goingbacksoon

By content heavy i mean that the new GCSE courses are jammed packed as they have more topics for the students to study. I've spoken to one of the University's she has applied to and they recommended putting in the application for a student loan as they need more details. If they say she is eligible for domestic fees then the University will go with that ruling as well. Can't say I'm that optimistic!!

I teach at a secondary school here in the UK. We have a student in Year 10 who is a year older than the cohort due to coming back from Australia. My daughter finished year 10 in Australia then we enrolled her in a school here for Year 11 (December 2014). The downside was that she could not do subjects that had a course work component, e.g. drama. She was given a line off to focus on her studies and took her exams in May/June 2015. It was hard work, but she did really well. She is now doing her A levels at sixth form college. The problem we are now having is that she is 8 weeks short for the domestic fee three year rule for university. She may have to take a gap year, which will be OK with her as she has a May birthday so is young for the year. Don't forget that the new GCSE grades are now in (1-9) rather than the old A* to E grades. Most courses have had their controlled assessment components removed so it is all exam based assessment. As teachers, we are finding it very content heavy, but that is another story.

Also, can anyone recommend a good place to live in the Uk within a commutable driving distance of London but which also offers facilities etc for a young family to settle in (our family are in Oxford) I would suggest looking at a map of the Elizabeth Line cross rail that will be opening in 2018/19 (see link). Search for a home near this line (e.g. Reading) and it will be brilliant for commuting as you won't have to change from a mainline station to the underground.https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/elizabeth-line. Crossrail 2 is also planned http://crossrail2.co.uk/ for SW England and Surrey.

I flew out as soon as my house sale became unconditional. I took photos of the meter readings and the Real Estate agent did the same, and I just let the utilities people know my new gmail address for the bills to be sent to.

I just posted a reply on 'Flake' thread re my experiences of getting a mortgage straight away after being in Australia for 29 years. Everyone seems to have a different experience depending on deposit size, income, etc.

I got my mortgage approved through HSBC within a week of returning to the UK after 29 years in Australia and having no credit history in the UK!! I went in to the branch to change my address and they organised an appointment straight away. I was born in the UK, but left when I was 21 to go to Australia. I opened a bank account in Australia and the UK before I left Australia. I sold my house in Australia, so had a reasonable deposit which helped. I am so happy that I was able to buy a place straight away as it would have been such a hassle to have moved into a rental and then to move again six months later. I moved back to the UK in April 2015.

My girls (both teenagers) have done the studio tour and loved it. Mind you, we all love the books and the films. We also went on a Harry Potter walking tour in London (leaving from Leicester Square and finishing at Kings Cross Station). It was brilliant and very reasonably priced. Our guide was played one of the dementors in the last movie!!

Greenford is a 45 minute drive north-east of my place here in Surrey. We live near the tri-county border, close to Hampshire and Berkshire. I bought a house at 51 in 2015 on one income without any problems and it has gone up in value in the last year. The house I sold in Australia has gone down in value according to the real estate web sites. Mind you I wish the exchange rate was so strong when I transferred the money over from the sale of the house in Australia!! It's really good at the moment, so you might gain that way even if the Australian house prices are not as high as they were.

Has anyone gone back to the UK alone with teenagers trying to start over? YES!! I did it last year with a 15 and 12 year old and it has worked out wonderfully for us in terms of school, college, jobs, and location. However aside from that you can't put a value on being close to your family, there will be 12 of us for lunch on Sunday at my cousin's place

Rocky has quite a lot of traditional style houses on the south side, and the newer suburbs in the north of the city are lowset brick veneer style. If you go to realestate.com.au and look under the suburbs of Frenchville and Norman Gardens you'll see what I mean!

