Three and a half months back in the UK

[ali]

Great update and good to hear that things are falling into place.

[101redroses]

Firstly thank you for this great post. I would be interested to get any tips on how you managed to get your daughter into A levels without having GCSES (with the exception of maths & english).

 

Hope you continue to enjoy the British Summer & the children settle well into their new schools in September.

[Guest]

A really balanced piece, full of optimism, but not short of realism around the obstacles to be faced when returning home. A great read. I feel encouraged, one day it might be us doing the same (fingers crossed!).

 

Best of luck moving forward.

 

What do you see as the obstacles? After 5 years in Perth I don't feel we really faced any. There was stuff that had to be done - house to sell, school place to secure etc. but it all fell into place fairly easily - maybe we were lucky but I did say at the time 'if it could have gone right it did go right'....a reverse of our move to Australia but that's another story!

[bristolman]

What do you see as the obstacles? After 5 years in Perth I don't feel we really faced any. There was stuff that had to be done - house to sell, school place to secure etc. but it all fell into place fairly easily - maybe we were lucky but I did say at the time 'if it could have gone right it did go right'....a reverse of our move to Australia but that's another story!

 

I won't answer for EW at all but perhaps the obstacles are just the normal things you have to negotiate when making a move of this magnitude ? The logistics of the move itself ? It isn't just a case of throwing some stuff in a suitcase and getting on a plane.

[bristolman]

What do you see as the obstacles? After 5 years in Perth I don't feel we really faced any. There was stuff that had to be done - house to sell, school place to secure etc. but it all fell into place fairly easily - maybe we were lucky but I did say at the time 'if it could have gone right it did go right'....a reverse of our move to Australia but that's another story!

 

I will add that the move for us when like clockwork, our house sold for what we wanted and we bought another here for less than planned. Our kids loved it from day 1 and got straight into a good school. Even things that on paper really should have been difficult were very easy.

[Geordie girl]

Hi

I have just read your post and feel like im reading about me. My hubby lost his job in march and since then we have toiled with the idea of returning home....we have 2 daughters 14 and almost 16 and one is not happy about the move. Anyway EVERY day we change our mind for one reason or another. It;e really bringing me down and I cry almost daily because I feel like im stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Im scared to move back because of the girls not settling but im scared to stay here and wait till they leave school incase they then say they wont return with us. They will be adults then and able to make their own minds up....and they know I wont ever move back without them.

AAAGGGHHHHHH I am really confused.

if we go back we will be moving up North as that is where we are originally from - and will be able to buy a house outright or have a very small mortgage which should be ok.

Can you please tell me how your children were about the move and also offer me some info about house renting please as im not sure how to organise this before we leave.

 

THanks again and I hope you all settle in soon

[Melbpom]

Hi Geordie girl, I think I'd work out what you and hubby really want to do. If that's to go home then make sure you all have the option to return i.e. that you have citizenship. This might be an excellent time for you to return school wise and enable your daughters to qualify for local university fees. Your daughters will have their whole lives to live where ever they want as they grow into adults.

Saying that my eighteen year old wants to stay here for his university education and in our case this is the best decision because he will be eligible for local fees and student support. Returning prior to 18 wasn't an option with us because of my ex partner. I know he'll be fine if I go back to UK in a year or two and so will your daughters when they get to late teens/early 20's.

[jumpingjellybean]

Guys seriously I don't think the snakes a major issue really.

 

I saw a lot of small trouser-snakes in the UK

[beanbear]

My children were actually very much on board with moving back and we were really lucky in that regard. My husband had completed a masters the previous year and with job opportunities being a bit limited in Adelaide we put it to them that we might have to move for him to get the kind of job he wanted. They said they'd much prefer to move back to the UK than interstate as they'd be back to knowing no one if we did that. From there it snowballed really. We had a long delay at that point as I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a year of treatment. The care I received in Australia was excellent and I will never forget the support I had from friends there.

 

As far as A'levels go, it was tricky! We brought back some examples of her work and then persuaded the school we wanted her to go to, to take a chance on her. We also had all her school reports etc. as a teacher myself I know what she is capable of and they gave her an interview and found her immensely articulate, which helped. She does have to do a maths and English GCSE as well though. She will take the maths in November, when the others are resitting it. The English will be next June.

 

It has been hard to really take such a step back financially, but where there's a will there's a way and I firmly believe you shouldn't be put off following your life's path for the sake of money. There's always a way to catch up if you work hard and are focussed. Nothing can take the place of spending time with those we love whilst they are alive and this is the biggest issue that migrants wrestle with.

 

The snake issue is a funny one. I mentioned that we like walking here without fear of snakes and this is true for us. We traipsed through a meadow recently that had really long grass and wild flowers. I wouldn't have risked this with our dog in Oz. I like the fact that dogs here can go anywhere if you are respectful ( in terms of countryside walks and national parks etc). I only ever had two glimpses of a snake in Oz though, so it's not like I was fighting them off every day, I was just very aware of the possible repercussions of encountering one.

