fourcorners

Thanks everyone, it certainly is a weight off our shoulders. The uncertainty in the gold price played a small part in convincing us against Canada (where they were operating at a loss a few weeks ago - even worse now). Fortunately my boss has offered me some work from home which will tide us over, I'll be working more on our international projects rather than Australian ones. And you never know tin prices may rise enough to give confidence to companies looking at Cornwall again, although I'll only believe it when I see it!

We've just had 4 days to decide our future pathway. It was a choice between a job offer in Ontario, with relocation assistance, and moving back to the UK and being self-employed. We swung between the two quite a lot and yesterday decided to be brave and work for ourselves in the UK. The deadline for the Canadian job was yesterday 5pm their time. Sometimes you never know if you made the right choice but I've just learned via Facebook that my Grandad has died. We were asleep when my Dad tried to Skype, and of course they are all asleep now. For us it's confirmed we've made the right choice already. We can't be absent again for these events, it's too hard on us and on our families. Yesterday we picked a date, the end of March, for our return. I want to be home for our daughters first birthday in April. It gives us time to give our tenants notice in Cornwall and to sort out everything but not rushing. We are ready for this now. Ultimately we made the choice for family and the UK lifestyle, and work is a secondary consideration.

I'm hoping we'll be leaving around the same time, where we'll end up I don't know yet....

We are in the same position on 457s, and made the decision not to get PR a while ago. You just have to bear in mind what the Super is there for - it is to help support you in retirement. If you can use it as a worthwhile investment when you return then you're effectively doing the same thing with it. Long term investment in property is still the most lucrative and reliable investment there is. It may seem like retirement is a long way off but make sure you have a plan in place to save for the future.

Update! Well the other UK jobs were dead ends unfortunately. But my OH is currently on his way to Canada for a site visit after a good phone interview last week. He also had a phone interview for a job in Tanzania that we haven't heard back from. Whilst our first preference was the UK, we've come to the conclusion that it just isn't happening for him at the moment there. Out of Tanzania and Canada we would prefer the latter as it's closer to the UK and we would be in a community rather than a secure compound! Site visits to international sites are pretty much unheard of right now so we're pretty positive that his trip will end up in a job offer. It's a long way to go for less than a day spent on site! It's also 8 hours flight from the UK, which means more trips back and more visitors. Our back up plan is move to the UK anyway and set up our own business. And this week I've had the excellent fortune of being told by my boss that they would keep me on for casual work wherever we end up. For a geologist in the mining industry, this is pretty much unheard of so I'm guessing I've done something right! Head office is Paris so possibly a few European work trips too! I'm sad about the thought of not going back to the UK quite yet, but I'm choosing to look at this as a further adventure. I had the feeling anyway that returning would have been too soon for my OH, in a few years he'd have wanted to be off again anyway!

I got offered a job in the UK a few months ago. It was at a university and the interview was by skype. I turned it down in the end as it was all so rushed and I decided I wasn't ready to return to work (DD would have been 5 months old by the start date). But I was thrilled to have been offered it and it gave an enormous confidence boost! You can do anything if you put your mind to it, and you never know until you give it a go. One important point I made on the initial application was that we were willing to self-fund our move back as I think a lot of employers will be put off if they think they have to help fund your return or wait a long time for you. You need to give the impression that your move back is no more of an obstacle than a move within the UK (which is largely true!). Good luck!

Firstly congratulations! It's scary going through all this just as a couple with no family support but it can be done! Yes it's too late to get private care now as most policies have a 12 month wait period for pregnancies. Unless you can continue your old policy but fund it yourself? Go to see the doctor, they will get a confirmation blood test done and then probably won't ask to see you again for a month or so. Here I saw my GP until my 20 week scan after which I saw an obstetrician of my choice (my doctor just asked me who I wanted to be referred to so it's worth asking around and deciding on one). Some areas do shared care where you continue seeing a GP for much longer. I had my baby in a public hospital although I have private healthcare, the only thing it got me was a private room. I only went to the hospital once before delivery day and that was for my booking in, everything else was done at the obstetrician's office (but that may just be how it's done here in Kalgoorlie, I would have no idea what happens in Sydney!).

