Would you move abroad again

[HighFive299]

Can anyone give me a steer if you have been an expat would you consider relocating back abroad again after coming back home with kids for a short term but extremely lucrative contract? Is it worth upsetting routines etc again or staying put and forgetting about the money.

Depends how long I’d been “home” and how long I might be wherever I was considering moving to. Lots of factors in whether this is the right thing.

No
Loved my time abroad

but I love the UK. My children are settled and happy and thriving in their schools, I enjoy my job, I love where I live in SE and I love my home.

Plus… the UK is pretty well run. I know many don’t think so but I do wonder if they’ve ever actually lived abroad

Surely it depends on the location and benefits of living there - more than just the money - education, lifestyle etc.

I wouldn't because I wouldn't want to unnecessarily unsettle the DC.

No. I really loved living and working abroad but I wouldn’t uproot the DC for a short term contract.

For a short term contract absolutely not, although if the figure was high enough then maybe!

Depends on so many factors - what is on offer here and what is on offer in expat country?

So many variables:

Saudi or Switzerland?
Ages of children - exam years or kindergarten?
Just how lucrative?

We have uprooted ourselves once after settling back in UK but it was originally for 3 years, ( became permanent.)
It is going to depend on ages, how easy settling in abroad is, how short term is short term? If it’s very short term can one of you go?

Thank you all for replies. Country is Dubai, 3 young kids. Contract is extremely lucrative, around more than 10 years salary for 8-12 months. Cant see long distance working but if anyone has advice on that please let me know.

8-12 months is literally nothing. For 10 years salary I'd pack off whoever's earning it and the rest stay behind. However unless you/he are literally the only person in the world who can do that job I would kick the tyres v hard on that package because a 10x multiple on a UK salary would be unusual unless its a timing thing like receiving a massive amount of LTIP/ bonus tax free

Yes it is tax free @AllJoyAndNoFun You'd have no concerns about doing LD?

Leaving aside for the moments the ethics of working in Dubai, I’d have far fewer concerns about being long-distance from my family for a short period than about uprooting another adult and three young children for one person’s job.

I don't have kids but I do have elderly parents - I used to live 8,000 miles away from them for four years. My dad worked in Africa when his mother died in Wales - I don't want that to be my experience. My dad and I actually talked about it the other day and he is happy for me to relocate if needed, but I want to stay close to them for the time being at least.

I wouldn't live in Dubai for anything.

With young kids it will be an adventure. School age gets tricker year by year. If your eldest is under 6 I'd go. The main challenge maybe getting school placement on your return to the UK.

Not for that amount of time. Honestly, if your marriage can't survive that then bin it off now - not joking. I did 15 months at the end of covid and saw DH probably 4 times in that due to ongoing border controls. It wasn't ideal but it was fine and the ends justified the means. In a way it helped me integrate back because I had to "find a village" super quickly so I could swap lift favours etc. I guess if you're going to say that your DC are 3,2,and 1 and 2 of them have complex SN, you have no other family and the resident parent works shifts, then yeah, not doable and you'd all need to go but assuming you could make the logistics work then it seems quite a good payday to make up for the inconvenience.

And I know the salary would be tax free but that's still quite a hike so there must be other factors at play. I'm sure you know what you're doing but Dubai is absolutely notorious for contracts not being all they promised so just be wary if it's a case of him/you getting promised 5x the salary for roughly the same role. If it's a case of him/you (unclear who is the offer holder here) cashing out on 10 years of LTIP while he's in a tax free jurisdiction also just check that that will work because doesnt always.

We’ve left, come back, left again 3 times. Oil and gas dual careers. We stayed put in uk for final years of GCSEs.

Assuming a solid marriage, I would happily do LD for 8-12 months. We are sort of doing it now with dh away on rotation while I’m working back here locally and seeing youngest dc through last year of school. Been doing this 18 months with another 18 to go.

You need to look carefully at the tax implications in the UK for such a short period of time. Does the contract include housing, a car . school fees and decent medical insurance? Does that value you referred to include the end of employment bonus?

The financial side has been looked into. Main query is how feasible it is either as a family or husband going alone. Understand it's a short time but dont think LD relationships are typically great and not something to take lightly.

I would if the contract was longer - and my Dc are older than yours. But for less than a year I’d just LD , takes longer than that just to settle

I would do long distance but factor in travel for any breaks a week or longer, either family to worker or vice versa.
DH worked away 50% of the time for a couple of years when dc were younger and we didn’t really notice any impact on family life. In fact I kind of forget it was a thing. I do think that being away all the time would have more impact but I think I would do it as the first option for such a short time.

One thing to really work through is the tax implications - namely if you don't stay out of the UK for a full tax year then you are liable for UK tax on your earnings - this led me to having to stay in Dubai for 18 months having initially wanted to stay for a year tops

How old are the kids?

We did half of every year apart for nearly ten years. That ended when I changed jobs in 2012. Still happily together.

If I had no family or just a husband, I'd go in a heartbeat. But no, I wouldn't uproot children for a 2nd time. Not fair. Regardless of the finances.