I should change my user name to Gone Back!! We moved back, after 29 years in Oz, mostly because I reached that milestone of 50 and just couldn't see me staying there forever and realised that the time was right. Every time we came back to the UK it was more difficult to resettle into life in Oz. So good to be close to my mum and siblings, and my girls have settled in brilliantly. So for us it was a gamble that paid off. I sold the house in Rocky at the right time and bought a house here straight away. I don't miss the weather at all, after having had six months where it didn't get below 30 degrees and going through a major cyclone, with no power for 8 days and temps over 35!! Be prepared for a hike in the cost of living compared to the UK. My 12 month gas and electricity bill in the UK was roughly the same as for a quarter in Rocky (five bedroom house with an inground pool and 16 solar panels). You need to factor in the cost of private health if you earn over $80,000. Car registration for four cylinder car is about $650 a year. Food is expensive due to the Woolworths/Coles domination - it's worth having a look at their web pages. Houses are generally cheaper in regional Queensland than in the UK, but again it's all about location, location.

Hi Tom and Lisa - I used to live in Central Queensland, Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast. We left to move back to the UK about 18 months ago. Rockhampton is classified as a city, but it is really a big country town. Its main industry is the two large meat works and the university. It is about 35-45 minutes from the Capricorn Coast (Yeppoon and Emu Park) - lots of people commute from there to Rockhampton (I did it for 5 years). House prices on the coast are more expensive than in Rocky. Rocky gets very hot in the summer months and it is much cooler on the coast. Not much of a cafe culture. Days out are based on the surrounding areas including the Keppel Islands and Byfield State Forest (Waterpark Creek, etc). Since we left there has been a down turn in the economy, and house prices have dropped quite significantly. I have visited Townsville several times, but cannot comment on what it is like to live there. It is a much larger city and home of the Cowboys NRL Club! Please feel free to ask me any specific questions you may have. Cheers

Hi Tom - I am familiar with Queensland teaching requirements and had a quick look at the QCT website. Here is a copy/paste of their requirements: The qualifications required for teacher registration are successful completion of either - (a) a four-year initial teacher education program including teacher education studies of at least one year (e.g. a Bachelor of Education, or a double Bachelor degree in Science and Teaching) or (b) a one-year graduate initial teacher education program following a degree (e.g. a one-year Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) after a three-year Bachelor degree) or © another course of teacher education that the QCT is reasonably satisfied is the equivalent of (a) or (b). These are considered on a case-by-case basis. As you have an MA plus a three year education program it meets those requirements, but to make sure I would contact the state you are interested in moving to before embarking on any more study. Hope that helps

Hi Maud - we were in a similar situation. My eldest daughter completed Year 10 in Australia at the end of the school year in November and she started Year 11 in the UK just before Christmas and did her GCSEs the following May/June. Not an ideal situation, but she worked really hard and the school were very supportive. As some subjects had course work requirements it did limit what subjects she was able to do. She was accepted into an excellent sixth form college and has now completed her first year there and is really enjoying it. My other daughter is about to start Year 9 in September. I am a high school teacher, so have first hand experience of both the Queensland OP and the UK GCSE systems. The main differences are the number of subjects the students study in Years 11 and 12 in Queensland and that students are in a high school setting rather than a college. It's also great to have half term holidays instead of being at school for 10 weeks without a break!! Good luck with your decision.

HSBC have been brilliant for me - I used their International Service before leaving Australia and opened a UK bank account. It's probably worth checking out to see if that is still possible in view of what Marisa is saying about money laundering.

This article in Expatica says you don't need a UK credit rating http://www.expatica.com/uk/housing/Does-an-expat-need-UK-credit-history-to-obtain-a-UK-mortgage_105478.html. I was born in the UK, but lived in Australia for nearly 30 years and did not keep my UK account. I opened a UK HSBC account about six months before I left, then when I was in the UK went to the branch to change my address and they asked me if I wanted to apply for a mortgage. That was in May last year and I bought a house straight away. So glad that I did as it has saved me so much in rent and the hassle of packing and unpacking!

