Home and never been happier!

[Guest ECLM]

After graduating from Adelaide university (a massive balls up and months of stress and STILL no parchment) ((wish I could have stayed at Bournemouth)) I returned to the UK in February 2013. This was the best thing I could have done. I've never been so lonely nor has my family/myself ever struggled to get jobs. When graduating, one of my lecturers said, and I quote "I hope you're going back to England because you'll never get a job here" and the man was right! England may be an overpopulated little country and yes it is very competitive for graduates but the opportunities are better and the harder you work to make connections, the more chance you have of a great reward. In Adelaide, no one wanted to know. In the UK I got a job using my hard earned degree at the Ordnance Survey as well as a bit of work on the side with an independent cartographer. Both of my parents have fabulous jobs and are happy again. Might I add, we are all dual nationals by descent and yet we may as well have come over on temporary working visas like a bunch of backpackers. I am delighted to have reconnected with all of my old friends and couldn't wait to get back to my family and boyfriend. Overall, Adelaide was a lonely, depressing and boring interlude in my life but it has made me incredibly grateful to live in England and have wonderful family, an amazing boyfriend and great friends. I missed the charm and beauty of the south of England and being able to walk past beautiful old buildings and green fields. I learned an awful lot from my experience but it's certainly not one I'd wish to repeat.

My final word to anyone thinking of returning to the UK would be; if it feels right, bloody well do it! Just because you've been to Adelaide or 'quirky' Glenelg on holiday, it doesn't mean it's your forever home - I love Malta but I don't want to live there! However, it may well be for you so give it a fair go. Often if you're a doctor or a hairdresser or something equally as transferable you may have a better chance of gaining employment but if you're a geographer (or something similar) like myself, be prepared for a major battle! You may well have settled in an English community, but surely you'd like your Aussie neighbours to be just as friendly and supportive - well that's not always the case! Just remember that when those affable Aussies come over to England to gain employment, they get jobs and fall into friendship groups straight away as they put their game faces on but the minute we head over there, especially if you're an academic, you're really going to struggle to get anywhere unless you're lucky enough to get a job + transfer costs that has been sponsored by a UK based/global company.

Any way, spleen well and truly vented - I'm not saying don't give it a go, but do consider your move carefully!! If you're coming home, the weather is fantastic (27 degrees in the south today). Good luck and I hope you all make the right decision.

E xx

[TonyD]

Its like being back home in Adelaide today with the wind, rain and cold!

[V-Bird]

OK, so it didn't work out, tough luck. Hope you feel better now that you have single-handedly destroyed the spirit of the entire state with one fell swoop of your mighty keyboard. You win, we surrender..!

As an ex-pat I wouldn't bang on about uncontrolled immigration, gypsies, crooks from Eastern Europe, tiny houses, nine months of winter, traffic jams every holiday, cloudy skies most of the time, Pubs closing down everywhere, overcrowding, rude shop assistants, etc... That would be petty and vindictive would it not..?.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Migration is not for everyone, that's for sure. I have family members who miss aspects of their other life and during the low times these good memories surge to the surface.

On the other side of the scale I have friends who called it quits and now rave about their local UK area, local food and the familiar world that they left behind. They seem happier being back "home". I also meet many ping pong Poms where this familiarity soon turns sour again.

I have lived in a few places over the past few years. I miss something from everywhere I have lived. I hope that there's something from your life here that you have good memories about.

Take care.

[jim and adel]

It's funny how people don't have a dig at those who post threads about how great the move has been for them (look how many 'likes' such posts attract) and don't feel outraged with their sweeping statements about it's always sunny (no it bleedin' well isn't) or warm (ditto) or the '20 minute city' (big fat ditto), or when they bag the UK. If it hasn't worked out for someone and they're happy back in the UK, that's great. This post may well be very useful for others who are struggling here and wondering about moving back.

 

Good luck to you, ECLM, I'm glad things have worked out!

