Miley123

Thank you so much fourcorners for this invaluable information, you are a star!! Can I just ask how many people are in your household? We are a family of 4 and I was looking at recent media articles which said on average we would need 2,000 GBP per month for all things other than mortgage/rent, so your info has shown that its not quite that high and it makes a big difference when you're trying to work out what we need to earn to have maintain quality of life etc. Even seeing the cost of life insurance is a great help as we didn't know whether to keep it on here or cancel and your rates are much cheaper than ours in Perth which are over $200 per month. Thank you for taking the time to upload this info so happy its all working out for you xx

Thank you VERYSTORMY for your reply, I really appreciate it. It's fantastic to know my son is going into a very supportive environment, the university support seems amazing, over here they wouldn't even do his NAPLANS verbally and had to be tested as all the other children eg via reading and written only. I feel so let down by his education to date, his school has been telling me since kindy they thought he had ADHD and was generally 'slow' and for years I argued he did not show the symptoms of ADHD apart from when doing literacy. When his external tutor who we had to pay for on top of his school fees suggested getting him tested for dyslexia, the school told me I was wasting my money but I went ahead anyway and the results showed that he was moderately dyslexic but had a high IQ, hence why he starts to lose focus when literacy comes into play he gets agitated that he can't understand it. He knows he is behind and it frustrates him greatly and I was just so relieved when I spoke to his new headmistress in the UK how much differently my son would be educated and taught to suit him rather than him having to fit the mould of every other student. I am really positive about his education now, where as if we were staying I know I would have a battle on my hands at his current school. These views are just based on my experiences at school over here though I appreciate all schools are different and I wonder if he had been at a state school in Australia he would maybe have gotten more support.

Hi RMac, I too have the same concerns as we will be heading back in a few weeks and my two boys when they start in September in the UK will have missed 6 months of years 3 and 6 and go straight into year 4 and 7. To top it off my 8 year old has just been diagnosed as dyslexic so is two years behind in reading although all other areas he is ahead of his years. So my two have been having extra tuition out of school to try to bridge the gap in that they are missing 6 months of their present academic year. You can get an idea of standards in UK from school websites, many have their curriculum on their websites, this is what I used to guage the levels. Hence I was very worried about my youngest moving with his dyslexia and missing 6 months of school but I have to say that the school we have got him into couldn't have been more helpful and accommodating, especially considering the way they adapt their education methods for children with such difficulties in mainstream classrooms, I was very impressed and relieved. My son will receive much more support and specialised training from a state school in England than anything he has received in a private school in Australia which to date has been none (very frustrating). So to try to relay your fears, yes there may be differences in education levels (losing 6 months academic year for one) but the schools I have been in touch (primary and secondary) with have all been very helpful and on the ball to assist the children get over this hurdle. Infact all the UK teachers at my son's current Australian school have all told me on the quiet that his dyslexia will be much more supported in England then what he has received over here so that's from a professional point of view too. I appreciate all UK schools are different but from what I have experienced so far it has all been positive. Hope this helps, good luck

Thank you JonnoM for that info. My hubby is IT consultant too, we are heading back in July and he says the worst bit about moving back is having to build up his network of contacts again so good to know that you are doing well in the contracting sector.

Well done Helz, great to hear you are happy and everything is going so well, it was all worth it. xx

Hi Marisa, I have relatives, nearer Winchester though, who are very much into their dancing too and are out quite a lot with it through the week so there is a demand for it in the area and there are classes/schools around and about, though personally don't know of any in the city centre but more in the out lying towns/villages so not sure this helps.

There are plans for the Southampton city centre to be transformed, there will be a new waterfront area built called Royal Pier http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/future/city-centre-masterplan/royal-pier and a new area for resturants and bars adding to the side of the West Quay area http://www.discoversouthampton.co.uk/future/city-centre-masterplan/heart-of-the-city so hopefully it will have a fresh new look in a few years time.

I have lived around the Southampton area since I was a child, not in the city but there are many lovely villages in the area and the South Downs, we are heading back to a place just outside of Winchester (Southampton side) which is a lovely city but close to everything going on and an hour on the train to London. Guildford is lovely too having lived there but very pricey, although Winchester is not cheap either.

So so sorry LR, glad you could take comfort in being there for your Dad at this sad time. Thinking of you xx

Oh my goodness Huggy 3 weeks wow, that is exciting!!! So glad it's all slotting into place and you feel better about it all, let us know how you go

Thanks Quoll :cute: seems all very surreal still but am really looking forward to it now, fed up living in limbo. Will let you all know how we get on.....

Hi Huggy, I was like you about a year ago when we made the initial decision to return to the UK, and worried about it for the next 12 months, but now with 8 weeks to go before we return those fears are subsiding and the excitement is taking over. Any doubts or fears I had are gone and am looking forward to a new and exciting chapter in our lives. As you get a date and it gets closer you can start to plan more about where to live, schools etc and I think it definately helps knowing what you are moving back to and having a direction forward, for us none of these plans were in place 12 months ago and so it was all unknown and much more scary. Good luck with it all, it is certainly an emotional roller coaster xx

Sorry to hear that Debbio, its hard enough for those of us who want to go back to make the move so can't imagine how difficult it must be for you. I am in Perth so removal companies will quote differently but we are going with Pickfords who came out to be the best quote and most flexible, the other company that came in with a similar price was Keys Bros. Good luck with it all xx

Better late than never, I've been posting in the public MBTTUK forum for a while and just found this closed one and am loving it :yes: We are on 67 sleeps till we fly home arriving 5th July. Seems strange to think in a few short weeks our whole lives will change but at the moment our day to day life is pretty much the same. So far... house is for sale, job notices given, schools notified, flights booked for us and our dog, removals at the ready when we give a date... so just waiting now for house to sell and sort the cars to sell too. Think thats all this end, on the other side in Blighty we have family to stay with to start with, schools sorted, and hopefully a nice summer to enjoy a few weeks holiday before we buckle down and start trying to earn a living. Good luck everyone!

