Going Home
 

We have made the decision to to bail out, and it feels good. After six months in WA we decided its not for us, lots of reasons for this, lack of work being one of them, on weighing up all the pros and cons we know that we have a better lifestyle in UK.

Our hopes / dreams on moving to Perth was to have a more relaxed lifestyle and not have to work 5 days a week 12 months of the year. House prices, lack of work and poor wages meant the reality was far different.

At "home" we can work six months of the year and travel for six months. (no kids :D) We had the ability to live mortgage free here in Perth, but equally can do the same in UK (smaller property).

Everyone has a different agenda for migrating and for some the lifestyle, weather, people will suit. I wouldnt disuade anyone from trying it because you have to live it to find out what its really like.

We reckon to have spent about £15000 ($36000) in six months including air fares, thats living quite frugally and includes rent, transport bills etc. Thats without buying clothes, makeup, and that type of stuff which we bought with us.

The experience has been well worth it and we have met some nice people, some love the lifestyle others hate it. We have also been fortunate to meet a lady called Lisa who is one of those shining stars that you only meet a few times in your lifetime.

For those heading out here best of luck. :cool:

Re: Going Home
 

I'm sitting in traffic
For the 5th year in a row
Wasting my time
Just to get
Where I do not even wanna go
I started jotting things down
On a krispy kreme sack
Everything I'd do
If I could leave this place
And never look back

I wanna do it all
Visit paris in the fall
Watch the yankee's play ball
I wanna take it all in
Catch a few beads
Down at Mardi Gras
Start a tradition
Lay down the law
I wanna do it all

I want to drink tequila
Down in Tijuana
Say why not
When somebody says
Hey do you wanna
I wanna get my heart broke
Once or twice
Settle down with the love of my life
Rock little babies to sleep at night

I wanna do it all
Visit paris in the fall
Watch the yankee's play ball
I wanna take it all in
Catch a few beads
Down at Mardi Gras
Start a tradition
Lay down the law
I wanna do it all

I wanna stand today
Every now and then
Just doin what I want to do
When I wanna do it
Anytime I wanna do it

I wanna do it all
Visit paris in the fall
Watch the yankee's play ball
I wanna take it all in
Catch a few beads
Down at Mardi Gras
Start a tradition
Lay down the law

I wanna do it all
See Niagara falls
Fight city hall
Feel good in my skin
Beating the odds
With my back to the wall
Trying to rob Peter
Without paying Paul
I wanna do it all
I wanna do it all
I wanna do it all

I was just about to say, I feel a song coming on:)





joem

Re: Going Home
 

Hi Karawara,

Sorry to hear you've decided to leave, but if its the better option for you, you have to do it. I followed your posts before you made the move, so I am sorry it never worked out the way you had hoped, but Congrats on having the guts to say we've tried, its not for us, let's go home!

We are arriving in Brisbane in the middle of March to start our new life. We have hopes & dreams and expectations, but it all depends on what life throws at you. We know it's going to be tough (we've done it once before), and the big challenge is getting jobs as quick as possible and then integrating into the new society.

Best wishes to you, hope the UK gives you all you want!

Hazel.

Well youre not alone! We can identify with you in what you say, having been out here for 6 months too & not working. Agencies are full of empty promises, house prices are just out of our reach, etc so we decided enough is enough & we are going home next week.

Since we made the decision a huge weight has come off our shoulders & will go back with renewed enthusiasm for the UK. We needed to be half way across the world to see that what we wanted was right under our noses all the time!

I wish you well on your return home. :cool:

Re: Going Home
 

Hi,
sorry to hear it hasnt worked out for you. :( Hope returning to the UK gives you what you need.

From your experiences of moving to OZ, do you have any advice for newbies about to move down?

Good luck for the future

Re: Going Home
 

A diet of lifestyle and sunshine has 0 calories...

Re: Going Home
 

janeyray and Jack Daws certainly do:

Try and change your life before emmigrating to OZ?

sorry to hear things haven't worked out for you, good luck on your return to the U.K.

