What was the main reason for moving back to UK?

[jbirdmoose]

That's a good point you make there about moving to Australia late in your career.

 

If you have an established stable career in UK, it's a lot to throw away just to satisfy an itch for "beaches and a nice house".

 

If you are over 40 it becomes a much bigger risk.

 

Do proper research or make a special groundwork trip to Aus on a tourist visa, just to find out what work you can get first and what your chances really are.

 

Not fully assessing all the cost/risks involved and hoping that it will just "all work out in the end" is a very stupid thing to do.

 

Last thing you want to do is move somewhere with a shrinking economy and tightening job market to be facing the real risk of unemployment and losing chunks of your savings which you will never get back.

 

We had many months of unemployment when we arrived, and we paid dearly for it.

 

 

We were both in our early 30's when we moved here and both had 2 years of unemployment. We lived off the money from the sale of our home in UK believing things would improve... until that ran out then we borrowed from family. Luckily I got a job but only after I got citizenship. Since then we've been mostly a single income household trying to survive paying rent & bills and saving what we can for the move back. It sounds awful but only after my Dad died and I completed 4 years of probate (I kid you not) do I finally have the funds to move back.

 

I know "boohoo - poor me...." I have said before it does work out for many and hats off to them.

[JockinTas]

We were both in our early 30's when we moved here and both had 2 years of unemployment. We lived off the money from the sale of our home in UK believing things would improve... until that ran out then we borrowed from family. Luckily I got a job but only after I got citizenship. Since then we've been mostly a single income household trying to survive paying rent & bills and saving what we can for the move back. It sounds awful but only after my Dad died and I completed 4 years of probate (I kid you not) do I finally have the funds to move back.

 

I know "boohoo - poor me...." I have said before it does work out for many and hats off to them.

 

That's what I can't get my head around. Why does Immigration dish out visas when they must realise work is scarce. Just beyond me. We came when jobs were easy to fall into. In fact if you didn't like your job, you left it and would have another one lined up to start in a couple of days. These days are long gone.

[jbirdmoose]

That's what I can't get my head around. Why does Immigration dish out visas when they must realise work is scarce. Just beyond me. We came when jobs were easy to fall into. In fact if you didn't like your job, you left it and would have another one lined up to start in a couple of days. These days are long gone.

 

Well my husband has/had a very specific skill-set so it seems and scored very high on the points system. And although companies here were crying out from him before we arrived they wouldn't touch him once we got here as he wasn't a citizen... Permanent resident but not a citizen. He is a jack of all trades having taught himself to do, well, pretty much whatever he wanted/needed to do in his hobbies. Weld, solder, electronics etc... but without that magical piece of TAFE paper nobody would touch him. He is highly intelligent (Sheldon-esk I would say) so when he applied for jobs with lower skill requirements nobody would hire him - over qualified concerned he'd be bored and leave quickly. We applied to Senator Chris Evans (Minister of Immigration at the time) and had his citizenship push through 5 months early... when he went back to the same employers who were crying out for his skills their reply was "well you've been out of the industry too long" or many job applications were just never answered, ever.

Edited February 4, 2016 by jbirdmoose

[JockinTas]

Well my husband has/had a very specific skill-set so it seems and scored very high on the points system. And although companies here were crying out from him before we arrived they wouldn't touch him once we got here as he wasn't a citizen... Permanent resident but not a citizen. He is a jack of all trades having taught himself to do, well, pretty much whatever he wanted/needed to do in his hobbies. Weld, solder, electronics etc... but without that magical piece of TAFE paper nobody would touch him. He is highly intelligent (Sheldon-esk I would say) so when he applied for jobs with lower skill requirements nobody would hire him - over qualified concerned he'd be bored and leave quickly. We applied to Senator Chris Evans (Minister of Immigration at the time) and had his citizenship push through 5 months early... when he went back to the same employers who were crying out for his skills their reply was "well you've been out of the industry too long" or many job applications were just never answered, ever.

 

 

Must have been very disheartening.

 

I thought it was only public service/government types of jobs that required citizenship - times have changed indeed.

[BacktoDemocracy]

Well my husband has/had a very specific skill-set so it seems and scored very high on the points system. And although companies here were crying out from him before we arrived they wouldn't touch him once we got here as he wasn't a citizen... Permanent resident but not a citizen. He is a jack of all trades having taught himself to do, well, pretty much whatever he wanted/needed to do in his hobbies. Weld, solder, electronics etc... but without that magical piece of TAFE paper nobody would touch him. He is highly intelligent (Sheldon-esk I would say) so when he applied for jobs with lower skill requirements nobody would hire him - over qualified concerned he'd be bored and leave quickly. We applied to Senator Chris Evans (Minister of Immigration at the time) and had his citizenship push through 5 months early... when he went back to the same employers who were crying out for his skills their reply was "well you've been out of the industry too long" or many job applications were just never answered, ever.

