Kash

Hi everyone

Just thought i'd share my story. We (steve, myself and 12 year old daughter) came out here at the beginning of december.
I had a job lined up as a mental health nurse and everything appeared sweet.

We left two older children back in the UK, along with two grand children, we knew it would be hard but wasn't prepared for how hard. Our daughter was devastated and phoned us twice a day begging us to go home.

By the time I started work I really couldn't take much more stress, I thought I would be able to throw myself into my job. This was not to be: practices here in mental health - where I am anyway are very different, I work edwith young people in the UK, and really could not be part of the practices here: not and sleep at night anyway; I don't really want to go into them but lets just say I wouldn't want my daughter to suffer any mental health problems here!

So we are going home.....

I am sure its right for me, I miss my family terribly, and am lucky emough to get my job back in the UK.

Things never go to plan.......

Kath

Fuzzyness

it is a shame it hasnt worked out for you but good on for you making that choice to return. some may say that 3 months isnt long enough to settle but if you are in a professional dilema about your job and the work that you have to do i feel that it is understandable. at least thats one country crossed off the list, there are many more out htere if you would like to try another.

sj oldfield

Really sorry that it is not working out for you, but have you ginen it long enough?
Also in a way think your daughter is a bit rotten by `begging` you to go back, its hard enough as it is without family members pulling at heart strings

noodle

I think it has probably made you realise the things that really matter to you, ie family. You've experienced Australia, which is great and now you can go home and you will appreciate things at home so much more, so good luck to you and all the best.

Kash

Hi

I realise that 3 months isn't very long..... however, I feel its long enough for me to know that its not for me..... the alternative seems to be to stay longer 'trying' to mke it work.... costing more money!!!

Yes i agree that pulling at my heart strings was unfair.... and it certainly has been a pull!! I guess if you havn't felt like she obviously did its hard to know how you would react.... I don't blame her... I guess I have bought her up ttho show her feelings.... It has been difficult.....
Kath

JaneandJim

It must feel like a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. You're very brave to have the courage to go back.

Good Luck to you,
Jane

Grayling

Kath
Very sorry it has not worked out.

There is a lesson for others in your story.
Working conditions and practices in the Australian mental health services are very different to the UK and can vary greatly from state to state.

People do not seem to stop and think why there is such a shortage of Nurses in Australia.If conditions were that good there would not be a shortage.
One reason why UK nurses are in demand,at least in Mental Health , is because there is a general recognition that the service is in need of modernising and updating.
This can make life very difficult for migrant Nurses as they are sometimes going into a system which is like it was in the UK 20 years ago or more.
Anyone who has ever tried to bring about change in institutions will know how difficult and frustrating that can be.
There is a huge 'culture shock' for many migrants to overcome in many professions when they migrate.It is NOT simply a case of same job different climate.there are also huge personal and ,dare I say,ethical considerations which need to be taken into account.
You may be asked to be involved on practices which have long been discarded in the UK.
I am sure this applies to professions other than Nursing but I can not comment on those.

I know you also had family problems to overcome but I would be interested in your views on the Australian mental health services (by PM if necessary)

Best wishes

G

kittenlips

Hi Kath

Sorry things aren't working out as you'd hoped.

At least you tried it - better to have tried and failed than to have never tried it at all!

Good luck with your move back home, hope you will feel more settled in time.

Regards
Theresa

dotty

Can I just wish you all the best, family can often mean far more than any amount of bigger rooms, or sunny days etc, they just dont mean that much if you miss your kids.

We spent a long time here, but my one fear was always that someone in my family would want to stay in one place with the rest of us somewhere else. Thankfully our kids were so keen to get back to the UK one has already gone We follow mid year.

Cameras, emails mean nothing compared to seeing them and having a hug. Enjoy your family.

S J Jackson

We have been in Australia for nearly 6 months now and i would say that we have not settled yet. Husband who was "persuaded" to come to Oz has a job he hates and it is the main reason at the moment that we are not happy. We are in a beautiful part of the world (Sunshine Coast) and yet at the moment that is not the be all and end all. There are things we love here - spending weekends at the beach, being outdoors in the pool - yet there are things we miss massively - friends who we`ve known for 15 plus years as well as family, and English pubs!! BUT we always said that it would take us 2 or 3 years even to get an idea of whether we can feel totally settled and can make any decisions about our future.
I am a teacher and it is pretty much an impossibility to get a permanent job in teaching here - you need to do country service for 2-3 years and that is not really an option to uproot again. I am supply teaching and can earn a reasonable wage but it does not feel the same as working somewhere in a permanent position and making friends thru work.
We will wait - we have bought a small house (stressful)- needs work doing on it but it will be a project we will complete. Have promised my 11 year old that we will decide what to do before she would start her GCSEs. It will be a family decision and unless we are all happy here we will consider returning to the UK. I was absolutely sure that Australia was where I wanted to be - I have close family here.
Just wanted to let those people know that whatever decision you make - it has to be your own feelings and personal circumstances that make the decision for you - everyones situation is different. No-one can tell you that you are doing the right or wrong thing. Living in Oz has many advantages - the lifestyle and outdoor life are 2 things that attracted us but if you are not enjoying your work then it is a big price to pay for being able to go to the beach at the weekends. My 11 year old daughter misses her friends and whilst she has made new friends she has not got such close friendships yet as she had previously.

The grass is not always greener on the other side and there are stresses whereever you decide to live in the World. I would suggest that the first 12 months are always going to be the hardest and you have to ride that out as best as possible. My Aunt who emigrated out in the 1960s said that if she could have gone back in the early days after arriving she would have gone but she could not afford to! Now she would not go if you paid her!!
If we went back to the UK, we will have lived in australia and had that experience and at least we will have tried something different. Even if we did go back we will not regret coming and trying. Australia is not going to suit everyone - for some it will be a home from home and a great place to be and for others it just won`t, no matter how much you were desperate for that visa.

By the way, Good Luck to all awaiting their visas - hope yoou get them soon - and to those people already out in Oz I hope you have a great time here, whether you stay for 1 month or forever.

S.J.

Florida_03

...maybe they do...go with the flow...

Phoenixuk2oz

We are going home.....

I am sure its right for me, I miss my family terribly, and am lucky emough to get my job back in the UK.

Things never go to plan.......

Kath [/QUOTE]

=======================

Hi Kath

Good for you for trying OZ in the first place. At least you can say you tried and decided it was not your cup of tea.

At the end of the day..it's what's best for you and your family that counts and this is different for everyone.

Good luck to you & your family when you return to UK. I sense lots of hugs and kisses are due from your kids in UK!!

Phoenixuk2oz - Janey

janeyray

This must be VERY hard. How awful for you. I think if you go back you've made the right choice.

If you have a close family in the UK coming here to Oz will not be easy. I think most will return.

Follow your heart

DianeOZ

Good luck, don't feel bad about it.

MikeStanton

Your post was very interesting. On the subject of institutions- the Oz police force (especially in NSW) has often come in for severe criticism.

A number of people, including Aussies, have said to me "The NSW police force? It's the best money can buy...."

And then there are the deaths in custody etc...