Advice needed on schooling plus moving

[CJT]

I'm looking for some advice regarding moving, I have a read a number of these threads in the past but cannot remember where they were located so if you have links that would also be really helpful.

 

Background

 

I have been in Australia for 23 years initially in NSW, currently in QLD (Brisbane), aged 51 married with two children all of us have Aus/UK citizenship. Worked in IT but when our sons were born in 2000 decided to step off the ladder to spend time with young family. I recently had health problems which are controlled but I cannot handle the heat. We as a family have been back to the UK three times in the last 3 years (2 UK summers and 1 UK winter - just arrived back), I loved the cooler weather and being able to go out for walks everyday and be active. I hate the beach and brutal sunshine/heat, and have zero desire to move anywhere else in Australia, my wife has relatives in NSW.

 

With a number of ageing relatives (including my parents - clock is ticking) I would love to move back to the UK but I am absolutely terrified of making the wrong decision for the family (all of whom say they would be happy to live in the UK).

 

If anyone could help on any of these issues or has any comments :

 

Our two sons are going into year 10/11 this year - how would this work if we moved to UK ? I would hate for them to end up with no qualifications and not be able to afford UK education if not eligable.

 

How easy is it to open up UK bank accounts from Australia - which banks ?

 

I have been offered a job back in IT by a friend in London with a wage which we could live on but due to UK house prices we could only afford a very small property in UK with the funds if we sold our house here in AUS.

 

If we rented what to do with the money from the house sale here as bank rates are poor and house prices particularly in the SE England are at nosebleed levels and rising. I would need to be commuting distance of London and would like to be near some family support for everyone.

 

We could live temporarily with my parents in the UK but this would be very short term (all our family get on on really well).

 

If anyone who has been through this could advise it would be really appreciated as I feel thoroughly fed up and overwhelmed with the weight of the world on my shoulders which is not helping. If it was just me I would go back in a heartbeat, as I now feel I do not belong in AUS.

 

As a comment for anyone considering a move UK to AUS be careful loosing your place on property ladder in the country you live in as for me it feels like it is a one way move once you sell.

 

Thanks

[Marisawright]

Bank accounts - I researched this before we moved to the UK and was told it was impossible. Even Citibank, who still advertised the service on their website at the time, say it can't be done because British banks have got so paranoid about security. Your one chance is HSBC, I don't know for sure whether they do it but one of the PomsinOz members said they got one with them, so worth trying.

 

I've seen others say you can get offshore accounts in the Channel Islands etc, however the only ones I could find either needed a high minimum balance or had really high fees.

 

I'd say it sounds very much as if you're only going to go on feeling worse and worse, and if that's the case then you're going to go eventually, and it will only get harder the older you are IMO. So I'd say the sooner you go the better - even if it does mean going backwards for a while. If you go now, then you've got time to build up your NI contributions so you can claim the British pension (you won't get the Australian one if you leave before 65 so that's important).

 

Others can advice on the education question - but my thoughts would be, if you wait until they finish school that won't work, because they'd have to pay international fees at British universities. So you'd have to wait while they went to an Aussie university. But if you wait until they've completed an Australian degree then they'll have grown up a lot and started to make lives of their own, and they may not want to go back to the UK with you! Will your wife be happy to go back to the UK if she has to leave one or both of her sons behind?

[Chortlepuss]

You have been offered a job, your kids are at a good age to move (much older and you'll be stuck), all of you are happy to go home, you're burning money with trips home...... Sounds like your stars are aligning to me.......Marisa makes the important point about UK universities... the clock is really ticking for you in that respect

 

House prices in SE UK are absolutely stupid - there are still some places e.g. Milton Keynes, Wokingham which offer reasonable commutes and aren't desperate to the extent that say Brighton has become. I have siblings in both places and whilst they'd both prefer to be back in Brighton (where we grew up), BUT they do live in striking distance of some lovely places. There are other places (Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill etc ) that are less glamorous but relatively affordable. Train fares can be a killer though!!

I'm finding it daunting after 10 years - same age as you, but older kids means that they want to stay here - We got stuck due to our kids having to go to uni here - so heading back only temporarily. After renting for 10 years I think there's more freedom in your own studio flat than being beholden to some landlord IMHO ..... If you're used to owning renting is a terrible shock, expensive, humiliating unstable and not worth it unless you have no viable other option....

[CJT]

Thanks all for you comments.

[pommekate]

It would be very difficult for your sons because they would have missed GCSE's and not even have HSC if you went this year. I guess as a family only you guys can make the decision but it probably is not the ideal time in their education to go.

[Guest]

My thought was it is a tricky time education wise - GCSE courses start at 14 in England so joining after that would put you at a huge disadvantage. It would be almost better to start at college at 16 and

do 1 year GCSE courses then A levels (or possibly alongside A levels if very academic)

 

It can be done, I had refugees who spoke little English join my tutor group and after 3 years some made it

to University.

[ruthwin]

I'm in Scotland , so not 100% if I can help on all your questions. But re schooling, really tricky age to move. Year 11 is technically the last year of school in England, although you can go on to 6th form (year 12/13) but I think they would need to have sat certain exams to get into those years. Scottish system is very different so I am only speaking from the experience of cousins/friends in England. How old are your boys? 15? As in Scotland ( and I think England) kids can leave school at aged 15, even before the end of the school year IF they have sat exams.

 

Personally i I would stay there till they have finished year 12. Also I think they have to be in School for a minimum of 3 years for entry to uk universities as a uk national, otherwise they have to pay fees as a foreigner. Which are steeeeeep.

 

if you can't wait, maybe call a school in areas you are looking at or the local authority got advice. It was a big consideration for our move. Our daughter us now in her last year of Primary and our son is in S2 ( in Scotland that's the last year of what they call broad education, before choosing subjects for nationals ) the system here is very different to Oz and may take you a while to get your head around. Let alone your boys.

[CJT]

I'm in Scotland , so not 100% if I can help on all your questions. But re schooling, really tricky age to move. Year 11 is technically the last year of school in England, although you can go on to 6th form (year 12/13) but I think they would need to have sat certain exams to get into those years. Scottish system is very different so I am only speaking from the experience of cousins/friends in England. How old are your boys? 15? As in Scotland ( and I think England) kids can leave school at aged 15, even before the end of the school year IF they have sat exams.

 

Personally i I would stay there till they have finished year 12. Also I think they have to be in School for a minimum of 3 years for entry to uk universities as a uk national, otherwise they have to pay fees as a foreigner. Which are steeeeeep.

 

if you can't wait, maybe call a school in areas you are looking at or the local authority got advice. It was a big consideration for our move. Our daughter us now in her last year of Primary and our son is in S2 ( in Scotland that's the last year of what they call broad education, before choosing subjects for nationals ) the system here is very different to Oz and may take you a while to get your head around. Let alone your boys.

 

Thanks for the comments. My two boys are 15 and 16 this April so timing is not good. I am unsure how long the job offer will last for but if it is not available it would not be worth us returning to the UK financially. My sister in law is in the process of contacting a school at the moment for us for the "official" answer but it is good to hear individuals own experience as well.