Martinbjulieb Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Moving Back to the UK from Australia - Positive Stories is the title of this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 4 hours ago, Martinbjulieb said: Moving Back to the UK from Australia - Positive Stories is the title of this thread. And your point is...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 8 hours ago, Marisawright said: And your point is...? He is proving he knows how to copy & paste?!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinbjulieb Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 (edited) No, I was referencing a post that was not relevant and seemed to be bashing people who had returned to the U.K. It has since been removed! Edited July 17, 2019 by Martinbjulieb Additional text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada2Australia Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 (edited) Not completely on topic, but I'm very happy to read all these positive stories about those returning home to the UK. When I joined this forum going on 5 years ago now (wow time flys!), there was so much negativity, even outright hatred, towards the UK, and I never understood how people from a desirable first world country/region could despise their homeland so much, and for some very petty reasons like weather. I mean, I could understand the sentiment if they were American (haha! ) Anyways, I'm glad to see that not all Poms are that toxic towards their home. Good luck with the move and all the best! Edited August 2, 2019 by Canada2Australia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) 53 minutes ago, Canada2Australia said: When I joined this forum going on 5 years ago now (wow time flys!), there was so much negativity, even outright hatred, towards the UK, and I never understood how people from a desirable first world country/region could despise their homeland so much, I think it's a phenomenon that's easily explained. Just talk to the average divorcée. She thought her mate was so wonderful, she swore to be with him forever - and yet when they divorce, you'd think there had never been a single good thing about him. It's a very common human trait, to justify our decisions by exaggerating the reasons we made them. Especially if we're not entirely sure we did the right thing - then we exaggerate to convince ourselves as much as others. Edited August 3, 2019 by Marisawright 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sloth Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 On 21/03/2019 at 18:35, Marisawright said: I think that's just as true of people in the UK. It's just something you don't notice until you leave your own family/friend group (to migrate) and have to try to break into other people's. Re your super - just be sure you get financial advice about your super, because although it's tax-free in Australia, it's not tax-free in the UK. If you take it as a lump sum, you can lose a huge chunk to the Inland Revenue. What are the UK tax implications of bringing a super lump sum back if I was to relocate back to the UK? I’m a British citizen and have lived in Hobart for 13 years and am looking to go home in retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 1 hour ago, Sloth said: What are the UK tax implications of bringing a super lump sum back if I was to relocate back to the UK? I’m a British citizen and have lived in Hobart for 13 years and am looking to go home in retirement. If you’re old enough to withdraw the lump sum before you leave Australia, there’s no tax to pay, because once it’s sitting in your bank account, it’s just money and you can send it anywhere you like However if you withdraw it as a lump sum after you’ve left Australia, the British taxman will take a very large chunk. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gummygirl Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 First time in a couple of years since I've been on this forum. Got curious to see if there was any Brexit buzz on the forums and here I am... Meant to post here but got carried away replying to someone's request for help on another post so I'll keep this one short-- Moved summer 2016 and been here since and still very happy. Hubby is British and he applied for a transfer through his company. Unfortunately the job they offered him was quite a bit below his Aussie salary. That was a defining moment for us because he was pretty much saying it was a no-go for us, but thanks to the advice of people on this forum, we decided that money isn't everything. So here we are over three years later. We tried selling our house before leaving but couldn't get the right price. Luckily we were able to rent out fairly quickly and sold a year later. We were able to buy our house here shortly afterwards. Thankfully my husband is back to the same salary level that he left behind. This is a big consideration for many contemplating the move because the salaries seem to be better in Sydney. But the cost of living here actually seems less so to be honest we didn't notice much of a change when we first got here and we live in Surrey so not exactly cheap. Our daughter lost her Aussie accent the first year (I was amazed at how quickly that happened). More importantly, we're all happier and healthier. Nice having grandparents around for school functions. Nice being closer to family in general. And a really big thing for me, nice to see so many more friends than when we were living in Sydney. Many of my friends live overseas (not Oz), and there always seems to be someone passing through because they're visiting other parts of Europe, or watching plays or the tennis, or attending a conference. I always feel like I could be doing more to take advantage of London, but so far I've been to some great art exhibits, watched some fabulous musicals so can't really complain. Living in a small village with horses in the next field and farm shops around but still an hour to London and loving that lifestyle. I worked in London last year and I was struck by the levels of diversity and 'cosmopolitan' vibe that was present in so many workplaces. Workplaces here definitely seem more progressive. I've been amazed by how good the weather has been where we are, considering the reaction we got from most Brits and Aussies about the move was 'why? and the weather...' Love the weather. There's been more than enough sunny days to keep me happy. And I'm almost disappointed that we're unlikely to get a white Christmas in this part of the UK anytime soon, but there are worse things... I've also been amazed by how resilient the British economy has been despite all the uncertainty. Fingers crossed. Thanks again to those who helped us with our decision-making, and best of luck to those making the move. