Stay or go back to the UK.

[kaz101]

When we made the move we analysed everything (and I mean everything! ) to try to get as good a fit as possible. Saying that we also kept in mind that we could move around Australia if we needed to. Moving back to the UK was NOT an option since the reasons for leaving the UK would still be there if we went back.

Maybe it's different for us since we don't have kids, but we also thought about what we wanted. Swapping one rat race for another will seem to be the same after a while. If I'm working at the PC for long periods (the connection is in our small office) then that does drive me crazy since that's not what I came out to Australia for! (Yes I will be getting the PC connection moved or go wireless!).

We came out to Australia for a better life style but that doesn't happen if you do the same old thing that you did 'back home'. As Jo-Jo said you still bring your self with you - and that can be good and bad

Halo - As for Australia being the 51st it must be where you are or the people you mix with Down here in SE South Australia it's very Australian. Yes that does mean some men (and women!) with attitudes stuck in the 70's but I could say that about rural England too (I have relatives there!).

When people move to Australia they have the chance to create what they want. Yes that takes some consideration to what you actually want, why you are leaving your home country, and why you want to move to Australia. It's not an easy process (physically, financially or emotionally) but you will only get back what you put in (as with anything in life).

Surfbum - I don't know whether this post will help you or not. Simply know that whatever decision you make will be the right one for you with the info you have to hand.

Halo - I hope you find some culture and start to enjoy it here otherwise those next 3 years will be a drag.

Regards,
Karen

[Halo]

Originally Posted by kaz101

Halo - I hope you find some culture and start to enjoy it here otherwise those next 3 years will be a drag.

Regards,
Karen

The next 1 year - Its not a drag ---> We do all the fun stuff etc etc its just that perhaps OZ is not for me... Its a great place and I would never dissuade anyone from coming to stay.... But if you're into the arts/music/history/wit and the like... OZ is not the place.

OZ is a very in your face kind of place....

Adelaide.... LOL, been there enough time to know that the average Joe thinks Madam Butterfly is some Bogan who wears a tutu after a few to many beers.

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by Halo

Adelaide.... LOL, been there enough time to know that the average Joe thinks Madam Butterfly is some Bogan who wears a tutu after a few to many beers.

But I'm not in Adelaide

[Halo]

Originally Posted by kaz101

But I'm not in Adelaide

Then you're even further behind the 8-Ball

[ellisa]

Originally Posted by swordfish

HI Surfbum99............Im still in the uk trying to get out to australia, why would you want to come BACK!!! to cold and wet england, Its done nothing but rain all week, we've had no summer about 4 weeks in all of sunshine, petrol went up by 2 pence to £1-07a litre this week,there are so many shops now that have shut down due to the recession.Its cold and the nights are drawing in, gas and electric prices are going up, the country is run by idiots Gordon brown and the rest of the labour party!
you are better off in sunny australia. I cant wait to get there...........
Swordfish

Hi there,

I so agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The government has sent the UK to rack n ruin, it is total rubbish. The headlines today was the working people of the UK have to pay billions in tax to make sure the immigrant children are secured school places and so forth, but are not doing anything about making sure people are educated and can contribute to the economy before setting ground on british soil, all i can say is well done to the australian government, you have definately got the system right Also i have been fighting the education system to support my daughter with speech and language problems and am still waiting ( i applied for a statement of education 12 months ago) and as yet i have heard nothing. She had her first day at school today in year 5 and when i asked 'how did you get on' she replied 'we did alot of writing today and i couldn't keep up' (did anyone help- no! was the answer).

This is not a rubbish school, this is a well to do area ( google it at balsallcommonprimaryschool.co.uk or similar)

Anyway i have had my moan about the uk, at least for now!!!!!!

ellisax

[jabba]

Originally Posted by Dolly

Why don't you try over this way.....we get the 4 seasons here, snow in winter, brilliant hot sun in summer but not full on all the time....it's perfect!

Before you decide on going back to the UK, why not give another State a try?

Dolly

Sorry hun but couldn't resist replying to "Brilliant hot sun in summer""?? When?? apart from the awful fires weeks I would not say we had a disernable summer in Melbourne last year

[andyh]

Originally Posted by surfbum99

Hiya,

We moved from Ipswich, Suffolk 6 months ago to Brisbane after getting my VE175 visas. Been living and working in Brisbane for 6 months now.

Only trouble is, well I'm getting bored of it, beaches, think I've been to everyone from Noosa down to Bryon. Everything costs money as usual, dreams about going again to see Sydney, Ayers Rock well everythings costs.

Think I fancy going home to live say in Royal Tunbridge wells, get a job back with my old firm...dont know sometimes. here no bonus, no overtime.

why not look at moving to a different state. victoria has it all and not at a massive cost. think hard as the uk has nothing and why go backwards for a regret. think hard stay there and move

[surfbum99]

Hi there,

Thanks for all the replies, interesting, everyone has the own points of view.