If you're on a 457 you're not considered as resident in Australia by most insurance companies. I've used insure4less before, they were great and covered me when I was 28 weeks pregnant too. Another flexible company for future reference is World Nomads. The forum Horizons Unlimited also has useful suggestions.

Great list, I like the pioneering spirit part!

Yes that, apart from April and September, it's either cold inside/outside or too hot inside/outside. Only really two seasons, I miss the other ones!

I feel the same, especially with a 6 month old and I don't have the use of a car most days. So stuck inside unless I go out for an early walk. I made myself sad on Monday thinking of all the things I could be doing if I was in the UK. 35C today, but possible thunderstorm which I'm holding out for!

The unemployment rate amongst mining professionals (e.g engineers, geologists etc) is currently double the national rate at over 12%. For geologists its nearer 20%. That's why VS is getting $21 an hour. Droves of geologists are leaving the industry altogether. Those who splurged during boom times now need any job they can get, particularly if they want to stay in the industry and have something on their CV. I am fortunate working for a privately owned mining company - we haven't laid anyone off in fact recently hired more after opening a new mine. My partner and I have both done FIFO at various times over the years. OH did 7 weeks on 2 weeks off for a while, I've done 2 weeks on, 2 off. So to us 8 days on 6 off would be a breeze although I'd get sick of the sight of airports! I think depression may come in when someone gets 'trapped' in a FIFO lifestyle and dig themselves into a big financial hole and then can't see a way out.

We've used a shared container in the past and had no problems. Sometimes there is a slight delay while they sort out what to put in the other half of the container.

Going back as soon as we get a job for my OH sorted out. I really hope it's before Christmas but trying not to get my hopes up too high. Been here 3 weeks as of next week, as well as 18 months previously. Priorities changed after a death in the family last year and since having our baby here. Australia is just not home for us. As someone else wrote on here recently, it feels like living a half life, even through the major life event of having a baby.

We've been here for 3 years now and 5 months ago had our first baby here. We don't have any family here and it's been really hard but manageable. Care has been great, I was really grateful for having 3 days in hospital rather than getting chucked out after 12 hours! Baby groups and such are good but it does take some time to get to know everyone and find other mums who do things the same way (turns out I'm a bit of a hippy/earth mothery type and not many others are!). But it's hard to really let yourself get to know others when you think you might be leaving soon. And there are plenty of groups in the UK too. There is something to be said for having continuity of care and get to know your obstetrician etc. Then after the birth it's probably better to wait a few months before making any big plans. I found the change in lifestyle pretty overwhelming and it took a while to come to terms with becoming a mum. I've now totally embraced it, want to be a stay at home mum for as long as possible and already thinking about having another! I feel like now is the time I really want to move back and also physically and mentally feel ready to do it. We want to move back for a couple of reasons, the push factors are: we've achieved what we've wanted to here and we're fed up of kalgoorlie, pull factors: family and friends in the UK, the landscape, better lifestyle for us. Sorry if that was a bit of a rambling post!

Life's a bit like off-road driving. You're giving it welly and then the particular rut you're in starts to slow you down and you start grinding to a halt. So you wiggle you wheels and make it over into another rut which looks a bit better from the outside. That rut might lead you to the end of the track but sometimes it won't and you find yourself slowing down again. So back to the other rut, or maybe a new rut. In any rut, you've still got to give it everything and work hard, otherwise you've got to get the spade out.

It depends on how much you are likely to save if you stay here longer. Have you been able to save anything in the last 4 years? If not, how do you propose to save? Lots of people stay longer with the intention of saving more but often it doesn't happen - once you're in the rut of spending a certain amount many struggle to reign that in and start collecting a useful savings pot. There are plenty of jobs in the UK, and if you're staying with relatives it means you can be very flexible and save money whilst job searching (saving in the sense of not spending out on a rental etc).

I've never lived there personally but my brother lives in Rawdon which is north-west of Leeds and not far from the Dales. They've just had a baby too and moved there 2 years ago. My brother is well into his music so he would have picked somewhere with a bit of life! I haven't visited them yet though. My sis lives in Hebden Bridge and did commute into Leeds but it's a fair way, but Hebden's lovely.

