janeyray

I just thought that I would post the following:

My husband worked for the same firm in the UK for 12 years. The money was good but he was fed up and bored.

I owned a horse and worked part time hours to pay for him (the horse, not hubby!) This meant we were always struggling for money because everyone knows that the word 'poverty' means owning a horse.

Instead of taking a different direction in our lives in the UK like....
Selling the horse and spending more time with my family than at the stables!! ( ). Selling the horse to be better of financially (cost around 100 pounds a week to keep ! :scared: )

Hubby should have looked for another job, maybe done a course in something (arghh loads of those here!!) taken a different direction.

But no, we thought it would be easier to move to the other side of the world to change our lives!!! and now yes, we do have more time together as a family (but only due to me selling the horse) but we could have done that in the UK!

Hubby has had four different jobs since being here (money issues) but has realised that all he needed to do in the Uk was apply for something else. He seemed to think it was immpossibe to change jobs after so long!?

We were stuck in a rut in the UK, happy in our relationship (you will need that coming here, believe me!!) but felt we couldn't move on. How ridiculous we were and I'am happy now to admit this!!

All I'am trying to say is anyone coming here to change your lives, just stop and think how you could change it for the better in the UK first. If that doesn't work then yes maybe give it a go.

Megalania

Originally posted by janeyray
I just thought that I would post the following:

My husband worked for the same firm in the UK for 12 years. The money was good but he was fed up and bored.

I owned a horse and worked part time hours to pay for him (the horse, not hubby!) This meant we were always struggling for money because everyone knows that the word 'poverty' means owning a horse.

Instead of taking a different direction in our lives in the UK like....
Selling the horse and spending more time with my family than at the stables!! ( ). Selling the horse to be better of financially (cost around 100 pounds a week to keep ! :scared: )

Hubby should have looked for another job, maybe done a course in something (arghh loads of those here!!) taken a different direction.

But no, we thought it would be easier to move to the other side of the world to change our lives!!! and now yes, we do have more time together as a family (but only due to me selling the horse) but we could have done that in the UK!

Hubby has had four different jobs since being here (money issues) but has realised that all he needed to do in the Uk was apply for something else. He seemed to think it was immpossibe to change jobs after so long!?

We were stuck in a rut in the UK, happy in our relationship (you will need that coming here, believe me!!) but felt we couldn't move on. How ridiculous we were and I'am happy now to admit this!!

All I'am trying to say is anyone coming here to change your lives, just stop and think how you could change it for the better in the UK first. If that doesn't work then yes maybe give it a go.
Oh My Goodness Gracious Me - A Blinding White Bolt From Heaven.

Now Let Us Time The Thunder To Measure The Distance Twixt Reality And Perception.

Just thought I'd embolden this a touch. Should be on every packet of visa application forms.

jat

totally agree...

have to say ..... moving to anywhere doesnt necessarily solve any problems - they just follow you

bondipom

Lets just hope Wales doesn't follow WBB down here.

Thomaz

I suppose the one saving grace is that you are no longer in that rut. You will be very different people when you go back and, I would expect, a lot happier and settled.

One thing about coming to Australia is it makes you appreciate the benefits of living in Blighty.

Good luck Jane.

hevs

good point jane.
Maybe you are not only home sick, but horse sick too, do you still ride overhere?

theguitardoctor

I agree with you Jane,

If we'd tried to change our lives in the UK it owuld have been a lot easier.....I had a successful business, the wife earned reasonable money and we had a decent level of living.......tired of the "bleak Britain" outlook that is forced down our throats by the media, we looked to move to NZ. We researched, applied and spent 8 months gathering money by selling everything we had (sometimes too cheaply, but it was for our future). We finally made it to NZ on Oct 6th 2003, and for the first few weeks it was great. However, my wife suffered illness and we fell foul of the sudden Gen Skills law change (we gambled going out to NZ eary figuring the wife could get a job before my LTBV was processed, thus giving us PR). All this put a lot of stress on us and a "no" from the NZIS on a speed up on my business plan application put us in a bad frame of mind. Soon after, my wife wanted to give up...leaving me reeling....

