Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
#376
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 136
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
Hello everyone...it's been brilliant reading everyone's messages & realising that life back in the UK isn't as bad as we read about. I never made the 'decision' to move to Oz...I went on a backpacking holiday about 23 years ago. Married (Pom) who then got the big C, everyone kept telling us that the treatment would be much better here in Oz (& I think it probably was to be honest). So here we are, kids nearly 15 & 13 and I spend most days in tears wanting to be back in the UK. Wish I'd done it a couple of years ago...much easier to move the kids and hubby is nearly 48 and with a world economic 'downturn' on the way, it's all a bit of a worry. I have to agree with the unfortunately departed 'Scooby' that even though we have some lovely friends here, it's been hard work and I miss the banter and 'real' friendships. The supperficiality drives me mad. We went to the fireworks on the Harbour with friends - who then sat by themselves and wouldn't budge to chat with us!!!!! (Too much effort to shift the esky!) My nightmare is that my kids go off to uni, settle here and I'm left to retire here in Sydney with no interests - I don't like the beach or heat and prefer history, country walks and bellringing! Help!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our kids had a day at a reasonable school in the UK in June and found the academic level around 1 to 2 years below what they get here (they are at very good schools here). Can anyone suggest an area of Britain that's not too inaffordable for housing, isn't crime ridden and close to major cities for jobs...yes, I know, if there was a perfect recipe for this, everyone would be there - but I'd be grateful for suggestions. Already someone mentioned St Albans. We're originally from a nice part, near Birmingham but would prefer to be a bit further out from Brum. Have loved everyone's comments and wish you were all our neighbours...wouldn't have to move then!
#377
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
If any one is moving away from uk because of healthcare concerns I suggest they consider moving to the Isle of Man. We have a brand new state of the art hospital, whatever is needed as far as drugs are available. I have been to A & E on a number of occasions and waited no more than 30 mins. Another time I was admitted with pneumonia and was treated straight away and was on a ward within 30 mins. in a private room. This combined with great education,low tax rates (on a 40,000 pound salary i pay 2,000 in tax) 1% unemployment and low crime. After looking on this thread for a while I have no idea why I am considering moving back to Perth.......I must be mad.
They do vary, but as Crystal has said, if they aren't on the medicare subsidised list, then they are very expensive. I pay $38.90 every 28 days for what I need (no, not the contraceptive pill )., but only afew months ago I paid $21.30 for the same drug. My doctor told it may not be on the subsidised list much longer, so I will pay around a third more very soon. My OH was given a prescription for some strong anti-inflammatories not so long ago and they were $23. Children only get free dentist care whilst at school and that is only for fillings, check ups etc.. All cosmetic work is private, ie:braces.
#378
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
We spend a small fortune on medical stuff in our house, on top of the $1000 I pay a year to go halves with my ex for family medical insurance. :curse:
#379
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 136
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
[QUOTE=Major Edmund Lockyer;5747724]do you think, alot of americans cant believe what us brits have to pay for here, and what kickbacks we get.
I dont see the influx of yanks and aussie to britain do you, even tho a few have visited,....wonder why that is.[/QUOTE
my aussie nephew, from perth, has been in london for the past 9 years. he travels all around europe, earns much more money and pays much less tax than he would in aussie. He has no plans at the moment to move back and has just returned from a new years break in new york.....my sister who has lived there for 34 years misses him and can't believe that her blonde haired aussie son prefers to live in london.
I dont see the influx of yanks and aussie to britain do you, even tho a few have visited,....wonder why that is.[/QUOTE
my aussie nephew, from perth, has been in london for the past 9 years. he travels all around europe, earns much more money and pays much less tax than he would in aussie. He has no plans at the moment to move back and has just returned from a new years break in new york.....my sister who has lived there for 34 years misses him and can't believe that her blonde haired aussie son prefers to live in london.