You have my sympathy and I completely understand where you're at, do think about where you come back to in the UK as some places are still suffering work wise and it feels like some of them are in terminal decline whilst others are really go ahead.

[BacktoDemocracy]

That's what I can't get my head around. Why does Immigration dish out visas when they must realise work is scarce. Just beyond me. We came when jobs were easy to fall into. In fact if you didn't like your job, you left it and would have another one lined up to start in a couple of days. These days are long gone.

Because immigrants are bringing money and demand into the country which is underpinning the economy

[jbirdmoose]

You have my sympathy and I completely understand where you're at, do think about where you come back to in the UK as some places are still suffering work wise and it feels like some of them are in terminal decline whilst others are really go ahead.

 

Thanks. We don't have a choice where to go do to having no money left. When my father passed away his house in Devon went to me and my brother. That's where I'll be living - 3rd generation to live in that house. My brother is happy and settled in USA with his own home, a wife, daughter and pets. We have our beagle but we're renting in Oz so for the last 4½years we have been breaking our lease agreement. I'm looking forward to not have that stress. If I want another pet I'll get one, no worries about how we'll hide it, will the neighbours dob us in, will it cause us to be evicted. Nope we'll be free to do what we want. I'm really not fussed about work. After 2 years of struggling without a job here and not being able to get any help at least I'll have a roof over my head with name on it!

[Huntersmummy]

If you don't have a "career" kinda job.....its f-ing hard to find work! I'm on job interview 39 and I've been here 4 months.

I find it very much, its not a "CV" kinda place (Darwin anyways) but who you know that can help. Also getting an interview and explaining your situation

 

Also, personally for our situation, if you fall in the trap of one person loves it and the other hates it, the chance of going back is like opening a can of satan's worms!

Our marriage is hanging by a thread and we practically hate each other because he loves it and I want to come home but kids are involved etc etc etc....

 

So yeah, emigrate with your EYES wide open! Its not all barbies, sunshine and G-Day mate!

[BacktoDemocracy]

If you don't have a "career" kinda job.....its f-ing hard to find work! I'm on job interview 39 and I've been here 4 months.

I find it very much, its not a "CV" kinda place (Darwin anyways) but who you know that can help. Also getting an interview and explaining your situation

 

Also, personally for our situation, if you fall in the trap of one person loves it and the other hates it, the chance of going back is like opening a can of satan's worms!

Our marriage is hanging by a thread and we practically hate each other because he loves it and I want to come home but kids are involved etc etc etc....

 

So yeah, emigrate with your EYES wide open! Its not all barbies, sunshine and G-Day mate!

Darwin i would guess is so small, isolated and inbred that i bet everyone knows everyone i would suggest trying somewhere bigger, but i do understand where you are at, very demoralising to keep on getting knocked back, i was fortunate that we could afford for me to give up after 10 or so trys.

[Marisawright]

Yes that's the concern. I have a good job in that it enables me to work pt financially, dream home for us

 

It was the dream 10 years ago and now we have achieved the home ect there is that part of me that says what if? and our last chance I guess due to me turning 40 next year (losing out on points) and hubby will be 47.

 

As you say and rightly so its a lot to throw away!

 

We will take the time but I thank everyone for your responses as with research as well and your experiences we are more aware of risks, concerns and also good points, sadly less of the latter.

 

Thanks

 

I hope we haven't been too negative about Australia. The thing is that both Australia and the UK are good countries to live in, both have advantages and disadvantages, and which ones suits you is a very personal thing because everyone is different.

 

A good example is a friend of mine who came for a recce to Sydney and was ready to go back on the first plane after she had a close encounter with a flying cockroach (Sydney is infested with them)! The creepy-crawlies would be a trivial irritation for most people but a deal-breaker for her.

 

Like I said, the heat bothers some people but not others. And let's face it, there's air conditioning everywhere so in the summer, it is possible to go from your air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned mall to the air-conditioned restaurant. If you struggle with the heat, you'll just be hibernating in Dec/Jan/Feb to escape the heat in the same way you hibernated in the UK to escape the cold. You've still got lots of fine weather to enjoy the rest of the year. It just always felt weird to me, to be stuck indoors when the sun was blazing outside - when you've grown up conditioned not to "waste" a sunny day, it goes against the grain!

 

It sounds like a good plan would be to have a short recce at the hottest time of the year, you might find you don't mind it as much as you think.

[chilliboy]

Excellent point about age and stage of career, I left a great job with potential for decent training which would have set me up to progress in health care management.After leaving my job I now find myself in casual work in Oz mourning for the job I left.I cannot wait to return to the Uk to resume my career in a system that is familiar,at 43 I haven't got time to prove myself in a new country if I want to progress, I need to go home and work in what and where I know.Another major issue was selling our house,since it sold in August 2015 property prices in the area have shot up thus making it very difficult to go home and pay more for a far worse house.

