amandat

Hi
I've been reading some threads on here from people who did return or want to return to the UK. I would be interested in hearing why, was it because you missed your family or was there more to it than that.

We have three kids 13, 10 and 7, a four bedroomed house, we are comfortable (money wise, I dont need to work) But have got itchy feet, the weather is s**t here (not a good enough reason to go on its own I know)

I've always wanted to go to OZ but have a sneaking suspicion things will not be the same and definitely wouldn't be if we were to return (after husband has given up his job and prospects)

We want to go (we are not close to our families) but what else will we miss?? Maybe you have/had things you missed that we haven't thought of yet.

Best to think of everythink before hand

Any thoughts welcome :-)
Amanda

The Hastie Family

Hi, was going to post a new thread until I saw this one! My husband and myself (with two children 3 & 5) are planning to emigrate to Oz next year. We are trying very hard to not see it through rose tinted glasses and avoid the 'grass is greener' viewpoint. However, it is very easy to get swept along in all the media and personal accounts of how fantastic Australia is. Although I hope it lives up to our expectations we would really, really appreciate the opinions of others who have found emigrating a negative experience. I try not to think of Australia as being better but just different and we hope to make the whole thing into a big adventure and my parents are coming with us which I am sure will be a big help.
So if there is anyone out there who has given it a go and returned to the UK it would be great to hear your point of view.
The Hastie Family

honeymommy

HI there.. Know that itchy feeling well......

I cannot comment on OZ as never have been there.
I wanted to say something I feel though to give you a picture of the problems we have faced... Our kids are 13,11,8,8... We had to return to the UK this year... visa mess, not our fault..... The thing is... Being back the kids have settled into school, eldest takes his options next year and is allready starting business studies GCSE early. 11yr old has just taken the 11+. Couldn't get eldest into grammar school as no places for his age, so he is at the local secondary comp...... Hubby and I discussed the possibility of going either back to the US or another country, just chatty stuff though.. The thing is we both agreed that with the ages of the children they need educational stability, especially the eldest... So the decision was to stay and give them a stable educational environment.... The biggest hump we saw was... If we did go away and then came back in a year or so for any reason, their schooling would be upset again... They need a good future, especially in todays economy.. A good education is the key in our minds. Oh and college fees were a big concern.. Fees in other countries, especially US, OMG!!!

This is just our experience and thoughts shared to give another view of moving...
Other will have other experiences and thoughts no doubt.. LOL

odaat

We migrated to Oz in 1998, we had 1 son and no money at the time !!
We stayed 5 years and now we are back in UK.

What can I share with you ....
On balance it was agreat experience and I have no regrets, the weather , the difference and the peculiar Oz traits did not rub us up too badly.

The reasons for leaving and returning were purely financial, The middle East and Europe had far more opportunity and profit for me and we "chased the buck" as they say.

We now have 3 children, they are in a top UK private school, the good wife has got her house in the country and I am still cashing up in UK.

The bottom line .... UK and europe stimulates the mind like nowhere else culturally, you will be hard pressed finding such stimulation in Oz.

Odaat.

jad n rich

You have just summed up the exact thoughts of my entire family, we have found it very difficult to settle back into australia after 7 years in the UK.

MikeStanton

Ditto odaat and Jad n rich. If all you want from life is the sun, beaches and endless BBQs, Oz is the place to go. But, if you want more - depth, variety - Oz doesn't get a look-in.

When we first arrived in Oz, we thought it was great. Great beaches, blue skies etc. Then, as the novelty wore off, we scrutinised the land Down Under far more.

As 'professionals' we earned ~50% less in Sydney that in London, although cost of living (except housing) is similar. If you want to travel anywhere apart from the bush, (more) beaches or similar cities - it costs both arms and legs. Oz is not a particularly tolerant country - attitudes to race* and women are similar to UK of 25 years ago. (*Perhaps Oz should be twinned with Spain...)

Of course, Oz is not a bad place to live (if you're white) and we (sort of) settled down. The years rolled by.

It took a 2 year stint in Europe and UK in 2000, to make us realise how parochial Oz really is. In our experience, UK is a far better place than it was when I left in '89. Yes, like everybody else, I am concerned with guns, drugs, education etc. But, if anybody believes crime levels are any lower in Oz, they are kidding themselves big time.

Oz - fine for a holiday. Or the place to be if 'being bored' is your hobby.

Papillon1

Weather usually seems to be the predominant factor or at least one of them, when people express a desire to move away from the UK.
I started travelling in 1995 and am still doing so today, generally in the Middle East and Far East.
That sun coming up every morning without fail drives me mad, I beg for a changing weather pattern, a howling wind, continuous rain, and harsh winter's, I remember sitting in front of my log burner, a cosy glow all over, looking out of the window at the weather.
Nowadays, i can't go anywhere without Air Conditioning, can't sleep at night without an icy blast, can't jump in the car without leaving the door open for 5 minutes to let the heat out.

You have three children to uproote for no purpose other than itchy feet, by the time they reach an age to make a reasoned decision, they'll have itchy feet to get back to where they were born.

Things you'll miss won't seem important till they aren't readily at hand, and the list will grow by the day.

Travelling to new places is terribly exciting for as long as it takes to get there, after that, it's shite, from what you've written above, you have more to lose than you'll gain by going to Oz, its different, like everywhere else in
the world, thats what people don't understand, its the differences that make the UK great.

Solve your itchy feet problem by planning changes in your life at home, give yourself dreams that can be fulfilled in the place you know and understand, you'll not fulfil those dreams any better anywhere else in this world.

