the move here did. I've always had the strength to get through anything but the enormity of this move on our family and the cost isn't like any other dilemma. I have had to accept my career here is over as my teaching qualification isn't recognised, I could go back to uni for two years at a cost of £10,000 but with two children in childcare and on one income this would be virtually impossible. Also, I trained for years in the uk as I did it whilst working full time, i don't want to do this again. Also, my husband is in the building trade, he has been out of work for a few days now and we've realised we need the security of my income due to the nature of his work. I have lots of reasons for wanting to go home, some significant and some quite pathetic. I feel guilty that I want to return when there are so many people out there who could probably have made more of a success of it. Worse still, everybody here in WA thinks I'm mad! They all say give it a year or two- why? So I just become used to it? Ive realised or appreciate now what a great life we had in the UK, owned our home, ate out once or twice a week, annual holidays, never watched what we put in the shopping trolley. Here, we are struggling to buy food right now due to the circumstances. I know a lot of my feelings are down to circumstances but I just want to go home. However, although I feel I could move back and gladly never return because of the things I have read on PIO I'm worried of the feelings I may have when I get back to the uk. I do not want to ping Pom, I suppose, I don't want to make the same mistake twice! But surely as I feel so strongly I'll be fine? Im just interested in how those who moved back felt, please don't make judgements on my situation. I feel bad enough I've uprooted my family, messed up my daughters education and used up any money we had! :-/

We have been here five months now and through a mixture of circumstances and emotions I believe we will be returning to the UK either just before or just after Christmas. We have our reasons for leaving the UK and WA has been 150% better in all these areas but for me something just hasn't felt right since we arrived. We discovered I was pregnant just two weeks before we left the UK,it didn't give us any time to re-think our plans so we arrived and strived to do our best. For the the first couple of months I was kept busy sorting a house, finances, our container, classes for our three year old, discovering the local sights and amenities,ect. However, as reality kicked in I became very unhappy, I spent days, weeks even just trying to think straight. This is not me, the move affected me in ways I had never imagined, or anticipated! Anyway, my husband feels differently to me but thankfully he can see our future doesn't belong here. I think maybe he's just enjoying an extended holiday? He has seen how unhappy and miserable I have become and the effect it has also had on our three year old daughter. Before this big move I would have argued with anybody that as long as our daughter has us, she'll be fine and continue to live a happy go lucky life. I was very wrong! Even at the young age of three, taking her out of education has proved very difficult for her. She continues to want to learn but isn't entitled to any educational provision here until next January, even then it'll only be five days per fortnight. She is enrolled in four different classes a week here, and five months in she is still yet to make a friend. Yet, in the UK she was an extremely popular and confident member of her class and in her group at her wrap around care. We could never have anticipated this happening and it is very sad to watch. With the impending arrival of our second baby we are of course thinking about family we have left behind and how this child won't be able to bond with grandparents if we remain here. Family have been very good, they send parcels nearly every other week for us or our daughter or bump which i think demonstrates the closeness we had and perhaps were naive to give up! Finally, I have realised I am not prepared to throw away my teaching career, i trained in the UK whilst working full time, so spent many years attending college until late in the evening, most nights of the week were spent at the dining table writing assignments-both my husband and I sacrificed a lot for me to become a teacher, the only job I ever wanted to do and LOVED! As my three year qualification is not recognised here I would need to retrain for 12 months, at a cost of about £10,000-an investment we were willing to make before I fell pregnant. We simply couldn't afford two lots of childcare here in WA on one income. We came here prepared for it to be difficult, financially challenging and emotional draining, however nothing can truly prepare you for what each family may feel. These are just the experiences of my family, and in fact, my experiences here are VERY different to my husband's experiences here. I'm sure there are posters out there to whom this just will be incomprehendable, but trust me, we have invested in over £30,000 just in the move here. I have tried so hard to keep my daughter educated and occupied but I can't help but feel I need to get 'home' and find my life again. As we spend longer here we are also realising our quality of life was much superior in the UK, our first gas and electric bill here in WA for two months totalled $1000!!!!! Our weekly shopping is $200 and that's watching everything we put in the trolley and making dinner from scratch- no processed meals, etc! We are also starting to realise that owning our own home here is many years away where at least in the UK on two healthy incomes we could afford a lovely house, holidays, shopping without watching the budget and to eat out each week. For us, the move to WA hasn't outweighed what we had in the UK, but most people with kids will understand that we had to try!! I sat on the beautiful foreshore last week and shed a tear simply because I want to like here, I want it be successful but I can't control my feelings and therefore I'm positive we will be leaving this beautiful state behind to head back to the concrete jungle of Birmingham where I hope and pray we can once again be the happy family we were just six months ago.

