PoppetUK

Hi ya,

Hubby, 3 kids and I have been living here for 3 years (Perth). I can easily see a path her for us with jobs. Will need a bit of work but there certainly are options.

We have flights booked for the UK and I know we are going to have to work hard in the UK to find jobs that won't pay that well and obviously raise 3 kids.

Today I just want to be in the UK. I think hubby is having cold feet and finances are his biggest concern. Part of me just thinks bugger it lets go back and make it work because I don't want to be here.

Is there something wrong with me for thinking this!!!!!! Anyone else been in this position?

Poppet

salopian

Exactly the same position. Going back in July and are expecting to be on less than we earn here (Melbourne) (only have 1 child though). To be perfectly honest I would rather be on less income in the UK than stay in Australia. Money can only buy you stuff it can't buy you happiness. Good luck in your decisions.

DDL

My UK husband and I (USC) are moving back in July, as well. We've been married almost 7 years and lived 5.5 of them here in the US. Not long after we get there, he will turn 52 and I will turn 56. He works in IT; I'm a Legal Secretary. Currently, we have no jobs lined up (although we're both online every day looking/applying) or accommodation (fortunately, can stay with his mum if we don't find anything before we get there). We've had a very comfortable life here in the US - have good jobs, each own nice cars, own our home (which we're selling). But we're giving it all up - we're not bringing anything with us: selling it all - to return to the UK.

We know it's going to be hard, we know the risk it involves - but we're tired of the oppressive US employment system (2 weeks holiday/year, etc.) and a few other things, as well.

To be honest, we're still not 100% sure if we're making the right decision, but when is life EVER 100% sure? We're jumping in with all fours and looking forward to the great adventure.

"Cold feet" is normal and, frankly, to be expected. You have your youth going for you. I wish the best for you. It's a very scary thing, I know.

janeyk

not to mention the cost of the move financially we are a lot worse off on the property stakes but we are home!

Angelstation

How true that is! Love your tagline BTW !!!!

Mummy in the foothills

One good thing, even if earning less, you won't have to save for years for a few weeks back in UK.
It's been costing us about $5000 every two years, so we could drop that off our income with no change in standard of living. We never vacation in the US, short holidays and no money.
Also, we don't plan on having a mortgage, so theres another $1330 a month (hopefully buying outright).
We could drop our income by a whopping $18,000 a year and have the same amount coming in in essence.
Holy moly I never added that up before thats about £12,000

Irish Guinness

LOVE IT

Ciderman

We moved back last December knowing that it probably wasn't an ideal time financially with the UK coming out of recession. Took me a couple of months to find a job and my OH looks to have just got one last week.

The biggest financial difference between here and Canada for us is that we were mortgage-free there but will have a mortgage here. However at the end of the day a mortgage is just another bill (slightly larger though) and as long as the income's there to support it then no big deal.

Certainly if you've been away for a significant period then it is going to be like starting over again and it will take a while to get back on your feet but as a few have already said "money can't buy happiness" and it's worth it in the long run.

Stoof

things are definitely going to be tough for us, but then they've been tough here too… we reckon it'll take us maybe 5 years to get back to the position we were in before we left the uk last year…. but as others have said, we'll be home, and (for us) that's worth an awful lot… the biggest thing for us, is that we're heading home to Cumbria with very uncertain job prospects… so, we've decided we'll give it a year at home to get on the way to being re-established, and if we're not there, then we'll head elsewhere in the uk where we can find well-paid work (maybe even south, gulp ) BUT at the moment, we're facing no home, no car, no jobs and two kids… it'll all be fine!!!!!!

brits1

[QUOTE=PoppetUK;8518112]Hi ya,

Hubby, 3 kids and I have been living here for 3 years (Perth). I can easily see a path her for us with jobs. Will need a bit of work but there certainly are options.

We have flights booked for the UK and I know we are going to have to work hard in the UK to find jobs that won't pay that well and obviously raise 3 kids.

Today I just want to be in the UK. I think hubby is having cold feet and finances are his biggest concern. Part of me just thinks bugger it lets go back and make it work because I don't want to be here.

Is there something wrong with me for thinking this!!!!!! Anyone else been in this position?