:)

Re: Going Home
 

Thanks Meg :), our circumstances are slightly different to whats being talked about here.

What I was really looking for was practical settling-in advice and "lessons learnt" about how to ensure the move DOESN'T fail.

Re: Going Home
 

OK, been & done. Now where's that worm hole?

Re: Going Home
 

Had a think about that one, and tried to think what advice would have been beneficial to us, and nothing springs to mind, you just have to live it and go with the flow enjoy the experience.

As I said we met many people who love it and have wonderful lives here and all reasons were different, equally we met people who hate it, again the reasons were quite varied.

I must say though that the majority of people with kids seem to fare a lot better. Not sure if thats because they mix quicker and intergrate or if its because they have a family unit to support each other.

For us, after travelling approx 12000k around WA we realised that there is so much we have not seen and done and now have the travel itch!! and its far more beneficial for us to be based in UK to do this than here.

We are here until end of March and then off to Malaysia before going home to sort a few things out, get some cash in the bank and then off to ??? :cool:

Nothing can ensure it does not fail, much depends on circumstances luck etc.

Re: Going Home
 

Perhaps I should be mute ...
1. Arrange work in Aus before arrival,
2. Else if no interest in your skills stay home,
3. Else if no arranged work and no interest, hit the tarmac running and find work pronto,
4. Else if no arranged work and no interest and no job to be found have a nice holiday in Aus then go home,
5. Else retire in Aus.

Chris and Donna sorry it hasnt worked out for you , and i hope you settle back in the UK better than here. I to like Rudy have followed your posts all the way through and its a shame as you always were the first to say how great it all is out here. We have been here now 16 months and we find each day has to be taken differently, but the work situation was different as paul has worked sinced about 4 of being here, but it can still be very hard. If all you coming out think this is all a piece of cake out here then you are in for a shock , we came out eyes wide open , took in all the negative aspects but some of the reality was a shock. But we will carry on , we had bad times from about month 6 to 1 year , and slowly it is getting a little easier, we rent as buying is out of our reach but i dont care, we are happy , well the kids are they settled better than me i have to say.
So good luck donna and chris in all you do and all you guys coming out , because like they said we wouldnt disuade anyone either , this was our dream just like all yours come and experience it .
Joanne

Re: Going Home
 

England aint all that bad, you can have the best of both worlds by going home and getting your return visa for 5 years so at least you can go back should you decide.
You will be going back at the best time when the weather is changing for the better. OZ isn't for everyone but at least you had the guts to give it a good go. Better to have tried then never to have bothered.
Good luck to you both.

ps. Can I have your campervan for a good price.
;)

Hi karawara88 , I too have followed some of your post's.
You say you had a problem finding employment, what was your line of work?

all best the plum.

ps Is 6 month's in WA long enough ?

Re: Going Home
 

Hi Chris and Donna

Sorry to read your post and to hear that you have decided to come back to the UK but you can't say that you haven't give it a go.

I have certainly appreciated your informative posts and all the invaluable individual advice that you have given me.

I wish you all the best of luck for the future

Luv Diane

Re: Going Home
 

Can only get a return visa for 3 months because I didnt do two years out of 5, but could apply as spouse on Donnas visa she has 4 years to come and go.

We are desperatly trying to sell van so we can get flights out. Selling it fully equipped so someone will get a good deal in Perth. As long as we raise enough for business class flights I will be happy. :D

Good for you having made the decision!! :)

Sorry it didn't work out, but it's good that you now have a much clearer idea of what you want out of life!!

Good luck with the Uk and travelling!!!

And are we still getting an update about the travelling in WA??? :D Where have you guys been?

Well, good luck, have fun, and it would be great if we could get an update sometimes!! :D

best wishes,

Simone
:)

P.S. we'd love the campervan, but aren't coming out till July :( Good luck selling! You did it all up, so it must be worth more now???