Hi, I arrived in Perth in January, just under three months pregnant. I found out just a couple of weeks before we left the UK,it was a huge surprise as we had been told we would need IVF after receiving treatment for our first child, who is now three. Anyway, this didn't give us anytime to think through what we were REALLY going to do. I had planned to enrol at uni for 12 months to get a teaching qualification, however after chatting to the uni when we arrived they felt sitting exams whilst 8 months pregnant would be too much. Ok, now I sense your excitement and optimism so please remember these are my feelings and hindsight is a wonderful thing! If I could turn the clock back I would! Just because it is my second baby doesn't mean I need my family any less. And actually, my parents are deceased and I don't have any siblings so it's my in laws and husbands family that I feel I need around me. It would be near enough impossible to get a job once I started showing so we decided I would stay at home with our three year old and without a word of a lie it has virtually sent me in sane! So, remember, when you arrive, money is tight so it's difficult to go shopping for baby things and you're constantly watching the pennies. The choice here I find is very limited for baby clothes and very expensive. I simply do not enjoy looking for clothes as I'm so used to the choice and variety the Uk offers us. My optimism and excitement in the UK led me to believe that Australia isn't a third world country, it WILL have everything I need but in reality, it just doesn't match up to the UK. My daughter is enrolled at a class each day of the week and now, nearly five months in either her or I are yet to make a friend. This is very tough and think being pregnant makes it tougher because you want to chat about your bump, enjoy conversations about whether it'll be a boy or a girl, etc. I can sense from your optimism that you will go ahead with your plans, well I did! I'll be honest, I regret it. I'm sorry this is a negative post but it gives you the other side of the story to think about. For me, the biggest thing was when I told my husband I would like to take a blue outfit and a pink outfit to the hospital, so the baby looks like its gender when we bring it home- without sarcasm or thinking about it, he simply replied, "why, nobody will see it!" This was the moment I realised how alone we were, the people that cared about us are so far away, the people we want to share out bundle of joy with are thousands of miles away. For me, the dream hasn't turned out how I'd imagined it, oh boy didi plan and research but the power of emotions upon actually being here are something you can never plan for! I want to return to the UK for my children's sake, so they can share the time with their grandparents, so my baby can meet his family, so memories can be created. Before arriving here we thought family would visit and quality time would be spent with our children but circumstances change, my MILs husband has just lost his job and they told us yesterday they would not be able to afford to visit us at christmas, so it's just us four for Christmas! I wish you lots and lots of luck and hope everything turns out exactly how you have dreamed it will, you've come this far and don't want to give up now! Stay strong and have a back up plan, we're stuck here now until we earn the money to get us back again, that's the one thing I never considered- a back up plan!

