fourcorners

I'm sure your Dad's surgery will go well. Meanwhile you've just got to try and really focus and keep on top of your finances. Really have a good look at your 'moving back' budget and see if anything can be trimmed, for example do you need to ship back everything or can you try and sell stuff and then use a Move Cube or something? Is there anything more you can do to reduce outgoings in the mean time? Any assets you can liquify just to get things moving quicker? Aside from all that, don't be afraid to have a good cry! I know I usually feel better afterwards and often just need to get it out of my system before I can pick up and carry on.

We came out on a 457 2.5 years ago and rented out our house in the UK. With our increased earnings in Australia, low interest rate and very good exchange rate (AU$ to GBP) we have reduced our mortgage from £150k to £40k, and by April we will have enough in the bank to pay the mortgage off completely. Admittedly we have had very favorable conditions but in a very short time we will be completely debt free. If we had sold the house to come to Oz and paying much higher interest rates/house purchase price, we would still be owing a lot of money here. Last year we also inherited 75% of another property and paid cash to purchase the rest. So we now have a monthly profit in the UK of around £1000 after agents fees, mortgage payments, insurances, maintenance etc. One property agents fees are 10%, the other charges 8%. We haven't had any major issues so far and haven't heard a peep/complaint for 12 months now. Our lenders (C&G) haven't increased the interest at all and have been great to deal with too. But..... we have worked very hard to send back money every month since we arrived in order to pay down the mortgage. We could have rented something nicer in Australia, gone on more holidays, purchased more stuff (cr*p!) and the like, but we made the choice to sacrifice that for longer term financial stability. And it's worked. We're now looking to return to the UK and it's just a matter of where jobs will be that will determine what we do with the properties. I imagine we will end up living in one for a year or so and making renovations, as its a 100 ish year old cottage and we could add a fair wack of value to it. The question is now do we pay off the mortgage 100% or do we leave a small sum in there hoping we can re-mortgage at the same rate (2.5%). Circumstances are very different though, our move to Australia wasn't about starting a new life and never returning, it was about having an adventure and gaining more experience in our careers. Hence we didn't burn any bridges.

insure4less have been good for us, as they insure non residents. They also extended their cover recently for me as I went on holiday 27-29 weeks pregnant, they normally only cover up to 21 weeks so I thought that was pretty nice of them! There is also world nomads, who do really flexible insurance and will probably cover you.

Pastie??? Never seen it spelled like that! It's Pasty or Pasties, make sure you get it right or you'll be in trouble! Not sure whereabouts you're headed but I would head to Philps in Hayle or the Horse and Jockey in Helston to get your fix. Enjoy business class, and I'm sure everything else will fall into place, don't sweat the details. Wish you the best on your journey, I'm sure even the rain won't dampen your spirits when you touch down at the other end!

Just bear in mind that if you haven't lived in the UK 3 prior to starting uni there you may have to pay international fees (= expensive!). So, eligibility aside, can you afford that pathway? Or is it worth staying in Australia to do your degree?

I see peeps in pyjamas out all the time here in Oz, in supermarkets, takeaways you name it. And often shoeless. I feel bad picking up takeaway on the way home from hockey or the gym with my sports gear on! Back in Cornwall we didn't have an Asda nearby, mainly Tescos, and don't remember seeing anything too crazy, just lots of Polish people! Although they preferred Tesco Extra as it had a dedicated Poland produce aisle.

Jealous!!! Eat a pasty for me on your arrival!