#380
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
It recently cost me $80 just to get some eye drops and nasal spray for my hayfever (over the counter ones weren't cutting the mustard). My 11 year old daughter's braces are costing me $5,500. This is coming out of my pocket; even though I have medical insurance, it does not cover this. Every time you go for an xray or blood tests or to see a specialist, you pay.
We spend a small fortune on medical stuff in our house, on top of the $1000 I pay a year to go halves with my ex for family medical insurance. :curse:
We spend a small fortune on medical stuff in our house, on top of the $1000 I pay a year to go halves with my ex for family medical insurance. :curse:
#381
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 136
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
I think you must be, seriously. Either that, or there's something missing in your life that you are still searching for?
They do vary, but as Crystal has said, if they aren't on the medicare subsidised list, then they are very expensive. I pay $38.90 every 28 days for what I need (no, not the contraceptive pill )., but only afew months ago I paid $21.30 for the same drug. My doctor told it may not be on the subsidised list much longer, so I will pay around a third more very soon. My OH was given a prescription for some strong anti-inflammatories not so long ago and they were $23. Children only get free dentist care whilst at school and that is only for fillings, check ups etc.. All cosmetic work is private, ie:braces.
They do vary, but as Crystal has said, if they aren't on the medicare subsidised list, then they are very expensive. I pay $38.90 every 28 days for what I need (no, not the contraceptive pill )., but only afew months ago I paid $21.30 for the same drug. My doctor told it may not be on the subsidised list much longer, so I will pay around a third more very soon. My OH was given a prescription for some strong anti-inflammatories not so long ago and they were $23. Children only get free dentist care whilst at school and that is only for fillings, check ups etc.. All cosmetic work is private, ie:braces.
my main draw for W A is that my sister, mum and brother live there, however my 2 teenage kids do not want to move to perth. My mum has boomeranged more times than i could mention, twice in one year but now in her 70's i think her traveling days are over.....such as life.....she always has said that her biggest regret was moving the family out there in 1974. I think being on this site has made me appreciate more what we have in the UK....it is not half as bad as how the media portray it.
#382
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
I think there are significant trends which are worthy of noting though. The UK's steady decline down the OECD world ranking tables surely indicates that the education system there is maybe not failing, but certainly struggling in areas. Some results: Reading: UK position = 17th; Australia = 7th. Maths: UK = 24th; Australia = 13th. Science: UK = 14th; Australia = 8th. Finland no. 1 for Science and 2nd for Maths & Reading....what makes Finnish education so good - well, for starters, they don't start school till they're 7 (for half-days). After many studies they felt there was many benefits to starting later. (I am in shock to find that my girls, about to start Yr 8 here in Oz, having been 'accelerated' up an academic year - they're 12, 13 in May - would already be half-way through Yr 8 in the UK!!!). Finland also spends the 2nd highest amount on public education. It's gov't is committed to education as a means of supplying intelligent citizens capable of ensuring Finland can be financially successful. Pity it's so bloody cold there!!!!!
It would be interesting to compare with other countries with high levels of non native speaking immigration - Denmark is one that could be compared although it still doesnt have the same level of unfettered immigration.
Countries like Japan and Korea feature highly in those lists - very monocultural which gives them an advantage.
I taught in inner city high schools in UK many years ago and for a long while I thought the Aussie teachers were whinging about very minor problems when I first arrived - the HS kids were pussy cats in comparison however in the past 10 years or so I think there has been a real deterioration in the HS standards here (speaking for ACT if nowhere else) - much as the local government hates to admit it, parents are voting with their feet away from government high schools and 50% of secondary students now go private. I think that is a huge indictment on this system. Of course the ed bureaucrats blame it on parents wanting the one upmanship - bollocks! most parents would prefer not to shell out even $4000 a year, let alone $14000 a year per kid!
I have met UK kids (mainly primary) who have emigrated to Aus and in almost all cases (the one or two exeptions were kids with disabilities) their standards of basic education was well in advance of their age peers.