Hi We came out here (Perth) to try and giveour daughter and future children something better. We're only four months in and I am desperate to go home, in the last two months particularly I have thought long and hard about the Australia/UK thing and realised that although Perth is beautiful, has gorgeous weather and I have found there's a lot more respect here, even from teenagers that family is very important to us. I haven't even left a big family behind but I've left a family that want to spend time with us, make my daughter feel like she's the most important person in their world and I've realised that as much as we need them, they need us. Most recently my MIL has gone through a tough time and not being there for her has made us feel useless. Our family send parcels of gifts regularly and this shows how desperate they are to keep the strong bond. Additionally over Easter my three year old received three Easter eggs!! I found this quite sad, thankfully she won the playgroup raffle and had a whole bag full of eggs but it did make me realise what we have taken her away from. Also, before coming here I would have argued that children, particularly those under school age are particularly resilient and will adapt easily to their new life. However I really believe the move here has had a profound effect on my daughter. Not only has she gone from receiving five half days education in the UK to NOTHING here, she seems confused about the family situation. She has started to refer to her Nanny as her 'old nanny', as though she won't see her again. I do wonder what confusion we have caused her. I wish I could make Australia my home, my children's future because it is 'nicer' than the UK right now, but sadly I feel the pros of the UK outweigh the pros of Australia. And finally, before we came here my husband and I read on here about how the move had split families up, fortunately we are a very strong family unit and compromises will be made but as he longs to stay here and I want to return I can see the pressure it can put on a family unit. I researched our move for years, including a visit here but until you're here living, breathing and feeling it, it is impossible to truly understand how you'll feel. I wish you lots of luck and you make the right decision for your family :-)

Hi, Sorry cant help with much but would advise you to weigh up costs of repairs and parts on your car if you brought it over. I had one of these in the Uk and I loved it! Haven't seen anything similar here but only seen one Citroen car in the four months I have been here so I imagine that's because of shipping costs etc. I can't be one hundred percent sure but I don't think there are Citroen dealers here, if there is I have yet to see one. Good luck with everything :-)

Hi, Im sure there's something in the air at the moment because it seems like lots of people want to go back to the UK right now! Im in Rockingham too and I would like to go back home! I felt I nearly got to breaking point so as I'm pregnant I made a decision to tell my midwife and seek professional help. I've being given details of a local counsellor for counselling just so I can speak to somebody and get myself through the next few months. As a family we've decided to stay until Christmas and reassess the situation then. I'm envious you have your flight home booked, just think your homeward bound now! I wish you lots of luck and hope you find a way of getting through the next few months :-)

Hi, Im a Mum of a three year old girl and another one due in July. I moved here to Perth with my husband four months ago. I can't advise or offer suggestions regarding the situation with your child's father but I really wanted to urge you to think very carefully about moving so far away. It's clear you want something better for your daughter, so did we. However since arriving I have realised that what we had wasn't actually that bad. Perth is beautiful but for every pro you will find a con. For example, although the parks here are lovely, ive yet to even see the slightest bit of graffiti on any them, there are issues here as there are in the UK. I read in the local paper last week a big spread about ten used syringes found in Warnbro park. I've also read articles about them on local beaches. My point is, you could probably give her better without the upheaval and cost involved in moving so far away. As I'm pregnant I haven't found a job yet and probably won't until next year, me and my daughter get out and about every day, yet either of us are yet to make a friend. Sure, I get numbers off mums but nothing has ever come of it yet. Now, with time I may make friendships but I tell you, these past couple of months have been the lowest and loneliness I have ever experienced. Will the distance between you and your daughters father make up for the distance between your familiarity, family and friends. The other factor you may consider is quality time with your daughter. Due to the travelling here in Perth, my husband leaves the house at 5am and doesn't return until 5pm, as a single mum is this do-able? Is it fair on either of you? And as somebody else said, would you need to factor in childcare? This is a big reason I want to return home, for me, the sunshine and better wages don't make up for the quality family time we have lost. We no longer even get up at the same time and go to bed at different times. Our family life has changed dramatically. Many people have made Perth their home and wouldn't return but I just wanted to show you the other side of the coin, from my experiences. I think I feel so strongly about it because we came here to give our family a better life yet I feel we have ended up doing the opposite. My advise would be to think very carefully about what you would be giving up, moving countries is no walk in the park. :-)

