Who else is relocating to the UK this year?

[admylin]

Well, the big decision has been made and we're relocating atlast back home to the UK. I thought it would be great to have a bit of advice from those of you who are planning this too or who have already done it maybe.

First steps for me will be getting a place to live (staying at parents first) and a bank account! been out of UK since I was young free and single, returning with 2 dc and dh still be working abroad.

I guess I will have to register the dc with NHS in some way, I still have my old numbers and documents but they were only registered at teh Britsih Embassy after birth.

So my SIL is moving back here from USA in the summer.
She hasn't lived here for 16 years.
She has 2 children, one of whom needs to be starting yr 1 in Sep.

What should she be doing to get ready?

Admylin - no, sadly! I couldnt use my credit history from abroad here when I moved back and I also was only moving within the EU

Well, I'm going to see the bank manager tomorrow and will take my dad with me and suggest the idea of a joint account with him to improve credit history as superbunny suggested. Went today with my mum but we had to book an appointment so I took the first free slot.

I think I will also register with the electoral roll thing then I should get my first dreaded council tax bill so I'll be fully recognised as living here once that's dealt with.

Worst part is going back to Germany and sorting the flat out and getting a smaller one for h to move into. The quicker the better though, I can't wait!

littlerach, tell sil to come on here and we'll worry through it all together!

Well done admylin - why are you back and forth? Is DH staying in Germany? Sorry if too nosy.

LR, tell her to come on here. I have no idea what to do and I've only been away for 6 years. 6 bloody long years but only 6.

sb, once a child turns 3 you're entitled to free childcare for 5 sessions a week 1 seesion = a morning/afternoon or a certain no. of hours. (dd's nursery was ope 7 am to 7 pm, so they did it by hours, the preschool in the village had sessions of 2/12 hours each am & pm, but shut over lunch - does that make sense?) once you are living in an address, you can reg for benefits, council tax etc., and apply to a school.

you'll need to find out how to apply to school SOOn after landing if you move back this summer, e.g. dd's application had to be submitted by end nov the ac year before she started school. if you're in temp housing, that could be a prob, you will have to do research as quick as poss, based on where you actually are, and where you hope to be living, when your ds starts.

why am i telling you this? the uk will never take you back, you have to stay in us & keep me sane & play 'lexulous' with me late at night. there are no schools in england & no-one there loves you.
now, will you stay here with the rest of us?
(and there was me, planning to visit chicago late summer! pah)

Thanks Kickass. I may well still be here in the summer. I have no idea. 2 weeks before I found out I may be leaving, a friend booked to come out in August so I feel really bad about possibly not being here.

Any luck with the bank Admylin?

Hey Admylin.

I have just registered myself, DH and DC at the local doctors. The NHS number may not be valid, they all changed about 5 yrs ago apparently. I just filled in new patient registration forms and they apparently issue you with new NHS numbers in the process.

Look here for loads of info on child benefit. Basically, you just need to be Brit Nationality and resident in UK, then fill the form in. I am just working on mine but you have just reminded me have not cancelled German Kindergeld yet so must do that .

Let me know what else you are stuck with and I will let you know if I have sorted that one yet

G

Hi TheGabster, nice to hear you've settled in! How long did it take to clean the new place up? Are you decorating too? Thanks for the child benefit info, I think I'll email my German one and tell them (when I know) my date of departure in advance then I hope the British child benefit people won't want a translation of the last letter to confirm I've cancelled.

Well, bank account went quite easily with my parents as a reference and proof of where I'll be living so that is one problem sorted! Couldn't quite believe how quickly and how high the overdraft was granted even though I won't be using it (will try not to) and now await post with cards, cheque book, setting up internet banking too.

Am back in Germany now hoping to start the ball rolling soon with packing up and sorting out. I guess the flat contract needs to be cancelled first as we have a 3 month notice period.

Great news, Admylin. What part of the counrty are you moving to?

Superbunny we'll be living in the Lake District in walking distance of a great school and fell walking as pass time. Sport galore on offer for the dc too - cricket and tennis for ds and dd is already signed up for hockey and badminton with her cousin.

Now the nightmare begins. I have to get rid of so much stuff. How would you do it? You said you would only move with a few things too. I am not really materialistic and haven't got a lot of stuff, quite a minimalistic household but it is so hard to sort out and just throw stuff away. Dc have agreed to get rid of things that I can easily replace like the mountains of pens and pencils and colouring stuff, paints, glue etc but dd is hanging on to her cuddly toy collection and her other 7 or 8 various collections. I'm going to have to transport them and their bikes if I can. I have just bought her a new bed and ds a new desk and 2 chests of drawers but only Ikea so have to figure out if it's worth taking them or just buying new when the time arises.

Sorry this is long but I'm also really worried about moving back home to live with my parents. We'll have to put down a list of rules for living together I think.

Lake district, how lovely, Ad.

We'll be in W. Yorks probably, at least initially.

I have been getting rid of stuff on Freecycle - books I am not attached too, old clothes I never wear, all of DS baby stuff. I'll do the same with bigger stuff when I have a date set. It's all Ikea stuff and won't sell so I just want it out of my way.

Moving home to live with parents will be hard. Ground rules a must, I think. I will either return to my old house which is too close to ex-inlaws or stay with my sister or in my mum's house that she doesn't live in but she'd still visit a lot... a

Freecycle is a great idea, will look that up. I might be able to get rid of a few things like that.

How about photos? I have a long shelf and a half full of photo albums (big heavy ones pre-digital age) of the dc as babies and toddlers. Do you think I should take them all out of the albums and put them in boxes?