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timeforachange Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 On 27/09/2018 at 09:00, EvieV said: This is us too right now. Replacing carpets tomorrow then the real estate photos are scheduled for Tuesday. Grateful for a long weekend in which to declutter, although I'm sure I'll be in for a few tense negotiations with the kids over what is actually "essential" and "non-essential" bedroom items ... Kazla, I too have a 15 year old whose birthdate is one month off the cut-off date for current Year 10 so she should technically be going into UK Year 11. (She's currently in Australian Year 9 and has been at the same school since kindy). I've spoken to a few schools in the UK about her joining the year below her chronological year group - the majority of them have the infuriating "computer says no" attitude. However, two have agreed that to join Year 11 from overseas in January, then sit GCSEs in May is madness and will allow her to join Year 10. You will need to contact the schools individually and then apply to the County Council (if going state) no more than 8 weeks before you want your child to start. My son is finishing year 7 in Australia but would have started year 9 in England. I too am getting the response that they do not hold them back a year. It’s crazy that he would miss all of year 8. This is almost stopping us moving back. It’s also not easy getting into a school if choice in the UK. Do you have any information that can help us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Timeforachange said: My son is finishing year 7 in Australia but would have started year 9 in England. I too am getting the response that they do not hold them back a year. It’s crazy that he would miss all of year 8. This is almost stopping us moving back. It’s also not easy getting into a school if choice in the UK. Do you have any information that can help us? It's a foreign country with a completely different education system so he is bound to have missed something in the process, especially because he may well have effectively had one less year of schooling anyway because of the relative start dates in each country (I dont know if he started school in UK or not) . Feedback from most returnees has been very positive in that kids have been well supported when they move to the UK system from Australia and any gaps are quickly filled - on the upside, he will have probably experienced a different way of being taught which (if you believe the Aussies) will have made him a more independent, investigative learner. Now is the time to get him back into the UK system though, leave it much later and you miss the start of examination programs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gummygirl Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Timeforachange said: My son is finishing year 7 in Australia but would have started year 9 in England. I too am getting the response that they do not hold them back a year. It’s crazy that he would miss all of year 8. This is almost stopping us moving back. It’s also not easy getting into a school if choice in the UK. Do you have any information that can help us? Our daughter missed the equivalent of half a year. The teachers in her new school didn't notice any difference and she didn't get any tutoring. She pretty much finished the new year in the same percentile as where she was at her school in Sydney. Her new school in the UK is private and her old school in Sydney was state. Kids are pretty resilient. The UK strikes me as the kind of place where a large % of the population are either coming, going or coming back. The schools seem to be used to it and the kids seem to do OK. Edited October 27, 2019 by Gummygirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinbjulieb Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 On 27/10/2019 at 05:44, Timeforachange said: My son is finishing year 7 in Australia but would have started year 9 in England. I too am getting the response that they do not hold them back a year. It’s crazy that he would miss all of year 8. This is almost stopping us moving back. It’s also not easy getting into a school if choice in the UK. Do you have any information that can help us? We moved in the March so our kids had literally just started years 9 and 7. Obviously by March in the U.K. the school year is three quarters over. We were able to have our son (eldest) go into year 8 for the remainder of that school year and start year 9 from the beginning in the September. Our daughter was less of a worry as year 7 is more of a transition year and she has had more time to catch up if required and obviously they don’t start the GCSE coursework in year 7 anyway. If you do want to hold back a year though it has to be done through the council UNLESS the school is an Academy (which ours was) and then they can make their own decisions. Good luck. Any questions just ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 We moved back to Scotland (which might be a bit different to England), but our youngest's birthday was right before the February cut off for school (which I think is end of August in England), and they allowed her to go into the year below. There were gaps in their knowledge (particularly in things like history - they'd done no Scottish history at all in Aus), but they were ahead in other areas, and they soon caught up. I wouldn't say it has affected their education at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 On 26/10/2019 at 23:02, Gummygirl said: First time in a couple of years since I've been on this forum. Got curious to see if there was any Brexit buzz on the forums and here I am... Meant to post here but got carried away replying to someone's request for help on another post so I'll keep this one short-- Moved summer 2016 and been here since and still very happy. Hubby is British and he applied for a transfer through his company. Unfortunately the job they offered him was quite a bit below his Aussie salary. That was a defining moment for us because he was pretty much saying it was a no-go for us, but thanks to the advice of people on this forum, we decided that money isn't everything. So here we are over three years later. We tried selling our house before leaving but couldn't get the right price. Luckily we were able to rent out fairly quickly and sold a year later. We