Moved Back To The UK From Australia, Was It Hard To Adapt?

[Toussaint]

Why are you heading to Australia soon? What makes you think this is better than UK? Food and house prices and general living are for out of control here (and manners and culture). Fair enough, each to their own, but why would you think this is better? What is your research??

 

Sometimes people over here have to wait 3 years due to logical circumstances, not feelings. Just way it is.

 

What is your knowledge of Australia??

 

I have been here for 7 years and still can't wait to leave. I adjusted and loved UK after six months. Yes, just my opinion. We are all different. If you think the best is to come here then good luck. Just would be interested in your reasoning.

 

if you are saying food and house prices are out of control in Australia you have a huge shock waiting for you in the uk. The big ticket items are nearly double In he uk, fuel, houses, cars, rates (council tax), public transport, energy and so on. As London Man says, during the last 7 years (post GFC) the uk has change massively.

[Perthbum]

if you are saying food and house prices are out of control in australia you have a huge shock waiting for you in the uk. the big ticket items are nearly double in he uk, fuel, houses, cars, rates (council tax), public transport, energy and so on. as london man says, during the last 7 years (post gfc) the uk has change massively.

actually they have dropped or remained the same in the last few years, food has dropped in the last 2 years due to competition, inflation is zero.

[london chap]

I don't think Australia is better, I'm not one of these people who thinks move away and problems are solved. I'm coming on a w.h.v to give me an idea of the country etc. Although I'm also aware been on a w.h.v is far different to an Australian citizen. I've always wanted to visit Australia and yes if I like it may take it further. I know people who have moved over there and both loved it and hated it. One person I knew has recently returned after being there for 15 years and now says there going back because the UK isn't what they thought it was. I do agree each to their own and I wasn't saying to stay in Australia as it's a better country , I just suggested it may be worth a holiday trip to see if he/they like the UK. Over the last 10 years here wages have been going down because to many people willing to fill the same job everybody wants more unpaid overtime etc so I feel now is time to try something different

. After all I always have the UK to come back to should I not like it

[london chap]

Hi Perthbum are you saying house prices haven't risen in the UK ?

[bunbury61]

I've been here in Australia for nearly seven years now and am hoping to return home to the UK when our daughter completes her primary school education in three years time. Without going into all of the reasons why I'd like our family to make the move, I'm curious as to whether those who've made the move back have had any difficulty in adapting to the UK they returned to. In particular, I'm interested as to whether they've found that Australia had left such an imprint upon their lives that they struggled to readjust to living in the UK again, despite being clear in their hearts that they didn't want to remain in Australia?

 

 

Was it hard to adjust ...yes it was ....job to be done though ....i didn't realise the responsibility I was landing myself with ...but there we are ,myself and my wife ,stronger than ever...being back has had the usual disadvantages.....but also some massive advantages....travel being one ...and a clear conscience being the other......i bet my dad never thought it would be me who would " man up "

[Guest]

I haven't read all the post however I agree waiting 3 years is far to long to wait to move as your daughter would be entering a school knowing no other child. Depending how confident she is could leave her open to feeling alone. Apart from that if you can wait 3 years I assume you're not unhappy.

I've not left the UK although heading to Australia soon. Unfortunately over the last seven years the UK has changed massively. For example food and house prices are far out of control and everybody I've spoke to say there better off in Australia, although I'm guessing it's not just the cost of living over there.

The other thing to bare in mind is you remember the UK when you was there, do you want to come back because you have good memories because that's what they are memories. All the people you knew would be different the shops pubs etc closed, moved or closed down.

A lot think the grass is always greener somewhere else but often this is not the case.

 

Could you not come to the UK on a holiday before making such a big choice

 

Hi Londonchap. I generally have a UK holiday every year if finances permit, so I've got a reasonably good idea of what's going on the with regard to jobs and wages in my sector, and cost of living prices. Comparing the South-East of England with Melbourne I'd say that costs pretty much work out as even overall. I don't see the UK as 'better' than Australia, it's simply the fact that it's my home. In three years time I will have been here for a decade and I think that that's a reasonable commitment to make to a country which isn't my own and where I've never felt comfortable.

 

Re the school situation, where we live a lot of the kids go into private schools at year 7. In fact, the process of kids moving on to private schools has started already with some of my daughter's friends. By the time her year reaches year 6 the year group will have shrunk. It's just one of those anomalies about the suburb we live in with it's preponderance of private schools. We don't have a state secondary school near us so we'd be faced with the choice of either moving to be nearer the closest school or putting her through a gruelling twice daily commute. We're not wealthy enough to afford for her to go private, and as supporters of the state system we're not comfortable with the thought of it anyway. If she does go to the nearest state school there will be a few kids she already knows going there, but not many. All of her mates have got their names down for private schools, so it would be a difficult period of readjustment for her anyway.