[xzibit]

OK, so it didn't work out, tough luck. Hope you feel better now that you have single-handedly destroyed the spirit of the entire state with one fell swoop of your mighty keyboard. You win, we surrender..!

As an ex-pat I wouldn't bang on about uncontrolled immigration, gypsies, crooks from Eastern Europe, tiny houses, nine months of winter, traffic jams every holiday, cloudy skies most of the time, Pubs closing down everywhere, overcrowding, rude shop assistants, etc... That would be petty and vindictive would it not..?.

 

You OK? You appear to be a little upset.

[zebedee]

It's funny how people don't have a dig at those who post threads about how great the move has been for them (look how many 'likes' such posts attract) and don't feel outraged with their sweeping statements about it's always sunny (no it bleedin' well isn't) or warm (ditto) or the '20 minute city' (big fat ditto), or when they bag the UK. If it hasn't worked out for someone and they're happy back in the UK, that's great. This post may well be very useful for others who are struggling here and wondering about moving back.

 

Good luck to you, ECLM, I'm glad things have worked out!

 

Well said, and I agree with Tamara when she says she'd miss something from anywhere she lives. I've been having a tougher time of it as I approach the end of year 2 - and thoughts of returning to the UK have been playing on my mind. I mostly think it's down to not enjoying my job, rather than anything especially wrong with Adelaide but it's always interesting to read others experience, good or bad.

 

Oh, and not intending to head back btw - family are settling well and life is really good, just the experience is being undermined by dark clouds during my working week.

Edited June 24, 2014 by zebedee

[guspjmh]

It's funny how people don't have a dig at those who post threads about how great the move has been for them (look how many 'likes' such posts attract) and don't feel outraged with their sweeping statements about it's always sunny (no it bleedin' well isn't) or warm (ditto) or the '20 minute city' (big fat ditto), or when they bag the UK. If it hasn't worked out for someone and they're happy back in the UK, that's great. This post may well be very useful for others who are struggling here and wondering about moving back.

 

Good luck to you, ECLM, I'm glad things have worked out!

 

 

Really? I've been attacked for posting positives on here recently..

[guspjmh]

My last post is not meant to sounds as grumpy as it does! The point is that views on here can be somewhat polarised and therefore attract extreme responses!

[Jessica Berry]

On our recent UK trip we visited friends (one of my childhood friends, so not someone I met over here) who had lived in Australia for 6 years and returned to the UK and has been living there for the past 5 years. It was interesting to chat to my friend about her take on things and the experience of living in Australia and living back in the UK. The family had settled in well back in the UK, some aspects hadn't turned out how they had expected, but overall they seemed happy. Will they return to Australia? Who knows, they have citizenship, but when they returned 5 years ago they felt that it was the right decison for their family.

 

We have been here 7 years now and our last trip to the UK unsettled both of us when we returned (I suspect we had too much of a good time!). Going back for a visit usually unsettles me for a few days when we return, but the OH has never had any regrets about leaving the UK and has loved every minute over here and if I had said "I want to go back" it would have been his worst nightmare, but this time we both did wonder if Australia is where we belonged. Like Zebedee we are not planning on going back and after a week or so we had slotted back into things and the wave of homesickness that swept over us had disappeared, but none of us have a crystal ball and over time things can change.

[Guest BurgessFamily]

Is returning to the UK the only option?

[Guest ECLM]

Well 'V-bird' - I think that was somewhat unnecessary, there were positives to what I said. I said people should give it a fair go and that the country and indeed Adelaide may well be for them, it just wasn't for me. It was a post about my experience, which is what this is for. My aim was to help people who don't like it but not to discourage those who do as (hence the 'it may well be for you' - I am, after all, just one person with one opinion), and I repeat, I did say that some may well like the place. I had a horrible time and was treated badly but some people may have a wonderful time and may wish to spend the rest of their lives there and good for them if that's the case, at the end of the day it's just the luck of the draw. I have lived in Australia and New Zealand on and off over the past 23 years and that's just the opinion that I have formed but it is JUST an opinion and one which was meant to help others, not evoke a response like that, but the rest were positive and thanks very much 'jim and adel' for a constructive response - this was exactly what I was trying to achieve. I'm deeply sorry if you're offended 'V-bird' but that wasn't the intention - this page is to advise and give accounts of where moving home has worked out well so that those considering it can be better informed. I genuinely wish everyone well whether they're staying in Adelaide or moving home. Getting an unpleasant response like that reminds me why I rarely bother to inform/advise anyone on sites like this.

