UK is not that bad
 

Australia is a great place - open, outdoor life and in many respects wonderful.

My story is that I emigrated to melbourne in Apr 2004 - got lucky - a good job paying almost 70% of what I got in UK and very good by local standards - kids got into school.

That said - I am in the process of returning to UK without a job etc. You may wonder why. In no particular order:

- Really miss my friends/family - it takes time to make friends and I have made them but sadly I prefer my friends back home - they have the same sense of humour and common interest. You just need to watch an episode of Merrick and Rosso and you realise how poor Aussie humor really is.

- The beach is fine - but unless you like spending all day in the sun - it can be nice to look at and swim but after a couple of hours - i need something more.


- it is really too far away - having just come back from a holiday in UK - i realised that friends are not really keen to come all the way to Aus - the fact that it takes approx 2 days getting here and then another couple of days with jet lag - people will not really take the trouble of visiting as it is pretty hard to get 4 weeks leave - and that is what you need come this far.

- there seems to be much more acceptance of alcohol in teenagers here - also they have a much greater drug culture. If in doubt - ask yourself what is the equivalent of the "Schoolies week" in UK and you find there isnt one. For the unitiated - schoolies week is after kids finish their high school - they all seem to go on a week long bender. I have kids and have concluded that UK is probably better as there is less exposure to alchohol and soft/hard drugs.

- property prices here are ridiculous when compared to the salary levels- average salaries are approx $50-70k - but houses in decent areas cost upwards of $500k.


The only reason I am writing this is to advise others that be careful what you wish for - you may not always want what you wish for. I visitied Australia a few times and each time - it looked great - but living here is different. So my advice to anyone coming:

- do not sell your home - rent it out for at least a couple of years so that you really get to know what Aus is like - otherwise you will find that you may be unable to return


- people say give it time - I felt like returning after 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months so after a bit of time - you think if unhappy - it is better to bite the bullet and return - and have a happy life rather than feel obligated to stick it out - it may sound morbid - but since I do not know how much longer I am going to live for ( am 42) - i have decided that life is too precious to waste on sticking out a place that whilst nice - is not home and does not ever appear to be like home.

- it might be great to have warm weather - but when it get hot here - it is very uncomfortable - at least with the cold you can wrap up. when it gets hot - you just feel lethargic and drained.

- wildlife - insects/spiders - are not only in the wild - i have killed countless spiders in the house and I keep the place spotless.



Good luck with whatever decision you make - but before you leave your friends and family - think really hard as you might well find that they are irreplaceable!!!

Re: UK is not that bad
 

Good post. Looks like you have thought long and hard about the pros and cons and decided it's just not for you.

Good luck with the move, I really wish you all the best. At least you will never have to say 'what if...........'

You've done it, it didn't work for you and you have decided to do something about it :)

Take care.

Re: UK is not that bad
 

the concept of schoolies is outwardly very 'American', isn't it? but gangs of UK school leavers go off to Med resorts to do exactly the same maybe because 'beach culture' is not so developed in the UK.

Re: UK is not that bad
 

thank you for your kind words - you are right - we did give it a go. the only concern is how children will cope with having to change schools and make new friends again. Really do wish that i had not disrupted their life in the first place

Re: UK is not that bad
 

Good post and good advice.

Re: UK is not that bad
 

You might want to check out the 'Moving Back to the UK" forum on these boards. There are a lot of expats in Oz planning to return to the UK or have already done so - for some of the reasons you have listed. You might pick up info on shippers etc.

Good Luck!

Re: UK is not that bad
 

Good post, It's all too real for me. Good luck on your move back. Have you got room in your suitcase for another?

Re: UK is not that bad
 

Thanks - where do i find the link

Re: UK is not that bad
 

To be fair, most Aussies cant stand Merrick and Rosso either!!

When you go back, if you can immediatley jump back into the lives of your friends etc, you are very lucky. Alot of people wont find it that easy when they go back. People move on and their lives change just as yours have.

There is a whole lot more to Australia than the Beach. Unfortunatly thats what alot of Brits come out here looking for. You only have to look at the numbers that move to the SE of Melbourne just so you can be near the beach. There are gorgeous mountains, lakes and rivers. There is the stunning desert regions. If you havent explored past the beaches, you are missing an aweful lot.