Good for you Blondie, well done! We're right behind you arriving in Blighty in a few weeks, so its great to hear about positive moves back, reaffirms that it is the right decision to go. Keep us posted... Cheers

No probs the pet travel vet is called Angus from pettravelspecialists.com.au, you can see his website here. I liked that fact that we speak directly with one person who is sorting the whole lot out from crate to tickets and he came in cheaper than other companies. He chose the most pet friendly route/airline and makes sure they get a transit stop where they are walked, fed. cleaned etc as it's not really fair to make a dog travel 19 hours straight. By the way with the schools depending on the council but they do have in-term fairness policies where if all school are full within a certain radius then they are allowed to place a child in a school that is already full, so if you're in an area that has plenty of good schools chances are you will be fine. I can totally empathise with the scared/excited emotions going on, I am the same but the closer it gets (10 weeks away) the less scared I am and feel more that our time in Perth is done.

Hi there, what we were able to do re: schooling was you can apply for intake years, ie Reception, Year 3 and Year 7 from outside of the UK within the normal application dates but you need to have a UK passport and address and be able to supply utility bills, bank accounts and UK drivers licence addressed to that home to prove you will be living there. For all other years you have to wait until 4 weeks before you are able to actually attend the school once offered a place, or until June to start in the following September - with a UK address. We have found a great vet who is also a pet travel specialist who is dealing with our dog's travel back to Blighty, if you want his details let me know. Good luck with it all

Good luck Huggy75, all the best with the move, let us know how you get on

This is a very generalised statement, no one knows the dynamics of each individual family. I am one such wife who wants to return but have taken years to make this decision due to the obvious effect it will have on my family as a whole, and it wasn't an easy decision to make because of this fact and I am eaten with guilty and worry that everyone will be happy when we move back home in a few weeks BUT on the other hand my children are very much looking forward to going home, my youngest has been counting sleeps for the last 6 months till our flights. We have been back often so they know what they are expecting and have lots of friends and family close to where we are heading. I have ensured that the schools they are going to are good so that their education, I feel, will be enhanced as even though we pay for private here at the moment I am not that impressed. We live in Perth and I just don't feel there is the variety or choices here that will keep my children in Perth for the rest of their lives anyway so why not give them an adventure we can share together. My husband though he prefers the easy life which would mean staying here, can also see benefits to a moving back, to be fair he wouldn't have moved here in the first place and that move worked out fine. So do I feel guilty about being selfish, yes but I also honestly feel as a family for us we will have a more varied and fulfilled life in England and I want to share as many experiences as possible with my children before they go their own separate ways and if that means moving back then so be it, at least they can say when they look back that their childhood was full of experiences and opportunities others may not have had. They still have their citizenship at the end of the day if they want to return. We are a close knit family of four and will continue to be, moving home will not change that, if everyone but me is drastically unhappy back in England then I would of course make the decision to return to Australia for their happiness but at least we tried which is better than never knowing.

Good luck Helz980 with the move back, wishing you lots of happiness back in Blighty. And to you too Paul all the best, we too are going back in just under 12 weeks time after 7 years so there are a few of us making the return home.

Hi Craig Just for your info as I am not sure what size your dog is or where you are living as that will depend on the pricing, but all I can say is that the cost of sending back our retriever from Perth to Heathrow is $4000, and a 20ft container for our belongings to the south of England is $8500. Good luck with it all!

Phew, you had me worried there too AA ha ha!! So glad it is all going well for you all, we are a few months behind you and are moving out beginning of July so was very relieved to hear how well it is going. Was it still an emotional rollar coaster until you landed in UK or once you were on the plane taking off, did the mixture of emotions stop then? As each day passes I feel more sure that moving back is the right thing to do and we are all ready to go flights booked for us and dog, removals sorted, house on market etc, but I still feel sad but one of my friends said to me it is ok to feel sad about leaving, it doesn't mean we are doing the wrong thing just meant we had a wonderful time. Just wondered if/when you had an eureka moment where the relief/excitement took over from the stress/worry/sadness of goodbye?

Thank you and you are so right loubeany, what's life all about it you don't give it a go. I grew up in Devon so know that it is a lovely place to be heading to, sometimes its only when you've been away you appreciate what you've always had xx

Wishing you all the very best for the future loubeany, home is where the heart is eh? Let us know how you get on, we are returning in July. Be happy, xx

Hi Duffer We too are heading back after 7 years, for similar reasons to what you are citing with me wanting to go back and hubby wanting to stay but will return for me. The emotions you talk about are very normal, I myself go through them on a daily basis, especially now as we are about to sell our lovely home, take the boys out of school and get to the point where we can't turn back. All I can say is that for me the decision to actually move back took a while to cement itself, firstly it was a nagging feeling, then a longing, and in the end it became consuming but still I fought with the argument of staying or going every day in my head. I won't lie it is stressful and there are no certainties we are doing the right thing, but what I do know is that living with the regret of not giving it a go back in England would be worse than going and coming back again. So that's what we're doing, it does help to read on here though as others have stated it is an emotional journey even when you are sat on the plane on the way back, it's heart over head, and only time and experience will tell you where the best place to be is, but if you don't experience it how do you know? All the best to you and good luck with everything.