Katkat Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Thought I'd share our story of moving out to Australia and then coming back again just because I know that 2and a half years ago I was scanning this site desperately looking for positive stories while agonising over whether we were doing the right thing. My husband's company offered us the chance to relocate to Sydney for a couple of years on a 457 visa. At the time our daughter was 13 and we had a lot of concerns about disrupting her education, especially as we knew she'd be nearly 16 when we came back home and we weren't at all sure how that would work with GCSE's. Anyway, long story short, we took a deep breath and made the leap, and ended up spending 2 amazing years in Sydney. Our daughter settled really fast, and loved her new school, blossoming socially and emotionally in a way that made us realise that actually she had been pretty miserable in her old school. I can safely say that the move was an incredibly positive experience for all of us. Yes we had homesick moments, especially early on, but we really did find it a great place to live. There is also somthing very liberating about being given the chance to step out of your normal life for an extended period of time that gives you the freedom to do things differently and re-evaluate lots of things I found. When our 2 years was coming to an end we then had the dilemma of whether to stay longer- our daughter in particular was very settled and I had a lot of worries about how she'd fit back into the UK education system and how she would react to leaving all her friends. I also had no job to come back to. We did come back in August, and it was a bit strange at first. Our house had been rented out and for a while it didn't feel like our home anymore, (although once the furniture arrived it was better). Our daughter started a new school (restarting y10 ) and has loved it, and is just as happy as she was in Sydney.We thought she might be behind in some subjects but this hasn't been the case. She spends a fair amount of time on Skype talking to her Aussie friends, and one has just been to visit us. The main benefits for her have very much been an increase in confidence from knowing that she can cope with and adapt to change, and a knowledge that there's a big wide world out there waiting to be discovered. My husband's career has benefited from the experience too- he has come back to a promotion and a much better role. I registered with an agency while I looked for work and had plenty of casual work, and will start a permanent job in January. I read a lot about how hard it was to find work and was really worried about it but I found loads of things to apply for. So for those not sure about whether it's the right thing or not, I'd say if you don't try you'll never know, and for us at least both going and coming back have been positive and life affirming experiences. I do miss the beach and the sunshine though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ and claire Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Thank you for sharing your positive experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Great post .. thanks so much for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf N Turf Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Two international moves in two years can be a very tough experience so well done for managing so well. Actually, not just managing but thriving. Great to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katkat Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Thank you. I guess what I was trying to say was that I spent a lot of time and energy worrying about the "what ifs"and in reality I found that most of these things didn't happen, or if they did, were easily dealt with. I'm glad they didn't stop us. And yes it was hard work, but very worth it for what we gained from the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Good post, its nice to see everything is falling into place for you. Lots of luck with your new job.. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buttercup Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 What a great post! We had a similar experience, but there for only a year. We sold our house, gave up jobs etc. I went over on a 457 with my partner so I had a job lined up. My partner has no formal qualifications, but has gained a huge amount of experience working in telecommunications. He got a good job out there after 8 weeks. We got a nice little house rental by the beach, made some friends etc etc. However we decided to come back to the UK as we just simply missed it too much. Fast forward 10 months, we have brought another house in a lovely area, we both have permanant jobs. Both myself and my partner have never had so many interviews and job offers in a short space of time. I'm not exagerating. We just sent out numerous cv's and really put ourselves out there. It paid off. it can be done, you just have to believe in yourself. If you can make two international moves and rebuild your lives in the process, both emotionally and practically, you can deal with anything life decides to throw at you, and yes I have found the whole experience very enlightening. People have said to us many times they cannot believe how we have managed to get ourselves settled and sorted again. Well, we did. It was a bit of a rocky road with all the red tape crap (sorting banks, mortgage, etc) but we did it. I would be a liar if I said I didn't miss Australia (bits of it). Some of the people, my job which I loved and some of the weather, when It wasn't stupidly hot. Wouldn't it be good if you could have all the bits you liked from both countries? Oh well, such is life. Don't loose faith if you doubt your move back. If we can do it anyone can.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robo234 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 What a post !.. from Kitkat & buttercup brilliant stories loved them both thanks for sharing with us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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