As you can imagine, the arguments started (she'd pushed to get to NZ early so as to gain a job; thus my LTBV was not necessary), me blaming her for leaving the UK early, her blaming me for leaving the UK at all......(she was as in to the idea as I was prior to leaving).

Anyway, fast forward.....Jan 16th we left NZ £17000 worse off (shipping, no work for 4 months etc) and separated.....who knows what will happen in the future, but it would have been a lot easier to change our situation in the UK rather than looking for the answer 12,000 miles away....one thing we did learn is that all countries have their problems...you just exchange one set for another in the new country.

Shame you can't turn back time eh?......

all the best with the return, Rich.

Don

Rich, I can well believe you with the numbers. Here's how it is for us so far (conservative)

Airfares, two return trips for 4 Europe-NZ GBP6000
Food, motels, living etc @ NZD1000 per week, NZD22K or GBP8000
Depreciation on car Year 1 GBP2000
Not earning money for 6 months GBPplenty
Agent for Immigration GBP1500
Total at least GBP17500 in the first nearly 6 months

Having said that, you could maybe cancel out some of it, eg living costs, as we'd have needed to pay for living anywhere in the world; we like foreign holidays so could maybe cancel out half the airfares as 'holidays in all but name'. We chose to not get jobs immediately and take a career break. We were wrong to use an agent for our simple app.

So depending on how you look at it, not as expensive as it seems?

:lecture:

jat

hi guitar doctor

sorry to hear that story -

the upside will be that when you get back to the UK you will probably enjoy your life more in the UK and look at things differently.... not that helps the last year of your life....

i know people who have been in oz 20 years and are even scared to go back for a visit! couldnt live like that so glad ive made the decision even though last night i was getting a wee bit nervous about what i was going back too!

but ok now

theguitardoctor

It soon adds up Don...don't forget though, there were just the two of us + Cat......he's cost £3000 all in all. We lost £2000 on a car also and the shipping and flights added up....living costs make a bigger dent when you do not work either..sure we'd have paid them in the UK, but we would have been earning, so it would have offset the loss......neither of us did anything in NZ..I couldn't, and after the knock back from the employer (loss of job offer when GS cat was removed), my wife felt as though she didn't want to (for a while), it ate our money very quickly. We were spending $1000NZD a week in Wellington with no kids !!

On another point, I thought you were going back to NZ after Europe...I onlay ask as you mention not using an agent for you app?

Rich.

Merlot

Excess Baggage with Singapore Airlines - $30.00 per kilo

Emotional Baggage with own Body - Priceless . . . . and follows you like a bad smell!

Merlot

theguitardoctor

Hi Jat,

I will certainly stop reading newspapers and listening to the news....it certainly has a negative angle in the UK. This knocks on to a lot of people, hence the high rate of people looking to leave....IMO the UK is not so bad...certainly has a lot more upsides than people realise. It sometimes takes a move so far to make you realise you didn't have it so bad. There's definitely a lot of upsides to going back.

Our situation was definitely aggravated by circumstances and my wife's sudden delusionment with NZ..some people ride over these things, whilst others are affected a lot more.

Maybe we weren't as strong as a couple as I thought we were before we emigrated...such is life.

Rich.

Don

That's still the plan (ie to return to NZ after Europe)...the reference to our agent was there because it turned out to be wasted money, I could have done our app blindfold - but I didn't know that at the time I engaged the agent and at that point I hadn't found this helpful site (and sister site)

GBP1500 buys a lot of meals out

janeyray

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I just signed in to take a peek and was knocked off my chair!!!

Good Lord!! it's bright, but is it bright enough for all to see?
:scared:

theguitardoctor

Ah right...now I see. Yup....reverse thing with us though..and agent may have saved our situation...however, my wife's impatience with things got us there quicker, but meant we had to come back quicker, so unless the agent had close links with a 24 hour divorce lawyer and another 24 hour "Get UR NZ Bride" agency, I don't think a lot would have been different in the long run.

all the best, Rich.