MikeUK

Some interesting thoughts after being back in the UK for a year

I am living in an Old English cottage from 1850’s not that dissimilar to my turn of the century farm house in Canada, only key upside is three bathrooms instead of 1
I now live approx. 35mins form Birmingham centre, I used to live approx. 40min form Toronto Airport
UK house approx. 13% more expensive
But mortgage costs are 30% cheaper ? …… a competitive market……. ?
Energy costs Gas + Elec almost the same over a year, splitting single digit percentages
Insurance for house and car again around 30% cheaper…
Food and beverages bills around 10% cheaper
Gas Bill (moving from 2.5l petrol to 1.8l diesel) 10% cheaper and no loss in performance either

Ebay work’s here, postage is reasonable, shipping is fast, and no nasty brokerage fees form abroad
Is it more crowded, well everything is closer, but the cities seem just as packed and crowded (Birmingham to Toronto..)
But with decent rail travel parking isn't a big issue, certainly it’s the way to get in and out of London, having a competitive market for Airlines make travel much much cheaper

Do I miss things …yes.. Holidays on the great lakes, road trips to the US, shopping in the US
Would I go back….. NO … the winter is the key blocker, and that’s not going away if anything it’s only going to get worse

Financially form my perspective having done this twice, there is not real significant difference, and the day to day living isn’t that difference either (1st world nations)

In my personal perspective schooling here is pushing my kids and they are really improving, But I put that down to a school to school difference, my wife the teacher is a little more critical of Canadian educational system, but our data is to limited to comment on that issue

So IMHO

If you moved to get a bigger or better house, then you might have managed for much less money by moving in the UK

If you did it for your kids at least in the UK you can move schools and you’re probably lying to yourself anyway

If you moved for space to get away from the crowed, then I hope you’re not in one of the main cities and you did move to the country side as so many don’t

If you did it as a change, a life experience, to see somewhere else, to grow then good luck, enjoy

Mary louise

I've been here 3 months now and am really regretting taking the kids out of their British schools (especially my oldest as she's just gone into grade 9 here - would have been year 10 in the UK, so got to stay here now til she finishes school my husband says) and moving from our home town (Chichester). Am disgusted with myself as I was the one who pushed for this move and now desperately want to go back. only good things have been it finally got us out of the privately rented house we were in ( after 13 years !!) and because we are now living rent free at my husband's business, we can save to hopefully get together a deposit. All the other bits like, being near family, hockey games, we can experience when we come here on holiday, which we will as my husband is Canadian. Good to hear your opinion. There's no way I could do 10 years here - I don't hate it but I miss so much about the UK. Unfortunately we really need to do another year here to get the business back on track and my hubbie would do his nut if I tried to push for a move back in twelve months too

MillieF

Hang on in Mary Louise...three months is "I'm going utterly nuts time". Canada doesn't force us to stay, nor do our husbands....our kids will always start to fit in where they perceive 'us' to be happy. Very best of luck I think it's horrid too 'on occasion'...other occasions it not so bad

rivingtonpike

That's a really interesting post. I think there are a host of very valid points and comparisons that a lot of people could and should consider when contemplating moving to Canada. Do you think your opinion might have been different if you'd lived on the west coast and not had to suffer the long cold winters?

MikeUK

I often thought that, but every time I went to work in our Vancouver brewery, the work ethic was even worse than in our eastern breweries...

So I may have avoided the winter commute, I think my day to day work life would have deteriorated..

Having said all that, one of the biggest factors after the winter was the lack of R&D type Jobs in Canada, most of the decent jobs were rapidly heading south or back to Europe

colchar

For the record, there is no such thing as a Canadian education system. Education is a provincial matter in Canada and within provinces there are countless individual school boards.

MikeUK

and individual schools....

But my wife is a trained Ontario teacher... ask her and she'll quite happily use the term Canadian education system as will many of her colleagues when comparing to other countries education systems..

She has taught in two provinces and also on the native reserves, her friends have also taught around the world, Europe, far east and South America...

IMHO our boys moved from a bad school enabled by a poor provincial system, being strangled by a large teachers union...

My wife's opinion, knowing the system better than me, was less forgiving and will point out how much they have progressed in the last yr in the UK and remind me how if we're in a bad school here we can change

As I said my wife's the critic when it comes to education....

Shard

Good post. Just cannot believe it's already a year!

Is there anything in the UK that you had forgotten you dislike or that annoys you?

scootb

Glad you don't regret heading back to the UK,I couldn't move back now,my missus and kids are so much happier in Canada than they ever were in the UK.

MikeUK

I think its all depends on where you start from, what your expectations are, and what you want out of life..

IMHO one 1st world country to the next is just the fine detail

there are no big differances...

just small ones that you think count more than others...

not2old

on work related issues or your personal outlook on life having lived in Canada 10 years - has it made you a better or different person, do you do things differently now than you would have done if you'd never lived in Canada?

I'm trying to get a sense of what has changed (if anything) in you and/or your wife being back home?

Are you more open, reserved, watchful, you don't or do you take things for granted differently than before ... from those, or a host of other points?

MillieF

I wanted to say how very much I enjoyed your post. Ten years is a long time, and more than long enough to know if it's the best place to be

I wish you continued happiness in the UK....I can't believe a whole year has passed since your departure either

rivingtonpike

Wow, you get up early! It must have been 6am! You coping better with the weather so far? We have about 1cm of snow and you'd think the sky was falling on our heads.

For myself, I think there are things about Christmas in the UK that I miss more than the regular stuff through the year. I think Christmas, generally, is done pretty well in the UK. Not so much here on the west coast.

Shard

Could be worse, you could be in Australia or NZ

MillieF

I'm generally at my 'best' mentally at 5.30 to 6.00 am....it goes down rapidly after that! Yes, I keep hearing all the 'horrors' of the West Coast "my God it snows" Who knew?

We've had quite a lot of snow already and today freezing rain, some days I can believe I'm Mary Poppins, but others I'm more Stig of the Dump! Thank you!