Guest Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Financially, things are not looking good for us as a family in Australia, and whilst we're not yet decided on a future course of action, we have tentatively discussed returning to the UK. The biggest consideration for us of course is the happiness of our 8 year old daughter. She absolutely loves it here, and having come out here when she was 2 she has no real sense of her British heritage. One thing that concerns us if we do return is whether she would be able to adapt to a new life back in England, and whether she might be ostracised by other kids on account of her strong Australian accent. If she was younger then I wouldn't have this nagging fear, but at nearly 9 years old she's starting to become quite self-conscious and I'd hate for her to feel like an outsider in the land of her birth. I guess what I'm seeking really is some reassurance from other parents who have recently moved back to the UK and whose kids have managed to adjust successfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Why are things not good here EW ? Are you out of work ? How do you know it would be any better in the UK ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest241083 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 .............sorry to hear that EW....... ............just going on experience of myself and my children...... .............moving constantly..... ............the accent is sometimes seen as a curiosity......a way to engage with other children.... .............and is soon replaced with the one of the area.....ime...! .............good luck to you and yours.....whatever you decide......X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I can't really see it being an issue, ifs it's in relation to coming out here anyway. My son was 9, and had no trouble adapting. Our village school in the UK was 100% white British until one year when a Pakistani and a Polish family started at the same time. They never had any issues. Obviously no guarantees because kids will be kids. It's a worry I know, sometimes you wish you could do it for them. I would say if you're going to make the move do it now before she gets much older. I really hope things pick up for you either here or there. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernbird Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 We lived in Canada before we moved to Australia and spent 18 months in the UK in between. My eldest daughter had quite a pronounced American sounding accent when we moved back and we had no issues whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 It depends where you live but in a more multicultural place you probably won't have any issues. At my primary school I don't think someone with a accent would have been bullied but we would have probably annoyed them for ages by copying it or getting them to say things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Why are things not good here EW ? Are you out of work ? How do you know it would be any better in the UK ? My partner's work tends to be free-lance (Psychology /Trauma Counselling) and she'll be out of work come the end of June. We're aware of how competitive the job market is in her field in Melbourne and this is what's triggered discussion about returning home. My own job is safe-ish, but we need two steady incomes really. I'm really torn about the prospect of returning home. On the one hand I don't like it here and don't belong here, but on the other hand our daughter loves it, and my partner prefers Australia to England. She doesn't really like Melbourne either, but I think deep down she'd be happier here. Plus, there are no guarantees that things would be better back home in terms of work opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Mate, I've heard that pom kids can be quiet violent and prone to drug taking, the average age being about 6 when they start so they say. Also i worry about the toxic level of multiculturalism in the UK. Riots and unrest are the norm in pretty much every town and city. Levels of literacy languish around the 50% mark outside of private schools and the university sector is woeful, think Colac TAFE. TBH I think a bit of bullying would be the last of your worries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Now now Harpo, let's not turn this into an OZ versus UK debate! :biglaugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Shouldn't think the accent would be a concern at all, it would be a nice novelty factor and everyone would want to be friends with the new exotic girl! The fact that she loves where she is is because you're great parents and will make her life fabulous wherever you may be! Has your DW checked the BPS requirements for chartered status? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 That was the age our eldest was when we returned the first time. None of them had a problem at all, in fact they were quite a novelty until their accents wore off. Within a term at school they all had English accents anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 ^^^ That's so true ............. after 6 weeks in Scotland on holiday my lads came back with a bit of a Scottish accent - anyway an Australian accent is much easier to understand than say a child who moves from Glasgow or Liverpool to somewhere else in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 My partner's work tends to be free-lance (Psychology /Trauma Counselling) and she'll be out of work come the end of June. We're aware of how competitive the job market is in her field in Melbourne and this is what's triggered discussion about returning home. My own job is safe-ish, but we need two steady incomes really. I'm really torn about the prospect of returning home. On the one hand I don't like it here and don't belong here, but on the other hand our daughter loves it, and my partner prefers Australia to England. She doesn't really like Melbourne either, but I think deep down she'd be happier here. Plus, there are no guarantees that things would be better back home in terms of work opportunities. Cut back here in Perth as well in same area due to relocation of funding. Several jobs to go and the chance of fewer hours for others. I would have thought free lance would have feared better. One psychologist I know free lancing in the area also voiced some concerns but I suspect she'll be fine. I don't for see any great difficulty in daughter attending a UK school, unless I suppose a very rough area. It is amazing at that age how fast the accent will change. In a year she'll likely be sounding like a Brit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 My partner's work tends to be free-lance (Psychology /Trauma Counselling) and she'll be out of work come the end of June. We're aware of how competitive the job market is in her field in Melbourne and this is what's triggered discussion about returning home. My own job is safe-ish, but we need two steady incomes really. I'm really torn about the prospect of returning home. On