Anyone in the process of moving home?

[KobaniDaughters]

Looks like we’re more than likely moving back to the U.K. - maybe end of the year for DH but summer for DC and I. Feeling pretty overwhelmed and wondering if anyone else was planning to head back from abroad in the next few months for shared hand holding?

@Thefourthcraw how are you doing now? How is the homesickness? I am anticipating quite a bit of homesickness after 10 years in Australia, we’re lucky to have lived here really. Have you settled in more now? How are the kids coping at school.

Since things have opened up here I am feeling quite panicked about the decision to move back. The kids each have a group of friends they’ve had since kindy, the hang out after school and at weekends. They’re happy. I also have a good group of friends, lots of school mums that I’ve had since kindy and I won’t be able to establish again now the kids are that much older. The worry about moving both DS’s up a school year is playing on my mind too. But there’s no turning back, DH has handed in his notice and our family would be devastated if we changed our minds.

Can I ask what you did about your Australian pension? I think the best thing is to leave it here and draw down when we hit retirement.

Hi @Zpack, I am doing ok, still feeling quite homesick, but a bit happier. The cold weather has come as a real shock, just when spring is warming things up in Melbourne. I completely get what you are saying. We felt so lucky to have our 3 years in Melbourne. Where in Australia are you? How long until you leave? I feel like we missed a great opportunity to stay longer so the kids could have been citizens which would have given them more opportunities in the future.

The kids are all coping well at school. It's been a hard term, but they are all at great schools that are supporting them with catching up. I think starting high school would have been a big step up for my oldest, even if we'd stayed In Melbourne. My youngest started school for the first time in year one in September when he should still be at kindy. He is catching up fast and the school has put in a lot of extra support for him. He is hard work in the evenings as he is shattered.

I really miss my friends, I find it harder to make friends here, but I am forcing myself to make an effort and I have found some new friends who have moved here recently too and one who has lived overseas and she seems to get it more.

Its getting easier with family and so lovely to properly get to know my nieces who were born while we were away. I would have felt very guilty if we'd stayed and my kids still hadn't met their cousins.

There is an option to move your pension over, but you need to pay tax on it. DH has done the form. Mine pension is tiny as I didn't work much over there (probably why I loved it so much lol), so I haven't done anything yet, but I think I'll complete the form too and get the cash transferred here. You could keep it there and then have a lovely retirement in the warm sun

Bumping thread as we’re starting to get more serious about the move back. I keep getting cold feet about it especially as the weather is great here, I’ve booked more jobs so far this year than in the first quarter of last year and it’s just easier to stay!

The sheer amount to do and the shitty U.K. government and the severe lack of housing is really overwhelming at the moment

We moved back from the US to the UK a year ago and it was definitely tricky and stressful, but I'm so glad we did it

Right, bumping again in case anyone else is on this journey and fancies a buddy?

We’re tentatively looking at mid June when school finishes here. Chicken and egg situation of finding a house and getting a place at school - we toured several schools in several areas last summer and can’t figure out if it’s best to just decide on one area or keep our options open.

All the schools are oversubscribed and are letting me know the current states of their waiting lists. I’m pretty concerned about not getting a place for DS in particular who’ll be going into year 9 next academic year, and there seems to be so little on the market to rent. I think we’ll need to services of a property searcher.

Thinking we’ll rent our house here for the first year then sell and look to buy in the U.K. (unless all has gone tits up and DH insists on moving back - god forbid!)

Anyone else in the same boat?

Hi, i'm in a similar situation. Been in the USA nearly 10 years and oldest DD is 12 (7th grade). Really homesick and want to move back but it's so complicated with work and schools.
I know you have to be resident in the UK for 3 years to pay local university fees but do you know what happens if you move back two years before university? Does that mean you pay overseas fees for the entire university degree or just the first year?
Also, getting worried about schools being oversubscribed and waiting lists etc. That is so different from here, where you automatically go to your local school. So does that mean kids might be without a school place in the UK?! Or that they would have to travel? What is the furthest they would be made to travel?
And how do you find answers to these questions? Is there a good website you can recommend or is it best to contact schools and universities?

So does that mean kids might be without a school place in the UK?!

Yes, but typically it's resolved quite quickly, as a school somewhere will have a space. If you move at the last minute though just before the new term is due to start, your DC might not have a place for the first day of term. It really is worth moving asap to give the local authority time to find your DC a place before the new term/year begins.

Or that they would have to travel? What is the furthest they would be made to travel?

They may have to travel yes, if all the nearer schools are oversubscribed. As to how far - that's a 'how long is a piece of string?' question, because it depends where you're living, how many schools there are nearby, which school has space for them, etc. But your DC should be allocated a place in the nearest school to your home that has a space. That might be walking distance from your house, or it might involve bus or a car journey.

And how do you find answers to these questions? Is there a good website you can recommend or is it best to contact schools and universities?

You should contact the LEA (local education authority) for the area you plan to move to. They won't allocate your DC a place until you've arrived in the UK though and moved into your new home within the catchment. As for the university funding question - contact UCAS.