I really wish I had asked myself that question before we moved. We've been here four months now and it's taken a very expensive move to the other side of the world to realise what we had all along in the UK. I think it's very easy to get caught up in 'the dream' and lose track of reality because as humans we always seem to be seeking something better. I made the mistake of thinking whatever Australia lacked that the Uk had, it could be replaced with something else. If you are searching for that something better, I'd search closer to home (an apartment in Europe perhaps). Although sadly I think once you have the migrating dream you feel obliged to see it through in case you might regret it one day!! Everybody is different though and these are just my feelings. good luck x

Hi, I have been following your posts with great interest because like you, I feel ready to go back to the UK quite early on into our venture. I feel a little reluctant to respond because I feel some people on the forum can be very judgemental, especially when it comes to moving back to the UK from Australia. We have been here in WA just over three and a half months and I feel desperately unhappy, it is the most confusing of feelings because my head and my heart feel completely different things! Our story, very briefly: My husband and I visited WA as newlyweds back in 2006, we visited in winter so found things a little boring as it was cold and wet. However, there was no denying how beautiful this state is and what wowed us was watching a group of teenagers on their skateboards, cross the road to put litter in the bin before carrying on on their boards! We have never witnessed this kind of respect and discipline in Birmingham, so although we felt bored we also felt this would be a great place to bring up kids. We kind of forgot about Australia for a while upon our return as we had difficulty starting a family, however when our daughter came along there was an overwhelming feeling to offer her something better, in hindsight I'm not sure what that was but we felt Australia had more to offer her and future children. While we were getting our thoughts together on the matter my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer and consequently passed away aged 57, the same age as my dad just 7 years before her. When you lose parents so young it makes you realise life is for living so we decided to give Perth a go, better to go and experience it than getting to retirement age and regretting never trying. So here we are! We certainly didn't come with rose tinted glasses, my husband got work in the first week and now works ridiculously long hours as he was prepared to, to get us set up. I came prepared to invest £10,000 in a university course to retrain as a teacher here however sometimes you can't help the path of life. Two weeks before leaving the UK we found out I was pregnant with our second child (a miracle really after being told we would need IVF), this changed our plans completely! Had I returned to Uni I would have been sitting four exams and four large assignments whilst 8 months pregnant, not to mention two childcare fees after the child is born. And so, here I am. Six months pregnant, a full time mum and housewife who used to work full time and a three and a half year old who was a popular, confident child attending nursery every day but now stays at home every day as she missed starting kindy this year by 11 days. Although I do have her enrolled in different classed four days of the week! For people reading this in the UK I would say that I did not come here expecting the roads to lined with gold, I came prepared to work hard, had listened to relatives and friends here who have been happy here for many years and thought I had thoroughly prepared myself for how tough it was going to be. BUT, nothing can prepare you for how you might respond to different things. I have many reasons for wanting to return, some of them significant, some of them just strange! For example, I have noticed on cloudy days I have a spring in my step and an ability to cope better, I know this is is stupid but after 32 years in the UK I must be programmed! Anyway, so as the OP asked, what are my future plans? Well I think they change daily but at the moment I have decided to give it the two years. I feel obliged to listen to people who have been here and done it and follow their advice to give it two years, although I can't help but feel after two years surely you just become used to the differences and accept them as opposed to suddenly loving life here? Also, with A baby due in three months, I would be mad to consider moving anywhere this year (although cant help but feel the baby is a big reason for wanting to go home) and finally, financially we can save enough money to get us home, set us up again in the UK and hopefully have a little savings left over. I have considered a holiday back to the UK to assess our feelings, perhaps next year but to be honest I think the money would be better spent exploring Australia while we are here, so I also intend to do that in the next two years. And who knows my feeling may change!