Hi poppet,

We will loose out really money wise, we sold our home last year well under the asking price, moved into an expensive rental as that was all that was available at the time, sold our car at a loss....etc...we will both take a drop in salary when we arrive home and the shipping is costing a small fourtune...but sometimes you have to see beyond that as we have had all the so called big homes,cars etc here in Aus and for us it just did not make us happy..oh it was nice and some of it I will miss but there was always that "something missing" for us.....took a few years, holidays abroad (to try and recapture "going abroad" as we us to in the UK )a few moves around Perth to realise what it was....did I think we were wrong to go back when we seemed to have more in material things here in Perth...well let me just say it cost me sleepless nights (not my OH or sons)frown lines..lol....and extra grey hairs...but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to be happy....material things are nice but unless you are happy all the money,cars,homes will not change your unhappiness....all the best,

brits1

Good plan.....I met a couple who have just come back to Perth and both are not happ at alhappy be back...I asked why and they said they could not find work (I.O.M) so I asked "did you not want to look elsewhere in the U.K for work"...both looked at me with round eyes and said "we never even thought of that"....both my OH and I are not sure about work when we arrive back in the UK but then again we did not have work when we arrived here in Perth, we both did not know a soul and had never been to Aus before all this with two young boys if we can do it here and beleive yobeliveere was hardley anhardlyhere either when we arrived in fact my OH worked for a bricklayer and had to travel everyday down to Mandurah just for work....bless...I ended up re training and starting on a very,very low salary..so if we can do it once we can do it again....not great but that will be plan B....although I have not checked Saturday's lottery so we may be flying back this Monday with a few million in the bank good luck....Cumbria is a beautiful part of the UK

mbike

We are going back without a job to go to. To be honest I probably could have lined one up but would prefer to find the right company/atmosphere on the ground. It will all be one big adventure - finding a job, a house, settling the kids into school, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Money wise we changed all our savings over from UKP to AUD at 2.54 a few years ago and will be changing them back (plus a healthy 6% interest thanks to generous Aussie Term Deposits) at 1.65 or so. The current exchange rate is certainly a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity for brits heading home.

We have passed the cold feet phase and are now selling off all the stuff we can't fit into the 20ft container. It's actually quite fun

Victor Meldrew

I find my current situation frustrating.

Essentially I want to be living back in the UK - Now!

I am continually putting off going back to UK as I know that;

a) If I do get a job, it will be at best about 60% of my current earnings in UAE
b) As I am currently in my early 50's, there is a high chance I may not get a job and end up living off my savings.

My current job is very reqarding in all ways, but is physically and mentally bloody hard work by anybody's standards.

My current resignation period is about 6 months before I would leave, making it difficult to get a job before resigning here.

If I knew I could get a job, even if it were only sufficient to live a basic lifestyle I would.

I need to stay around another 3 years here (taking me to 56) in order to ensure I would be financially secure enough to weather out any storm (ie unemployment).

Going round in circles

brits1

Please excuse the spelling and grammer mistakes, I am on a friends lap top and when I touch type its a go slow routine...plus I never read back what I have typed....well thats my excuse and I am sticking with it...lol...a week today we will be in Hong Kong....the past few weeks have flown by with amazing speed and apart from the odd hickup I have chillaxed nicely....have to say as well I did enjoy selling items we were not going to take to the UK at first I cried (big softie that I am) but then it became quite theraputic..lol..exchange rate was good for us both ways...2.95 when we came to aus and not bad going back (we changed money quite a few months ago but still not bad...better now though..lol)lost money in shares though but its all swings and roundabouts...just listening to the morning news..and they are saying home rates in Aus will head to 10% even more likely 12%...

spainboy

Ive been in Spain for 13 years and id say for 8 of them ive had a fantastic time. Ive been in the same job for 10 years and i actually earn decent money even by uk standards. i was 24 when i left the uk and now im 37. Ive seen some good people and good friends come and go and in my line of work as a hotel entertainer ive also met and kept in contact via facebook with some fine brits. for the last 5 years I was living with my girlfriend here and unfortunately we split just before xmas and has moved back since. A lot of my good friends are back and settled and I would say im one of the last ones here. In the last 3 years ive missed my mum and dad and family in general and everytime i go back to visit which is about 3 times a year i find myself more and more wanting to stay. They are getting older now and to me time is valuble.
I plan to go back in 6 weeks. The decision in some respects is going to be hard simply because of my job here and going back home to look for a job but in other respects im really unhappy here, more so that i split from my relationship here and all my good pals are back home but whats the point of being unhappy.
I dont think i could earn the money in the uk im currently earning but is it all about that? If im not happy then surely the decision may not be as hard as im making it out to be.