Nope, keen the photo albums as they are. Well, I would. Are you bring a car back? That would make moving stuff a bit easier - you could just throw things in boxes and not have to worry too much about shipping.

We're getting there, have managed to get 2 big bin bags full of old toys and broken stuff out of the dc and they have sorted their books out too so half as many left as before. Will ask library if they want the good condition ones and give some to smaller dc.

Phew, next on the list? My books (sob) and then I reckon I can start packing the really warm winter clothes away.

I have contacted 3 flats advertized online for h to look at too. He just said oh you look I don't care what it's like really. Would be a dream if one of them is good and he gets it straight away. One is just around the corner.

Stick with it Admylin - sounds like you are going big guns.

Would definitely consider ground rules at the new home.

We sold loads of stuff on ebay. Practically gave a lot of it away.

Have you thought of shipping some stuff back by snail mail? Can get some ok rates for freight in some places. Will see if I can dig out all the info I found when I was looking into it. Otherwise, do you have a family member would would considering hiring a van and driving over to shift a few things that way?

Am dead jelous of lake district by the way. I am just sitting here with the camping brochure open looking a sites there for our main holiday this year .

Yes, my bil will probably drive over with a van and a couple of friends. They want to do a stop over in Amsterdam and seeing as it's for a good cause, to help me, their wives won't be able to say no to the Amsterdam part!

Be careful if you are planning a holiday in the Lake District, make sure it's out of school holiday time (Scottish included) as it gets packed and busy and lots of people seem to be holidaying in the UK these days. At Easter it was unbelievable, more people on Main Street than I ever had to jostle with in Berlin! And the fells and hill tops were busy too, looked like a trail of ants going up and down the other side of the hills on the foot paths.

I'm another one moving back to the UK this year!
Have been living in Spain for nearly 19 years. moving back with DP and 2 DDs, 5.6yo and 2.6yo.
We applied for a school place for DD1 last year but don't know yet which one she'll go to {fret}, also a nursey place for DD2...

We've been slowly selling off our furniture and stuff. We have a house here which will be let through an agency by the week/weekends etc so we don't have to get rid of everything but we do have a lot of books, CDs, and accumulated junk!

We'll also be living at my Mum's but will have the luxury of 2 floors to ourselves, own kitchen and bathroom etc. so hopefully it'll be ok.

I was told that as I am self-employed if I become unemployed at least 4 weeks (?) before arriving in the UK I will be elegible for 3 months of jobseeker's allowance...

Also, my mum has to inform the rates people (or someone?)when we arrive that we are living with her and that will also be proof of address which the schools need to confirm DD1s place.

I'm also wondering about banks, didn't know all that about not having credit at first but maybe just as well...

Our DDs were born in Spain and have Spanish passports - should I apply for British passports before we get there? They are not registered at the British Consulate either {frets some more...}

I think you could get their British passports when you are back in UK as it would be cheaper. My 2 have German ones at the moment but I'll eventually apply for British ones again (they had British ones when they were born)

Good tip about registering with the rates place (is that for council tax etc? ) - I'll tell my dad to do that soon. So hav eyou decided how you're getting your stuff back?

We'll have an ensuite room and a 2nd room at home and it's quite a big house so should be OK. I'll need to figure out about paying towards utilities but not sure how much yet or where to find out. Maybe my dad should write me some sort of contract as proof of where I live and that I will be paying towards it even though he doesn't want any rent or anything.

Yes, I think it was something to do with council tax - is important to do this as proof of address for schools.

I think you can also try getting one of the existing utility bills in your name but not sure if this is complicated, changing name I mean.

You shouldnt need a contract with your dad unless you feel it would make sharing the house easier!

We are going to ship some stuff and leave some here to be taken back slowly on future trips. Am getting a locking cupboard made under the stairs for this purpose...

Shipping is about 3? a kilo, so we'll ship as much as we can afford of the stuff that would cost more to replace than ship...

3 euros not ? why does my euro sign always appear as a ? ?

That sounds good shitemum, which company are you using? My sister was saying to try and get one of those deals where the company brings you a container, you fill it then they collect and take it to where ever you want but I couldn't find any info about that and it would probably cost a load.

umm, I just called one at the airport and they quoted me 3 euros from the local airport (Granada) to Edinburgh where we would have to collect, or for the same price they will take it by road to your door...

The container idea wouldn't work for us as the street we live in is steep, cobbled and has no car access!

I think the actual logistics of getting everything to the airport will be a bit of a nightmare, will have to hire a van or something and we dont drive either!

Need to check that I can just turn up with everything in mismatched cardboard boxes or if there are rules about size and volumn...

It's all stress isn't it? I am in quite a good throw out and sort out mood now and have managed to detach myself from wanting to keep thingsthat I realyl don't need. I can now happily throw any plastic boxes, even glasses and plates (cheap ones) are so easily replaced new over there.

Everyone complains about expensive shopping in UK but I found it to be quite cheap and if you shop around everything is cheap.

I find it hard to throw stuff out. DP stands over me going 'you paid X amount for that, you can't throw it out/sell it for only Y amount!' He is refusing to pack up his books and CD's 'I need them around me'. Ok, but I can't see the wood for the trees in here!
We are doing sporadic jumble sales at home, sort of yard sales without the yard...

I don't know if life is going to be more expensive in the UK. I do know that we won't have all the expenses of our business, things will be simpler hopefully. Also, the supermarkets in Spain don't have massive reductions on food that's on its sell by date at the end of the day. Nor are there charity shops here and the second hand market in general is practically non-existant! There is more choice in the UK and more levels of pricing.