First time we went back we stayed with my mum. It was only ever supposed to be short term whilst we got jobs but we ended up staying 12 months before I got a job in Cornwall, other end of the country. My OH stayed a further 6 months with mum while I stayed with Dad and looked for a house to buy. My OH's new job in Cornwall and our house sale all happened during the same month so we did end up moving in together. Was difficult living with parents (esp. Dad and step-mum!) but we managed and made it through the other side! This time around we are currently trying to secure a job for my OH before we go back, and depending on where that is either move into our old house or find a rental near the job. All complicated by our baby being due in mid-April. So not sure if 2 or 3 of us will be flying back but it will certainly be interesting! Having now made 4 international moves the best course of action is usually just try and go with the flow. Easier said than done for many people but things do have a tendency to fall into place, you just have to place a certain amount of trust in both yourselves and in fate to some extent. My partner is obsessing about details already like whether to take a baby car seat or pre-order one at Halfords near Heathrow, or even pre-buy a car and pick it up when we land. Just try making some small steps, start making inquiries about jobs, then in the areas of interest start seeing what's available rent-wise. Start thinking about what you want to take back and consider getting some shipping quotes. The exact order you do things in will depend on what you want to prioritise. Is the area more important? Or is the perfect job more important? Do you stand a chance of securing work before going? How soon do you want to go?

Think about how much you could sell it for here, as the price realised (plus the extra shipping cost saved) could pay for an equally good or better piece to be made in the UK. Also is it so big that you may struggle to fit it into a typical UK house (particularly if you're moving into a cottage or similar)? Ceilings can be lower, doorways can be smaller etc, would be gutting to go to the expense of taking it back then not being able to fit it into your house! If you're unsure about it, then probably best to think about it practically.

Your quote from the 3rd of January: "I love England soooooo much especially these parts, yeah I had all that crap of people before we came home, I just laugh and smile. Because deep down we all know England is the best country in the world x" What the 'eck has happened since then???

A 'killer'? You should be thankful you are pregnant in Scotland and not the Australian summer. Having just returned from a great 12 holiday in Tasmania and Melbourne, yesterday made me want to slit my wrists. Got to 36C and 60% humidity (normally it is very dry where we live and 36C ain't too bad). Because of the humidity the RC aircon was completely useless. Being 6 months pregnant, it was just miserable. Spent the day on the sofa stripped down to my underwear, dripping with sweat and on the verge of tears for most of the day. The UK weather has never made me feel like that!

Where there is a will there is a way. Whenever I have called any of the tax departments in the UK they have always been very helpful. I am sure once you start making inquiries things will start falling into place and you'll slowly make sense of what you have to do.

When we arrived our removalists told us of a family from South Africa who had moved to Esperance. They had a 40ft container crammed full, and when it arrived in Perth just told the removal company to turn it straight around as they didn't want to stay! It's amazing how some people can be so decisive so quickly. Shortest time we took to make a decision was in Canada where we stayed a turbulent 9 months.

I regularly have cravings for Cornish pasties and white crumbly cheese, Also miss crisp fresh air, clouds, green fields, meal for two for 10 pounds deals, amazon.co.uk, the sea (my OH has been very upset the last few days missing all the storms in Cornwall, he loves weather watching, but he reckons our house there is now probably several meters closer to the sea!), fruit that doesn't go off within 24-48 hours, working with intelligent people (sometimes I could throttle some people at work here, could just be these particular people or maybe it's aussies/kiwis in general I don't know...), well stocked supermarkets that are open late, having the booze aisle in the supermarket. I could probably go on for ages today, just nice to remember the little things sometimes!

That's what we keep saying Paul! To Helen, I wish you the best of luck although luck's probably not the right word. It's so good to have a plan, helps you put things into perspective and get organised. At least now you have an opportunity to experience as much of Australia before you go back so that you have no regrets.

Fantastic, thanks so much for coming back on here to share your experience. In a year and a half I might be in your shoes :-)

We had roast turkey, but with a cous couse, chorizo and cranberry stuffing and covered in prosciutto. With it we had pigs in blankets (a must and the most popular thing on the table!), potato bake and 3 or 4 different salads, plus garlic bread sauce. For starters friends brought over a lovely prawn, avocado and mango salad. Dessert was chocolate pavlova, yum! It was nice having a mix of traditional stuff and salads, didn't feel too heavy but we were still all full especially after seconds of the pav! We ate Waitrose Christmas pudding on wednesday as the temps had dropped from 40C to 23C.

Yes, will certainly be interesting whichever way it works out! Although the way work is going I could happily jump on a plane this evening.

