Any tips??? we will be living in Surrey, two of my children are already there having started the school year and boarding , they wont be boarding once my visa comes through.
I was over there 2 weeks ago to settle my boys into school ... theyre 13 and 16 yrs. The weather was beautiful and the area we have rented a house is gorgeous, just very different from inner city Sydney. My Pom hubby is there but will return next week to help tie things up here.
I lived in the UK (London) over 19 years ago and love it, just nervous about adjusting and finding new friends, we have a very social and close network here in Sydney.

Tips? Buy an umbrella ... be prepared for reverse culture shock ... and if your kids are Aussies, be prepared for them to also have culture shock or difficulty adjusting (though most accounts on here indicate that kids are more resilient than us, there have been some stories of kids really struggling with the different culture in schools here).

Ermmm ... be careful about addiction to Cadbury's and other assorted confectionary delights that seem to be available at rodiculously low prices (two big tins of Roses for £5 at the local Co-Op!!!). Be careful driving in cities - the narrow roads and unpredictable manouevres take a lot of getting used to ...

Difficult to advise in any further detail as you don't really give much detail or what sort of information you are looking for, but good luck!

Kids are doing very well, love the school and very happy SO FAR but I'm sure once winter hits there will be complaints.
Looking for tips on how to adjust (not a big chocolate eater ), how to intergrate .... and how to embrace ....looking forward to being close to Europe, visiting new places but also want to be part of the community as we are here in Sydney......getting involved with the school is one option. People I met in our local town in the UK seem friendly enough, just feeling I'm going to be MRS OZ no friends

I don't know if you work F-T or have some spare time, but a perennial piece of advice I see for finding friends, regardless of whether a person is MBTTUK or emigrating, is to volunteer (school activities, local animal shelter, etc.).

I'm probably not the best person to give advice in that area. After over 5 years here, I'm still Billy No Mates.

Have found it very easy to pick up with old friends and to make new ones actually. Not working so that cuts out a lot of social connectivity but my hobbies and a concerted fitness campaign have led to new friends, as has a nice community spirit in our village.

The weather wasn't nearly as awful as I anticipated last winter but my uncle tells me the abundance of hips and haws this year presages a harsh winter.

You will enjoy the variety of life I suspect - far more than in an equivalent area of Aus and in the supermarkets and shopping centres.

Good luck with your move!

If you live in Sydney you'll be used to rain! Good luck!

Good luck with it all. Where in Surrey will you live ? We used to live in Woking.

Everyone is different of course but we just fell straight into UK life, we are now in a rural location and the people are incredibly friendly and have helped make the move easy. Brits are by and large friendly and approachable and making friends certainly shouldnt be an issue. Our kids are Australian born and bred and love it here, the only thing they miss is their best friend but they have made other really nice friends here now.
I agree with Quoll about the variety of life here, we are loving it.

Thanks for the wishes, we will be living in lower Bourne Farnham.

Thanks that's great reassurance, I thought that would be the case and my kids are certainly making friends ( 2 of them are currently boarding in the UK), im sure it will take effort from my behalf but always easier when there are children ti expand the network. Really looking forward to being close to such a variety of countries and options.

No problem, I do get criticised for being too positive which is weird but I am a glass half full type so cant help myself.
Our experience has been almost totally positive and we are loving life here, I could note the couple of negative things that have happened since getting back like the hassle we had getting our gas meter allocated a number so we could be connected but they seem trivia in the big picture.

aroundtheloop- Welcome and best wishes for your move! I am not in the UK yet so I can't offer any tips for you but my kids are similar age to your kids so I will be curious to hear how things continue to go for them.

You know what, people will criticise anything and everything! I wouldn't read much into people telling you you're too positive- then again if you're positive then I guess you wouldn't read into it at all anyway. I think it's great to be positive, that's exactly the type of person I want to be and who I want to surround myself with.

Some people can only be negative, it just isnt in them to be anything but negative.
I dont worry about it, my glass is half full and that is what matters. If you told some people the sky was blue they would say that the sun was too bright

Unfortunately I know quite a few people like that ..... Best to avoid them

Tiz true, although been gorgeous weather recently