Tender

Hi PP, I too have a fair amount of money left back in the UK, and as I never sold my house, I have rental income as well. In retrospect, it turns out that this may have been a good move for me as I am one of those actively considering a return to the UK - for many reasons including work (or lack of), cost of living (ever rising here), lifestyle factors and family. It may not be right away but I suspect I will return at some stage! In respose to your answer, my view is that the UK economy is not set to recover any time soon - certainly not in the next 3 years, and even then, there will be alag between recovery of the economy and a return to strength of the £. So, the essence to your question must be - when, and indeed if, the Aus $ will weaken?:err: Again, only my view, but there is a stronger possibility of this than there is of the £ strengthening - having said that, it means the mining boom must end or declines, and the economy here takes a hit :err:. Current views (not unanimous, but certainly majority) are that this will happen in the next 1-3 years, and this may mean the $ weakens comparatively to the £. You also have the likelihood of a Liberal-National government coming in later this year - conservatives will naturally look to cut back in the economy and ensure the longer term prosperity is assured (Labour supporters will of course have their view of what Conservatives do, but this is mine :biglaugh:) - this is likely to impact the strength of the $ and possibly, in the short term weaken it!) Will it be significant? Unlikely given that the $ will still be a much stronger currency and safer bet for traders to invest in. I donlt think there is much merit in waiting too long to move your money - you may get a few pence movement but not much more - unless you are moving a million$ worth, the difference ($10k) is marginal in the scheme of things! Just my view - hope you find it useful :smile:. T

Hi Hubbert .....I am having the same issue. My contract has recently ended and I am struggling to get responses from ads. I am on an 820 Provisional visa and therefore am classified s Temporary resident until next year Aprilo/May - it is then simply procedure to get PR. But, many of the roles I am qualified for (Business and Project Management) are asking for PR as a minimum and preferably Citizenship! I have alos had problems having my Scottish qualifications recognised. I am now looking a doing bar work as an interim measure, but the responses there appears to be 'over-qualified'!! It is a struggle. My experience of Seek.com is that most of the advertised posts are legit, but if through an agency, the response is poor. Responses from employers also poor and I have had to follow throuhg a number to find out the outcoem which is usually a 'thanks but no-thanks'. Sorry, probably not the answer you were looking for but I don;t know what is the answer and I am feeling just as frustrated as you sound. T

Hi all, just thought I would post an update, having reflected considerably on where I am. My contract, as expected, was discontinued at the end ofg Jasn and I am now unemployed, and as a temporary resident not entitled to any benefits, I am getting no help at all from Centerlink and thiewr affiliated job agencies. I accep that that is the situation and am not overly bitter about it, although I find it incredible that the amount of tax I paid in,in my 1 year employment ids probabis probably considerably more than many people over the last couple of years on their lower salaries etc ....but that is the way it is .......... *sigh* .......... Anyway, my wife, who would go to the UK in a heart beat, and I, are going back on holiday in late April, and I am trying to set up interviews with agents etc for while I am there. If the prospects look good, then we will start the process of going back there for good. I will be considering all aspects and not just the job front ........luckily I still own a house there and all my family are there as well. The house is ina rural area of south west Scotland and is relatively friendly, safe and generally pleasant - not so great for jobs etc, but commuting i the UK is considerably easier than here in Aus (in my opinion). I am not overly concerned about any culture shock as I have only been here 1 year and 8 months .....that has been lng enough for me to conclude that bthere are many positives about living here, but there are many negatives too, and o balance I think the negatives, for me, are out weighing the positives. If I go back and take the family, it will have been a very expensive and somewhat disruptive experience, but so be it: I will have learnt many things, met new people, had a venture that not too many people will have, but most of all I will have a far greater appreciation for what life is like in the UK. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. Tender

Couldn't agree more!!! We had a pretty miserable Christmas .....had the big meal etc, but spent the day sitting around watching TV, on the computer etc ....didn't help that the weather was awful!! Everything is shut on Chrsitmas day and it is thoroughly boring - quite the opposite to my experiences in the UK. T

DR, as the other posters have alrteady said, you will not be entitled to ANY benefits/social security payments until you have been here for 2 years and have paid in to the system - you MIGHT get some level of family tax benefit for your child, but not necessarily your wife. You should come jhere with enough money to maintain yourselves until you are working. It is surprising that they didn't ask you about your personal assests as that is usually one of the considerations in granting youa visa, however it is certainly something you are going to have to conisder before you come!!! As you have gained your visa based on a skills need, you should not struggle to find work, although having said that, I personally did not find ity straight forward and it took me 5 months to get my current 1 year contract which is about to come to an end - I have not found the job search easy! Preparing for the worst case scenario is sensible! Good luck T