6 months in WA is plenty. :D We were going to travel East but decided after a tour of WA that really Australia is not where we want to be, I am in or was in IT but at 40 I am realistic to know jobs are far and few between for me in Australia and UK and I was under no illusions about that, however I had not expected casual work would be a problem.

The work situation for Donna was a different story as a Child care social worker / manager (and a very good one) she is very much in demand in the UK and is able to get a good rate of pay.

Here in Perth and research has shown the other states to be as bad the opportunitys are not there and the pay is abysmal. I won't comment too much on Donna as I am sure she will do her own post, all comments in this thread are my own personal views.

One thing I will add while I remember is if anyone is in Perth or coming to Perth take a trip to Guilderton. Its the nicest place in WA about an hour North of Perth and its where the Moore river meets the sea, if you have kids its excellent for swimming. we went for a night and stayed the week.:Dhttp://www.movingdownunder.co.uk/images/gil.jpg

http://www.movingdownunder.co.uk/images/pel.jpg

Apparently fishing is good in Guilderton they were catching seaweed by the ton !! the pelican just helped itself to the bait. :cool:

The decision you have made was probably as hard as the one to leave the UK in the first place. You have tried it, it's not for you so going home and then doing more travelling is a good decision. I wish we were there, we would buy your van. Good luck to you both in whatever you decide to do.

Hugs
Sarah

Employment agents are full of s**t.

If a person expects to emigrate without work or a large bank account, expect to return to familiar turf or live in cardboard city.

Don't be supprised when it happens...

Have a good one...

Hi Donna and Chris,

good luck for youe future, whatever it may bring. One thing is for sure though, the U.K is in dire need of concientious social care workers and i'm sure you'll be an asset to the field once again.

All the best and be happy. :)

Sorry to hear that it hasnt work out for you.

The reasons that you stated if your first 2 posts are the reasons that we have decided to give the UK a little longer. Mortgage free, travel more ect.

Good luck in the future :)

Donna & Chris , I would just like to wish you good luck with whatever you decide to do. Let us know how the travels go.

Re: Going Home
 

Re: Going Home
 

Sorry to hear that things did not work out for you. Two years a go I was in the same situation and returned to the UK with my family. My husband and I both found jobs as soon as we returned. I am also a social worker and was inundated with job offers in the UK but could not find a job in Australia. We have never really settled since we returned and plan to have another go later this year.

I now have AASW eligibility and hope that this will assist in securing a decent job. It would be really useful to hear more about your experience of trying to find employment as a social worker in Australia.

Chris and Donna,

Having followed your posts (for what that's worth!) it seems like you're making the right decision.

I know people on here don't mean it that way.... but it's curious how a lot of people express disappointment and sympathy with your decision to return home! I mean you don't sound particularly sad about how things have turned out - the experience has crystallised how you want to live your life, and you're glad you've tried it...?

Re: Going Home
 

Don't know where you are planning to go but there are several jobs for social workers in mental health on the NSW health website.
Don't know about other specialities.
Many jobs are advertised as mental health professionals.When you look it sometimes specifies social workers:

www3.health.nsw.gov.au/healthjobs/index.html

good luck

G

Re: Going Home
 

Actually there are several social work jobs on that website.I had only looked at mental health.

G

Thanks for that I will check it out.

Re: Going Home
 

Hello Donna and Chris, I really want to feel like you...

Sorry I have not been following your posts as, much to my regret, I have only recently discovered this site but it sounds as though you have had the same dilemma that my wife and I now have…

The four of us (we have two young children), have been here for almost six months and are not happy for various reasons. Job and location being the main ones. Nevertheless, we have only recently decided that we simply cannot stay in Wollongong… having said that it didn’t stop us going to view couple of houses for sale in the area yesterday.