 

It may be that three years down the track it just won't be feasible for us to return home, but I'd still like to consider it. If we don't make it back then then we'd have to wait until she completes her secondary schooling and that would throw up an even greater set of complications for us all.

[paul johnson]

Hi we've been here since 2008 . And Iv always missed home and family never been really happy here . I typed to stick at it as my daughter is nearly 15 and when we return in August she will be in here last year there so we're getting her homeschooled as I think she would find it too hard going for the last year . She can work very well on her own so now she will do fine . My hubby goes back to uk this week to his old job and will have a house ready for start of August . I just can't wait to get away from this place . Always felt like a outsider

[wakeboard1980]

Hi Londonchap. I generally have a UK holiday every year if finances permit, so I've got a reasonably good idea of what's going on the with regard to jobs and wages in my sector, and cost of living prices. Comparing the South-East of England with Melbourne I'd say that costs pretty much work out as even overall. I don't see the UK as 'better' than Australia, it's simply the fact that it's my home. In three years time I will have been here for a decade and I think that that's a reasonable commitment to make to a country which isn't my own and where I've never felt comfortable.

 

Re the school situation, where we live a lot of the kids go into private schools at year 7. In fact, the process of kids moving on to private schools has started already with some of my daughter's friends. By the time her year reaches year 6 the year group will have shrunk. It's just one of those anomalies about the suburb we live in with it's preponderance of private schools. We don't have a state secondary school near us so we'd be faced with the choice of either moving to be nearer the closest school or putting her through a gruelling twice daily commute. We're not wealthy enough to afford for her to go private, and as supporters of the state system we're not comfortable with the thought of it anyway. If she does go to the nearest state school there will be a few kids she already knows going there, but not many. All of her mates have got their names down for private schools, so it would be a difficult period of readjustment for her anyway.

 

It may be that three years down the track it just won't be feasible for us to return home, but I'd still like to consider it. If we don't make it back then then we'd have to wait until she completes her secondary schooling and that would throw up an even greater set of complications for us all.

 

Just out of interest EW how far away is the nearest state school?

[Gbye grey sky]

Re the school situation, where we live a lot of the kids go into private schools at year 7. In fact, the process of kids moving on to private schools has started already with some of my daughter's friends. By the time her year reaches year 6 the year group will have shrunk. It's just one of those anomalies about the suburb we live in with it's preponderance of private schools. We don't have a state secondary school near us so we'd be faced with the choice of either moving to be nearer the closest school or putting her through a gruelling twice daily commute. We're not wealthy enough to afford for her to go private, and as supporters of the state system we're not comfortable with the thought of it anyway. If she does go to the nearest state school there will be a few kids she already knows going there, but not many. All of her mates have got their names down for private schools, so it would be a difficult period of readjustment for her anyway.

 

Whilst you may feel that you are not wealthy enough to go private I would contend that the cost of upping sticks and emigrating to UK would pay several years of private school education (let alone the cost of your annual trips to the UK). If private is truly the only viable option where you currently live to then dismiss it solely on a point of principle is not a decision I would feel comfortable making as a father.

 

I understand your motives but it does sound like you are clutching at straws in looking for valid reasons - over and above your own desire to move back to the UK - to emigrate.

[Guest]

Just out of interest EW how far away is the nearest state school?

 

In fairness it's only about 3-4 Km's, although it's 2 tram journeys and means navigating a couple of super-busy roads. That's not good for the heart of a super-anxious parent like myself!

[Guest]

Whilst you may feel that you are not wealthy enough to go private I would contend that the cost of upping sticks and emigrating to UK would pay several years of private school education (let alone the cost of your annual trips to the UK). If private is truly the only viable option where you currently live to then dismiss it solely on a point of principle is not a decision I would feel comfortable making as a father.

 

I understand your motives but it does sound like you are clutching at straws in looking for valid reasons - over and above your own desire to move back to the UK - to emigrate.

 

Seriously we just couldn't afford it. We're not high earners so it's not even an issue for contemplation for us.

 

Ultimately whether we stay here or go home comes down to money unfortunately. That trumps everything else, whether it be stability of schooling, personal happiness etc. My guess is that if Australia is a better option financially than the UK, then we'll stay; if the UK is a better option then we'll go home.

 

C'mon UK, don't let me down! :wink:

[paul1977]

 

Seriously we just couldn't afford it. We're not high earners so it's not even an issue for contemplation for us. Ultimately whether we stay here or go home comes down to money unfortunately. That trumps everything else, whether it be stability of schooling, personal happiness etc. My guess is that if Australia is a better option financially than the UK, then we'll stay; if the UK is a better option then we'll go home. C'mon UK, don't let me down! :wink:

Home is where the heart is, I leave in 8 months and will be worse off by a long shot ..

[ScotsQuine]

Home is where the heart is, I leave in 8 months and will be worse off by a long shot ..

 

 

I always say that home is where you lay your head at night lol

[Peach]

Seriously we just couldn't afford it.

