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.

Feel better soon, Ad. I do think Freecycle is the sensible thing to do - I know my furniture is more or less worthless and, much as I'd rather sell it, it doesn't seem worth the hassle.

Well today I managed to find out how to close the dc's savings account that we left in Berlin last time we moved. It's so annoying here in Germany that apart from Deutsche Bank, all the banks are just local not nationwide so I can't go into a bank in Hannover even if it has the same name as my bank in Berlin, I can only withdraw cash but no other services, including the dc getting cash from their savings books.

We have the same problem with banks here - they are very regionalised. Still no word on anything here.

Just noticed that TheGabster is/was on this thread and wanted to say hi! Just been reading through the Wake To Sleep thread from last year and wondered how you are doing?

I've nearly got everything done, just 2 more things to take to pieces - dd's bed and my massive wardrobe then I can book flights!

Woohoo, Admylin! How very exciting. I have 8 weeks til my lease runs out so, I either need to be on my way by the end of June or stuck here for another year

Might know more this week so think coming home thoughts for me, please

OMG, I've got a date! We leave Germany on the 14th of MAy, can't believe it'S over and teh dc are realyl happy too.

I've been in touch with their schools here, I have to hand in teh school books and teh music instrument at teh office and fill in a form, same at dd's school. I've already emailed the new school (I know i am so lucky to already know where they will be going to school in UK) and have asked them to let me know what to bring with me when we go to register on the 15th. The rest will probably hit me when I have been there for a few days. I am exhausted so I will be sleeping it all off the first weekend.

That is wonderful Admylin. It seems very final when you actually have a date ( I still remember the first time I managed to escape). I am pleased that your DC are excited too!
Superbunny I have everything crossed for you and will have to content myself with living vicariously through other homeward bound people for now!

OMG Admylin, I am SO happy for you! Please keep posting, won't you? We'll need to know how you are coping and if there is reverse culture shock.

Yay

Me next!

Still, do you really want to return?

StillOverHere, if you decide to leave keep in touch on here! It helps to know others have been through it too. I made the decision just after Easter and since then have been packing and throwing stuff and organising it all.

SuperBunny, so if you have 8 weeks until your lease runs out then you should have plenty of time. I hope you come to a decision soon because it really sort of lifts some of the stress when you have a date. I've been feeling better since I booked yesterday. I'll probably start with some sort of 'fear of the unknown' stress, or 'out of the frying pan into the fire' fears and worries but I just have to keep going and remind myself I'm doing this to make our lives better.

Yes, I really want to return.......I think! When I check some of the British papers however I do a double take and think eeekkk it looks awful there now! However, the good stuff outweighs the bad! Admylin I am so with you on the 'out of the frying pan' stuff - I have started asking myself where I would live if I could live anywhere! I do not know why you are moving but your attitude seems so positive that it sounds like you will make it work!

StillOverHere, it has taken me years to get up the courage to leave. You might be able to imagine that it isn't just because the dc were unhappy in German schooling, we really missed having family and a good (not big) circle of friends. We moved so often within Germany and h wasn't prepared to invest time in family life and social contacts.

I'm really looking forward to hopefully starting a normal life with chances to go out and have time for myself now that the dc are older and will be happier and settled. H can come and visit if he bothers to take time off, he's a workaholic and goes into work every day - even ignores Christmas and never enjoys much outside work so I think I'm doing the best for my dc. Tough decision but it's made now and I just hope I manage and it works out.

Ad, is he a scientist? My exH was like that, workwise.

Yes, he's a raving looney scientist!

Hey! I have a scientist too! I'm spotting a pattern!

Why did no-one warned me about scientists before I married one? Actually, he was only 'quirky' and hardworking in those days. It was after marriage that he got obsessed and shagged his lab assistant

Anyway, I have a tentative agreement saying I can leave. Nothing signed yet and still stuff to work out & no time frame but, looks possible

Message withdrawn

Actually I've done some research and it might be the best bank for me as HSBC seems to take the least in fees when money comes in from abroad. I'm abit worried that I'll have to pay a fortune when h sends us money from his German account. I opened my account at TSB/Lloyds but only because my dad knows the manager so it was easy as he took his word that I would be living with him.

For now I'll be leaving my account in Germany and just withdraw cash (also for a fee of course) in UK and pay it into my TSB account. That's the best and easiest way for now.

By the way StillOverHere if you're still thinking about coming home and haven't quite decided, did you read this thread about UK , it helped me to realise, yes I need to go back!!

Fingers crossed for you SuperBunny, you realyl sound as if you can't wait. The day you book your flights will be like a new life starting!

A word of warning about your German debit card, make sure you keep it registered at DH's address. We moved back from Austria last year. We kept our account open and they were quite happy to change our address to a UK one, but when the debit card ran they would not issue a new one unless we paid a 5000 euro deposit(!), because we were no longer resident in the country. Needless to say we said no but have kept the accounts open.

I thought that would be the case but for now my debit card runs 'til 2012, by then we should have found a better way to transfer money. There are so many methods and money transferring companies that I just had to put that part of organising my move to the back of my mind! I won't tell them my new address in UK for a while anyway.

I've so far managed to do all the other stuff by myself as h is a fat lot of good if he's outside his lab, so no help there.

DH reckons he does "strategic" stuff and I'm the detail person! In other words I do all the moving etc. A year ago he managed to take himself off to Afghanistan leaving me to move back to the UK, including bringing the car & dog (don't get me going on re registering a car in the UK). 12 months on we are about to repeat the same process (fingers crossed) but only moving round the corner, but guess what, DH will be abroad. Good luck.

We let them get away with it maybe! We've moved 4 big moves and 1 across the raod and h never managed to pack or unpack a single box and he can't even imagine where to start with unscrewing the shelve sand wardrobes.

Actually, that is a good point Admylin - I should be receiving maintence payments from ex so it will be $$$s going into my UK account. Will I have to pay fees? And, if so, how much? Perhaps I need to do a thread on that.

Interesting that all these men seem so similar - they're obviously successful scientists but seem quite useless in other aspects of life!