the one hand I don't like it here and don't belong here, but on the other hand our daughter loves it, and my partner prefers Australia to England. She doesn't really like Melbourne either, but I think deep down she'd be happier here. Plus, there are no guarantees that things would be better back home in terms of work opportunities. I can sympathise. It took me a long time to settle in Oz, though i know i would be just as happy in the UK or even here in Sweden. My wife though loves Oz and has from day 1. But, once this job finishes, unless they offer me a permanent role, then i am back to being unemployed and less and less work available. So, we may have no choice but to go back to the UK. My wife knows this and accepts we have to go where there is work. For your child, i think kids can be happy anywhere. I dont think accent would be any issue at all. In fact, i think most other kids would be curious and want to know more about Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Are you a social worker EW? If you do come to the UK then I don't imagine you will find it too difficult to find work with that. My friends all got jobs going that really quickly as graduates. I can't talk about the rest of the UK though and I'm not sure about your partners job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Now now Harpo, let's not turn this into an OZ versus UK debate! :biglaugh: Soz mate, i was just relaying what i had read on hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Are you a social worker EW? If you do come to the UK then I don't imagine you will find it too difficult to find work with that. My friends all got jobs going that really quickly as graduates. I can't talk about the rest of the UK though and I'm not sure about your partners job I am Stace. I'd be fine for work back home, but the missus, hmmm, not sure. I think that unless we absolutely run out of options in Melbourne then we'd want to stay here in order to try and provide our daughter with the stability she's benefited from over the past few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Shouldn't think the accent would be a concern at all, it would be a nice novelty factor and everyone would want to be friends with the new exotic girl! The fact that she loves where she is is because you're great parents and will make her life fabulous wherever you may be! Has your DW checked the BPS requirements for chartered status? Thanks Quoll, that's kind of you to say. At the moment we're just trying to weigh up whatever our options may be. In an ideal world I'd like for us to be able to stay here until she finished Primary School and then head home, but as Very Stormy alluded to, you've gotta be where the work is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 ^^^ That's so true ............. after 6 weeks in Scotland on holiday my lads came back with a bit of a Scottish accent - anyway an Australian accent is much easier to understand than say a child who moves from Glasgow or Liverpool to somewhere else in England. Indeed. We're living in the NE right now and although my lot haven't picked up the accent, the youngest is 'radgie' and 'scrannin'' with the best of them. It's forrin language and I have no idea what they're on about a lot of them time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 ^^^^^ :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 No, she shouldn't have trouble. I found it much easier coming to the UK that going to Oz. But saying that, I've always though English in England isn't a spoken language. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. I found I couldn't 'read' people, and that led to some confusion. Australians are often seen as brash, because English in Australia is a spoken language. People are much more likely to tell you what they think. Just take it easy, and introduce her to family first to acclimatise. My sons school has had many new additions, and they have all intermixed very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am Stace. I'd be fine for work back home, but the missus, hmmm, not sure. I think that unless we absolutely run out of options in Melbourne then we'd want to stay here in order to try and provide our daughter with the stability she's benefited from over the past few years. Its really hard and I do understand how you're feeling, but if you have to move your daughter will be fine. We went back to Aus when ours were 14, 12 and 10 and came back to the UK a year later. We've then had to move again within the UK. That was hardest thing we've had to do - move them at 16, 15 and 13 when they were perfectly happy and settled. I remember apologising to our eldest and telling her I just wanted them to have some stability. She just looked at me and said, 'Our stability comes from you as our parents and us as a family, not the house or area we live in'. We moved here and they were absolutely fine, made new friends and two are now away at university. They have friends to visit all over the world and they're very happy. I think it's much harder for us adults a lot of the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach pig Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 It depends where you live but in a more multicultural place you probably won't have any issues. At my primary school I don't think someone with a accent would have been bullied but we would have probably annoyed them for ages by copying it or getting them to say things That's a bit insensitive, isn't annoying someone a type of bullying. I really don't know which way too take you. It must be your naivety. Being young and care free. What you portray scares me as my three children have a full on Aussie accent and we want to come home. Should I really be worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach pig Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Mate, I've heard that pom kids can be quiet violent and prone to drug taking, the average age being about 6 when they start so they say. Also i worry about the toxic level of multiculturalism in the UK. Riots and unrest are the norm in pretty much every town and city. Levels of literacy languish around the 50% mark outside of private schools and the university sector is woeful, think Colac TAFE. TBH I think a bit of bullying would be the last of your worries! Did I read that right? (A toxic level of multiculturalism):laugh:talk about a leopard changing its spots.its ok you are welcome to the dark side.:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 My son was 8 when we moved here and he has done fine. Yes he has had nasty comments thrown at him in 'playground arguments' a small handful of times over the years, but id imagine you get that pretty much anywhere the world over, i cannot see the UK kids being much different to here really, if anything your daughter would be a pleasant 'novelty' at first because of her accent, so they do get a good chance to meet new kids that way. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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