citizenmarie

Agree with a previous post: you'll know in time. Just keep gathering information.

I've been looking at this forum for a couple of months now and it's really helped me to decide (at least for now) that I have a very nice life here in SF. I'm happy to work with what I have, rather than uproot and go to the UK, and effectively start from scratch. For me, I think the idea of being "close" to my family is a real desire, but when I look at it realistically, I would only be closer geographically.

As for life in the UK, I feel I've had a good glimpse from this forum and from other sources (films, media, documentaries etc.) that life has changed -- but I've been away 20 years! I wouldn't think 3 years that drastic.

As for "hoodies" -- doesn't mean if you're young, dressed like that, and hanging about bored that you're in a gang. Try to remember you were a teenager once!

mbike

Depends on the reasons you left for Australia in the first place. If you headed off because you were "escaping" from something in the UK, chances are it will return to haunt you when you come back. If, on the other hand, you left to experience a new country and culture and feel satisfied you have fulfilled that ambition, coming back will probably find you in the right frame of mind to face the inevitable upheaval.

For our part, we spent 5 years in Perth, which was more than enough. We love Australia and fully intend to go back at a later life stage but our return to the UK has been a great opportunity to change our lives completely. We moved from London down to East Sussex, on the edge of some of the most breathtakingly beautiful countryside. Our son now goes to an amazing school half a mile from home and our years away converted the relatively modest gains from the sale of our terraced flat in London 6 years ago into enough to help to buy a 4 bedroom house in the centre of a lovely village - courtesy of the falling pound.

My wife is a lot happier and the kids (7.5/3.5) have taken to UK life very easily.

The only downside was the passing of my mum five months after we returned - but at least we saw loads of her in that time and never got the dreaded call in Australia.

Good luck with whatever you decide. As other have said its an intensely personal decision...

easty1976

I think there in lies the problem. The same problems happen in most countries the world over, however the way it is portrayed is the real problem. The same problems are widespread in Sydney but are reported as isolated incidents because thats what they are, in the UK it is portrayed as a breakdown of society(in many ways it is) and an indication that the UK has 'gone to the dogs'. The only thing that has really 'gone to the dogs' is pride in the country.

easty1976

Are you sure you changed the language setting to Urdu.

easty1976

Hey Sally, noticed you live in New York is there much disruption caused by terror drill right now?

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/04/...-drill-in-nyc/

millicent

Hi there,
where have you moved to?
We moved back to Lancashire after 5 years in Ontario.
We have had no regrets returning.
OH got his old job back
son in college
daughter in high school
I'm a housewife with looking to childcare again once house is tidied (boxes everywhere and rooms to renovate)

Life is actually easier in UK than Canada - no changing tyres from summers to winters and back again.
No snow blowing/plowing your driveway before you can go places.
We actually think the people are politer in the 5 years since we were last here.
We love that good old British sense of humour and gorgeous food tastes at reasonable prices.
We could not believe dairy and electricity prices in Canada. Over £120/month on electric for heat then air-con.
There's more variety of stuff in the shops locally, more variety of cars ( not those insane big Canadian trucks) great hotels and restaurants. Just more sophistication all round.
At first, you think the roads are small, but you get used to it. It's a great country, full of history and if the truth be known there was as much crime in Canada and more in Australia and even worse in America, it's just portrayed (or not) differently in the newspapers.

Good luck in your lives everyone wherever you go whatever you do.

millicent

The papers in the UK seem to scaremonger. We've moved back from Canada to a rural part of Lancashire and not regretted it one bit. Missing family was our greatest pull back, there was an ache in my heart every day.
The seasons are wonderful, we're doing up our house and the old plasterboard has been outside on our trailer for 10 days and NO RAIN soggying it - hooray.

We've had a wealth of experience emigrating but it has really made us appreciate we missed.

Food and clothing's cheaper here and we were surprised at the inexpensive washers(£160), dryers(£160), cookers (£370), tvs (32" for £300).

We wish you all the best whatever you do

Mallory

Glad you are enjoying being back Millie. I have never lived in Canada, but it sounds horrible. Awful food, weather, big trucks, and people not very polite. It appears you will be much better off financially in the UK. Canadians must be feeling the pinch of the recession more than in other places. Good luck to you!

sallysimmons

It's interesting but Canada has suffered from the recession less than either the US or the UK. They didn't allow the same rampant capitalism in their banking sector and so they weren't hit as badly when everything crashed.

Millicent, I have lived in Canada and I think it's a lovely country, but I definitely know what you mean about the pull of family and home. Glad it's working out for you! And interesting to hear about those low prices. I had thought those items would be more expensive than the US but it sounds about the same.

quoll

Ahhh, thanks, will remember that next time!

ann m

Awful food, weather and big trucks? It's just different.

