Martinbjulieb

Hi @PatrickA we have done just this only last March. Our children had just started years 7 and 9 in Australia when we moved at the beginning of March. Obviously the schools were more than half way through the school year here so we wanted to put them back a year. HOWEVER, had we known before we left Australia that school places are approved by local councils and if you want to put a child back a year it has to be approved by them, we would have instigated the process before we left. So the temporary school that they went to when we arrived whilst we were living in a holiday rental and waiting for my husband to find a job could not let us put them back a year. For the remaining term they stayed in their appropriate year and then once we moved to our permanent home we were able to address the matter properly, made easier as we chose an Academy school which have their own say in such matters and it was not a problem at all. So, in September our son started year 9 again but our daughter started year 8 (her correct year) as it was agreed that she has more than enough time to catch up. So if you know where you are moving first approach the school to see what their admissions policy is, ie is it done through the Council or directly, if it is done through the council I would say that you would need their approval to put a student back for a year. PM me if you want anymore info. Good luck.

We were in Perth for 10 years and your reasons for wanting to move back were exactly ours for moving back last March. Definitely do it whilst your kids are younger, ours were 11 and 13 when we came back last year and whilst we haven’t had any real issues, they were both very happy to move, we wish we had been braver a few years before! PM me if you want any help or advice on moving from Perth. I have done a few posts on here with lots of information too. Good luck, and don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you are mad. We simply could not bear the thought of being in Perth for the rest of our lives and like others have said, once your kids grow up and settle down there might be grand children and then you will be stuck. My biggest nightmare thought was that one day our children would say “right, we’re off to England to see what it is like there for a few years” and us being trapped in Perth!

@ajcooper My husbands licence had expired, we just got the forms from the postoffice, had a new photo done and sent it off. If you have your expired licence then send that too. Then once you have your licence you can change addresses online through the GOV.UK website.

We too had a “space” problem last March when we returned with four of us, four cases and a dog and crate! We unscrewed the crate and stacked the pieces inside each other and then put bags or anything we could inside it. Good luck @Nijallo

It definitely is, one of our many reasons for returning to the U.K. after 10 years. Also Perth is unbelievably hot, from November to April it was unbearable (for us) others love it but we found it debilitating. We grew to love July and August!

We came back last March with our then 2 year old Bedlingon Terrier. Despite being a Terrier she is very nervous and is literally at our side 24/7. She was absolutely fine on the journey. We used Dogtainers (Perth) and they were fabulous. She flew very early in the morning and they came to our house to pick her up. I believe that animals have to have a stop over of at least 7 hours in Dubai (or wherever) as a comfort break. She actually had a bit longer there. I even contacted the animal centre and spoke to someone who immediately went away to find out about her and called me back to let me know how she was. We flew into Manchester and she was ready 90 minutes after we landed. However, I believe last April the rules changed and they now take longer to clear customs but your chosen company will let you know about that. Good luck.

Hi @Pixie77 did you find out anything from your super company? This is something we are interested in. It seems Australian super companies are eager for you to transfer pensions from the U.K. over there but when it comes to moving them back they are not so eager?

I agree with Pom Queen. Basically the TOR is just a list of what you own and are bringing over. We insured with LP on a 20ft container from Chess, including a Harley motorbike and it was around £450. Note that you cannot insure jewellery so take anything like that in your hand luggage. Also if you bring your boat Customs will state that you cannot sell it for a year or else you will have to pay the VAT that would have been due. I am saying this as this is what happened with our bike so I assume a boat will be the same. Also LP insure your belongings for up to 3 months after docking if they are going into storage. For furniture I would look at the cost of replacement over here because that is how claims are based. We had a claim and LP were fantastic and paid within 2 weeks.

Yes, definitely ship white goods back if you have room and they are in good working order. We shipped our fridge, 10 years old but still works properly. We used it as a second fridge after a while there and the inside light broke. Miraculously it has started working again since being back?Also bought our drier.

Fantastic!! It will fly by. Any questions about the move you can PM me if you like! Where are you moving to?

Welcome home LKC. Now you have your internet up and running I will reply to your email!! ? J

Downderry in Cornwall. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Very happy for you! You will be on home soil before you know it. Good luck with it all[emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Premium Bonds?? No risk and you can withdraw them whenever you want. Limit is £50k per person I think. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Jawood67- Glad to be of help! We are in Nottinghamshire and the school is an Academy. This means it is still a government school but they have more input on things including admissions. If you are going to a normal government school you need to go through the local council to get permission to hold them back a year. A process you might want to instigate sooner rather than later. [emoji4]I have done some previous posts on this but no idea how to link it, you might just have to search for my posts[emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

We came back in March and our children had just started Years 7 and 9 in Australia. For the end of school year in the U.K. our son went back to Year 8 and will start a full year of Year 9 in September. Daughter is going to Year 8 in September as she still has time to catch up. Both June birthdays and have just turned 14 and 12. The school was fully supportive of our request to hold back a year. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Wear it definitely. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

You shouldn't be a few months on the boat, unless you ask for a delayed shipment. Our shipment left Perth on the 6th March and arrived on the 5th of April. Cleared customs by the 11th, which included a weekend.

Our stuff arrived on the 5th April which was a Wednesday and was cleared by the 11th. So that was 7 days which included a weekend.

My parents bought Premium Bonds for our children. No problem having them when you don't live in the UK and you can register and manage online. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Absolutely they would want to choose the safest. The same anywhere I guess. In Perth we had an offer but the buyers were coming from South Africa and both didn't have full residency. Naturally we turned that down!! Too risky!!

We used Chess who in turn used Britannia at this end. 20 ft container cost us just under $8k including a motorbike crate. They originally quoted us a bit more but I did a bit of haggling! Very happy with them. Used Letton Percival for insurance. Good luck for the move and our condolences on your sad loss.?

Our bank, RBS, have confirmed that they can certify that we have sufficient funds without revealing balances of our accounts. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Absolutely agree with all of the above. Spent 10 years in Perth. The only difference is we got out! [emoji322][emoji322] Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz

Definitely our experience too albeit in a completely different field, Construction industry. It is known as "tall poppy syndrome" I believe!! Not something we had heard of before but it was so true. Sent from my iPhone using PomsinOz