Hi Kerry .....well, I moved here to marry my (now) wife who lives here in NSW on the south coast. On balance it seeme the easiest way for us to be togetehr and wouldn;t disrupt my stepson's education etc etc Apart from that, I thought it would be a great lifestyle choice compared to where I was in Scotland - I am originally from Zimbabwe so thought it may even be a 'return' of sorts, climate-wise. I got a 1 year work contact wich is coming to an end at the end of January and I am now seriously considering a rteturn to the UK. I have not had a good experience here if I am honest, and all the propaganda about Aus being the place to be is, I feel, way over the top. I have found it expensive, not nearly as friendly as people would have you believe, insular and parochial and nt nearly as progressive as the UK. But that's just my experience. My wife and I have decided that I wll continue to look for work and if I find something else before the end of Jan, we will continue to give it a go. If not, we are planning to move to Scotland. I too would return with my head held high, knowing that I gave it a go but that it didn't work for me. All the best with your move:wink:

I would add, that whilst it has been a costly experience, not as rewarding as I had hoped, and will leave far poorer off financially than I was and could have been , if I go back, I will be going back far richer in life with a beautiful supportive and loving wife, and stepson, with whom we have shared the experience and will be much much stronger for it!! We will also have far greater appreciation what life has to offer us :-)

Well, I am one of those who has spent an awful lot of money getting the visa etc sorted out - not so different to others here. In the (nearyl) 1 1/2 years that I have been here and I have had rotten luck with work and settling down. I married an Aussie lass and we live in her father's house (she is his carer) so location was kind of set! Not a problem I believed as I would find work and if we had to move then so be it. I did find work - a 1 year contract which ic now ending. In the meantime we have just had awful luck with numerous breakdowns' in the house (water tank, garage doors etc etc) and it has just been one thing after another and it has cost. Before I got the job - took me 5 months - I went through a fair amount of my savings - not least of all on the wedding, but in usual costs whilst job searching. Because of all the issues we have experienced, I have not saved much, and because I have not settled, I am taking the opportunity to evaluate a return before I spend everything else I have. I kept my house in Scotland so have that to go back to, and I still have some savings there which I cannot afford losing as then I will have nothing. I do not anticipate I will get another job here any quicker than the last time, and as I have just not settled, I don't want to waste any more time thinking 'stick it out - it'll work out fine'!! My wife and stepson (13) are supportive of going to the UK - we have a major family and friends support network there (nothing here!) - I have a large network of ex-colleagues etc and a pretty good reputation which I beleive will give me a far greater chance of employment there than here, By the time we get visa's sorted out - transport my cat back - get flights - ship stuff etc - I will be leaving with significantly less than I came with. But, crucially, I will still have some operating cash left, and whilst money is not everything, it makes decision-making, paying the bills and living an awful lot easier!! A harsh lesson? Probably, but if I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have known that the dreamy-cushdy Aus life that everyone raves about is not all it's cracked up to be ..........well, not for me anyway!!

Given the OP's situation, as explained at the outset, this is perhaps not the most sensitive of comments .....even if not aimed at the OP.............I'm sure the OP is not suffering from 'laziness' but rather is struggling to find employment for very valid reasons - as someone who may well be going back, their situation is one that I am all to concerned about. Location is certainly one big factor in finding employment, but a temporary compromise might be another - you may need to settle for an alternate job to that which you are qualified in or have experience in - not a great route to take, but if you are set on staying that may be what is required in a tough jobs climate! T

As one who is here in Aus and actively considering returning Stacey, all I can say is that I do hope you have many reasons to be coming here - do your howework FULLY before you do! Your OH may earn signifcantly more per hour, but believe me you will both be paying out a hell of a higher cost of living which more than comensates for the wages! Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to knock it, I am just being realistic - from your posts, it is clear that you are very pro-Aus and that's great - just don't ignore or shut out the many, very real downsides when compared to what you have!! T