Good luck to all and thank you for the positive insights, I hope you're all happy wherever you decide to settle!

[Guest ECLM]

It's funny how people don't have a dig at those who post threads about how great the move has been for them (look how many 'likes' such posts attract) and don't feel outraged with their sweeping statements about it's always sunny (no it bleedin' well isn't) or warm (ditto) or the '20 minute city' (big fat ditto), or when they bag the UK. If it hasn't worked out for someone and they're happy back in the UK, that's great. This post may well be very useful for others who are struggling here and wondering about moving back.

 

Good luck to you, ECLM, I'm glad things have worked out!

 

Exactly what I was aiming for - to help those wondering whether to go for it - you have to live wherever you're happy. Thanks for the positive response, much appreciated!

[Guest BurgessFamily]

Honesty is the only thing that matters. People can make of it what they will.

 

Good luck anyhow.

[adelaidenow]

I bet she wasn't happy from the day she landed at the airport. You can often tell by reading a whole post.

[Diane]

Well, this section of the site is labelled "Returning to the UK" so if someone doesn't like reading about another's experiences - GOOD or BAD - then not sure why they'd come and read and reply to threads in here! Amazes me how sensitive some people are on this forum - go have an explore on the parent site, http://www.Pomsinoz.com/forum, and see how much more frank some of the posts in a similar section on there are! Well done to the OP for coming on and putting their side of the story and not just disappearing into the dust. Don't let those who feel you are deliberately stamping on their dreams get you down! And to anyone who lets someone else's positivity or negativity either persuade them to come, or persuade them not to come, well I'd suggest your research needs to be a little broader!!

[adelaidenow]

True Diane, but that wasn't really a constructive post just a rant.

 

As she has graduated a more thought out post with the issues faced would have helped others more.

 

The route of her problem is possibly missing her boyfriend. Or as we say here the lack of a route is her problem.

[minty]

This has pong pong all over it.

[Diane]

True Diane, but that wasn't really a constructive post just a rant.

 

As she has graduated a more thought out post with the issues faced would have helped others more.

 

The route of her problem is possibly missing her boyfriend. Or as we say here the lack of a route is her problem.

 

Doesn't make her opinions or experiences any the less valid though! I just re-read the original post and can't see anything badly thought out about it...... It didn't work here for her, and it has worked out there. Plenty of people for whom the opposite is true...and plenty of people for whom the same is true! Some people leave a country because it's not working out, in whichever direction, and some simply move for a change of scene.

[adelaidenow]

Her previous posts show it's not the job issue that caused her issues with Adelaide. She wasn't happy before she graduated and missed the UK.

 

Did she even want to come in the first place?

 

I am not certain a well paid job would have made her happy and want to stay.

 

It's not important but did she actually want to stay? Of course emigration is not for all and hearing differing experiences is good.

 

i would think moving half way through a degree is not ideal for anyone.

Edited June 24, 2014 by adelaidenow

[Lazy Cow]

I've never been so lonely nor has my family/myself ever struggled to get jobs.

 

I'm not saying don't give it a go, but do consider ..carefully

 

It takes guts to give emigrating a go, it takes guts to decide to return, and it seems it takes guts to post on here!

 

I cannot see anything wrong with ECLM's post; she explained why Adelaide didn't meet her family's needs, and why the UK does. What's wrong with that?

 

It's not even as though ECLM tried to put anyone off, just added to the opinions and experiences -positive and negative - of posters on here.