Yes it's north of Nottingham, not the most desirable location but we've figured out we could live just inside the Peak District near Wirksworth/Matlock. Most of my family in in Leeds and Holmfirth so I would be up that way a lot.

Good luck with the application AA, you never know. I thought the same with the job I got offered so just goes to show you never know til you try. OH filled out the application form for this job in Mansfield - you never know we may end up living not too far from each other!

I'm a geologist, a tiny market in the UK. The post was with a university though and offered 10% of salary for relocation expenses too. I think that with government/university type jobs they're not so scared of hiring from abroad and doing skype interviews etc. Yes I hope it is reassuring that it can be done, I just wish it was my OH and then we would have booked our flights by now!

I know it was sod's law I would get the job offer from here! I'm not scared about moving with her, we've done 4 international moves previously so it doesn't phase me. What would have made it miserable was moving and then immediately starting full time work. For the Mansfield job I think we could just manage in a house near the peak district, where I have lived on and off for short periods and do love it there. And the job has flexitime and occasional work from home so it could be an option. Most of my family is in Yorkshire so not a million miles away. The job I turned down was in Cornwall where we own a mortgage free house, and we do love Cornwall. That made it a bit harder to turn the job down! But no, I feel at peace with the decision and I'm sure something better will come along soon.

Feel like I've been through the wringer this week. Basically we've been trying to get a job for my partner back in the UK, with a few sniffs but nothing concrete yet. Anyway a month ago I applied for a job. I wanted to show my partner I was willing to go back to work (our baby is 4 months old) so he could be a stay at home dad for a while and pursue some other projects (like he thought he would have time to do anything else whilst looking after the little one!). I didn't think I would be offered the job, but after the interview on monday night I was offered the job on tuesday evening, and given 24 hours to decide. After initially being really excited about it, over the course of the day I realised I was excited about returning to the UK, but not at all about returning to work. They had wanted me to start on 1st October which would have meant the next 4 weeks would have been crazy. I decided that I didn't want my last few weeks a a stay at home mum to be stressed out, and then once back to work full time. So, I turned it down. I thought of it in terms of this question: what would I regret more, not taking the job, or not spending more time with my baby? And as the interviewer said, jobs come and go, being a mum doesn't. I think I've made the right decision, but gosh it was hard. Hard turning down an opportunity to get back to the UK quickly. But in the long term I've done right by me and my babe. My OH still has some irons in the fire and we've seen another interesting job for him last night (though it's in Mansfield....). It's frustrating as he had just come round to the idea of being a SAHD but I just couldn't do it. He's been very understanding though I am so lucky :-)

Our goals when we first moved here 3 years ago included paying our UK mortgage off. We've virtually done that, paid it down to £20k and have that money sitting in the bank ready to go. We just want to keep the mortgage active and just keep that money liquid for now in case it's needed. But we've achieved a whole lot more too. We've gained another house through inheritance although still needed to raise more cash to pay it off (though we'd much rather have the person back than have his house), we now have a 4 month old daughter (being a new mum over here with no family has been the hardest thing I've ever done), and apart from that £20k mortgage we are debt free having paid off student loans etc. Overall Australia has been very good to us but now we are in a new phase of life we want to live it in the UK closer to family and the places we love. Just a matter of finding the right job(s) now. I actually applied for one last week, waiting to hear if I've been shortlisted, and OH is having a phone call late this week. I have a sneaky feeling things may be starting to come together for us, but don't want to get my hopes too high! We've had a few false starts elsewhere like Cairns and Utah so fingers crossed third time lucky. We've even started selling surplus furniture that we don't want to ship back, and had a shipping quote done too.

I didn't even think about it, but then I didn't have kids then... I honestly can say I feel colder during a Kalgoorlie winter than I ever did during a UK one. Comes down to living in such a poorly insulated house here which doesn't retain any heat. Plus right now I'm at home during the day with my baby - was easier when I was at work with the heating on! Plus in Europe winter is more of a party season with Christmas/new year, gets you through!