I dont know that kids are really any happier here than they would be in UK - we have terrible bullying problems (often swept under departmental carpets), real drug problems and a cohort of teenagers who are developing mental health problems like they were going out of style. Another interesting thing is that a number of kids cannot wait to get out of Aus once they get out of HS - if you talk to them about going to uni, more often than not they will be off to Europe (or at least hoping to).
(Should I say, just retired from 28 years in education here?)
#383
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
[QUOTE=isleofmanmike;5766849]
Mine went for a gap year 5 years ago and hasnt come back! In my case, I cant blame him!!! He had a school reunion with about 12 lads from his HS who had all ended up happily in London quite recently.
do you think, alot of americans cant believe what us brits have to pay for here, and what kickbacks we get.
I dont see the influx of yanks and aussie to britain do you, even tho a few have visited,....wonder why that is.[/QUOTE
my aussie nephew, from perth, has been in london for the past 9 years. he travels all around europe, earns much more money and pays much less tax than he would in aussie. He has no plans at the moment to move back and has just returned from a new years break in new york.....my sister who has lived there for 34 years misses him and can't believe that her blonde haired aussie son prefers to live in london.
I dont see the influx of yanks and aussie to britain do you, even tho a few have visited,....wonder why that is.[/QUOTE
my aussie nephew, from perth, has been in london for the past 9 years. he travels all around europe, earns much more money and pays much less tax than he would in aussie. He has no plans at the moment to move back and has just returned from a new years break in new york.....my sister who has lived there for 34 years misses him and can't believe that her blonde haired aussie son prefers to live in london.
#384
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
HOW MUCH FOR PRESCRIPTIONS........I NEARLY FELL OF MY CHAIR
my main draw for W A is that my sister, mum and brother live there, however my 2 teenage kids do not want to move to perth. My mum has boomeranged more times than i could mention, twice in one year but now in her 70's i think her traveling days are over.....such as life.....she always has said that her biggest regret was moving the family out there in 1974. I think being on this site has made me appreciate more what we have in the UK....it is not half as bad as how the media portray it.
my main draw for W A is that my sister, mum and brother live there, however my 2 teenage kids do not want to move to perth. My mum has boomeranged more times than i could mention, twice in one year but now in her 70's i think her traveling days are over.....such as life.....she always has said that her biggest regret was moving the family out there in 1974. I think being on this site has made me appreciate more what we have in the UK....it is not half as bad as how the media portray it.
#385
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
One of the things to take into consideration is that most of the kids in Finland are Finnish - to my knowledge they dont have a huge, almost unfettered, non english speaking immigrant population. Unless the figures are adjusted to take into account those kids for whom English is not the first language then of course you are going to get distorted figures. Australia's influx of non english speaking immigrants is, at the moment, manageable and the school systems have a variety of approaches - our system has an intensive English program which will accommodate kids for up to 12 months until they acquire proficient English to enable them to participate in an age appropriate mainstream education. Our generic ESL is not as helpful and if parents are unwilling or unable to take the intensive option those kids really struggle. I dont know that the UK has the resources or capacity for such intensive language tuition and so those kids are lumped into the mainstream with the general result that they would depress the levels - not being critical just factual.
It would be interesting to compare with other countries with high levels of non native speaking immigration - Denmark is one that could be compared although it still doesnt have the same level of unfettered immigration.
Countries like Japan and Korea feature highly in those lists - very monocultural which gives them an advantage.
I taught in inner city high schools in UK many years ago and for a long while I thought the Aussie teachers were whinging about very minor problems when I first arrived - the HS kids were pussy cats in comparison however in the past 10 years or so I think there has been a real deterioration in the HS standards here (speaking for ACT if nowhere else) - much as the local government hates to admit it, parents are voting with their feet away from government high schools and 50% of secondary students now go private. I think that is a huge indictment on this system. Of course the ed bureaucrats blame it on parents wanting the one upmanship - bollocks! most parents would prefer not to shell out even $4000 a year, let alone $14000 a year per kid!
