Jerseygirl

The hot summer weather is one thing I would miss about the US. Knowing that from May/June through September you can pretty much rely on every day being hot and sunny.

Dumbledore

Yeah, I would really miss the brighter and warmer weather in Australia & NZ

Fish n Chips 56

At least you are aware of this before going back, Life is full of trade offs youve got to decide what is most important to you, Not just now but down the road 20-30 years, its pointless waiting till you are too sick to leave before making that decesion ...

Being sick miles away from friends and family is an awful feeling, just imagine how you would feel in your later years, possibly unable to travel or living in a care home with few visitors, My Mum was like that here in the USA, meanwhile all our realitives were in the UK, her sister came to visit while Mum was in the home, she hated to leave and promised to return but then said it was too expensive with the cost of Insurance...

Talk to your husband and see how he feels, just be aware there are trade offs, its not exactly the same place you left, but in many ways it is...

Good Luck to you...

Dumbledore

Thanks fish n chips. The situation you describe with your mum is definitely what I'm a bit frightened off. The hospital experience I had definitely made me acutely aware of being very isolated in NZ from my family in Scotland. There was also an 80 year old on my ward from Bulgaria who had only 2 visitors in 5 days and kept going on about her brother, who was a retired heart surgeon and lived in New York. I have to say - esp as my husband and I don't want kids - that it did cross my mind whether I would be like that in another 40 years time.

My biggest worry after 14.5 years away though would be finding work if we did go back as the last time I was employed in the UK was back in early 1998. My husband has no employment experience in the UK - other than a short stint for 2 years when he was 19 & 20. I'm aware we may have to go to London for a couple of years to get some experience under our belt before looking to move north.
I keep hearing dire reports about finding work although saying that when I look at the unemployment rate in Scotland of 8.2% it is not that dissimilar from the current Auckland rate of 7.9%.

What is everyone's experience of trying to find work upon going back ? I am an accountant and my husband in IT (project management / business analyst).

welshviking

Enjoying our new found freedom!! How've you been?

Leither

Unemployment figures are often (always) manipulated by governments. You are better looking at employment rates, which show that the situation in Scotland is better than NZ:

NZ Employment rate

Scotland employment rate.

Don't worry about your lack of experience in the UK. The UK doesn't have a chip on it's shoulder and relevant experience is accepted wherever it is gained.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Jerseygirl

OK...same old same old.

Mummy in the foothills

Thats one thing I won't miss.
I get trapped inside by the heat. If I'm out in it too long I get all weak and queasy. No matter how much water I drink and if I stay in the shade as much as possible.

lf1

Not that we get too much hot weather up here, but when we do I can't stand it. Looking forward to the more temperate climate of the UK

hearthandhome

I'm coming home for many similar reasons. I suffer from chronic illness and the Texas weather is cruel to me. I am literally a prisoner of the air conditioning 9mo of the year. I was once a skilled equestrian and small-holder. Now in the states I face raising my son thousands of miles from my aging mother. A sister I want to know. A childhood friend I love dearly. I miss rain. Which i acknowledge is a bit weird but I could do without all this sunshine. I think park of me was too well evolved and adapted by my Welsh heritage to be comfortable this close to the equator. If I don't take this opportunity to bring my family home it may be too late. I can always go to Spain when I need wringing out and sunning. Fortunately my husband is retiring from the services and we can pick a spot and start again. Even if the change of climate doesn't help my illness it will at least mean I can see my mum.

nun

I'm close to leaving the US and moving back to the UK because I've been looking for a job to two years now without success. I have a job, but want something more satisfying. I have skills that are useful in the defense industry, but I'm a dual US/UK citizen so unless I give up my UK passport and do the security clearance thing I can't get those jobs. There's very little for me to do in the civilian world with shrinking budgets and I'm too highly qualified and "mature" at 51 to be considered by most companies. So I'm thinking about early retirement back in the UK so that I don't have to pay $500 a month for health insurance as I would in the US if I left work.