This is very true. It is a long way away. But did you really move across the other side of the world to expect to have the same life, friends etc?

There may not be schoolies week as such, but there is Ibiza and the other Islands and Costa resorts that alot of teenagers head to every summer. Not just after Yr12. This is all seen as acceptable by most I met during my time in the UK.

House prices close to the beach in a capital city of course are going to be alot higher. If you looked at the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne at established 3 bedroom houses you are looking around the $300k. But still only 1/2hr-45mins from the beach.


Lucky, I have posted this not to belittle your experience or your opinions. But hopefully to give a bit of balance to your post for those that are still considering coming over here.

Yes it gets hot, but in Melbourne its only uncomfortably hot for a few weeks of the year. The rest of the time its either raining or gorgeously mild and bright sunny days with cooler evenings.

I do hope you can settle back into the UK and its everything that you remember it being, which having said that why did you come to Australia originally? I think the danger if things dont meet your expectations is to look back at the UK with the same Rose tinted's that people are accused of having before they come to Australia. I do hope it works out for you and your family when you get 'home'.

Hels
:)

Re: UK is not that bad
 

Fantastic post.

I understand your regrets about the kids school but I am sure that they will look back upon there time here with fondness.

Would it be worth sticking it out a little longer for citizenship! Unless you are going to get caught with the 3 year change. The only reason I say this is because a good few wish to re-return after a spell in the UK. It keeps the door open for yourself and your kids if they wish in years to come.

I look forward to you looking in on the returning forum. Check out the forum jump drop down in the bottom left of the main page.

Re: UK is not that bad
 

Thanks - the 3 year rule will catch us as we will be only eligible next Apr and the ruling might come in in Dec - it is another crazy legislation in the name of terrorism - do these people not read newspapers - almost all the terrorist in the UK july bombings were born in UK - do they really think extending the eligibility to acquire citizenship will really deter terrorism.

Re: UK is not that bad
 

I have to agree with Hels and I to hope that your move back to the UK goes well and that it turns out to be the right thing for you and your family. Not everyone will settle here I know and I hope that things are not going to be too stressful over the next few months. At least you can say that you have given it a go and know where you are happiest.
For those concerned about drugs/alcohol we have found that the pressure in the UK was far worse on our kids at a much younger age than here. Maybe it is worse in the cities but you don't have to live in the city there is much more to the country than the state capitals.
Good luck
Nicky

Re: UK is not that bad
 

No offence taken- that is why i have started off by saying Australia is a wonderful place. Also Melbourne has the best coffee in the world.

Have been to the Dandenongs - but again often these places are frequently by groups - typically families - reminding you again of all the people I left thousands of miles away.

Just a point to note - where you live may be governed by your choice of school. There are not that many decent high schools here - we have chosen Balwyn High as it has a good reputation. Because of its demand - there is a strict zone ruling that they apply - even a 3 bedroom townhouse with no garden in the zone cost at least $500k - with the average price around $750k. so potential readers of this forum should be aware that you may not necessarily get something in a good catchment area for the prices you have quoted.

I did not expect things to be the same as in UK - I was a victim of "the grass is greener on the other side" mentality - I have just learnt the hard way that perhaps things back home are not as bad as you think when you emigrate.

Re: UK is not that bad
 

The Dandenongs are hardly out of Melbourne tho....have a look at this link and view the slide show of just one of the places we went to last weekend. Honestly, its 2 hrs from Melbourne!!

I dont have kids, so this pull for what you all refer to as 'decent schools' isnt a concern for me. But having said that I went to some pretty dodgy schools throughout my childhood in Melbourne and Perth and I have had some pretty good jobs, even without finishing my Yr 12. Also some of the friends I went to school with that went on to Uni have done exceptionally well for themselves. That from schools in West Heidelberg.... :eek: Reputations for schools change almost every year...one year they are great, the next...not so great.

I just hope the grass is as green as you think you remember it being when you get back to the UK. :)

Re: UK is not that bad
 

According to http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=339829 the changes are not likely to come into effect before next July. It's definitely worth considering, even if it disrupts your plans a little.

Also as someone else suggested, take a look at the Moving back to the UK forum.