 

One thing I will add is that IMO, making friends at uni here can be different to the UK. In the UK, you are less likely to go to the same uni as your mates, but here it's more the norm. Kids seem to stay in the same friendship groups, hopefully adding a few along on the way, but in the UK more people are eager to make new connections from the get-go. I think feeling friendless whilst surrounded by people who seem to know one another would be horrible.

 

I'm very happy for ECLM and her family. It's nice to feel you're at home.

 

LC

[Guest Guest12727]

 

One thing I will add is that IMO, making friends at uni here can be different to the UK. In the UK, you are less likely to go to the same uni as your mates, but here it's more the norm. Kids seem to stay in the same friendship groups, hopefully adding a few along on the way, but in the UK more people are eager to make new connections from the get-go. I think feeling friendless whilst surrounded by people who seem to know one another would be horrible.

 

I'm very happy for ECLM and her family. It's nice to feel you're at home.

 

LC

 

As someone who teaches at a Uni, I can assure you that in first year 99% of students don't know anyone else in their classes. Students come from all over the state. However, by the end of the first year they have formed new friendship groups and I am sure it is more difficult for a student part way through a degree to break into that. Sometimes students take a year off mid course and then have to rejoin with a different cohort. They may also struggle, but generally they settle in with the new group. Personalities will obviously make the difference between those who fit into the different group and those who don't.

[Guest ECLM]

Well I'd say that making assumptions 'Adelaidenow' is not particularly constructive! I lived in Adelaide for a year and a half without having a boyfriend and I was unhappy then so it had nothing to do with him then as he wasn't even in my life! I gave it a fair shot and worked EXCEPTIONALLY hard at university, making job applications and trying to make friends. I went home for 6 weeks prior to graduating - this is when I met my boyfriend and for my last 5 weeks in Adelaide I did indeed miss him and my parents enormously but that was 5 weeks before leaving forever (only 5 considering how long I was there). In actual fact, a well paid job would have been fantastic and I did NOT move to study for a degree actually - I moved because my father was made redundant and he thought he'd try and get work in aus again so I left Bournemouth university due to family/financial issues and transferred to Adelaide uni. You're right in that I didn't especially want to go but as an adult I though it best to let those negative feelings go and try and make the best of it. However, I found university life very lonely and found myself with no job prospects beyond uni. I suggest, in future, you get your facts right. I wasn't posting this to rant and rave, I was posting this to HELP people in the same or a similar situation as I once found myself in. Thank you so much Diane and Lazy Cow for your positive and kind responses. This is indeed a forum for those returning/thinking of returning or who have already returned to the UK, so those who are perfectly happy in Adelaide should not be on here taking umbrage with what has been said! It is difficult to try and help others on here when you're met with such an unpleasant backlash each time, which is why I've held off until now but all I wanted to do was help. I suddenly thought about how happy I am at home and how unhappy I was in Adelaide and how I would have killed for someone to post on here about coming home and how it is possible to be happy at home again. I needed help and support when I was there but didn't get it from anyone at uni (thank god for my parents and friends back home) so I suddenly started to feel so sad for anyone who is in the situation I was in and I wanted to put a post on here to tell my story and offer my friendship and advice should anyone need to message me. I have been completely put off trying to help now I must say! I hope someone finds my story helpful and can relate as it can be so hard to put a brave face on when you're so unhappy and so far from home. I didn't want to start retaliating to unhelpful feedback like some of the above but I feel it's necessary in this case as it's so important to provide help and support to those considering such a huge move all the way home. Any way, if anyone needs any support/advice etc don't hesitate to pm me as I'd be more than happy to help!

Best regards to all,

E x

Edited June 24, 2014 by ECLM

[Guest kobi]

Really? I've been attacked for posting positives on here recently..

 

Just my 2 cents worth... i've read post after post from 'established' adelaide residents/SA residents, and also from newer residents who have moaned about job prospects. I have read posts from users on here who have resided in Adelaide for many many years complain and whinge about the job market.

 

Why are there negative posts and comments in a thread related to people moving back to the UK - who have found for whatever reason more success elsewhere?

