JimSydney Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Hi All, We are moving back to the UK in 3.5 weeks time, after 6.5 years in Sydney. We came over as a couple and are returning with two wonderful kids. We have enjoyed most of our time in Australia, but have found it hard being away from extended family with children. We have no extended family at all in Australia, which has been tough. Other drivers are the cost of flights back to visit now there are 4 of us, how expensive Sydney has become and needing a change of job. We kept our house in the UK and are able to move back into it. We will be there temporarily and then plan to try and move to a new part of the UK to have somewhere completely new to explore. Moving back has honestly been one of the toughest decisions we have ever made. We originally came over for 1-2 years and kept extending by another year. Main concerns about the move are finding a good job and securing a school place for my daughter who will be 3 in February. As the move is now so close, feeling a bit anxious about the whole thing, but I do believe it will go well and we will settle in over the next few months. We are all dual citizens and are pleased we have secured that. Any advice from people who have done this appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 You don't need to worry about school yet. You will be looking a the 15 hours free nursery in the not too distant future but school is still some way off. Give yourself time to work out where you want to live and go from there. Some schools are zoned or if there is high demand on places for the reception intake will probably give priority to those closer to the school than those living miles away. So check where you move to the distance from schools you like and if they are zoned or not. End of the day, if its a state school local councils do the placing and you have to nominate your preferences and will hopefully end up with one of them. If you don't, you can appeal but if you are miles away from your hoped for school and another one is closer, it probably won't help you case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhall2109 Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 James123456 you are making the right decision. I have been in Sydney with my family for the past 1.5 years and I can't fight off the homesickness. We are finding it very expensive and miss the extended family we have left behind. Not to mention the standards of education being better. Employment opportunities are far better in the UK. Keeping your house in the UK was a great decision (we did the same). All the best on the move back. Would be good to hear on how it all goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 It is very normal to have the same concerns when moving either way. It is just the brains way of dealing with things b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 Moving to a new part of the UK is so exiting, so many fantastic places to choose from, personally I would get not far from one of the ports so I could get a ferry to Europe, you will not be disappointed.the UK is fantastic and that's from someone who originates from the most beautiful continent on earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Hi All, We are moving back to the UK in 3.5 weeks time, after 6.5 years in Sydney. We came over as a couple and are returning with two wonderful kids. We have enjoyed most of our time in Australia, but have found it hard being away from extended family with children. We have no extended family at all in Australia, which has been tough. Other drivers are the cost of flights back to visit now there are 4 of us, how expensive Sydney has become and needing a change of job. We kept our house in the UK and are able to move back into it. We will be there temporarily and then plan to try and move to a new part of the UK to have somewhere completely new to explore. Moving back has honestly been one of the toughest decisions we have ever made. We originally came over for 1-2 years and kept extending by another year. Main concerns about the move are finding a good job and securing a school place for my daughter who will be 3 in February. As the move is now so close, feeling a bit anxious about the whole thing, but I do believe it will go well and we will settle in over the next few months. We are all dual citizens and are pleased we have secured that. Any advice from people who have done this appreciated. Thanks! Everything aside ,where are you moving back to ? A decent area ,schools ,hospitals etc....or a shithole ? You can get both in the u.k within 10 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menb Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Hi - We've just been through this for mostly the same reasons as yourself. We were in Melbourne for 7 years 3 months with our two children being born in Australia. The distance / cost of flying to see family was a concern going forward as was the lack of decent affordable housing in good school zones, anecdotal evidence regarding education standards and diminishing job opportunities. Despite this, making the decision was really tough because Australia is such a beautiful country. The decision was tough because we felt that to stay (in Oz) would deny the grandparents and my brother from knowing and loving our kids, probably never being able to afford a house for the kids (without commuting for hours and in so doing denying them a father) but to leave Oz meant taking the sun away from the kids. Family, education and opportunity are more important than weather to us but that's not the same for everyone and that's okay, we're all different. Regarding the decision and actually leaving I personally found it helped to trick my mind by telling myself I'd try the return for 2 years in the UK and that many people smarter than me have returned and are happy. I can tell you that it was the right decision to move back. I'd forgotten how beautiful the UK is (even in January). My mind is no longer split by the whole "should we go, the weather's bad and we have no family here, no let's stay it's a beautiful warm day and the kids are running about on the beach, no let's go the schools are no good and we can't afford a house" routine. It grinds you down after a while. Only been back for a few weeks but it's so good to see the family