DollyDaydream

Hello,

We're at the process of getting things together to apply for visas. On looking at the 'moving back to the UK' forum there are a lot of happy people returning from Oz. Various reasons, homesickness/financial/climate too hot/ missing the ability to travel (feel restricted in Oz) etc and it got me thinking.... are we really doing the right thing?

Are there any people who have moved over to Oz and actually like it?

I know we're only on the first rung of the ladder, it's the most enormous life-changing move we are thinking of undertaking and we feel committed to doing it but it's got me questioning our plans.

So my question is, why are you emigrating?

Thanks.

ANA123

Yes there are lots of people who are happy here, but everything isnt perfect and the more realistic you are about your expectations the easier it will be. This question often comes up on the forum, there are many reasons why people return, and those of us who are happy to be here aren't always as euphoric as you may expect, but there are a number of reasons for this.
A similar thread was posted a while back and someone explained that for those of us that are here, happy or not the forum provides a sounding board for the day to day niggles that you dont have another outlet for.
Also, if you post on here anything too positive you tend to be critisized for being unrealistic/in honeymoon period etc so a lot of us dont bother.
There are a fair few expats in the area that I live, some newish like us and some long term, most seem generally happy, though there are so many variables that its impossible to generalise.

Jimbo9

I'm not sure anymore !

bondipom

Ã?mpending redundancy and to give it another go. I met my Aussie partner on a working holiday in 97.

There are plenty of long termers who like it and unless you try you won't find out. No guarantees you will be a longtermer.

I think the reason most return is nothing to do with Oz (although they'll come here with plenty of complaints) but more about finding a place to call home.

treefrog

Hi there,
A good question indeed. I lived in Oz for about 7 years during my 20's, and I went there because I fell in love with an Aussie. My relationship broke up after a few years, and eventually I came back to the UK because both of my parents (who still lived here) were in very poor health. I intended to go back but life caught up with me! I travelled and worked, met my current husband and am about to have our second child. It's long been a dream of his to live in another country, and I miss Australia; I think the quality of life was better there and I feel that our kids will have better opportunities than they might have here.

I loved Australia, but I won't kid you for a minute that the process of emigrating there at the age of 20 was easy. Maybe I'd never have done it if I'd known what to expect. Sometimes it's very hard; things seem unfamiliar, maybe you won't know many people and could feel lonely, you will miss friends and relatives you leave behind, sometimes desperately. Then there are the stresses of gettting accustomed to life in a different culture, settling in a new home, finding a job, making friends.

Anyone who thinks that moving to another country will be like being on one long holiday will be in for a big disappointment, not to say a shock! But if you are 100% commited to the idea then you CAN make it work. Ask yourself: What do I really want out of life? Can I realistically acheive that by moving to Australia? Am I aiming towards a hopeful new future, or am I just trying to escape a life I'm not satisfied with? And, most importantly of all, are my relationships with my immediate family strong? If anyone in your family is unwilling to at least give it a try, then you will have problems. If there are any relationship problems with your partner, they will be magnifed by the stress. You will all be relying on one another heavily, and sometimes it will all be too much; even the strongest relationships will be tested under those conditions.

But if you ARE sure, then it's well worth the effort. here are a few tips which might make it easier to cope:

1) Try to keep the return airfare ready in a separate account if you can afford it, in case you need to return to the UK in a real emergency.
2) Never let the sun go down on a quarrel. You will have arguments, but letting them fester and not talking things through will be a disaster.
3) Make sure that at least one day a week is a family day, and do somthing you all enjoy (take turns to choose!) Go out and get to know the neighbourhood, get involved in community activities, get to meet people.
4) Always give yourself a list of acheivable things to do every day, even if they are mundane things like going shopping! You will be happier if you keep yourself bust and can feel as if you've got somethng done at the end of the day.
5) Give yourselves at least a year to settle in. Don't expect everything to be perfect right away - it will take time. Expect to feel like giving it all up and going 'home' sometimes! But at the end of each month, look back and see how far ou've come. If you still feel totally unsettled after a year, it's probably not for you; but if you feel you are beginning to enjoylife in Oz, then eventually you will think of it as home, even more than the UK!

Hope this lecture has helped you make your decision. And if you still can't decide - well, why not give it a try? Rent your house out in the UK for a year so you can always come back!

Good luck!

Peter

I'm returning ot Australia 'cos it's my home. It's where I was born and lived for 29 years before the call of a certain woman led me to the US.

