MarkG

I could manage to never go back to the UK if I didn't still have family there. Every time I visit it seems to feel more like a run-down Eastern European police state.

Looking at the timescale, I'm assuming you don't have citizenship yet? If so, apply and get it, then consider whether you want to go back to try it out. At least then you don't have to worry about losing PR status if you stay away too long.

orly

Had a feeling the rest of your post was comedy but this bit sealed it.

Novocastrian

Why does everyone keep harping on about going back to the UK?

I've actually visited run-down Eastern European police states (on several occasions) and the UK today is nothing like those.

If you don't like Canada (and I do for the most part, although I'm not thick enough to get too old here), then just move on. Not necessarily (or even advisedly) to the UK though.

MarylandNed

Don't know you get that from but, seriously, it's close enough to not even matter. If you look hard enough you can find studies that support both sides of this argument. For example, the results of a major education study published by the OECD in December 2010 had Canada ranked above the UK in maths, reading and science.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/data...cience-reading

Here's a study that ranks the UK above Canada:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20498356

In terms of the UK, there are regional differences. For example, Northern Ireland has the best performance in primary maths:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20678866

The overall education systems of Canada and the UK are comparable so your kids will likely be just fine in either system. However, so much depends on where you are in Canada and where you move to in the UK - and also on individual teachers in individual schools.

YoshiPal2010

Yes, I know it was Supermum!. Mind you, you might want to have a look at the fees for Oxford University (and, no, lesser universities do not generally charge less: they charge what the maximum, wherever possible). You might be shocked at the fees international students are being asked the pay for some undergrad. courses

Supermum1

Never used the term 'Chavs' myself. Heard others use it though. Dirtbag climbers I guess is another term similarly used over here (in the climbing world that I've heard) putting others less fortunate down. I have heard racist comments here too admittedly, but find them far less judgemental where single parents are concerned and not so quick to label people in that way.
Can't say I've heard much foul language in the pubs over here, more the opposite, guess it depends where you go too. Prefer 'nicer' ones, not that I frequent pubs much these days with a youngster to mind apart from a monthly visit to a nice ones in Toronto daytime for a meet up brunch with other parents and children.

It's the younger generation frequenting pubs back in the UK with their loud rowdy foul mouths that my Dad dislikes, and I can relate to him not missing any of that when its only got worse, hence why he doesn't go to pubs much now and prefers to have a drink at home, he's in Norfolk near the broads.

Personally, I always liked going out to the more classier bars in London for evenings out where other professionals frequented when I lived and worked there for 4 yrs in the past, so tended not to be near any of that. But it wasn't that bad about 3 years ago in Norfolk where they live from what he said, things have just got worse I think.

Supermum1

Exactly. Plus an RESP means he can study anywhere in the world as long as it's a recognized one, and our Uni's are better, I'm biased.
Being dual citizen he can suit himself.
Thanks for the tip Novacastrian, age 16 is not a bad age to return to do it. It's still a long way off. I will simply go with the flow, we may both prefer to stay in Canada, or return again after he's done Uni, or stay there, who knows.

I don't dispute the fees would be costly where ever they study these days, if here, the US, or the UK, hence why I have an RESP started, hopefully the $100 a month going into it will all help with that.

I hear you on that one too, but I do miss my long term friends who are like 'family' be good if I could pick them up and move them here too. I like the more 'free' feeling I get over here, freedom rules.

That's very true too.

I know that much from my own experience where I studied in the UK, a nurse friend in London when we worked together struggled to get other jobs elsewhere, I always got offers for all I applied for and thought she did too, until she told me, "It's alright for you, you get job offers all the time, but I don't, and it's due to where you studied and having got your degree"

Opened my eyes a bit that one.

I think my degree was the only course paid for by the government too, if you study nursing as a British citizen in the UK it's paid for via a bursary, just food to pay for, but I worked weekends and studied and attended uni in the week, so that covered that. Burned out by the end of each term but it was worth it in the end (even if I did feel I wanted to quit by the end of each term).

I won't be influencing my son to go into Nursing however, he can choose to be what he wants, he's already saying he wants to be a doctor, before that, an Engineer, he's only 4. I told him any of those is good.

Siouxie

If you want to quote/reply to several people, you can use the 'multi-quote' button to the right of the quote button for each one, then hit the quote button on the last one you wish to quote and they will all be in one post.

I merged them for you...

Supermum1

Can't add to that post for some reason, so adding it here. There is a catch to the course I did though, we are the lowest paid profession in the UK, which stinks, especially when a tube train driver got paid more than we did in London, something wrong there I think. It's another reason some of us British trained nurses go overseas to work, where we get paid what we are worth.

Supermum1

Thank you, didn't know that, but now I know.

lcar

I've been back in the UK for 4 months now, after 2 years in northern Ontario. I am loving life back in the UK. There are things from our Canadian life that I miss - like sitting on the bleachers in the sun for my son's summer soccer matches, and the wings-and-ribs lifestyle, and Tim Horton's - but there is a lot here that I missed and that I am very pleased to have back.
Our timing was influenced by our children - I came back in May so that my 16 year old daughter could take International GCSE's ready for studying A levels, which she starts tomorrow. She will be able to go to a UK university, as she wanted, as a UK student.
As we live in Wales, we will pay just one third of her university bill (the Welsh government meets the rest of the cost for all Welsh students, no matter which UK university they attend).
My son also starts his GCSE studies tomorrow, so it really was now or never for us.
Being close to family in the UK was an important consideration for us. Sadly my mum died in March, so she missed out on the last 2 years of life with my children. My mother-in-law is doing fine, and lives close to us, and we will make sure the same doesn't happen for her.
We are lucky to live in an area which is (and remains) beautiful and unspoilt. The UK doesn't feel any worse to me than I remember it (although there aren't so many English-speakers in Tesco as I remember), and I think I have grown to love its idiosyncrasies more, having been away. But I appreciate I am lucky, in my little corner of Wales.
It has to be a personal decision. Best of luck.

Almost Canadian

Is that the same tube train driver who, in a single hour of work, is likely to be responsible for the safety of more people than a nurse would be in an entire year at work?

bats

the bars may have been classier but the prospect of drunken 'professionals' fills me with horror.

Novocastrian

I did try to give you a heads up about North Bay all those years ago.

Best of luck for the future.

Supermum1

You mean the tube drivers that go on strike regularly to try and gain more pay?

Slight underestimation of what we nurses do, what an insult.

Tube train drivers aren't saving lives day in day out all year round, and they didn't go to Uni to get a degree to drive one either. And no they aren't responsible for more people than a nurse is where lives are concerned, we are literally saving lives in hospitals not waiting to save them when an accident happens, though it's us that would be doing that too when that happens as was the case when the London tube bombing occurred of which our hospital and my colleagues were involved with as was I on nursing some in critical care. And all the doctors and nurses I worked with in London would have strongly disagreed with you on this one too.