Moving back to the UK

[Angelica999]

Hi everyone

We've been living in Australia for 12 years and it's been great. Recently both my husband and I have started to feel quite homesick, maybe due to the travel bans/lockdowns and have talked about moving back to the UK.

We have a 14 year old son who is really happy here and settled, he said he would think about moving too if we were keen too, but I have told him that unless we all agree we'll stay put. My dad is 80 and in good health, but at that age, you never know how long you have, my mum died when I was young so he's been on his own. I feel guilty about that most days.

For the first time in 3 years we are flying back to the UK on Thursday for a month and I know that my husband will be keen to look at areas to live in, we used to live in rural Chester and were very happy there also before moving. We would be open to places like Bath, York, Bristol and some areas of Cheshire. He works in tech so being able to commutable to a large city would be a bonus.

My questions are....

1. Has the UK nosedived in terms of quality of living in the past few years, I hear so much negativity about the economy, crime, schools, healthcare, etc.
2. If you love where you live please tell me, I prefer the countryside with market towns, great cafes/restaurants, good community, low crime (obvs) peace and quiet and space.
3. Is 14 a bad age to move a boy to another part of the world, even though he will be around more family? He's very confident and sociable so I'm hoping he would be okay.

So many questions! Thanks for getting this far!! 😩

It's a good decision. Migrants moving out of the UK and coming back to EU countries speak for themselves how good it got here...

@DownNative she's literally just provided an update saying she thinks the UK is shit now?

Are you a member of the “Ping Pong Poms” fb group? If not definitely join it and ask this question there as you’ll find many others who have done the same move.
If your son is keen I’d recommend going asap. He’ll need to have been resident in the UK for 3 years so as to avoid paying international student fees for uni. He may need to catch up a bit academically but will have time to do so.
many people on here will tell you how awful things in the UK are, some issues are global and the impending recession will definitely be felt worldwide. I’d always recommend finding out how life is in the UK for yourself. Maybe keep your house in Oz and rent it out if possible.
Good luck!

She did not say the UK was shit, or anything approximating it.

@echt knew there would be one! Sorry next time I’ll attach a disclaimer to my comment

Changed and not for the better definitely could be it's now shit. Granted that's not exactly what OP said exactly but that's how I read it.

I think it's fine to move back because it's for family reasons and in the bigger picture that's more important. Living here is fine if you have good salaries. So I'd check that before deciding it's poor quality or high inflation etc. about your son - he won't get higher uni fees (rather, it's ideal to move now) because you'd have finished 3 years here before he goes to Uni. In your shoes I'd move now than later just so that he could go to a UK Uni than one in Aus which would be too far away if you choose to move back then. Move now, find a good school for your son, he can catch up for GCSEs. My 15 year old hasn't started much prep, so it's not impossible to catch up if he's academically good. See the bigger picture.

So are parts of Australia in fairness. I have a couple of friends moving back after 25 years there.

No where is a wonderful utopia

It's a hard age to move. I've moved my kids at similar ages (12 and 13) but within international school system so easier to manage but still hard. Also Australia has the problem of non-aligned school years plus moving straight into GCSE years (presumably would start Year 10 at 14?)

I think the idea to wait a few more years until DS is of uni age is a good one since you have no burning reason to move. Yes, you may need to spend on non home fees if he comes with you but could still be worth it for everyone's mental health.

Where have you looked op? I live near Bristol but on the coast and it's a great place to live, definitely closer to the Australian lifestyle than some parts of the U.K. added bonus is that it's significantly cheaper than the Sydney area, living costs are lower especially luxuries like eating out. The teens here have lots of freedom mostly hanging out on the beach and in the beach caves

Having lived in five different countries, I still find the UK has been and is the best out of the 5. I'm clearly in the minority here but I'd say don't get too influenced by what people say. Sometimes you just know.

Another UK lover here too, I think we get a good deal.

Haven't read all of thread.
Where are you in Aus?
People saying housing is expensive here - I think it's worse in Sidney (than London).

School year age for starting is beg September in England, Feb in Scotland.

Were you near good unis in Aus for DS.

Australian friends are saying Gold Coast is filled to bursting after lockdown in the cities. So too crowded now.

If DH/ you work from home Cornwall is surfing place in England. Western Isles in Scotland. Nice cities outside London Bristol, Edinburgh Etc

hi @FrenchFancie
Just read your message, and EVERYTHING resonates with me! Except I'm about 6-9 months behind you when you sent this message. My husband has decided he wants to move back to the UK to be closer to family and he's not happy in Aus. He could get a better salary in the UK (well so he believes, but that there's a recession, I wonder if that will even eventuate), I work in healthcare, so I'll be disadvantaged hugely, and working in the NHS is the reason we left in the first place! so LOTS of emotions.
But I'd like to know how've you settled in?
what was your experience with the schools?
and how did your kids settle in, especially with the school transition?
did you ship any stuff over, like things that had sentimental value?
how did you find settling into a smaller house?
that's one of the things I'll miss the most - we've become so used to a 4 bed house on 1000sqm, with a pool, 2 lounges, a study etc...

Maybe you can DM if possible just to give me some tips etc...thank you

I emigrated almost 50 years ago. I always thought when I retired I'd return to the UK. A visit 10 ago quickly changed my mind. I even got a bit worried I'd get stuck in England for some reason and was so happy when the landing gear retracted and Heathrow disappeared beneath me.

😄I like a strong opinion!

OP I 100% personally wouldn't move a happy 14 year old used to Oz. Having a happy teen is not always a given!-& it's a hard time to uproot him. I'd say when he's finished school and making uni decisions, that's a good time to think about it.

I get that you are worried about your dad, though. Is there a chance he could come and live with you?

We’ll we’ve been back 3 months now. DD managed the move much better than I thought she would - she’s settled into her new school and isn’t behind. She’s found making friends tricky, but is slowly getting there.

the biggest adjustment has been to our standard of living - we’re in a much smaller house and everything seems to cost so much more, so we can’t just spontaneously go out and eat because we fancy it. I know most people can’t, but we could when we lived abroad, and just generally had fewer money worries.
I’m missing the sunshine and good weather - I’m thinking of buying a SAD lamp because I swear to god I haven’t seen the sun since Saturday and it’s making me a bit odd!

as for the shipping, we sent a 1/2 container back (we shared with another family) so could bring back quite a bit of stuff, all our sentimental things came, and souvenirs of our travels while we were away. I did have to throw out quite a bit though - I think two skips worth in the end, which was just criminal. We couldn’t afford the extra shopping cots. I keep going to get something then realising I’ve either thrown it or sold it!

all in all the move wasn’t as horrific as I thought but it was still a struggle. I’ve found a job, which helps. I still keep dreaming of my old house and life and it can be a bit of a kick in the guts when I wake up and realise I’m now in a cold small house in Yorkshire!!

feel free to DM me if you have any questions I haven’t covered….

I love the U.K. as pp, but also Aus is great. It’s a big move for your teen though and I’d think about that part mostly

Also jobs?

FrenchFancie
why did you move back if you don’t mind me asking!