again. We've just bought a house in a village not far from family with a decent sized garden and have registered with the local primary. A life that we struggled to achieve after living in Melbourne for years came together in a matter of weeks in the UK including a good stable job. You have citizenship so you can always go back if on returning you think it was a mistake. Yes, there's a financial overhead but at the end of the day you can keep the move costs down if you plan, emigrating is like an expensive holiday. Finally nothing is for ever so don't feel like you're ever making an irreversible decision whether it's coming back to the UK or going to Oz. For me I think that's where the difficulty in making the decision came from, quite literally life is suddenly at a crossroads and both forks lead to different and equally desirable futures. Of course that's not the case, it's instead a change of location for an unspecified amount of time with an option to change tack if it's not working out (although I hope we don't go back to Oz!). Good luck with decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimSydney Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 Thanks for all your feedback, menb I can really relate to what you have written. For the last 3 years, I have worried about school for kids, buying a house, extended family, cost of visits back etc and tried to balance that against the beaches, weather, out door play etc. It does get you down after a while and becomes difficult to resolve. We have also been living here year to year, so not having a longer term plan has been tough. We are 100% going to the UK as I have now resigned from work and have arranged shipping of our stuff. We do have the option to return to oz if it doesn't work out. I think the bit I am most concerned about is not having a job in the UK, but I am confident I'll find one within 3 - 4 months of arriving, or maybe even sooner. Thanks again for taking the time to help me with this, appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimSydney Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Still stressing about the return to the UK and really unsure why. I think the best thing to do is to press on with the move and then if it feels like a mistake after a couple of months just ping pong back to oz. Main concern is finding a good job in the UK, in an area we can afford to buy a house, but I won't know how that goes until I get there. I feel like I have over thought this to death and just need to try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menb Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Still stressing about the return to the UK and really unsure why. I think the best thing to do is to press on with the move and then if it feels like a mistake after a couple of months just ping pong back to oz. Main concern is finding a good job in the UK, in an area we can afford to buy a house, but I won't know how that goes until I get there. I feel like I have over thought this to death and just need to try it. Have you thought about interviewing over Skype? If you go back without a job you might feel additional pressure being out of work. I actually tried this a couple of years ago and ended up aborting the attempt and returning back to Oz. I went back to the UK without a job and stupidly hooked up with friends before I found my feet then felt under a lot of pressure being the out-of-work-no-house guy. Ironically as soon as I went back to Oz cv requests and interviews from the UK started to hit my mail box but by then it was too late. I had to basically start in Oz again, called the shipping company to send all my stuff back to Oz on arrival in the UK, find a place to live, new job, a car, transferring of money, it wasn't easy so think it through to avoid making the mistakes I made. If you think there's a chance this could happen to you then maybe you should stick your stuff in storage in Oz until you're sure, that way it's just the cost of flights (no shipping) whilst you work things out. This time around I found a job first in the UK and it made life a whole lot easier (took the pressure off). I've also kept quiet and am slowly contacting friends as I build in confidence about the move back. Baby steps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimSydney Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Thanks - I did try applying for jobs in oz and had replies saying that they insisted on face to face interviews, wanted to meet me in person etc. Based on this, I decided to just go for it and get back. I do think that not contacting too many friends etc is the right way to go. As soon as I have a UK job, the rest will fall into place. Just nervous about being out of work, with 2 kids to support, but I am sure it will work out quickly. Can I ask if you needed a mortgage to buy your UK home and was that easy to sort out after being out of the country? Thanks again for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menb Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I didn't need a mortgage as we bought a terrace so were able to do that from our savings. I think if you have a job and a decent deposit then you should be okay based on what other people have posted over time here but don't quote me on that. I have to say that being able to stay with family whilst sorting things out has been a god send. Hopefully you guys are in a similar position as it makes life so much easier to have that support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimSydney Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Thanks - will be staying near family (only about 15 min walk away) but we wanted to have our own space as there are 4 of us now! I am looking forward to having family support again, it will help loads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlosG Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Hi all. I moved back to the UK Dec 2015 after 5 yrs in Tasmania. It was a hard decision, but I missed family, friends, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I got a job back in the UK and settled in fine. I was pleased to be back at first. I saw friends I hadn't seen in years, had food I hadn't had in years, etc. I also explored bits of the UK I'd never been to before like Devon and Cornwall, which I still think are incredibly nice. Anyway, after just under a year the company I worked for went bust and I had to find a job over the Christmas period which wasn't fun. Like many of the posts above I'm also a dual citizen and it actually caused me several problems. I had to jump through some major hoops at the dole office because they classed me as a foreigner. Several jobs I applied for (I'm a Mechanical Engineer) turned me down because of my dual citizenship saying I could be a security threat! So, please be aware that the dual citizenship can be a problem in the UK. I did consider ditching my Aussie citizenship just to get a job! Anyway, in the end I turned down some decent UK job offers and moved back to Australia. I started at a new job in Melbourne on Monday and I'm pleased to be back. Everyone is different. Some people prefer the UK, some prefer Oz. Some, like me, see good and bad in both are are split between the two. Do what you've got to do. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Why would you have go disclose you are a dual national and why on earth would it make you a security threats, it makes no sense. Myself or my wife have never been asked if we had dual nationality and it's never caused any problem whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Still stressing about the return to the UK and really unsure why. I think the best thing to do is to press on with the move and then if it feels like a mistake after a couple of months just ping pong back to oz. Main concern is finding a good job in the UK, in an area we can afford to buy a house, but I won't know how that goes until I get there. I feel like I have over thought this to death and just need to try it. You are bound to stress, that's normal and to be expected. We made the move coming up to the years ago, best thing we ever did. We arrived in England with 2 young kids, no jobs and nowhere to stay. We rented one of those mobile holiday homes for a month and then set about finding a house. Just be positive and everything will work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlosG Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Why would you have go disclose you are a dual national and why on earth would it make you a security threats, it makes no sense. Myself or my wife have never been asked if we had dual nationality and it's never caused any problem whatsoever. I had dual nationality as a comment on my CV. Why wouldn't I disclose that to a potential employer? I thought it might actually be beneficial and help me get a job. If I had of hidden it from these companies, who make lighting for military aircraft and marine BTW, they'd have found out later and told me it was an issue for them so I could have wasted more time and money. I agree that it makes no sense, but this is my experience from just before Christmas. One company in Birmingham initially rejected me and then called back a few days later and said it was because of security clearance issues with the dual citizenship but they decided to investigate whether it would be okay since Australia isn't "a naughty country." They never got back to me again. I'm glad it's never been an issue for you. However, it has been for me. And I agree it's stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I didn't imply you should have hidden it I asked why you would need to disclose it, it's not something I have ever come across. It's not as if the other country is Russia or Nth Korea. I think it's fair to say though that for 99% of people being a dual national will not cause problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Hi all. I moved back to the UK Dec 2015 after 5 yrs in Tasmania. It was a hard decision, but I missed family, friends, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I got a job back in the UK and settled in fine. I was pleased to be back at first. I saw friends I hadn't seen in years, had food I hadn't had in years, etc. I also explored bits of the UK I'd never been to before like Devon and Cornwall, which I still think are incredibly nice. Anyway, after just under a year the company I worked for went bust and I had to find a job over the Christmas period which wasn't fun. Like many of the posts above I'm also a dual citizen and it actually caused me several problems. I had to jump through some major hoops at the dole office because they classed me as a foreigner. Several jobs I applied for (I'm a Mechanical Engineer) turned me down because of my dual citizenship saying I could be a security threat! So, please be aware that the dual citizenship can be a problem in the UK. I did consider ditching my Aussie citizenship just to get a job! Anyway, in the end I turned down some decent UK job offers and moved back to Australia. I started at a new job in Melbourne on Monday and I'm pleased to be back. Everyone is different. Some people prefer the UK, some prefer Oz. Some, like me, see good and bad in both are are split between the two. Do what you've got to do. Carl Who exactly told you that you could be a security risk/ you do realise that they broke the law telling you that without any evidence whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaty Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Best of luck with your move back B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I had dual nationality as a comment on my CV. Why wouldn't I disclose that to a potential employer? I thought it might actually be beneficial and help me get a job. If I had of hidden it from these companies, who make lighting for military aircraft and marine BTW, they'd have found out later and told me it was an issue for them so I could have wasted more time and money. I agree that it makes no sense, but this is my experience from just before Christmas. One company in Birmingham initially rejected me and then called back a few days later and said it was because of security clearance issues with the dual citizenship but they decided to investigate whether it would be okay since Australia isn't "a naughty country." They never got back to me again. I'm glad it's never been an issue for you. However, it has been for me. And I agree it's stupid. How odd. My son is a dual national with Australia and has a security clearance and has never been an issue in a couple of roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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