Hi, I have a BA Honours Degree in early childhood and had a great career in the UK. You don't mention how many years your degree is, mine was three and sadly it isn't recognised as a teaching qualification over here. I'm in WA and they require four years university training, so a degree and PGCE would be fine. It isn't the end of the world though, if you only have a three year degree you pay 100 dollars to get it recognised over here and you would be eligible to apply for lots of other childcare related jobs. Day care (day nurseries or children's centres to me and you) are quite well paid, upto 30 dollars an hour. And there seems to be a huge shortage of managers for these centres, which can earn you upto 60,000 dollars per year. There are also charities that require play workers, etc that include travelling around giving you even more experiences and opportunities. The other option, but it's very expensive, would be to study your fourth year over here. And actually, I think they are about to make it into a two year course so that it includes a masters too. i know EXACTLY how you feel, thankfully we were able to come over on my husbands qualification but I wanted to reassure you that once here there are other options and on the upside, childcare seems a bit better paid over here. Good luck xx

Hi, I think I know exactly how you feel! We landed in Perth on December 30th, just two weeks before I discovered I was pregnant with our second child (only one in there though). Tis came as a bit of a shock as we used fertility treatment to conceive our first and was told in November we would require IVF for any further children! Anyway, this completely threw our plans! And due to the timing of it we didn't really have time to think through our options. I was supposed to go to uni full time for a year to qualify as a teacher as my training isn't recognised in WA but after visiting the uni and discussing my options we felt sitting four exams and four hefty written assignments in June, whilst eight months pregnant wasn't a good idea! So, this is when I started to feel how I imagine you feel now, all this started to happen whilst still in my first trimester, securing a long term rental and realising we would have to cope on one wage for the foreseeable future, I have always worked full time except when I took six months maternity leave. At the time I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, I really just couldn't think straight, and this went on for two or three weeks. At the time I felt my biggest worry was work, I have never not being able to provide for my family or work extra hours to secure extra money, so I emailed a former colleague just asking for some pearls of wisdom, what she made me realise is there's always a way, I just had to sit down and prioritise. So over the next few weeks I slowly sorted myself out, after having a complete meltdown and sobbing my way through an emotional email to my mother in law, who i knew was helpless so far way but I just needed to tell someone! I worked out the things that 'bothered' me, such as my three year olds lack of education here, so I booked her into a dance class, playgroup, gymnastics and swimming- this way we get out the house four days a week and she really is flourishing. My career- Im applying to get my degree recognised over here so I can look into childminding when my new born comes along, won't be able to afford childcare for two! We've made lifestyle changes, only one car instead of two, husband shares a life with his mate and they split petrol costs. Anyway, long story short we are slowly getting into a routine and with the passage of time things have improved and in hindsight I think the pregnancy hormones may have clouded my ability to think straight! i can't imagine how you feel so far from home contemplating all the things that come with expecting triplets! But take it one day/one week at a time, that's helped me get through it. Good luck and I hope you work through it, you will I'm sure xx

Hi, we arrived in Perth (Rockingham) 10 weeks ago. Hubbie is a bricklayer and like you his stuff didn't arrive until a few weeks after us. For stuff like trowels Bunnings and Masters are pretty good, although trowels are more expensive here and not as good as the uk (apparently). Bunnings have a section dedicated to bricklayers tools. There is a shop called Toolmart (Rockingham too) but its more expensive for the same kind of stuff. Boots are available quite cheaply from KMart. When I asked hubbie about answering your question he did say to mention that most stuff out here is completely different to the Uk! If you wanted extra info about this let me know and I'll ask him in more detail. one other thing I would mention is the setting up costs don't just mean the costs of tools, bear in mind 'industrial' size and strength sun block, ours is about 30 dollars each, hubbie has one at home to apply before he leaves the house and one in the van to apply at lunchtime. Also a wide brimmed hat is essential (although it depends on the time of year of course) and an esky and cool boxes to keep food and drink cool during the hot sunny day. And keep receipts for EVERYTHING, even washing powder- apparently it can all be claimed, although we haven't gone through that process yet. Hope this helps