[QUOTE=pixiewink;10650221] Hi,

To try and answer a few things that have been mentioned on here.
We did keep our Barclays account open, however we opened a HSBC account in the UK from NZ before we left so we could move our meager funds. As soon as my husband arrived back he went to Barclays and updated our account etc. He was told he couldn't have a credit card for 6 months due to no credit history. We applied a couple of weeks ago and now have them.
We rented a house whilst in NZ. We looked on rightmove and found one, we opted to let them do a credit check which they did in NZ, (landlord, work etc), however we could have paid 6 months rent upfront.
We hail from Coventry but had decided to not go back but move forward so picked a new place off a map. We are now in North Yorkshire and love it. We had never been to anywhere around here.
With regards to apprenticeships, I have seen them advertised. Usually for 16-18 years although North Yorkshire council are offering them for any age in business administration and some sort of healthcare. I also googled apprenticeships and got some promising results.
As for schooling, I looked at schooling before we left England in NZ and thought everything would be fine. Only you know how your kids are doing. My kids have always been average students. Our son started there in year 10 and went downhill rapidly. I realized later on the style on teaching in NZ is Independent learning. That's great for bright children but mine need teaching. Our son scraped through his NCEA's then flew home. He lives with my sister and is doing A'levels at 6th form college and hopes to go to Uni in Sept. Our youngest is in year 8. We put him back a year into that year. I was so desperate to get him out of the schooling system in NZ and back to UK schooling. He was the key to this move working and thankfully has fitted in brilliantly.
As for expensive things here and there. We have put in 200 pounds a month all winter to cover gas and electricity. We have never reached that amount on a bill. Our rent is much less for a lovely 3 bed semi. There are loads of 2 for 1 offers on attractions to be had. We went to Rotorua and Queenstown and could afford to do nothing in either with 3 children.
We don't have citizenship just indefinite returning residency. I cant talk for everyone but we are happy to be back. It really was a case of we come back or we don't see our families again as we had no money to visit them. We chose to come back and enjoy things here for the time being.
As for ever returning to NZ, at some stage we will have to as we left our precious daughter there starting Uni.

The very best of luck
Carole

[QUOTE=Spacecake799;10652135] Brilliant post! So nice to read such a positive review. Glad everything is working out so well for you.

[QUOTE=Spacecake799;10652135] Hi Carole
thanks so much for your wonderful reply.....i have to admit we found nz schoolling very poor however we thought it would probably be the same back home too.....

My 16yr old has done well, pulled himself through the system as he is bright enough in the required areas, maths, english & science....but can't wait to get out of school he hates the small mindedness of the teachers....

He wants an apprenticeship - which he is pretty certain to get here....but not so sure back home....i have trawled the internet for motor mechanic apprenticeships....

My 12yr old girl, is our 3rd child, easy going and tends to just slot into whatever is going.....she is currently yr8 in nz so i have concerns about her being able to fit into a uk education system...so it was good to hear your views.

Work wise, if we move to where there is a hospital or resthome or plenty of offices, plus an airport myself and OH will probably be ok for jobs....& i suppose the kids will be too....

I miss all those Englishy things and want my kids to have the opportunity to experience them too...fish & chips with salt & vinegar on the beach...walks in the English countyside....food bills that don't take up half my weekly wage...electricity bills over winter that don't take up the other half of my weekly wage!.....Gas Central Heating....i hate being cold in the house...

Thank for your wonderful post & the tip about opening the HSBC bank prior to looking at leaving....we used to bank with HSBC before we left the UK, so that may count for something....

Thanks Again Spacecake....

[QUOTE=perthhomeschool;10652248]

Not sure who write about missing English things, but this is something one thinks about the longer one is away I think. For example, all the grass outside our unit is dead due to the heat. For this reason it is the colour of very pale straw, and sometimes when I'm looking over it to see if there is any post in the post box, it has the odd effect of looking, in my peripheral vision, like it is frosty.

This beings back memories of frost, and cold mornings, etc., and makes me nostalgic for home. Other things I miss are the annual markers, such as Bonfire Night. We grew up with these things in our culture, and I want my children to know them as well. All of this outranks the fact that we will be financially poorer in Britain, although my wife is less convinced on this point than I am.

we tried the HSBC account and when we rolled up in UK had trouble opening it as the branch we went in did not understand the way the account works and wanted us to wait 3 months etc before hand, we hoped accross the road to Barclays with our passports and an account was done there and then no issues. I have not been back 6 months yet so hence why I can not get a credit card like Carol It all depends how you manage etc, I have just had to take my car in and the bill is £500+ so a credit card would of been useful but never mind.
On a positive note my son is also in year 7/8 (he finished year 7 in December in NZ) and I was worried he would struggle but in fact he is doing fine including picking up 2 languages, yes there 2 for 1 offers as there are in NZ but I am really surprised how much food has shot up and the quality and quantity of meat is not the same for the price as NZ so I think its swings and roundabouts, the choice is immense and the first couple of times it took forever to get round the store, supermarkets are breeding like rabbits over here at the moment it makes you wonder how they make ends meet even a town small as Banbury has Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and CO-Op and thats just the big stores let alone the express ones!

Bloody hell I know Banbury.

Have to agree with you,we have lived in Adelaide most of our time in Oz and have to say this year is doing my head in. We lived in the Adelaide Hills for 23 years and it was not to bad, got alot more rain than we do in the north. Got our water bill in yesterday and I nearly died $1,600.25, now I know we have had no rainand we are on an acre of land,but I am over it give me some rain pleased God please,the bloody place looks like the Sahara

Is that for a year or a month?

It was for 3 months from the 30 Nov to 25th Feb,scary..

[QUOTE=pixiewink;10652619] Hi,

Do a search on google for motor vehicle mechanics apprenticeships. It came up with some good results.
We went to York on Sunday and sat in the sun eating fish & chips with salt & vinegar I can highly recommend it.

Carole

It really has been so dry this year, hasn't it? They reckon it might rain on Sunday but whether it arrives or not is another thing!

They have been promising rain for a while now,but really don't know where you are,but we have had very little. Roll on Sunday then.

[QUOTE=Spacecake799;10653044] Thanks Carole, you have been a great help.

There does seem to be apprentice mechanic jobs available, I would paste a link but I can't seem to do it on my tablet today my husbands a mechanic, I asked him about the job situation if we were to return to the UK, he is under the impressions that mechanics are always in demand, probably becuase he always has had the if you want a new job, I have spot for you from three or four sources wherever he's lived. We'll find out more if we get back for a recce as planned this year.