Alborg

I'm not happy with my lifestyle in the UK. I'm far too stressed as there's not enough opportunity to do what I enjoy doing. I love surfing and the sea in general. If I spend too long in the city working, without visiting the beach, I really wander what the point of living is. If I spend too long at the beach I get bored. So...somewhere where I can do both in equal measure would be good. Somewhere English speaking, plenty of job opportunities, a multinational country, a pleasant climate with miles of coastline. Somewhere where the culture is not too unfamiliar. Somewhere where you can work 9-5 and then pop down the beach for a quick paddle. I guess that'll be Australia.

bundy

The fact that Mr B is an aussie obviously forms a large part of it, but to be honest, I've always known that I wouldn't live my whole life in the UK. I've never felt right here, and even when I was 5 I announced to my mum that I was emigrating!

The simple truth is that I am happier and healthier in Oz than I am here in the UK. I know I've only lived out there for a year, but I wasn't travelling about, I was part of a community, living, working, paying bills etc so I think it's a reasonable snapshot.

Whenever I arrive in Oz it's as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I can't stand the 'designer clothes, mobile phones, flash cars, bigger better house' mentality here. I'm not saying it isn't like this in Oz - in many places it is worse. But we'll be headed into rural Oz, back to the small town where Mr B grew up, where this no crime, where the kids all grow up together in a safe environment, where there is no pollution, where nobody locks their doors, where everyone says hello, where there is more livestock than people, less cars than horses. In short, a different way of life. So it sounds liked a rose-tinted idyll, but I lived it for a year and have been back since and it's the place for us. I've seen Mr B change from a laidback bush baby to a stressed young man since we've been here. Time to take a step back.

We want a house, our own business, some space - none of the things we can get here. The UK doesn't feel like home; Australia does.

Bundy



Oh, and Mr B has just informed me that the aussie government is paying women $3000 to have kids!!!!

NickyC

Don't be fooled - it's the same dozen or so people that post on that forum. There are a lot of posts, but they're all from the same people.

They start threads and then reply to each other - mostly saying the same thing over and over again.. lovely to be back in this nice brisk weather...lovely to have 99 varieties of yoghurt in the shops....lovely to be round the corner from Mum etc etc. But no way are they the majority!

I know hundreds of ex-British people who live in Australia and they all like it. Me included.

treefrog

So my question is, why are you emigrating?

NB: see 'Life is pretty good' thread further down.

midge04

We are going to apply to emigrate because we feel we have nothing here to keep us. Its not like we have fabulous jobs or a lovely house to give up. My husband has been self employed all his working life and we are still struggling financially most of the time. We never see our families unless we make the effort to visit them.

We have 4 children who hate it where we live, its getting to be a rough area, and because we are council, we are stuck here, we have no other choices. Mortgages in our area are too high, so we thought why not try it.

Who knows it will be sink or swim. We have a good relationship and pretty much do things all together anyway, so we rely on each other here so we will over there i hope. As for being lonely over there i dont see anybody from one day to the next here, only on the school run, because everyone is so busy

So i dont see any diffrence there really. My life is my kids so if im with them it should be ok, by the time they are old enough to leave home we will have our own circle of friends there. At this moment in time i cant see myself missing anything from uk really.

swissfabs

I am emigrating because

1) I emigrated when I was younger (10 yrs old) with my parents in OZ and since then I always felt a bit aussie (even though we didn't stay long enough to keep our PR)

2) There are better work opportunities in my field (Tourism Management)

3) I just feel much happier and healhier in OZ (even though I believe to live in one of the most beautiful place of Switzerland - Verbier ski resort, if any one knows)

4) I am proactive and need this challenge! and I know I can do it!!!!!!!

5) I am getting really tired of the mountains and the snow, and feel like it is time for a change of elements: ocean! and my partner loooooves surfing and he is damn GOOD AT IT!

Voila, that's about it for me!!!

nikkers

Hiya

I got married very young and had children early and saw my friends go off to OZ to work and travel.My sister has lived in OZ twice but went on working visas and she always loved it.

Now my youngest is 16 this year I really want to do some things I want to do.A part of me feels my life has been working and supporting a growing family.

I'm 41 and I realise I can't get a PR visa when I'm 45.Both my parents have died before I was 22 so I don't have any responsibilities there.

I am a Macmillan Cancer nurse and everyday someone is told bad news it really puts my life into perspective.You only have one life and I want an adventure to experience something new and explore that side of the world!

I think its a fantastic oppotunity for my youngest to have dual citizenship and the other children we can sponser if they wish to come over.

Finances are good for us we have not really travelled or spent much over the years and if staying in the UK would downsize house so if it didn't work out we can always afford to come home.

I'm going to wait until my youngest has taken her GCSEs then were off I don't think we have anything to loose just lots of regrets if I didn't go.

Nikki x

swissfabs

hi Nikki

These are just wonderful reasons! Good luck with everything!

nikkers

Thanks