Thanks for the responses everyone – some interesting stuff. Paul1, I don’t think that another contract is going to be the answer – I appreciate that a good employer may change things and I am looking just in case something comes up and we decide to stay, but if I am honest I am not looking in earnest – just before Christmas is probably not the best time anyway! Unfortunately I am in rural NSW – down the south coast so that restricts things further – and for me, moving to Sydney/Canberra is not financially viable! I do take your point however and it is still in mind Good to hear generally positive experiences about moving back, especially from employers – newjez aside – sorry to hear about your initial experience! TopBhoy, I can understand the mundane stuff being a pain – fortunately for me I maintained some ongoing affairs there (through internet) so hopefully it will be less painful than otherwise, but yes, my no-claims will be gone and credit record probably diminished! My wife may indeed feel the same way – she is pretty sure she won’t, and will have a greater support network there than she does here, so hopefully that won’t be the case. My stepson integrating into school etc is what worries me most (he is 13), but he is very positive about the prospects so that is encouraging. Whichway, from what I have read, you were ready to go home almost straight away, and I am glad it has worked out for you – also for your OH. I expect alot of that ‘what did you come back for’ attitude, but like newj and bunb said, the UK is not all that bad – and Aus is certainly not all that good – it is not what it is made out to be – if you are wealthy, I can see it being a barrel of laughs, but otherwise, it is as challenging as anywhere else, with additional challenges of the geography (making it harder/expensive to get about), distant location (meaning things from elsewhere are vastly more expensive) and small population (parochialism is the most evident consequence!!)! Interesting feedback all. T

Hmm, font changed Rupert - any good :-) You raise a few interesting points. The salary I have been on here has been great and I wouldbn;t complain about that, but it has not made me particularly happier about life so not too sure it counts for too much. Having said that the prospects of not having an income very much concerns me! I can so resonate with your point about feeling trapped ....it is a crippling experience. I have not experienced bullying here - or not what I would call bullying, but I have most certainly been through an experience where no matter what I proposed or did in my work, if it wasn't what the GM wanted, then it got knocked back or ignored and I was given further (conflicting) directions .....because I needed the experience with an Aus employer, I felt I couldn''t move on and needed to get some time 'under my belt'. Now I am being told my contract won't be renewed and the imp[lication is that I haven't delivered. Morale is pretty rock bottom!! T I can't afford to take a break as I need to continue bringing in an income

Thanks Q, very different circumstances as you say, particularly the 30 years you had in Aus - I have been here only nearly 2! I still own my home in Scotland and not much has changed in the village, although I dare say a number of the people will have things to say, but that is to be expected and is not a concern I guess the main difference with me is that I do need to re-enter the workforce etc and I am concerned about the prospects, responses from potential employers to the gaps in the CV, whether I will be considered 'unstable' or 'risky' and so on - having said that I am equally if not more concerned about work prospects here when my contract ends - I have had a bad experience and am not overly confidfent right now! I don't imagine going back to my old lifestyle, particularly as I am now married, and to be honest I see that as a plus so not concerned about that part. As for the showers and car parking spaces, well .....:biggrin: Thanks for your response. T

My first thread-post ........my story is set out elsewhere, but in a nutshell, I moved to Aus in August 2011 to marry my now wife, and whilst I did (eventually) get a job after 5+ months, it was a contract and will not be renewed at the end of January 2013 - I have had a c*ap work experience and have struggled to adjust to this supposed great lifestyle down under. I am now actively considering a return to the UK, with my family (wife and stepson), and I think Missus B's thread about decideing whether to go back or not covers the reasoning etc . quite well and discusses the merits/otherwise of life in Aus. What I am interested in hearing about here is ...........for those who have been through this dilemma, decided to return to the UK and have now been through with it and gone back.............. What has THAT experience been like ................has it worked out? Have you managed to integrate back in the UK again? Was it the right thing to do (for you) or are you thinking you maybe didn't give it long enough? Did you struggle with anything in particular? What were employers attitudes towards you? What were people in general's attitude towards you? Please share your thoughts and stories for those of us who are still going through the process and reaching our decisions. Thanks T

Hi all, I am considering a return to Scotland, but down Dumfries and Galloway region. I own a house there which I have been renting whilst I tried to re-settle in Aus, but it is just not happening for me. Main thing is a complete lack of a support network and have found it really difficult to make friends and integrate into what are already well established groups - it feels as if everyone seems suspicious of me?? Anyway, my wife and I are now considering going to the UK (I came here to marry her in 2011). It's been an interesting journey which I don;t necessarily regret, but I would certainly do thijngs differently if it were to happen again! T