Realistically though trying to make the best of a bad thing is not the way to go so we are really only left with the choice of either returning to the UK or moving somewhere else – we like Brisbane – with the hope of finding work. I too am in IT and will not see 40 again so know that it is yet another risk. More money, more upheaval especially for the kids. What do we do with our car if we move States? Do we rent furnished or unfurnished in Brisbane? Do we have the energy for it all? Is it all worth it? :confused:

It is so difficult trying to decide what to do for the best and we change our minds several times during the course of a day. I was hoping that I may get a positive reply from one of the Brisbane Employment agencies I have contacted but I’m starting to think it’s not gonna happen. :(

Anyway, time is running out (lease on our house) so we have to make a final decision soon and I can only hope that once we have, we feel as good about it as you seem to.

I wish you well with your return to the UK.

:)

Re: Going Home
 

Bye Donna and Chris, enjoyed following your posts, make sure you update us when you get back to the UK. :) Thanks for many a giggle too Donna.

Re: Going Home
 

hey guys,

i have been following your posts too - and have appreciated your advice you have so kindly given me.
i am extremely sorry that Perth is not the place for you but you have to follow your heart and your needs.
Best of luck for your return - and hope that things work out as you want them.
take care,
Best Wishes.

Re: Going Home
 

Hi there

Firstly good luck on your return, you will have to hop onto the Returning Expats page and keep us posted there.

I have to agree with all my heart to the above statement, our friends with kids (expats) all find they are more settled here for the above reasons. Us kiddie less ones not as easy.

This year is going to be a good year for Merlot adventures travelling too - it has certainly been too long between trips!!!!

All the best
Merlot :cool:

PS I have done a whole heap of travel in Oz (apart from WA) and have to admit, it all much of a muchness to a degree, though always very stunning!!!!

Re: Going Home
 

Hi

I have followed your posts regularly, and have to admit about the job situation in WA, my hubby has found it really hard work trying to find work, he is a gas fitter and got a job with an ozzie company, contract for only 6 weeks, then they offered him a permanent job, 4 weeks later they laid him off, just before christmas too, we have been here 9 months and i am glad to say that he starts a new job tomorrow, 3 months casual then hopefully permament, as it's with a big company I hope he gets a proper signed contract, but if this all falls through, I think I would just want to go home, we obviously have gone through our savings quite abit just on everyday living expenses, and like you say just getting any job isn't easy!! I have mixed emotions, we have made some good friends here and will miss them all dearly, but i miss friends from uk too, I don't miss the UK, just people.

don't know how many months we can carry on hoping things will get better work wise, thats our only worry, so if this job works out, and my mum makes a good recovery after her stroke, (things not too good with her at the moment) everything will be fine.

good luck with your return to the UK, hope everything works out

yve



:) :)

You came you saw, gave it a go and been honest about it. Good luck to you and hope you have no regrets.

Re: Going Home
 

Well I hope it all works out for you, 1 way or the other. :)

Knowing what you know now and how its gone would you have made the move?

Sorry to ask but I just wondered.

Me too...

The problem is all inside your head, she said to me
The answer is easy, if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to just be
There must be fifty ways to rediscover

She said, it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to rediscover
Fifty ways to rediscover

You don’t need the out-back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You need to be coy, Roy
Just let yourself be
Don’t hop on a bus, Gus
You need to discuss much
Just think of the key, Lee
And let yourself be

Ooo, don’t need the out-back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You need to be coy, Roy
Just let yourself be
Don’t hop on a bus, Gus
You need to discuss much
Just think of the key, Lee
And let yourself be

She said it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I said I appreciate that and would you please explain
About the fifty ways

She said why don't we both just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning you'll begin to see the light
And then she kissed me and I realized she probably was right
There must be fifty ways to rediscover
Fifty ways to rediscover

You don’t need the out-back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You need to be coy, Roy
Just let yourself be
Don’t hop on a bus, Gus
You need to discuss much
Just think of the key, Lee
And let yourself be

Don’t need the out-back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You need to be coy, Roy
Just listen to me
Don’t hop on the bus, Gus
You need to discuss much
Just think of the key, Lee
And let yourself be