My OH has just applied for a job in the UK, we knew it might be coming up, a little sooner than expected but I'm not complaining. Makes me wonder now will our daughter be born here or there....

When we have advertised our houses for rent in the UK we generally start off by stating 'no pets', but if after the house has been on the market for a while we then consider applicants with pets, and it's generally on a case by case basis. We did consider a family with 2 dogs and 2 cats but they decided the house wasn't big enough in the end. But we have to rely on our agents to vet applicants, as so many landlords do, and it's probably a case of verging on the safe side. If you can find a private rental where you're dealing directly with the landlord you might have more luck as they can meet you face to face and even meet the dogs if necessary - then they can see what condition you keep your pets in which is probably a good indication of what condition you would keep the house in!

Our leaving has nothing to do with the industry being 'tougher'. In fact for us, we both have secure jobs and could stay in them for another 10 years if we so wished. Nothing tough about staying put. In fact it will be much harder for us as the mining industry in the UK is well, virtually non existent, so it will be much harder to find jobs etc. Yes we're earning good money, but we live somewhere that many aussies would never even consider living, and we work hard for our wages. We invested in our futures by getting good degrees and right now it is pay off time. We know in our fickle industry it won't be like that forever. So yes we're raking it in, but any spare cash goes onto the mortgage and not on frivolities like so many of our colleagues like to do. We pay full taxes here but can't get any benefits, so Australia benefits greatly from us being here. At the end of the day my position was empty for 18 months before I applied for the job. They would have happily employed an Australian if one with the right qualifications and experience had come along, but they're just not out there. It was always going to be temporary for us, and there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe you're doing it tough and wish you could just 'toddle off'?

I have been with my employer for over 2 years now but we have decided against going for PR. A couple of factors come into play for us. We do intend to leave Australia at some point in 2014. I am on my second 457 visa and my partner is on his 3rd. If we did ever want to return, it would only be in a 'boom' time in our sphere of work and therefore we think it would still be relatively easy to get another temporary work visa. We have investment properties in the UK and as a temporary worker here we currently don't have to declare this income on our Australian tax return. And lastly we want to be able to extract our superannuation when we do leave. The only positives we would gain from getting PR is maternity pay when I go on maternity leave next year, dual residency status for our child, and the ability to return within the specified time frame (is that about 5 years?). For us, these possible benefits do not outweigh the benefits of not getting PR as outlined above. Maternity pay is worth bugger all, and our child can work for their own visa if they want to come and live here (just like we worked for it). Sounds like you need to figure out a similar pros vs cons list. Also think about what you do like about Australia outside of work. Is it enough to make you want to live here permanently?

I can't imagine my obstetrician would agree to me having a elective c-section. I do have private healthcare, but there is only one hospital here with a limited number of staff and surgeons. In fact I've known a fair few ladies have their babies here and not one has had a c-section, and only one has had an epidural. The approach here is to try and make the mum as prepared for a natural birth as possible, e.g. keeping fit and eating healthily.

Sounds like you're judging people for trying for a natural birth. There isn't really any more 'unknowns' associated with a natural birth compared to unknowns and complications from c-sections. It is after all something we have been designed to do. I just know how uncomfortable I was after my abdominal surgery. I spent 2 weeks in bed whilst my muscles kitted back together and am left with a huge scar. I could not imagine coping very well with a newborn if I had a c-section particularly when we're in Australia and don't have family to help us out.

I am expecting a baby due in April, and was surprised to learn that Kalgoorlie hospital has the lowest rates of caesarean births in all of WA! I think it's because the obstetricians here (1 of which trained the other 2) is quite obsessed with trying to keep birth weights lower. He advised me to cut down dramatically on sugar and I'm only allowed 1 piece of fruit per day (although having a second piece of fruit is still probably far better than reaching for a chocolate bar!). Having already had major abdominal surgery 9 years ago and having a lovely vertical 6 inch scar, I don't particularly want to go through it again but if needs must then of course I will. Just hope they can use the same scar, don't want a bloomin' crucifix on my belly!