Originally Posted by Sue from Manchester

I too came out on my own with OH and kids back in the UK for months. It is hard and it is lonely but try to think of it all in preparation for when they come. Discover places to take them and imagine what it will be like when they can see it for themselves. Skype and MSN are very good. Take photos of places and email it to them so they can get involved in your move. This is such a short time and in a year's time you will look back and say it was all worth it. It will also make you appreciate each other more and discover what's most important in life (and that's always family). I understand totally about missing familiar things but it isn't too long before Australia is familiar.

All the best

Originally Posted by chin-chin

Hi everyone. I normally just lurk on this forum way back when i first started my plans of migrating to Australia. This can be quite long but i hope some may find the time to read it and offer me some support.

I have been here in Melbourne for 5 weeks now. I have a husband who's left behind in the UK due to work commitments and a 3 yr old daughter whom we had to leave with my parents back in the Philippines as neither of us can look after her in this sort of situation. We are Filipino but had acquired British citizenship thus making me now a BE . They are due to come over here by December just before Christmas.

It was initially our plan to come here altogether but OH was begged by his boss to stay til December to finish off the project he's been handling (he works as one of the IT consultant). I thought holding off coming to Oz until OH is ready but got scared that the hospital sponsoring me will back out with the job offer if i tell them i'm not going til Dec (they have initially expected me to start last July). In return his company had given him an increase in salary and given him paid hours to work on his Microsoft certification which is why i have agreed for him to stay. We're hoping he'll get a better chance of working here in Oz as an IT once he pass his Microsoft certification. So here it goes:

I have left the UK with my daughter while OH sorting out the sale of our house, stopped over in the Philippines for more than a month to leave my daughter with my parents. Plan is OH coming to Philippines in Dec to fetch my daughter then come straight here to Oz in time before Christmas.

It was heartbreaking when i left my daughter as she really clings more to me than OH. I know she'll enjoy it there anyway as she has lots of cousins to play with.

Now, I have arrived in Oz Sept. 1. Stayed with a friend way back from UK who also mad the move 6 mos ago. They were the ones who really given us a beautiful picture of what its like living in Oz. To cut my long story short, i have found all the beautiful things they said were true such as:

- good outdoor lifestyle (which i still can't enjoy as i'm missing my OH & daughter)
- better working condition as a nurse working in a private hospital (surprisingly i did miss working in the NHS as there's more autonomy for nurses as here everything has to be consulted with the consultant)

Now here's the things i found out for myself which is making me want to go back to the UK:

- expensive childcare cost,
- tax more or less the same
- housing also expensive but houses here are bigger and more variety to choose from
- benefits not that great compared to UK such as maternity benefit, child benefit etc
- IT salary not that great (think my OH is earning more in the UK)
- childrens clothes quite expensive even when on sale (badly miss sales from Next, mothercare, and debenhams)

As early as the 3rd week of being here i've been telling my OH i would want to go back to UK. I just miss the familiarity, the routine, friends that i've left behind. Even thinking about the gloomy weather in UK doesn't stop me now on going back. Probably when my family comes here a lot will change i suppose. But i don't want to end up regretting i haven't given Oz a chance or regretting i should've gone back to UK sooner. I know we've shed out quite a lot financially and looking at the wages here i know we're better off in UK.

I know a lot of us have felt the way i'm feeling now just reading at some of the post here. So i hope anybody who've been in this same situation can try and guide me what i really need to do.

Thanks a lot for reading this. It's a relief somehow that i've shared my feelings thru this forum.