The people are VERY polite - almost too polite - it's hard to get to know them

Canada is probably feeling the recession LESS than most places. All the banks survived and no-one has been bailed out yet.

FrequentFlyer

I've been back four months now.

Work wise it is very very hard. I have had to be very flexible in what I do and so far only managed to get temporary office work. It seems that proper permanent contracts like we used to get are very hard to find. There are still jobs advertised but the problem is where five years back there would be around 10 applicants, now there will probably be over 100 and that is for an administration job for example. So no matter how good you are it is hard to get the interview.

I agree with the negativity and what seems to be a poor attitude of the nation. The media are all bad at always writing how bad things are. People here are largely wealthier and have more facilities and high living standards than people do in NZ. Housing to income ratios are better here than in NZ - like it is impossible for first time buyers in Wellington on 45k to buy a average house costing in excess of 450k. But still the press moans and groans and convinces people they are badly off. I've stopped buying the papers. The kiwis dont like bad news so they dont generally report any or report on the unrest across the world and it seems to work with folks living in a parochial bubble although we used to say it was a bit head in the sand attitude at the time.

There are good and bad about all places. When I write it down my list of pros and cons is even between NZ and UK but as my folks are too old to travel I can only be in UK for the present time. At least I have indefinite PR for NZ and can return any time in the future which is a bit of insurance.

toodlepip

That's good to read, we are heading back after 4.5 years in Melbourne, we didn't leave England because we disliked it, it was like you said, we just wanted to experience life in a different country and feel we've done that now and I want to see more of my family, especially my young nephews & niece. The time feels right to move on

It's very odd though, when I've told people we're going the immediate response is almost always "Don't you like it here?" Seems so hard for people to get their heads around that wanting to go and live back in England does not necessarily = hating Australia! (though in all honesty I like it less and less the longer I spend here).

Sarah

I agree so much. Your comment reminded of when I worked in local government in England, our team was celebrating the fact that we'd managed (on our budget) to renovate over 300 houses for disabled adults. Got more victims of domestic violence than ever before in our region into safe housing and away from their abusive partners, and were helping to clean up and 'green' the poorer areas of the county. The people in our team had worked their absolute balls off doing it, working an insane number of hours a week while only getting paid for 37, we'd all pulled together to make it happen. When the local press got wind of what our team had done, they decided to write a story on it, the headline was all about how we'd failed to paint lines for a parking space outside ONE disabled mans home within a 3 week deadline that we'd given him. Nothing about any of the other things we'd done at all, not a jot about it. The article just continued to talk about how 'people like us' just jollied about at the taxpayers expense while poor disabled people like this man were left out in the cold.
It was so disheartening. Later on that week a reporter from the paper called my desk and asked for a quote about what we thought of the article and the disabled man. When I refused to speak to him his reply was "look if you don't talk to me, you're forcing me to just make it up."
When it comes to the British press, you can't win. They don't want to know about anything positive at all, its all negative. As Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the NHS said, "I read the newspapers every day. They are my one constant source of fiction."

Beedubya

I have been back 6 weeks now and am settling down nicely. The job situation isn't the greatest as it's all online and they must get 1000's applications for the jobs especially as different agencies have the same jobs........then again when I went back to Australia in April 2010 I was unemployed for a full 3 months, here I have at least had 3 interviews so far.......but no job.....YET!! It's just a numbers game, the more you apply for the more you have a chance.

It's been lovely spending time with family, I have had more social life this past 6 weeks than I had in the past 6 months in Oz.

I have been on more days out too and thoroughly enjoyed walking around quaint little towns and villages.

Here is an example of a day out in a Northern City, Liverpool last Friday the day before the Grand National.

The streets were PUMPING, all the trendy bars and bistro's were full to overflowing, smart shops in Liverpool One, guys all dressed up in suits and ties and ladies in their finery for the race events, I went into a few dress shops, the queues were that long that I left as I am not used to sooo many people in one shop LOL!! There was new building and renovation everywhere, like a new Liverpool is emerging. I got a ferry over the Mersey as I wanted to see the skyline, WOW it has changed so much!!!

Recession?

Well it is not showing much sign of it despite what the Daily Fail has to say........

Everybody I know has a job, a car, nice places to live, always buying clothes and go to Europe at least once a year.........my sister will go to Turkey for Easter, Paris for Mother's Day and Italy in September, she is on less money than I was in Australia.

Everybody I know is making plans for their trips, when I lived in Australia I certainly could not afford holidays like this, I hope to be in this position myself by this time next year..............