When you moved from the UK why did you move away?

Got completely bored of Ipswich, remembered my backpacking days and wife wanted to try it.


When you moved to AU what did you expect when you moved here?
The backpacking days, which isn't the case now with wife and child and one on the way, its all about money. Beaches, weather, ok, but gets boring after a while. Even the barbees in the park, yes everyweekend, they keep repeating themselves. Costs an arm and a leg to travel, Europe is cheaper to travel around in.

There is this notion that Australia is so cheap to live, it aint. Only petrol is cheaper by far. Food, internet, energy services all expensive.
Most annoying thing is in every shop, they ask you 'Credit or savings' if your paying by card, and pin or sign, sometimes you have to sign as well as put your pin in. TV is completely crap here as well, cheapest, cheesy ads, some say well you shouldn't be watching TV in Australia, you should always be out and about. Yer to a degree, can't always be at the beach or walking through the bush!


Health system is shot to bits, yes well the NHS is crumbling, as it can't cope with the amouth of people using it, but at least you didn't need to think about the costs involved and NI was paid at source out of your wages. I would happierly pay a higher NI for a better NHS.

Here its private or public and mixed in the same hospital as well, Aussies say public is fantasic, yet they all go private. Even a simple blood test they ask you if you want it done private or public. Unless the Dr or hospital bulk bills , you have to foot the bill at the begining and its your job always to claim it back from Medicare. Any medical procedure,visiting the Drs, etc, you have to research what costs and what doesn't, what if things go wrong.
Take my wife's going to give birth in 8 months, has to visit the Dr every month thats $100 per visit - $63 for medicare, then $250 per scan. Then pain relief, you have to actually worry about the costs.

Plus I get one wage, theres no overtime, no bonus which is crap, no weekend payments. Just one wage and your expected to work your arse off. Yep Australian's, it aint laid back at all, in fact its just the same I'd say.

In the end its about the money, not about the weather, or beaches, especially if you have kids. Everything is money from the time your get up to when you go to bed, its sad, but thats life. And if I have the potiental of earning more longer term in London, even with communting costs, like I had, then I couldn't stay here longer term.

I might stay here obviously until our 2nd kid is born net year and grown, and get the 4 years in to get passports and get our monies worth, but I dont think I could stay here long term, just not for me. Nothing majorly wrong with Aus, just I think its been hyped up too much on TV, in the end like someone said its where your family and friends are that matters, or where your really feel good.

In the end, I haven't come here and said wow this is where I want to live for the rest of my life, I still feel UK is home.

[kaz101]

To me it sounds like your expectations were completely unrealistic How could it be like your backpacking days when your situation is completely different and you were on holiday then.

I don't know how much research you did before moving out to Australia - I analysed everything and some things still came as a shock.

Holiday makers think Australia is cheap because when you are converting from pounds to dollars yes it does seem cheap, but when you are earning dollars it's a different matter.

Things seem cheap to people from the UK because here there isn't the population or the competition that there is in Europe.

I know lots of Aussies who won't pay for private healthcare and they like the public system - it's what they know. For me used to free healthcare yes it still comes a bit of a shock but that's why we went for private healthcare (and we had it in the UK too!).

It may be about the money to you but for us it's about the lifestyle. We're in SE South Australia and we've made friends and time for the things we love to do. We're not stuck in traffic jams for hours at a time, or freezing to death with the weather.

We chose that we would not move from rat race to another which is why we took time to plan what we really wanted and to make sure that this part of Australia fit the bill for us. I know that other people would hate where we are and our lifestyle but I truly believe that Australia has a lot to offer most people if they choose to look for it.

The Australian's I know (and I'm in a regional area) care more about family than work. That doesn't mean that they don't work hard but the weekends is for family. Younger Aussies may even hold down several jobs if they want to buy a house or something else around here.

I can't imagine going back to the UK - I'm sure I would hate it since all we did was work and pay bills most of the time. That's not living where ever you are in the world. Here we actually have a life!

Maybe we had more reasons for leaving than you did. You could have left Ipswich and moved somewhere else in the UK. We knew we wanted to leave the UK and it hasn't felt like home to us since we left at all. I really don't miss it - family and friends yes but the UK no way.

It sounds like you didn't have enough reasons to leave the UK and you'd probably be happier moving back there. Only you and your family can make that decision. I hope you'll be happy whatever you decide - life is far too short to spend it being unhappy.

regards,
Karen

[surfbum99]

HI thanks for your reply again,

Yes ,I did a hell of a lot of work to get here and a lot of research nearly 2 years before hand, even brought the car over.
I don think we can go back now anyway as my wife is 6 weeks pregnant, and a long haul flight wouldn't be the greatest thing at the moment.
Might have to stay for the time being.
Just miss the overtime and london bonuses.
People say about life style, yer, but that costs as well, everything does.

Alistair.