We are considering moving back to the UK because of the high cost of living here and missing family. Has anybody that moved back to the UK regretted it an wish they had stayed? We have 2 kids to consider as well and just don't know if we are doing the right thing going back.

They even have a name for them, ping-pong-poms.

Personally I would wait till 24th June - because if they vote for 'leave' you are going to want to avoid the UK for the next decade.

Worthwhile considering the education/university position regards kids - IIRC you need 3 years to be considered a local.

I think you may be better off asking this of these that have made the move, so I shall move this to the Moving Back to the UK forum for you.

Depends where you are now and where you are moving to, how much money you can earn in either location, etc.

I've pinged ponged a few times. Australia suits me right now.

I got fed up with the weather in the UK.

To a lesser degree the high cost of London was a small factor, but generally I know the most expensive places are always the best.

I'm finding getting the child out of the house in Sydney (Australia is vast so I should specify that) is far easier for most of the year than London (I should also specify location).

I may go back at some point but not today.

I couldn't care less about the wider family. They will always be there, doing the same sh8t.

We are right in the middle of trying to decide so I'm with you. It's hard. I miss my family terribly, have a great life here but I know my roots and family are there. If you do some ping-ponging and if it doesn't bother you or your two children then so be it. Depends on their age of course. And it's costly. I'm fed up with moving, have three teenagers so I'm wanting some stability right now. Two don't want to leave and one does. family is my pull, but not the same for everyone. Good luck for some clarity and I can keep you posted on our decision and how we feel if we get there!!!

I am someone that has made the move recently - almost 4 months ago.

No regrets. Even though we have moved from a big shiny new house with stunning views, to a 3rd floor apartment, I am still very glad to be back.

+1

I believe that once you have lived somewhere else there will always be a sense of wondering if you did the right thing and to an extent a feeling of being unsettled.

I have lived overseas on two separate occasions, I was very unhappy in Bermuda but years later I still wonder should we have done another year or two and wonder what it would have been like had we stayed.

I was perfectly happy in Australia and there are some things that I miss and that I preferred about Australia. Regret it though, no. I don't have that mindset, I am here in UK now and we have a good life. Make the decision and don't look back.

This question is interesting because it serves for me to take stock of how I feel having moved back from US 6 yrs ago. We are older and no family.

I feel that I went through a lot of stress and effort in the process and after in order to end up no happier than I was in US. I do not feel that my life was improved by coming back -but then I didn't have home sickness or miss family or cost of living concerns.

I didn't ping pong back to US because I am not inclined to make decisions lightly. Also I tend to look forward rather than back. This is what it is and no harm has come to me in UK.My happiness here is in my hands.

The reason to move to US originally was because of a job transfer opportunity and if that hadn't arose I probably wouldn't have moved out of UK in the first place.
I had settled quite happily in US and am very glad we went, for reasons of experience, adventure and personal finance.

My wife was the unsettled one in US with the desire to come back and after 18 yrs we agreed it was time to do so. She feels more secure here with a NHS and society that suits her needs.

Best wishes with your decision making. I've always found it helps me to set a deadline, for instance pick a date and put aside the worries, let things shake out as you go about daily business and then decide by that date.

John

Hi we have not regretted it, for us we found it expensive to have a good life in Perth ie holidays, eating out, entertainment, buying good food (the choice of food did get better and with competition the price of a food shop did get a bit lower so that part became better) I remember going to a decent hairdresser and it use to cost a mortgage lol, we managed though but we worked our socks off and lived a good lifetstyle we just missed the UK and Europe and our lifetstyle here is for us better, we are outdoors more, we travel around the UK and overseas, our two sons have completed University here and both gained 1st's and are now going on to do their Master's which they said they were fairly sure they would not of done in Perth, who knows though? I think it all depends on each family, circumstances etc, we did not return to our past living area but wanted to be in the North, it helped having a change of scenery and people here a bit like a new adventure but we are not so far from family but far enough. Good luck with your decision, its not an easy one, I found it's not about which country has the best ie bigger homes, better weather, it really is which one makes you happy and will be good for you.

Came back to the UK 104 weeks ago, i.e. 2 years, and spent about 100 weeks of it regretting it and trying to figure out a way back! I got made redundant in Australia and the UK was the only place that had job vacancies for my experience and position at the time. First job I took did not live up to expectations, and second job I find a bit exasperating for various reasons some of which you could blame on outdated ways of working and attitudes. On reflection I should have maybe taken any kind of job to tide me over and waited for the next opportunity to come up.
Overall, I miss the lifestyle, housing quality/size/cost (cost, yes really, I think you get a lot more for your money in Oz. Try bringing all your stuff back and getting it into a normal 3 bed house!), eating out and the general overall.....optimism I guess you could say.
I was away 10 years, and think things have gotten worse politically, financially and in general standards. Towns just seem so run down and scruffy - no doubt the grey weather adds to the impression as the summers since I came back have been disappointing to say the least.
On the plus side - it is nice to have Europe so close and have been over more in the past 12 months than I ever have in the past. TV in the main is better. Shopping is more varied. Broadband and online services far more advanced. But really all those are just nice to haves rather essential what I want for a decent lifestyle.

You're setting yourself up for disappointment/surprise/shock.

Why? We moved from Perth to UK in March and find everything except housing cheaper. In housing though, we have chosen to live in one of the most expensive parts of the UK - Windsor. Looking at rentals, even in other parts of Berkshire, which is still one of the most expensive counties, it would be cheaper than Perth