I wish I would have rented it out for 6 months and taken unpaid leave from my job.

[chilliboy]

Good luck with move to Devon, I feel for you! Onwards and upwards eh!

[Marisawright]

Also, personally for our situation, if you fall in the trap of one person loves it and the other hates it, the chance of going back is like opening a can of satan's worms!

Our marriage is hanging by a thread and we practically hate each other because he loves it and I want to come home but kids are involved etc etc etc....

 

 

 

I'm so sorry to hear that, @Huntersmummy. You might want to join the private MBTTUK forum so you can have a good vent in private!

[Huntersmummy]

Ah thank you sweet. We both knew it was a risk when moving, which is sad to think its coming to an end but....

I'm glad it works for some but unfortunately not for me at least.

And i will vent thou thanks. I hope the forum doesn't mind if i turn the air blue!! xx

[Marisawright]

Ah thank you sweet. We both knew it was a risk when moving, which is sad to think its coming to an end but....

I'm glad it works for some but unfortunately not for me at least.

And i will vent thou thanks. I hope the forum doesn't mind if i turn the air blue!! xx

 

Not at all. My only suggestion - if you think the marriage is worth saving - is would your oh consider a move to another state? The NT is very different from the rest of Australia (you'd find getting work a lot easier in any other city, for a start). You might settle a lot better in Brisbane.

[Quoll]

Ah thank you sweet. We both knew it was a risk when moving, which is sad to think its coming to an end but....

I'm glad it works for some but unfortunately not for me at least.

And i will vent thou thanks. I hope the forum doesn't mind if i turn the air blue!! xx

 

So sorry to hear that! May I suggest Relationships Australia as a first port of call. Sometimes it is possible to negotiate a win win compromise but sometimes you need a third party to help you work that out!

[The Smith Clan]

If you've got everything you dreamed of and you enjoy your current life the I can't really see the point in the move.....unless you just want the adventure.

 

I am very much a person and dh that likes to have a plan of where we want to be and what we hope to achieve, generally a 5 year plan, up to now this has all worked well with lots of hard work and dedication along the way and the last plan was achieved a few years ago and I guess its now whats next? The sense of adventure is a factor of course and that's just my personality I like to dream big and go get it. However, as this involves a big risk its not so easy, some one put wait to retire and that's a good possibility (we have always joked about getting a camper van and travelling when we retire lol) The more |I read the more I think to live in the here and now instead of chasing dreams and I do agree with you, just can't seem to forget about Oz. As it happens I had training today and the trainer was from Melbourne, the irony, he did however tell me to bring a lot of savings until we got work and how expensive renting was but plans to return.

[The Smith Clan]

If you don't have a "career" kinda job.....its f-ing hard to find work! I'm on job interview 39 and I've been here 4 months.

I find it very much, its not a "CV" kinda place (Darwin anyways) but who you know that can help. Also getting an interview and explaining your situation

 

Also, personally for our situation, if you fall in the trap of one person loves it and the other hates it, the chance of going back is like opening a can of satan's worms!

Our marriage is hanging by a thread and we practically hate each other because he loves it and I want to come home but kids are involved etc etc etc....

 

So yeah, emigrate with your EYES wide open! Its not all barbies, sunshine and G-Day mate!

 

I am a social worker but understand I may need to retrain to some degree due to policy/legislation.

Sorry to read this, I hope it works out for you x

[The Smith Clan]

I hope we haven't been too negative about Australia. The thing is that both Australia and the UK are good countries to live in, both have advantages and disadvantages, and which ones suits you is a very personal thing because everyone is different.

 

A good example is a friend of mine who came for a recce to Sydney and was ready to go back on the first plane after she had a close encounter with a flying cockroach (Sydney is infested with them)! The creepy-crawlies would be a trivial irritation for most people but a deal-breaker for her.

 

Like I said, the heat bothers some people but not others. And let's face it, there's air conditioning everywhere so in the summer, it is possible to go from your air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned mall to the air-conditioned restaurant. If you struggle with the heat, you'll just be hibernating in Dec/Jan/Feb to escape the heat in the same way you hibernated in the UK to escape the cold. You've still got lots of fine weather to enjoy the rest of the year. It just always felt weird to me, to be stuck indoors when the sun was blazing outside - when you've grown up conditioned not to "waste" a sunny day, it goes against the grain!

 

It sounds like a good plan would be to have a short recce at the hottest time of the year, you might find you don't mind it as much as you think.

 

I feel I would get used to the heat, we go to florida and it gets very hot, that's a slight worry its just the finances and not having jobs to go to and the cost of the visas if we cant get work, I know we would not move until we got work, if we went ahead would plan a trip to activate our visas and hope to get work whilst there. Its such a risk. If we lived in the area we did 10 years ago and our financial situation then we would not have the same concerns.