 

Yet, annual holidays and moving back to the UK are somehow affordable. Hope your partner has UK right to abode/citizenship already -- I gather it is heinously expense to go back with a partner in tow otherwise.

[paul1977]

I always say that home is where you lay your head at night lol

That's your bed

[Guest]

Yet, annual holidays and moving back to the UK are somehow affordable. Hope your partner has UK right to abode/citizenship already -- I gather it is heinously expense to go back with a partner in tow otherwise.

 

That's a rather acidic and unsympathetic response Peach. Am I to gather that you don't approve of someone in my situation contemplating a return to their home country after what will be ten years here?. My annual holidays in the UK are what keep me out of the Psych Ward and on the straight and narrow. Oh, and my partner is a British citizen, so if we ever do make it home, we're covered on that score.

[Guest]

Home is where the heart is, I leave in 8 months and will be worse off by a long shot ..

 

Whereabouts in the UK is home to you Paul?

[paul1977]

Whereabouts in the UK is home to you Paul?

I was born and raised in London, moving to tunbridge wells area which is on the Kent Sussex boarder about 35 minutes on a train to the smoke, it's a lovely commuter town,very nice town,shops,traditional pubs and restaurants.

[Guest]

I was born and raised in London, moving to tunbridge wells area which is on the Kent Sussex boarder about 35 minutes on a train to the smoke, it's a lovely commuter town,very nice town,shops,traditional pubs and restaurants.

 

I know it very well! Lived in Tonbridge / Paddock Wood for several years late 90's and used to go out drinking in T.W. Lovely part of the world. If we ever managed to make it home then it's somewhere that I'd love to live in again.

[paul1977]

That's why I've been doing fifo work for nearly 18 months, so we can move there

[Peach]

That's a rather acidic and unsympathetic response Peach. Am I to gather that you don't approve of someone in my situation contemplating a return to their home country after what will be ten years here?. My annual holidays in the UK are what keep me out of the Psych Ward and on the straight and narrow. Oh, and my partner is a British citizen, so if we ever do make it home, we're covered on that score.

 

In honesty, I couldn't give a stuff what you do. But like Grey Sky, to me it reads that you are fitting the solution you want to a problem that you are determined to find... Do what ever you want to do, I really really don't care. I just struggle to comprehend the 'poor me: living amongst these foreigners with weird ways' that you often exude. Life is life wherever you live it; there is good stuff, there is bad stuff.

[Que Sera Sera]

EW our sons High School private fees are only $5000 a year. Are yours a lot higher?

[Guest]

In honesty, I couldn't give a stuff what you do. But like Grey Sky, to me it reads that you are fitting the solution you want to a problem that you are determined to find... Do what ever you want to do, I really really don't care. I just struggle to comprehend the 'poor me: living amongst these foreigners with weird ways' that you often exude. Life is life wherever you live it; there is good stuff, there is bad stuff.

 

Of course you don't. As ever, you exist solely to be sourly affronted by anyone who doesn't share your view of, well, just about anything really. I don't think that I've ever read a post of yours which was supportive or empathetic towards a fellow poster. Instead, it's normally restricted to a tart putdown or some other form of withering scorn directed at those whose views displease you.

 

Does it rankle with you that some don't share your view of this country and would like to return to their country of origin? Your posts certainly suggest an assumed superiority towards those for whom Australia is not the pinnacle of their lives. I came here reluctantly (to help keep a family intact) have struggled with Depression and homesickness throughout, and now finally I can see the end of the road in sight. Try and look at it from the other side, no one is threatening your happiness in your adopted country.

[Guest]

EW our sons High School private fees are only $5000 a year. Are yours a lot higher?

 

It varies, depending upon the school, but we couldn't afford $5000 to be honest. My job situation is precarious at the mo and my partner has had to quit free-lancing as a Psychologist and work for a non-for-profit org which pays her approximately $20k less (the work just isn't there at the mo) My sector (I'm a Social Worker) has become increasingly competitive over recent years with a tendency towards fixed term 12 month contracts. I know the job market is very similar in the UK, so ultimately it will probably come down to a pragmatic decision as to which country offers us a chance to earn a reasonable living. But school fees would kill us financially as we stand at the mo.

[Que Sera Sera]

It varies, depending upon the school, but we couldn't afford $5000 to be honest. My job situation is precarious at the mo and my partner has had to quit free-lancing as a Psychologist and work for a non-for-profit org which pays her approximately $20k less (the work just isn't there at the mo) My sector (I'm a Social Worker) has become increasingly competitive over recent years with a tendency towards fixed term 12 month contracts. I know the job market is very similar in the UK, so ultimately it will probably come down to a pragmatic decision as to which country offers us a chance to earn a reasonable living. But school fees would kill us financially as we stand at the mo.

That's a shame. We worked out that cost of travelling our son to the nearest public high school two suburbs away ( which was not for him) was the same as his school fees. This school has the best attitude and anti bullying ever.