were able to buy our house here shortly afterwards. Thankfully my husband is back to the same salary level that he left behind. This is a big consideration for many contemplating the move because the salaries seem to be better in Sydney. But the cost of living here actually seems less so to be honest we didn't notice much of a change when we first got here and we live in Surrey so not exactly cheap. Our daughter lost her Aussie accent the first year (I was amazed at how quickly that happened). More importantly, we're all happier and healthier. Nice having grandparents around for school functions. Nice being closer to family in general. And a really big thing for me, nice to see so many more friends than when we were living in Sydney. Many of my friends live overseas (not Oz), and there always seems to be someone passing through because they're visiting other parts of Europe, or watching plays or the tennis, or attending a conference. I always feel like I could be doing more to take advantage of London, but so far I've been to some great art exhibits, watched some fabulous musicals so can't really complain. Living in a small village with horses in the next field and farm shops around but still an hour to London and loving that lifestyle. I worked in London last year and I was struck by the levels of diversity and 'cosmopolitan' vibe that was present in so many workplaces. Workplaces here definitely seem more progressive. I've been amazed by how good the weather has been where we are, considering the reaction we got from most Brits and Aussies about the move was 'why? and the weather...' Love the weather. There's been more than enough sunny days to keep me happy. And I'm almost disappointed that we're unlikely to get a white Christmas in this part of the UK anytime soon, but there are worse things... I've also been amazed by how resilient the British economy has been despite all the uncertainty. Fingers crossed. Thanks again to those who helped us with our decision-making, and best of luck to those making the move. The weather in the u.k is actually a plus now gummy . It never gets too cold 8c ( ave ) christmas day 2019 - the winters are almost non existent , to how they used to be - my brother in law is still in his shorts And the summers are extending and getting generally warmer . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 On 28/10/2019 at 18:02, Martinbjulieb said: We moved in the March so our kids had literally just started years 9 and 7. Obviously by March in the U.K. the school year is three quarters over. We were able to have our son (eldest) go into year 8 for the remainder of that school year and start year 9 from the beginning in the September. Our daughter was less of a worry as year 7 is more of a transition year and she has had more time to catch up if required and obviously they don’t start the GCSE coursework in year 7 anyway. If you do want to hold back a year though it has to be done through the council UNLESS the school is an Academy (which ours was) and then they can make their own decisions. Good luck. Any questions just ask. My eldest is 12 and just finished year 6 here in Aus (aka Primary school) he is quite the achiever and ahead of his peers in a lot, so I'm not too worried about him, although when we move in Feb the school year is going to be almost over which is freaking me out a bit. I don't know how that will play out, his Brother is 11 so I would assume he would be put back a year? Is an Academy school expensive? Having been to School in the UK myself and have to admit I am totally lost with all the different school types over there now On 28/10/2019 at 20:09, LKC said: We moved back to Scotland (which might be a bit different to England), but our youngest's birthday was right before the February cut off for school (which I think is end of August in England), and they allowed her to go into the year below. There were gaps in their knowledge (particularly in things like history - they'd done no Scottish history at all in Aus), but they were ahead in other areas, and they soon caught up. I wouldn't say it has affected their education at all. That was another of my concerns, History being educated in Australia of course til now. I have read that UK schools are good at catching up kids though, I just wonder how true that is and how it works? Do they get extra homework or is it an in class thing? How did your kids go in terms of being 'foreign' with other kids? Another worry of mine is being bullied like I was coming from the UK to an Australian School when I was 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 3 minutes ago, Vickie78 said: My eldest is 12 and just finished year 6 here in Aus (aka Primary school) he is quite the achiever and ahead of his peers in a lot, so I'm not too worried about him, although when we move in Feb the school year is going to be almost over which is freaking me out a bit. I don't know how that will play out, his Brother is 11 so I would assume he would be put back a year? Is an Academy school expensive? Having been to School in the UK myself and have to admit I am totally lost with all the different school types over there now That was another of my concerns, History being educated in Australia of course til now. I have read that UK schools are good at catching up kids though, I just wonder how true that is and how it works? Do they get extra homework or is it an in class thing? How did your kids go in terms of being 'foreign' with other kids? Another worry of mine is being bullied like I was coming from the UK to an Australian School when I was 15 Academies are state-funded, non-fee-paying schools in Scotland. I would think they would be the same in England but somebody with better knowledge will be able to confirm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Toots said: Academies are state-funded, non-fee-paying schools in Scotland. I would think they would be the same in England but somebody with better knowledge will be able to confirm. Oh right, There seems to be Schools run by business/parent investor types now too? I went to a Grammar school back in the day, which was Government funded. Perhaps it is a name change then? Independent are the equivalent to Private here in Aus is my understanding? Oof! