scilly

My question to the OP, and to anyone thinking about moving back to whichever "home" country they came from is ................

Have you been back to that country for longer than a 3-week holiday, say a 6 month stay???

I know several people who were intent on leaving Canada or Australia to go back "home" because of everything that was better there. Then they were lucky enough to spend a lot more time than a typical holiday ......... and changed their minds.

Because, when all their friends and relatives got used to them being there, and reverted back to normal life, and they found they were actually living in the UK, they really didn't fit in any more. Things turned out to be more expensive, or, shock! horrors! they actually preferred the life and stuff over here (or in Australia).

Those that had spent the time came "home" to Canada (or Australia), and made the changes they needed to make here ............ downsizing, moving to another area that better suited them (are you listening no-good-name?), or was cheaper. It might not even mean a huge move ........ I know one couple who moved to a town less than 20 km away!

I also know boomerangers ........... they went back "home", didn't like it anymore, money was tight, etc and moved back.

Even 15 years is a long enough time for things to have greatly changed for someone living there, as against having fun for 3 weeks, being welcomed everywhere, people dropping plans to meet you, etc etc etc.

I actually got lost in the centre of my home town in the UK after 3 years, because things had changed so much ............. roads closed, roundabouts moved, buildings demolished and new ones built. It was a shock .......... and that was before I was sure that Canada would be my (and our) permanent home.

In addition, if you have children, they need to be consulted and involved in any discussions as to moving and rationales, and attention paid to their feelings.

I am I said

Oh, we complain about a lot more than that.... But the my Brit friends just say: 'Heathrow is that way, don't let me get in your way'.

Former Lancastrian

I did this poxy keyboard keeps missing the odd thing which can make a huge difference but it's still a bloody molehill with or without the 5. Brits we are famous for whingeing about everything but are any other countries any different. Ask me what I think of Canada in February 2021 when its minus 40C not including the windchill.

DigitalGhost

They have a point there. We have a legal sector that is the very definition of an old boys club and a very worrying relationship with what constitutes a trade or skilled work.

In Canada you are considered to be a skilled tradesperson or professional at least on some level if your job requires any kind of education or reasonable period of experience and training. In the UK you're generally considered to be low skilled if your job isn't glamorous or involves getting your hands dirty. That's why I've always avoided using LinkedIn as much as I could manage to avoid it. Linkedin in the UK is absolutely toxic.

bats

It's very pretty where I live. Rolling hills, fields, forests, lakes, beaches, trees, rocks, blah blah.

i think you'd have to be batshit craxy to consider moving countries right now, unless it's the USA to anywhere else.

spouse of scouse

Move north lad, none of that looking down noses stuff there.

And, welcome back

DigitalGhost

Thank you.

By north do you mean the north of England or Canada? I live in Manchester right now and there's a lot of snootiness around about people's jobs tbh. Covid and the whole key worker concept has changed opinions somewhat I think but seeing what a lot of people put on LinkedIn and overhearing some conversations in pubs has often made me cringe.

spouse of scouse

I did mean the north of England, but I wasn't being entirely serious. Career snobs exist everywhere, I think they should be made to have an identifying sign on their foreheads. That way, when the plumber comes to unblock their toilets he/she can tell them to bog off

scrubbedexpat091

Very true, career snobs everywhere. Vancouver is full of them.....

scrubbedexpat091

I have a linkedin but I have never found it to be a useful website, but suppose its geared to more proper white collar professionals.

It annoys me when I will go to a job search/career place and they put so much emphasis on that website, I have one, its updated, but I wont go as far as saying its a priority, serves no real purpose for a low skill worker from what I can tell, except for previous managers, never found an actual co-worker using it....

vagabonding

car insurance is daylight robbery in Ontario period. Go to Quebec which has even worse drivers than Ontario and insurance is a third of the price. Ontario is a tale of 2 classes now. Those who work for the goverment In some capacity ie teachers police etc and then the rest. The only exception is finance jobs with the big banks but this monopoly is kind of grouped with goverment as essentially the Canadian banks are an extension of it

dbd33

1, The mandatory portion of car insurance policies in Quebec is provided by the government. They can sell it below cost by using tax revenue to reduce the premiums. In Ontario insurance is offered by commercial enterprises, they need to break even or make a small loss on cars. Minimum coverage in Quebec is a quarter of that in Ontario so paying a third of the price isn't a great bargain.

