Jools1973

Thanks yes the name is a tiny bit of a giveaway We're from London but I've always loved Bath. I applied for uni there but went somewhere else in the end. Then a few years before we came to Aus I suggested a move there but OH wasn't keen on leaving the excitement of London at that stage. Now he is older he wants a quieter pace of life and is more than happy to head for beautiful Bath (with Bristol being a close second). I'm glad everything worked out so well for you and thanks for the encouragement. I know in my heart this is the right decision but it's good to hear some positivity!

Verystormy- along with everyone else thanks for posting. It's really good to read a positive return tale. Its' great that you've all settled happily back into UK life including your jet setting pooch and have found jobs and a home you are enjoying. Like you we are only planning to ship clothes, personal items and a few of our favourite bits back with us so will have to remember not to make any soup on our return haha . When I priced up shipping it seems to cost almost the same to transport all of our 10-15 year old furniture (brought here from the UK) back as it does to buy some similar replacement items on arrival. Plus we wont have storage costs at the other end etc. Interesting that you say you earn less but are better off. Why is that do you think? I personally feel that in the past I have definitely spent too much on going out here in an attempt to drown out my feelings of not being settled.

I'm sorry you've had to go through a divorce on top of not feeling at home here. What a relief that your ex is with you on going back. When you say you've 'done' 11 years - that's exactly how it feels - like 'doing time' despite it being pleasant enough. Good luck with planning your move back!

I'm a practice manager in the medical field and my OH is a sales manager. I've looked online at UK jobs and the salaries don't appear to have gone up at all since I left (whereas everything else has of course). I think because the healthcare system here is more fund based than in the UK (as to avoid the Medicare surcharge levy people are encouraged to join a private health fund) there are more private clinics and many more jobs in my field plus they are better paid. Still, at the end of the day I don't mind taking a pay cut if it means I am benefiting in other areas of my life. As long as I get a job working with friendly people in one of the areas I want to live I'll be happy!

Hi everyone, My husband and I have been in Melbourne for 9 years, both work full time and rent close to the City. Sadly & strangely even after all this time we still don't feel 'at home' and struggle to find much we relish here. This is not through lack of trying. We go out a fair bit as we are childless, visit any exhibitions that come to town and take trips out into the countryside/down the beach but something is lacking. I can only describe it as an underlying emptiness or a slightly panicky feeling of somehow wasting my life being in the wrong place and not fitting in. To be honest I would have gone back after a year but we had dogs (only one elderly boy of 16 left now) and we didn't want to put them through another long haul flight as they seemed to find the trip over and quarantine etc quite traumatic. Also, we thought we should give it a good go after making such a big and expensive move. It's been a decade of ups and downs with job & financial issues and a couple of serious health scares in the mix (something that brought home life is short & should we really be living it in a place we don't like). Plus we've only been able to make it back to visit family and old friends twice which hasn't helped. Anyway we are looking at heading home to UK in about 18 months and I am totally overjoyed at the thought. However, at the same time being a natural born worrier I am anxious about leaving well paid, secure jobs here. Looking online it seems I will probably earn at least a third less than I do now. We are not Spring chickens either being in our forties (althougb we are quite well preserved/pickled :laugh:) so am a bit concerned this might work against us. If i was a decade younger I wouldn't think twice. I guess I'm looking for some validation. Are we doing the right thing taking the plunge and heading back to where we feel we belong but where we have no financial guarantees, after all nothing ventured nothing gained. Or at our age should we be 'sensible' and stay slightly unhappy but financially secure for the unforseeable future?? Thanks for any input!