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 6 minutes ago, Vickie78 said: Oh right, There seems to be Schools run by business/parent investor types now too? I went to a Grammar school back in the day, which was Government funded. Perhaps it is a name change then? Independent are the equivalent to Private here in Aus is my understanding? Oof! Independent and public schools in the UK are equivalent to private schools in Aus. Confusing isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Toots said: Independent and public schools in the UK are equivalent to private schools in Aus. Confusing isn't it? Bloody Nora! LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Vickie78 said: Bloody Nora! LOL I never understood how the English could call a private school "public". However, apparently it came from the fact that anyone could attend if they could afford the fees (as opposed to schools run by churches, who would only accept children of their own religion, or local schools who would only accept children from their local area). Why they still call it that beats me, though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 5 hours ago, Vickie78 said: My eldest is 12 and just finished year 6 here in Aus (aka Primary school) he is quite the achiever and ahead of his peers in a lot, so I'm not too worried about him, although when we move in Feb the school year is going to be almost over which is freaking me out a bit. I don't know how that will play out, his Brother is 11 so I would assume he would be put back a year? Is an Academy school expensive? Having been to School in the UK myself and have to admit I am totally lost with all the different school types over there now That was another of my concerns, History being educated in Australia of course til now. I have read that UK schools are good at catching up kids though, I just wonder how true that is and how it works? Do they get extra homework or is it an in class thing? How did your kids go in terms of being 'foreign' with other kids? Another worry of mine is being bullied like I was coming from the UK to an Australian School when I was 15 No, no extra homework or anything. The gaps just got filled in in class. It hasn’t affected them academically at all, and they’re both doing well. They’ve not been bullied for being foreign at all, remember that the UK is generally accepting of migrants. There was curiosity from the other kids, and lots of questions (like did you have a kangaroo as a pet), but they made friends easily and were just accepted for who they are. A bit over two years on and they’re both doing well, and although I’d thought they’d have lost their Aussie accents, they still speak the same as the day we left 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 On 24/12/2019 at 23:10, bunbury61 said: The weather in the u.k is actually a plus now gummy . It never gets too cold 8c ( ave ) christmas day 2019 - the winters are almost non existent , to how they used to be - my brother in law is still in his shorts And the summers are extending and getting generally warmer . Brum today 30th dec - smashing day 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACBETH Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 Hi everyone We returned to the UK after 2 years in Oz followed by 2 years in NZ. We have been back 4 years now. Our daughter missed a full year school year through the move, no they don't keep them back but to be honest she has coped fine, still complains that she missed out on the long NZ summer holiday as we returned on the 23rd December and she was literally straight into school. I suppose if you had valid reason for them to go back a year then the school may consider it but she went straight into the year related to her age. I never even gave it a thought about the variations of schools, between Grammar and High Schools and the tests to get in!! We were lucky in Yorkshire that the local Grammar school had space so they accepted her straight away, we moved down to Cheshire a year later and it took 3 weeks to get her in!! She had to sit the entrance exam for the Grammar school, got accepted then we got told the place they had open due to a child emigrating was off the cards as the family had postponed their move. No other Grammar or High Schools had space, luckily our local High School took pity on us and took her in. She picked up the difference in schooling without too much issue however it is GCSE year this year and she said the pressure is awful. She does say that school life in Oz and NZ was much better and less stressful. Although she has made a fabulous friend group she was shocked by the day glow tans and Scouse Brows adorned by 90% of the school population. Oz and NZ the kids just seemed more relaxed and the majority weren't as into make up plastered on and Scouse brows. It has probably all changed now down under and they are all sporting the caterpillar eyebrows 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 1 hour ago, MACBETH said: Hi everyone We returned to the UK after 2 years in Oz followed by 2 years in NZ. We have been back 4 years now. Our daughter missed a full year school year through the move, no they don't keep them back but to be honest she has coped fine, still complains that she missed out on the long NZ summer holiday as we returned on the 23rd December and she was literally straight into school. I suppose if you had valid reason for them to go back a year then the school may consider it but she went straight into the year related to her age. I never even gave it a thought about the variations of schools, between Grammar and High Schools and the tests to get in!! We were lucky in Yorkshire that the local Grammar school had space so they accepted her straight away, we moved down to Cheshire a year later and it took 3 weeks to get her in!! She had to sit the entrance exam for the Grammar school, got accepted then we got told the place they had open due to a child emigrating was off the cards as the family had postponed their move. No other Grammar or High Schools had space, luckily our local High School took pity on us and took her in. She picked up the difference in schooling without too much issue however it is GCSE year this year and she said the pressure is awful. She does say that school life in Oz and NZ was much better and less stressful. Although she has made a fabulous friend group she was shocked by the day glow tans and Scouse Brows adorned by 90% of the school population. Oz and NZ the kids just seemed more relaxed and the majority weren't as into make up plastered on and Scouse brows. It has probably all changed now down under and they are all sporting the caterpillar eyebrows That made me laugh! I find myself staring at people even after being here over a year now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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