2. Two classes in terms of time off work? Sure, yesterday for example, was a holiday for the government and banks while everyone else worked. That's why people who value time not working take government jobs.

scrubbedexpat133

I don't agree nor disagree wholly.

I think that it depends on the perception of those back home. For example we all know the usual suspects of cheese, booze etc that can be eye watering. But how many of the people back home live in a Rabbit hutch sized house with no drive compared to a spacious and often detached house with a nice plot, big drive, garage and garden here? Property tax for me is about the same for a 3 bed semi in Southampton vs a 3 bed bungalow here in Windsor give or take the exchange rate. My wages are better than the UK. (HGV driver). This is offset somewhat by the lower holiday allowance. I tend to take a few weeks unpaid. Car insurance is expensive. Probably because the accident and death rate is roughly 3 times higher and as mentioned people are more litigious. How much is petrol and car tax in Canada vs the UK ?

It is difficult to compare food prices just because of the supply chain differences of Canada vs the EU. I think it is quite likely that this will change in the near future. I do think that prices fluctuate more than the UK. I have adjusted my habits to reflect this. We went Vegan at the start of the year and our shopping bill is significantly lower.

How often and for how long do you visit the UK?

I ask because I have been here for 10 years. I visit the UK usually once a year for 2 weeks. Every time I go back I recognize it less and less. 10 years of Tory austerity and the Brexit saga has dramatically changed the country and the people for the worse IMHO.

vagabonding

I use to go back 2 or 3 times a year before kids. Now it’s once a year for a week or so (last few years)
in regards to your austerity point that’s good and bad. Consumers and the goverment in the UK deleveraged after the financial crisis whereas Canadians have binged on debt based on ever increasing house prices and we know how that ends. Canadian consumers are the most indebted in the world treating houses like piggy banks of which has been deemed the biggest housing bubble in the world and the Ontario goverment holds the largest non federal debt in the world. Who is going to pay that back? Yes homes in the UK are smaller but from someone who has lived in a small house and now lives in a very large house I think somewhere in between is better. Not to mention the heat and cooling bills in Ontario. You literally switch off your furnace to switching the AC on in the same month. Today my AC hasn’t stopped running

there was an excellent post regarding timing of moves and cycles of economies. I seen Canada being at the very top of its cycle right now and tough times ahead especially if this bubble bursts and deleveraging occurs.

all aside I also have been away from my family for 16 years. I also miss the banter and being on the same page with people. I couldn’t careless about ice hockey and skiing. I think I was young and a bit naive when I came here. I got a high paying job which kept me here but with that gone I just don’t see many other reasons to stay. I want cheap travel, historic towns and cities, and a more temperate climate

scilly

Then go, you're not having much fun staying here, unless you enjoy moaning about everything ......... but make sure that everyone in your family is in agreement with you.

That includes your other half, any and all children, and what your family in England really think

Think about what if your partner/children do not want to leave. Are you willing to leave them and be on your own?? Not much fun!

I've been here over 50 years, and have never wanted to live back in England from the day we left in 1967, and my feeling is that it was significantly better there then than it is now.

Just be absolutely sure that you are not just going through a bad phase where everything here is bad and everything over there is rosy. The grass is not always greener when you are actually living there ............. no matter where "it" is!

If you think your house is too big and a smaller one would be better ............ you do NOT have to live in a big house, you know.

We bought a small house in 1967, and we still live in that house. Your house is not for show off, it's for you and your family to have a comfortable life!!

Maybe you don't even have to live in southern Ontario! That's not Canada, you know!! There are a lot of cheaper places to live ............... though don't come to the Lower Mainland of BC, or you'll have more to moan about re costs