Wish i could tell you the way it is in straight talk, but i've softened it up a bit because i'm nice like that.

amandat

Hi
Thanks everyone for your thoughts its given us some thing to think about. Sometimes I think you need to hear different perspectives on things to gain an all round picture.
Thanks again

dewdrop

Hello,

Just read your post, i just wanted to say I was one of those children that immigrated to another country (canada) when I was 3 from London with my parents and now am wanting to go back to the UK. My mum's parents did immigrated to Canada with us(like yours are), then immigrated back to UK 4 years later. Only to return again, to be with me and mum as my parents split...I always thought mum would go back..(i wish she did). Because now, i want to bring my children up in the UK ages 19 mths and 6. Family and cousins are there, something I missed out on, extended family things. Heritage is important to children. I find myself talking about it everyday. have been back numerous times..and never really want to leave. Think about what you have as I here the property ladder is hard to get on, once a home is sold. My parents tried Oz in the 70's, they decided on Ontario, Canada only a 7 hour flight to the UK!! Check out post wanting to move back to the UK

amandat

Hi
Thanks for the reply I dont have a close family hardly see my mum and sister, my dad died 8 years ago, we see my husbands family a bit but they have money and could come over to stay.
The only thing we would be leaving is my husbands job and our house (which we could rent out for a year just to see how we get on)
Just wanted other peoples views on what they miss, still not sure what to do alot of thinking and research to be done maybe if we do it, it will be next year before we act on it, in no rush.
Thanks again

callé

Hi!
Just to add my story (the short version).
Like Dewdrop, my parents brought my two sisters and I to USA when I was five. I missed my extended family terribly... but as you say your family isnt that close, so about our immediate family....
My parents split and we sort of got stuck here. My Mum and two sisters become American citizens and got on with life. I got on as well but I hated being here. I wanted to go back to UK. My father stayed as he met someone new and started another family. He had a heart attack about six years ago and as he was dying, he requested his ashes be spread into a little stream in Plymouth. Thats where I was born. He didnt want his body to be here. I sensed there was some regret as not returning home.
I have now decided that I am going home, but will be leaving my Mum and two sisters.
Oh, that I wish my parents had just taken a long holiday and returned home. Its so hard now for my sisters and I to be splitting up, But it is very strong in my heart to go home. I know I dont want to stay here and would be miserable if I did.
to sum it up, I think you have a brilliant idea to rent your house out and go elsewhere temporarily. I think you should if you have the chance. But I just think it wise not to be so hasty in burning your bridges.

heading downunder 2002

I am sorry if you think that you will only be leaving your husbands job and your house, I too thought like this, and thought well our families will visit and we can go back to the UK every couple of years I was so wrong.

I managed 6 months in Oz but I missed not only family and friends but my history, the green fields (I know it sounds corney) the rain (yes never thought I would say that), the comfort of husband in a permanant job and a salary that we could live on and not have to use our capital (we couldn't have risked buying a house), the familiarity of everything (ie knowing how our health system, tax system etc work), seeing faces that I recognised even when I didn't know them. Christmas didn't feel like christmas, it seemed strange doing my christmas shopping in shorts and buying cards with snow scenes on and it certainly wasn't the same having seafood and ham for Christmas dinner instead of Turkey and the trimmings. People will say I would have got used to all of these, but I know I never would have and I have never regretted for one minute returning. I love life here now (this is probably the only good thing, apart from the friends that we made, that has come out of our move to Oz) and would never ever consider leaving again.

Before we left I was totally prepared for our new lives in Oz and the differences there would be, I knew Oz was nothing like the Uk, we had visited twice and we were up for the challange and then it was like I was hit by a 7 ton truck and I couldn't believe what we had done (funny thing is my husband wasn't keen at first it was me pushing to migrate and he loved it out there).

Your decision to migrate has to be yours and nobody elses (like it was ours) but please do not think that all you are leaving is a job and a house.

Good luck with whatever you decide, it is probably the biggest decision you will ever make in your life.

Susan

JAJ

The common thread running through all these posts is that some people are suited towards migrating to Australia, and some people are not.

You need to work out which group you're in, and if you don't know, ask yourself are you prepared to take the risk.

I would say that the bias on the 'moving back to UK' forum is towards the 'UK is better than Australia' viewpoint.

My own view is that there's no better place on earth to live than Australia, but that may be a comment on my values in life as much as on Australia as a country.

Losing family links is the other reason migrations don't work out, if close to your family, think hard about this.

Jeremy

scrawni

I would say, follow your gut instinct, I think deep down you know that you have doubts, if they are really strong then you need to seriously think about what you and your family are doing.

We have been here for 6mths and we already know that it is not for us long term. I too had itchy feet and I can understand you wanting to move. Come for a year or two, rent the house out and see how things go.

Keep that doorway open, 'just in case'. If you decide to go for it lock stock and barrel then good luck with that too. Jeremey is right, there are two groups of people, the ones who can embrace their new life and give it all they have OR the ones that take a chance but find that even if they like Australia, the pull of home is far too strong.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Mandy

odaat

Not that I want to offend but ....

*Thinking* about migrating is for wimps - and wimps only yack and dream.

There is backbone to Brits and others who pull the pin and do it, dreams become reality - awareness shifts - and reality becomes something you cannot hide from.

When I think back at what we had - and did not have - prior to migrating to Oz, I realise anybody looking in at us would be thinking we were stark raving mad for moving to a great big desert on the other side of the world with a few cities and a lot of flies for company.

We did it, we took our selves over to Oz, we realised we were just not prepared to be *peter pan* boys and rough as Shiela's with footy, pie and VB for conversation 24/7.

Coming back was the easy part - migrating despite the comfy job, house and hubby, that takes balls.

Odaat