Sandersons

Hi folks,

I apologise in advance for what may turn into a long post!

My OH, myself and OHs two teenagers left the UK for Oz in September 2008. We came back to the UK again in Jan 2009. At the time we felt like we knew it was the right thing to do and that even though it had only been a few months it was right for us but, and this is no exaggeration, Oz has been on our minds since we landed. We are happy back in the UK but are always wondering "what if..". We have a better home than we did before and I have retrained for another career. I thought, perhaps naively, that if we were happy back here then all things Oz would disappear to the back of our minds. Not so! We go over it day after day trying to decide what do to all whilst the tick, tick, ticking of our visa goes off in the background. It runs out in a couple of years and then that will be it for us - there's no way for us to get that chance back again. Another thought I have is that I'm happy with my circumstances here now (happier than before I went to Oz the first time) but what if that changes in the future when the chance of Oz is long gone??

To be honest we've had so many thoughts related to every aspect of the Oz/UK debate that we've become really bogged down in it all and can't see the wood for the trees.

Is there a way to make this decision second time round? Has anyone got any thoughts that would help clarify things for us - it's a longshot I know, but anything is welcome at this point!

Thank you!

Sandersons

eddie007

Toss a coin

Sherlock Holmes

Make a list of pros and cons for each country and see which wins.

If you have strong family / friends ties in the UK you may always feel homesick if you come back to Oz.

I know this would be longer term but consider returning to Oz for long enough for you and your family to get citizenship. Once that is in place you and your children in future will have choices.

Vegemite Kids

what he said Wise advise.

Sandersons

Hello-thank you all for your short, sweet replies. That's exactly what we needed :-).

Alistair-we've done the pros and cons lists to death!! Sometimes we err towards Uk, sometimes to Oz! We dont particularly have strong family or friend ties here. I've got my sis and literally a couple of good friends and OHs brother and his family are seriously considering leaving the UK too so that takes them out of the equation. We are not likely to have kids but I totally agree about trying to get citizenship-bloody wish we'd gone that way first time round.

VK-thanks for your input also! However what got me thinking most was your signature-that really hit the mark for me-I love it!! Everyone should live by that ;-).

Sandersons

acb

I know exactly how you feel we have also been back in England with visa ticking away only four weeks left and we still do not know what to do!! I know this does not help you but I do sympathize and know exactly how you feel

Scotty1

how would you feel if your visa was removed tomorrow?

how would you feel if you were unable to live in the uk again?

Why did you come back after three months and has what made you come back gone away now?

Do you regret more going to Oz or coming back?

Good luck with decision

Scotty

quoll

With teenage kids you have to be absolutely sure about where you see their education going.

All the things that made you return to UK in the first place are still here in Australia and with older kids you wont have the capacity to ping pong back again if it all goes pear shaped - once they have their feet off the GCSE/A level merry go round you are effectively consigning them to finish their education here in Australia because their Aus school assessments wont equip them for uni in UK and they will have to pay international student fees into the bargain. Then, chances are they will either head off to some other part of the world or settle down in Australia and, if you dont happen to like it by that time, you would be stuck here too. (Assuming that your OH's teenagers are still part of your equation)

If you dont have kids' education to worry about then do you have a job to go to in Australia? How difficult was it last time to find work? Can you afford to be out of work for some time? Do you have any friendships from the time that you were here? How do you envisage your retirement? Can you do that in Australia?

Bottom line, it's just another first world country.

jad n rich

Ohh yeah

Third and final teenager now in grade 10, switching education systems in teen years can be a disaster and such a huge disadvantage to them.

ABCDiamond

Excellent option which should get top consideration.

One thing to consider. If you don't try it again, how will you feel for the next 10 - 20 years etc ?

In 1996, I left Australia on a one way ticket back home to the UK, vowing never to return.
Things change...
I did come back, just a few years later, and settled in

mvagusta

A few months doesn't really seem to be long enough to make a descision.

Why did you return is probably the important question.

You obviousely wanted to go to Oz in the first place and that thought is still in your mind, so there is something that attracts you to Australia irrespective of what the Uk has in it's favour at the moment.

stuie83

I think a holiday from your daily life in the UK would help you weigh things up a little. When in one situation we all have a tendency to look to the alternatives with rose tinted glasses. If you take yourself somewhere 'neutral' for a couple of weeks and ponder your decision there you may find you have a bit more clarity.

Sherlock Holmes

I've heard it said that you can't judge a country until you have lived there for a year and.............paid taxes.

Innyjim

Really interesting. We went to Fremantle in August 2004, moved back to the UK in October 2005. Our visas have now run out anyway so it's kinda academic, but I don't think I regret coming back to the UK. It seems like being in Australia seems like such a long time ago and I do still talk and think about it with some fondness...

BUT !!! I've just looked at the exchange rate !!! 1.61 !!! When the hell did that happen ???!! When we moved out in 2004 we took £120K with us and got a rate of 2.6. That meant we could have new cars, new 'stuff' and own the majority of the house that we bought in Fremantle. I guess that return against our equity was something that was really attractive and an important factor in us moving. I suppose that just isn't the case anymore ?

Good luck