I have met UK kids (mainly primary) who have emigrated to Aus and in almost all cases (the one or two exeptions were kids with disabilities) their standards of basic education was well in advance of their age peers.
I dont know that kids are really any happier here than they would be in UK - we have terrible bullying problems (often swept under departmental carpets), real drug problems and a cohort of teenagers who are developing mental health problems like they were going out of style. Another interesting thing is that a number of kids cannot wait to get out of Aus once they get out of HS - if you talk to them about going to uni, more often than not they will be off to Europe (or at least hoping to).
(Should I say, just retired from 28 years in education here?)
It would be interesting to compare with other countries with high levels of non native speaking immigration - Denmark is one that could be compared although it still doesnt have the same level of unfettered immigration.
Countries like Japan and Korea feature highly in those lists - very monocultural which gives them an advantage.
I taught in inner city high schools in UK many years ago and for a long while I thought the Aussie teachers were whinging about very minor problems when I first arrived - the HS kids were pussy cats in comparison however in the past 10 years or so I think there has been a real deterioration in the HS standards here (speaking for ACT if nowhere else) - much as the local government hates to admit it, parents are voting with their feet away from government high schools and 50% of secondary students now go private. I think that is a huge indictment on this system. Of course the ed bureaucrats blame it on parents wanting the one upmanship - bollocks! most parents would prefer not to shell out even $4000 a year, let alone $14000 a year per kid!
I have met UK kids (mainly primary) who have emigrated to Aus and in almost all cases (the one or two exeptions were kids with disabilities) their standards of basic education was well in advance of their age peers.
I dont know that kids are really any happier here than they would be in UK - we have terrible bullying problems (often swept under departmental carpets), real drug problems and a cohort of teenagers who are developing mental health problems like they were going out of style. Another interesting thing is that a number of kids cannot wait to get out of Aus once they get out of HS - if you talk to them about going to uni, more often than not they will be off to Europe (or at least hoping to).
(Should I say, just retired from 28 years in education here?)
#386
Account Closed
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,533
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
I can agree with quoll about the fact a lot of HS kids want to leave Aus asap. At my uni, so many of the people on my course whom I talk to about europe and the places I've been to, cannot understand why I came here to live in the first place! So many cannot wait to qualify, then bugger off on their travels to see something of the worlds other than "the best bloody place on earth" (according to their Dad who's never left it!)
#387
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 136
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
You don't only pay for the prescription when you go to the doc's, you also have to pay the bill. You can claim a percentage back from medicare, but even that is getting smaller every year. On $93k last year, my OH paid almost $28k tax. Is there no way you could come for an extended holiday to spend some quality time with your family here? Your teenage children will find a huge difference in the schooling here at that age. I don't envy your decision in the least, but what your mum said struck a chord with me. I have met quite afew elder people who have said the same, that's one of the reasons I want to go home as soon as our son graduates. He has a serious girlfriend of 3 years now and luckily she is a Londoner and wants to go home also. Whether he stays with her or ends up with someone else, I would hate it to be here.
#388
Life is more than a dream
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Kings Moss, UK - it's a bit like Emmerdale
Posts: 1,389
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
There are lots of them. And not just in London. My daughter works in a rugby league shop in Merseyside and gets lots of Aussie customers. Quite a lot of people I met in Australia had kids who had moved to UK.
#389
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Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Queensland Australia
Posts: 612
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
#390
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2007
Location: England
Posts: 4,226
Re: Do you worry about raising your kids in the UK?
One of the things I loathe about Perth is just that, living your daily lives in afew square klms. The schools and the smaller malls are built in between the newer suburbs now. Nobody seems to travel out of their area because of this, except maybe for work. There are fast food places everywhere and nothing with any real character. I hate all these sections we call suburbs.
Anyway off to Freo I think today...I think minus our sons....(we did that Christmas Eve.....everywhere was closing for meals at 3pm..you could get fish and chips on the quay but we did that last year) but even after 2 weeks of my dads visit we have run out of places to go....(and we have had a few days at home!!!!! for a change)
Jackie