To leave Australia and move back to the UK

[nameisnotimportant]

We have a great life here in Aus. Great lifestyle and secure jobs with great friends.

However we miss family so much, especially since having kids. Life in the U.K. would be a lot more secure in terms of buying a house and being able to bring up our kids in one area.

Pros of moving back to the U.K.

1. We could afford to buy a decent sized house in a nice area with a low mortgage. In aus, we will have to rent forever because house prices are absolutely ridiculous and finding a three bedroom in the area we want, would be near impossible. We would also have to stay in an apartment which isn't ideal with children.
2. We would be near family, wouldn't miss all the events like birthdays, weddings. Would have help with childcare and could actually have a date night once in a while.
3. Our holidays wouldn't have to be spent visiting family and would save us a lot of money.

Cons

1. We have a great group of friends in Aus and don't really have this in the Uk, so would have to basically start again in terms of making friends.
2. We would have the uncertainty of having to find new jobs and risk not liking them etc.
3. The U.K. weather, more so how long winter is because we actually don't mind the rain and are kind of sick of living in the sun.

4 Healthcare is better in Aus, we have private health insurance and get quicker access to services as the health system is generally not as strained.

So what do you think we should do. Should we move or stay put ?

OP, we moved back from Australia. The reasons were financial. It is a lot cheaper to live in the UK. I miss the place, the lifestyle, the healthcare but we are more comfortable financially here in UK. The sad thing is it does feel like a compromise.

Move. Doesn’t sound great in Oz. You can pay for private health here too.

I didn't want to move back to UK but my DH put it to me that I would be having to work all the hours to live in Oz vs having an "easier" life here in UK. The lifestyle is wonderful but can come at a price. Housing, food, school fees - so costly.
I will hopefully move back one day but not for now. Meanwhile, I am terrified of ever going into our local NHS Hospital so I suppose it's alos an "upside" that Im being very careful to look after my health.

Wolves Gosh...South Australia couldn't be more different to that!

You have huge opportunity to move back to UK, see how it goes, and then go back to Aus is Oz seems better after all. I can see why you're tempted.

Come back to the UK. Even with Brexit, the weather and the price of fish in Asda, it's still everyday amazing and the best place in the whole world to be.

If you're coming to God's own county, even better: you're landing in paradise

Welcome back

Uk is heading for some sort of apocalypse- stay in Australia

@hennypennyhorror Maybe we'll go there if we decide the move was a bad idea! I don't want to say everyone is like that in Perth as I had lovely friends I just mean there is a general culture of it and those attitudes are commonplace in a way they aren't here.

I left U.K. 5 years ago and wouldn't move back for a million quid. It's definitely changed since the referendum, some people are openly rude and racist, whereas previously, they knew their opinions wouldn't be tolerated. I'll visit my family occasionally but they can just as easily visit me.
Honestly, it's not the same place it was just a few years ago so don't burn any bridges just yet.

wolves you should definitely look into it. Its very beautiful and people are lovely.

If you move back take lots of toilet paper for the cowardly Remainers because they are shitting themselves in terror over Brexit and are afraid of toilet paper shortages.

This comments should not be delete for breaking TTS/rules because of the ugly names pro-Brexit people get called on a daily bases.

Seriously though, I have lived in the U.S for almost 50 years and wouldn't go back for even a visit now to the U.K. It's a horrible place compared to what it was like 50 yrs ago.

Its funny how people experience Australia differently. I moved to Perth ( well 40k south of the CBD, by the beach) in 2013, and have never made so many friends in my life! Also houses here are cheap! Yes Australia is expensive, but salaries are high so we are much better off here.

Anyway, as for the OP, if you aren't happy here, you aren't happy. But don't depend on promises people make. When we moved from London to Ireland my husband's family promised us the earth with child care etc, none of it happened! And really do your research, with schools, jobs, house prices, and leave the door open to return to Oz if you change your mind! There are so many ping pong poms, a friend of mine went back to England and hated it as soon as she got off the plane, but she hadn't finalised her citizenship here. She and her family are stuck in Essex now, hating every minute of it.

As for Brexit, I can't really comment, but if it was me I would definitely wait until the dust settles a bit before moving!