That was for @BlueberriesOnAStick

Thank you zafferana
I wish I had looked into this years ago. It always seemed like we had plenty of time but now my eldest is nearly at GCSE age!

@BlueberriesOnAStick sounds like we’re in exactly the same position. I would add as well that a lot of schools actually start GCSE coursework in year 9 now, so we’re hoping to move and secure a place before U.K. summer holidays kick in so DS can have a proper choice of GCSEs rather than having to take what’s left

It is SO much to think about and it’s def shit or get off the pot time, I think any later than this it becomes more difficult. The whole housing situation is as stressful as the school one

Where are you moving from and to?

Yeah, the GCSE choices thing is a big one and DC choose their subjects much earlier now than they did back in our day. My DS (private school) as to make his choices by next Monday (7th Feb), but friend's DS, who's at a state secondary, made his choices last term. It really is important, if you want your DC to sit GCSEs in the UK and have a full set of choices, to get them into a secondary school by the start of Year 9.

@KobaniDaughters i had no idea some schools start GCSE coursework in year 9!!
We're in New Jersey.
How old is your younger child? Mine is 10 (4th grade)

@BlueberriesOnAStick yes I found out when touring secondary schools last year

Mine is also 10 and in 4th grade!! We’re in LA

It's not just coursework either - schools start teaching the GCSE syllabus in Year 9. Many of my DS's Year 9 text books are GCSE text books. One teacher told us that by the end of this year they'll have covered 25% of the GCSE syllabus in his subject already.

Yes sorry that’s what I meant by coursework

Oh so they won't be doing coursework that contributes towards their actual GCSE grade in Year 9, it's just that they are covering the syllabus? That makes more sense
@KobaniDaughters crazy that our DC are the same age! Was your youngest born in the USA? Just being nosey and wondering if you have one DC that is a US citizen and how that adds to the situation?! Mine were both born in the UK; we came over when the youngest was a baby

Snap @BlueberriesOnAStick !! DC2 was 2.5months old when we moved

We all naturalised last year, what with brexit and an uncertain future all round we thought it would be a good idea for future proofing for us and the kids to have the option to return

@BlueberriesOnAStick not all schools start GCSE in year 9 though - we found it was the Academy schools (of the 14 we looked at) that started early and the others didn’t

@KobaniDaughters so funny, we could have been messaging all this time about our experiences in the US with same age kids!

So our latest is we’ll def rent on arrival in the U.K., knowing now we’ll likely have to pay 6months rent up front and sign up for a full year’s rent but then we can our time to buy. Yet to decide whether to sell the house here immediately or rent it out for a year….

Just got off the phone with a property searcher who specialises in rentals only and I think she’ll be worth her weight in gold so will likely instruct her to work for us to find somewhere to live

Hello, I've just posted on my thread about buying a property in the UK but I probably should have posted it here.

Schooling situation for us is we've got a private school place for DD (16) to do an IB instead of A levels. It's expensive but we're having to make it work for her last 2 years of school. We've rented a property close to the nearest school for our two DS (aged 13 and 8). We had to pay 12 months rent up front to reassure the landlord, it will sit empty for a while but we can get the application started now as it's an independent school. DS1 is in year 8 here and would be going into year 10 in the UK in September. He has SEN and will need an EHCP, I am hoping I can make a case for him going into year 9 as part of that process. DS2 will skip half of year 4 and go into year 5, I think he will be behind and I need to start doing extra work with him but it's hard to find enough time.

We've had one shipping quote, I am trying to organise more but covid is making that tricky. Allied haven't even got back to me! It's expensive and most of or furniture is not worth bringing based on the cost. I need to start getting rid of stuff in droves. DH wants to bring the car because he has looked at the prices in the UK and thinks it's better than selling and buying similar... even though freight congestion means we will wait about 7 months for it!

I am on a facebook group for people who move between the UK and Australia and it's not helping my state of mind. They are painting a very bleak picture of life in the UK, I need to get off it, I am sure there is some selection bias happening there! I am trying to view this as our next adventure. I really miss my family after 2+ years of not seeing them, my sister still isn't allowed to come out and see us under covid travel restrictions

@Zpack might be worth you joining the FB group expats returning to the U.K. - it’s a global group and is so so so helpful and lots of people coming back on saying we’ve done it and we’re so glad

Thanks @KobaniDaughters I will check it out

Jumping onto this thread as we're also looking to move back to the UK - we don't know exactly where as won't be near family, but have a few areas in mind. The schools thing has me so stressed (I've put up a thread about it). I don't want to commit to an area if the kids can't get into a good school and end up being shipped off to a different school. How are others finding the move with children? I'm also nervous of moving them away from their friendship groups.

@Hearmeroar2 welcome, so useful having others in the same boat

The schools thing is very stressful - I’ve spent hours in the last week on the phone to various schools and LEA’s, starting to get an idea of the lay of the land. Some schools actually have places which I wasn’t expecting so honestly I think we’ll go for those areas just to reduce the stress

How old are your DC?