So we've been here just over 2 years in Langley BC, just outside Vancouver, we've added a little daughter to the family and now are thinking about moving back the the UK.

Work prospects here are miserable, I have found the Union restrictions in my industry (camerawork) just that: Restrictive. My wife never found an equivalent job here as she had in London, as this is just too small a city to offer the kind of diverse opportunities as most other major cities in the UK do.

We discovered that our dream home in the suburbs (huge, open plan etc. etc) was situated in a totally soulless suburb that required a car journey to do anything. ( I never realised how much i enjoyed walking everywhere!)

I would have to agree with many posters that although Canadians are very nice and friendly, any deeper friendship beyond the basic is hard. Our closest friends here consist of an ex-pat Brit and her Canadian husband who spent 10 years in the UK, but the guys I have met and befriended here don't seem to do anything without their wives, so don't have an independent circle of mates who go to the pub, play golf etc.

The Scenery here on the west coast is spectacular, the campsites in the national/provincial parks are great and there is a wonderful feeling of wilderness. But I have done less hiking etc than when I lived in London! With poor work prospects and no money we can't afford to get out much!
So we are know considering a move back; we have missed all those travel opportunites to Europe as we are so far from anywhere that we can't afford to go.

It's hard not to think of going back as a failure, and I'm afraid we'll have regrets once we get back! Moving countries is tough and expensive. I am dreading going through all those moving shinannigans again!

I feel for you. Not easy decisions to make. I agree with you about the work prospects. The longer I stay here, the more I am convinced that the lower mainland economy is entirely based on immigrant money (legitimate or otherwise) and drug money (obviously not legitimate). My OH works in radio/tv and jobs have been disappearing with alarming regularity over the past few years (more radio lay-offs today at CFUN). The work prospects here are no better than in any UK provincial city. Could I ask, is your camerawork, in the field of movie, tv or other? Just asking as OH has worked with most TV companies here and may know someone...

I can put certain search words into canadian internet work sites and virtually nowt comes up. Put the same into UK sites and I see reams of suitable jobs, I could apply for (and I'm beginning to do just that). Chin up.

It's definitely not a failure, it just didn't work out for you that's all. Your story is not uncommon, especially in these tough times. If it makes economic sense to move back to secure jobs you both enjoy, then moving back sounds the right thing to do. If you can honestly see yourself back in the UK in a few years anyway, why prolong the agony any longer?

If you were here telling us you are moving back because you miss hob nobs and Tesco's, then that is the wrong decision.

Whether or not your wife has contacts, brizzle, if dude here isn't in the union or has just joined, he's bottom pick. If it's a union show, then that's how it goes. He might be able to get work on non-union gigs.

As far as the media goes, the internet has changed the playing field everywhere. It's not just a vancouver thing, or a canadian thing, it's an industry wide shift that's affecting the big US channels too..why you think it's just vancouver is beyond me??? I have family & friends in Toronto and it's tough there too, it's a tricky transitional time right now and no one has figured out what the new paradigm is yet.

to the OP - It's too bad you're living in a soulless burb, I'm sure that's not helping. I'd dump the 'dreamhome' for a smaller, tattier place closer in in a walkable community like east van, north burnaby, kits etc.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time. Stupid recession.

Well put Danny.

Best wishes to the TW's

Thanks for the kind words - I certainly won't make the mistake that 'if I move back everything will be perfect' . We sort of did that when we moved out here to begin with. Everywhere has got its' downside Canada and the UK included. We planned poorly before we came out, especially where work was concerned and we bought a house way too soon. - I guess we suffered from "emigration fever" !

I feel for you, too.

We've just come back after 30+ years in Canada, last bunch in Victoria. Obviously our situation was different because work was never a problem, but it can be hard to really feel at home after all that time. But others are home from day one.

I really dislike suburbs, especially newish ones. The house size etc doesn't make up for the rest. If you're not really sure you want to come back to the UK I agree with the suggestion of getting rid of the suburban house and living in a lively place in Vancouver.

But if your time away has convinced you that the UK is right for you, have no regrets and just do it. You had an adventure. You got to see a beautiful part of the world and live in a different culture. Now it's "been there, done that" and time to move on.

Bev

One consideration you may have thought of though, if you daughter is Canadian and decides down the road to move back to Canada, without citizenship you would not have the choice as to join her or not, likewise any future children born in the UK would not have that option either.

Prolly a coincidence, but my partner advised a guy who was a cameraman in england about job opps here a few years back. Only his wife was canadian. I guess they lived in a shitty area of London and wanted to get out.

Just curious: did you know about the union restrictions before you moved out here? I know the other guy moved out here anyway, but he was at least forewarned.

We moved back to the UK from Canada 5 months ago and been too busy enjoying it to think of myself as a failure. It was totally worth all the moving shenanigans, why waste any more time somewhere you hate being?

Dont ever think of it as a failure.You have given it a try and it's not working out. So you have to work out what is best for you and your family and follow that dream. So many people never even give their dreams a try, you have. You wont always be wonderering what if, when it's too late to try, you know. Make the most of the rest of the time you have there and start planning the future you want for your family. Life is too short. Plan your next move and enjoy your next adventure. Dont have any regrets.
Chris