 

We are so grateful to everyone that has responded as its opened to our eyes to things we had not considered.

 

If we had a lotto win of course we would be applying for our visas

 

We are not put off by the country, just the concern of not getting work when we are stable here now, we have kids so need stability.

 

We are yet to do our math on what we would need to move but its not looking good

[Johnny]

Excellent point about age and stage of career, I left a great job with potential for decent training which would have set me up to progress in health care management.After leaving my job I now find myself in casual work in Oz mourning for the job I left.I cannot wait to return to the Uk to resume my career in a system that is familiar,at 43 I haven't got time to prove myself in a new country if I want to progress, I need to go home and work in what and where I know.Another major issue was selling our house,since it sold in August 2015 property prices in the area have shot up thus making it very difficult to go home and pay more for a far worse house.

I wish I would have rented it out for 6 months and taken unpaid leave from my job.

 

We live & learn, I bet lots of us have gone through this too. I blew a great permanent job with a good company when I migrated ......but anyway its water under the bridge. Best to look forward to the future. I am sure you will get back on the saddle again.

 

When you go back you will appreciate it more.

 

Its good that you got it figured out what you want anyway.

[Marisawright]

I feel I would get used to the heat, we go to florida and it gets very hot

 

Florida and Queensland are pretty similar in heat and humidity in summer. If that's too hot, I would look further south.

 

From your previous posts, it seems that a major part of your motivation is financial - you see yourself being able to afford a bigger house with a pool in a nice suburb, perhaps with more free time. TBH if that's your motivation then you need to rethink. Australia is no longer a cheap place to live.

 

There are plenty of posters here who are better off in Australia - but check how long they've been here, because most of them arrived when houses were cheaper and opportunities greater. I notice more recent arrivals posting to say they love their new lifestyle in Australia BUT financially they're actually worse off than they were in the UK! So you need to do your sums very carefully.

 

Your post about running out of goals strikes a chord. The thing is, you're not a corporation - you don't have to keep on achieving bigger and better things every year. It is just possible you've arrived at a plateau of happiness and it's time to sit back and relish it. Maybe your next goal will be an investment property, or a holiday home on the Italian Lakes!

Edited February 4, 2016 by Marisawright

[Petals]

I think if one has to consider whether to take a visa or not then don't do it. In my view to be a successful migrant you have to really really want it and not worry about what if this and what if that. People who migrated in the fifties, sixties and seventies came to a much more hostile place and had to stay in hostels etc but they wanted a better life. If life is good and jobs are good why rock the boat.

 

My parents migrated to three countries always looking for something and never finding it. I vowed I would stay put and that is what I have done lived in this house for 30 years, rolling stones gather no moss. I would never put my children through what my brother and I had to endure with our rolling stones.

 

My mother is still alive and she would move in an instant she is 96 lives alone and a pain in the bs actually, anyone want to take her back to UK or some other country she would happily go ha ha

[Gbye grey sky]

I am very much a person and dh that likes to have a plan of where we want to be and what we hope to achieve, generally a 5 year plan, up to now this has all worked well with lots of hard work and dedication along the way and the last plan was achieved a few years ago and I guess its now whats next? The sense of adventure is a factor of course and that's just my personality I like to dream big and go get it. However, as this involves a big risk its not so easy, some one put wait to retire and that's a good possibility (we have always joked about getting a camper van and travelling when we retire lol) The more |I read the more I think to live in the here and now instead of chasing dreams and I do agree with you, just can't seem to forget about Oz. As it happens I had training today and the trainer was from Melbourne, the irony, he did however tell me to bring a lot of savings until we got work and how expensive renting was but plans to return.

 

Have you therefore considered then the possibility that even if all goes well; you settle into that nice house, secure good jobs, kids are happy and settled etc in Brisbane that you look across the dining table at each other and say "so, what next?" It is all very well setting 5 year goals but those really should only be stepping stones and not an end in itself. I think that you are at an age when long term goals would suit you better than short term ones.

 

For example. Where do you see yourself retiring an, lets face it, dying? Are you content with the idea that your kids will grow up as Aussies?

[Huntersmummy]

So sorry to hear that! May I suggest Relationships Australia as a first port of call. Sometimes it is possible to negotiate a win win compromise but sometimes you need a third party to help you work that out!

 

I would Quoll but he's very much "anti UK" and I have a better chance of growing a third boob than getting him on UK soil again.

[BacktoDemocracy]

I am a social worker but understand I may need to retrain to some degree due to policy/legislation.

Sorry to read this, I hope it works out for you x

Sorry to add to the downsides but social work may be a lot different in Aus, a sw who was on here went back because they were disillusioned, they were Wellers and Whitehead and you might get a response if you pm them.