Hi there Stormy - good luck with your move back to the UK. Looks like you've got some of the main things already sorted, so your move should be fairly straightforward. I did the same as Kanga and set up two accounts with HSBC, one in Australia and one in the UK, about six months before moving back. I used my Australian address. They gave me a Visa debit card for each account. They have details about this on their website in the International Services section. We moved back to the UK in May 2015 and I changed my address at the local HSBC branch to my sister's place when we got here. I was approved for a mortgage, credit card and overdraft with HSBC straight away - I was on long service leave from my job in Australia and I got offered a job in the UK fairly quickly as well. I was going to rent for six months first, but I am so glad that I was able to buy a house as it has saved me so much money in rent and reduced the hassle of packing and unpacking. I bought a car and also insured it through Direct Line insurance who weren't interested in my NCD from Australia. They offer good discounts for multi policy holders.

When I got car insurance about 8 months ago, I got several quotes from companies including those that recognised my Australian NCD, e.g. Aviva. However, I found that Direct Line insurance worked out to be cheaper even without my NCD. They do not appear on the insurance comparison websites, so might be worth a phone call.

Good to hear that things are working out for you. I have been back in the UK for about 8 months and what you have written very much reflects my own sentiments. We all walk so much now, and in all types of weather. So glad we made the move, I just couldn't imagine staying in Australia for the next phase of my life. We are also in the south east (Surrey), and yes, housing in expensive but I managed to buy a place straight away and love the location (close to work, schools, etc). We went to Oxford in between Christmas and New Year. Such a beautiful place and only a short drive away. I really haven't missed Australia at all, particularly not the relentless heat. Technology is great to keep in touch with friends back in Australia, and two of my friends are also considering coming back to the UK next year. Over Christmas, we went to the New Forest and we had a lovely winter walk near where we used to go when I was a child. I had this overwhelming sense of being at home at last.

No, I didn't have an address in the UK to give them so I used my Australian address. I did give them my NI number. Check out the HSBC website for more info

I opened my new UK HSBC account six months before leaving Australia and had no problem getting a mortgage when I went back to the UK after being away for 30 years. I had a decent deposit which helped. They also approved a small overdraft and a credit card. I think the lending rules have relaxed a little since the GFC. I found them to be very helpful and in fact they suggested I apply for a mortgage when I went in to my local UK branch to change my address. I'm very glad that I did buy a house as here in the SE the house prices seem to go up on a daily basis!!

I have just found this on the HSBC website - it may help the OP with setting up accounts before leaving Oz. [h=2]Global expertise[/h][h=3]Our global expertise can make your relocation easier wherever your destination.[/h]You can open an HSBC account in just about every country that HSBC operates in. In fact, we have a dedicated department established to help you do just that. It's called the International Banking Centre. Whether your needs are simple or complex, at the International Banking Centre our dedicated staff can provide you with all the information you need to make opening an HSBC account easy, all before you leave.

Maybe I was lucky to get in before the change in regulations. It would be worth finding out for anyone contemplating a move back to the UK.

Your wife should find it very easy to get work with such a shortage of teachers in the UK. I moved back from Australia to the UK in early May and found a great job in education. Things fell really easily into place for us and we are so glad to have made the move. My children love it here and feel more at home here than in Australia, despite being born there. Good luck with your decision. As Marisa says there is no wrong or right answer, it is very much a case of what suits each person's circumstances.

"You cannot open a UK account from Australia, it's impossible. Even when you get to the UK, no bank will look at you until you can show them proof of a UK residential address - which means you can't even apply until you've found a place to live AND received your first electricity, water or phone bills. Even then, you can't open an account at the counter, so allow a week's wait for an appointment and two weeks for the account to be available for use. So don't close your Australian bank accounts, you'll need to go on using them (with your ATM cards) for at least a month. If you need a credit card, then you'll need to keep using your Australian credit cards for at least a year." Hi Marisa - I opened a UK bank account in Australia with HSBC six months before I left earlier this year. I had not banked with them in Australia. I got a Visa card for both accounts and when I arrived in the UK they approved me for a mortgage and small overdraft straight away. I was on six months long service leave from Australia. I did get offered a job shortly after arriving in the UK, but they did the calculations based on my Australian income. I bought a house 10 weeks after arriving in the UK. I had not lived in the UK for 30 years, so it is possible to do it. The only problem with credit rating I had was with a phone account - I just got a monthly contract for the first three months, then changed it to a better package when I moved in to my own home. Hope this helps.