 

Nothing we do is ever irreversible really and I like to think about the future in terms of chunks of time. For now we are in the South east and will be until the kids finish school, then we will move north for a chunk of time. A much later chunk of time my well see us spending time in Oz again, who knows?!

 

Oh and someone asked about rentals. We looked on rightmove.co.uk and when we had the shippers and flights booked contacted the agent of one we liked. We sent my parents to view it and then completed the paperwork before we left Oz. We moved in a few weeks after we got back and then our container arrived a few weeks after that. We did get rid of lots of stuff before we moved but still found that not everything fitted in; including one of our nearly new sofas grrrrr!

[bristolman]

Our kids were the same, totally in favour of the move and haven't looked back. I had someone recently tell me I dragged my kids here lol. One of them now says he isn't Australian, he is dual nationality lol

[JockinTas]

My eldest son applied for and got the job at the National Stud in Tully, Ireland. He has an Irish passport (by descent). He has travelled all through the UK backpacking but he fell in love with Ireland. My other son has never shown any interest in the UK. Apart from gong on school summer holidays as a child for 6 weeks at a time every couple of years, he says he'd rather travel elsewhere.

[Indecisive]

Very interesting reading. I also love the idea of being able to go out walking as a family with our dogs. Sounds silly but at the moment being Sydney siders it is almost impossible to go out for a proper walk wth the dogs as they're not allowed anywhere.

[JockinTas]

Very interesting reading. I also love the idea of being able to go out walking as a family with our dogs. Sounds silly but at the moment being Sydney siders it is almost impossible to go out for a proper walk wth the dogs as they're not allowed anywhere.

 

 

We used to take our dog to Centennial Park. Over 100 acres of off the lead park to run around in. Also took her to the doggy beach at Narabeen.

[Jacaranda]

My sister in Adelaide takes her dog for long walks along a creek path in the suburbs.Really nice along there too!She doesn't let her dogs off the leash though,not because of snakes but because of people who let their dogs off leash that are vicious! Why do people do this????Beggars belief! I've had this in the UK as well.I haven't owned a dog in the UK (unfortunately)but I do a lot of walking,and had countless times when a dog has rushed towards me off the leash....the owner shouts "Don't worry he/she isn't aggressive"Fine...but how do these dog owners know I'm not terrified of dogs or been attacked by one in the past???

[Jane Michaela]

Thanks for your post, it really interests me as I want to return to UK after 35 years in Australia, mostly Queensland. I am concerned about what I could buy for my money, I own a unit here worth about $230,000 dollars and also how hard it would be for me to find work at age 55. I am a qualified nanny and have also worked in pubs/hotels and retail stores. However I feel if I don't return I'll regret it when I'm retired. My brother lives at Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes so I would look at that area as a base. You made a really good point about establishing yourself with a credit history, how hard have you found that?

[Gbye grey sky]

Thanks for your post, it really interests me as I want to return to UK after 35 years in Australia, mostly Queensland. I am concerned about what I could buy for my money, I own a unit here worth about $230,000 dollars and also how hard it would be for me to find work at age 55. I am a qualified nanny and have also worked in pubs/hotels and retail stores. However I feel if I don't return I'll regret it when I'm retired. My brother lives at Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes so I would look at that area as a base. You made a really good point about establishing yourself with a credit history, how hard have you found that?

$230,000 equates to about £110,000 which is not going to buy you much in the UK. Suggest looking at sites like RightMove and Zoopla for the area you are interested in to get an idea of prices. You are looking at low-paid minimum wage type jobs. The minimum wage is much lower in real terms in the UK than Australia I believe. You could also lose all entitlement to an Australian Age Pension and you will not have the time to build up a suitable state entitlement. Unless you have some other means of support I would seriously think twice about this.

[dxboz]

Very interesting reading. I also love the idea of being able to go out walking as a family with our dogs. Sounds silly but at the moment being Sydney siders it is almost impossible to go out for a proper walk wth the dogs as they're not allowed anywhere.

 

 

I suppose it depends where you live - I live in Perth next to South Beach dog beach - doggie heaven

[beanbear]

Thanks for your post, it really interests me as I want to return to UK after 35 years in Australia, mostly Queensland. I am concerned about what I could buy for my money, I own a unit here worth about $230,000 dollars and also how hard it would be for me to find work at age 55. I am a qualified nanny and have also worked in pubs/hotels and retail stores. However I feel if I don't return I'll regret it when I'm retired. My brother lives at Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes so I would look at that area as a base. You made a really good point about establishing yourself with a credit history, how hard have you found that?

 

How funny, my cousin lives in Stony Stratford!! Small world.

 

I think you'd probably not find it difficult to get work but property in the S.E is expensive and you'd certainly need to be aware of the whole picture with pensions etc.

 

The credit history was tricky. We signed up to the electoral register straight away but it takes a while to add you. We also got direct debits sorted which also helps. Takes a while and you do initially pay more for insurance etc.