I’d go home but give it a year or so to let Brexit play out. I’m in Melbourne and desperately want to move back but will wait another year. I find urban Aus is a much more indoor lifestyle than the Uk - I miss the woods and mountains and how accessible the countryside is at home. Here there’s lots of it but there’s always a drive/logistics involved. I miss walking through our local woods or catching the train up to the Lakes. And badly miss family and friends

You've got time to make a decision. Sydney is insanely expensive.
If you are thinking about staying in Aussie, have a look around at other places that are far cheaper than Sydney. Put out some resumes in different states areas and see what is out there.

As for going back, I agree with trying to secure work before going and trying for a relocation package. Also note the exchange rate, you'll lose money moving back. Is there a way to go back for an extended visit?

OP I’d probably go back to the UK before your eldest starts school. It’s not really a choice of anywhere in australia vs UK is it? It’s Sydney vs home. And Sydney is a great city while you’re young and fancy free but I think would be hard with kids if you’re not very well off. Houses are insane. We are in Auckland where houses are similarly crazily priced and have had opportunities to move to Sydney/ have had friends move over & move back, and with the cost of living there it seems people are almost invariably worse off. The whole point of living in a Sydney is to live near lovely beaches etc, not out in baking hot trackless deep west.

We are Kiwis, lived in the UK for a few years before ultimately deciding to come home to have kids. I loved the UK and miss it, but I am glad we came home. We try to head back every few years to visit and see old friends but we don’t have to in the same way we would if we had aging parents etc to visit.

Plus all your holiday options in Europe. We’re going to Europe next July and the flights alone for 4 of us 😱💸

And the shorter hours you’ll work. Australian and NZ working hours are long.

Read whole thread with interest. In similar situation as you. Husband and kids want to stay in Aus and I really miss family. So its up to me. We are well off in Noosa. Good job, mortgage free and great schools. So no financial benefit to UK for us. I am going back twice a year so I can see family. Its so hard. Need to make mind up as eldest is 13 . Not fair to move her. I feel like I am going mad , going round in circles!

Having said all of that, we cant afford Sydney or Melbourne. Our lifestyle is good because house prices are still ok here. 4 bed house $750

moomoomummy in the nicest possible way it sounds like you have your decision?

I moved to Australia in 1997 as I was getting married to a kiwi. Lived a lovely life there, had our two boys and a lovely home. My sister and her now ex husband visited every other year as did my parents. My husband's family lived there but to say they were dysfunctional is an understatement. MIL from hell, spiteful beyond belief, FIL was an alcoholic and BIL was a drug addict with a partner who worked as a prostitute.
Obviously not what anyone would want their kids to grow up around. In 2006 my sister got divorced after finding out he had been cheating on her for years. It was then that we decided to sell up and move back to UK. Everyone thought we were mad especially as so many people were moving down under.
I don't regret it at all, family has always been important and I missed them dreadfully.
Australia is a beautiful country with wonderful people and amazing opportunities but it's the other side of the world. I believe we made the right choice for us but my husband doesn't agree which can make life hard when he thinks the grass is always greener. My kids are happy and settled here so that's good enough for me.

Bollocks it really does depend a lot on family. If you've got a fabulous relationship with your family, then it's a wrench to leave them behind in the UK.

But for me, as much as I wanted to have a close relationship, my siblings weren't bothered. I barely saw them...not for want of trying...and my dear Mum was always very busy....and not hands on.

We never had any get togethers...very rarely. I miss them all still but moving to Australia I have found DH's family a lot more hands-on.

They babysit if I ask...and invite us for dinner etc. My family just didn';t I longed to go shopping with my sisters but they were too busy.

I would go back home without question. Family trumps everything.

@HennyPennyHorror yes you're right it does depend on what your relationship is like with your family. It sounds like yours is the complete opposite of mine as I couldn't have ended up with worse in laws if I tried

I've lived in both and ended up in the UK. Never regretted it!

Brexit is causing the £ to plummet, so I'd be watching closely to make your $ go as far as possible housing wise!

This could actually be a good time to return, perversely, as you could have your money in the bank in £ and watch housing prices fall (if they do) bringing more and better properties into your net.

It's nice to have at least one job lined up, but we didn't! No kids then, though.

Hi @nameisnotimportant are you on a temporary or permanent visa? Can you apply for citizenship before hand??

(I haven't read all of the thread)

Don't listen to people saying to wait until after brexit because at this rate it will never happen. If you really want to move back then do so. Personally I'd wait until after claiming citizenship just in case I hated being back here.

Move back. Family is everything.