 

The opening poster has spent time here in Adelaide, found it is not for them and shared their experiences.

 

So just to recap - i've read posts from established residents of Adelaide complain about the current job market, new arrivals complain

about the "lack of aussie experience", people generally complain about the government and SA in general... and then when a poster wants to share their experiences of Auz/SA etc and how they did/progressed better in the UK ( as the topic thread suggests ) people jump on a band wagon? Check the posts from residents who have lived in Adelaide for years where they state kids having studied and graduated now want to move elsewhere... the opening poster is no different.

 

In the past few months all i've learned from this forum is that as long as it's not bout work, this forum is usually positive.

 

I spent a few weeks in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide recently.

Adelaide was like living in the UK, only better ( for my circumstances )

 

The one thing that made a big imapct on myself and my wife were the people we met - Adelaide residents were always positive and friendly.

 

Hopefully some of that rubs off on some users on here - it could be it's a bad time of year ( I'm aware of the holden job cuts, proposals for a lesser minimun wage etc ) and i do not expect everyone to have rosy experiences, but surely this land offers more happiness than I see on here somtimes.

 

Also I do not get to come online on this site often, so if I offend anyone or wind someone up - I apologise.

 

I quote guspjmh - as I've seen positive comments.

 

I first came to Auz in 1990 - and the motto then was " ah well mate, nobody died ".

Get over it

[adelaidenow]

Well I'd say that making assumptions 'Adelaidenow' is not particularly constructive! I lived in Adelaide for a year and a half without having a boyfriend and I was unhappy then so it had nothing to do with him then as he wasn't even in my life! I gave it a fair shot and worked EXCEPTIONALLY hard at university, making job applications and trying to make friends. I went home for 6 weeks prior to graduating - this is when I met my boyfriend and for my last 5 weeks in Adelaide I did indeed miss him and my parents enormously but that was 5 weeks before leaving forever (only 5 considering how long I was there). In actual fact, a well paid job would have been fantastic and I did NOT move to study for a degree actually - I moved because my father was made redundant and he thought he'd try and get work in aus again so I left Bournemouth university due to family/financial issues and transferred to Adelaide uni. You're right in that I didn't especially want to go but as an adult I though it best to let those negative feelings go and try and make the best of it. However, I found university life very lonely and found myself with no job prospects beyond uni. I suggest, in future, you get your facts right. I wasn't posting this to rant and rave, I was posting this to HELP people in the same or a similar situation as I once found myself in. Thank you so much Diane and Lazy Cow for your positive and kind responses. This is indeed a forum for those returning/thinking of returning or who have already returned to the UK, so those who are perfectly happy in Adelaide should not be on here taking umbrage with what has been said! It is difficult to try and help others on here when you're met with such an unpleasant backlash each time, which is why I've held off until now but all I wanted to do was help. I suddenly thought about how happy I am at home and how unhappy I was in Adelaide and how I would have killed for someone to post on here about coming home and how it is possible to be happy at home again. I needed help and support when I was there but didn't get it from anyone at uni (thank god for my parents and friends back home) so I suddenly started to feel so sad for anyone who is in the situation I was in and I wanted to put a post on here to tell my story and offer my friendship and advice should anyone need to message me. I have been completely put off trying to help now I must say! I hope someone finds my story helpful and can relate as it can be so hard to put a brave face on when you're so unhappy and so far from home. I didn't want to start retaliating to unhelpful feedback like some of the above but I feel it's necessary in this case as it's so important to provide help and support to those considering such a huge move all the way home. Any way, if anyone needs any support/advice etc don't hesitate to pm me as I'd be more than happy to help!

Best regards to all,

E x

 

I am not going to get into a debate with you, but this post of yours 2 year sago:

 

Well I'm 20 and desperate to get out!

 

You were at uni then, and wanted to leave. I stand by the job situation is not the reason you went back to UK.

 

I am happy your back and settled in UK, but even if you had found work here, you still wouldn't haven't been happy is my guess.

 

Cheers!