Tricky Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 After 8 years living in Australia, we've just hit 3 months back in the UK. The move seemed easy, however I'd estimate that from commencing the move from Australia until we will be in a similar position here, I'd estimate it'd be about a 14-18 month process. For us at least. We sold our Aus house, cars, sold some stuff, shipped some stuff, shipped a dog, stayed in an Airbnb for 6 weeks prior to departure and finally shipped ourselves. The reason for moving back was mainly family, however slightly work related. My profession wasn't recognised quite as professional in Australia than it is in the UK which always meant I would always be restricted at how far I could progress. Having been back 3 months, we've gone through the process of getting set-up with phone numbers, purchased new cars, got jobs, but that's about it. One thing that we have found difficult is having no credit rating. We had to buy our cars cash and we have been advised that we really should wait until Dec/Jan until looking for a mortgage to make sure we exist on credit agencies, finally appear on the electoral roll (even though we applied to go back on in July!), and will have enough payslips. So for now it's being shacked up with the in-laws. Apart from the financial side things are fine. Work is fine, and it's great to be back in a more responsible role however I forgot that the Brits actually work! Weather hasn't been that bad, not as bad as we remembered. It's never going to be like back in Aus though. Still, hasn't stopped us doing anything. Looking forward to a cold Christmas. Having family near is great, our daughter enjoys seeing everyone in person rather than on the iPad screen. Hopefully once we've managed to find a house we will feel completely settled, although the house buying process is one thing we're not looking forward to here. Lots of talk about Brexit on the TV and radio, but who knows what will happen. If it gets really bad, we can dust off our Aussie passports and jump on a plane back. Strangely I didn't realise how isolated I felt from the rest of the world in Australia until I got back to the UK. It's as though you live in a far away bubble when you're there and now it's back to being exposed to the whole world again. Hard to explain. It is nice being able to head to different towns and cities each weekend and not have a choice of 2 shopping malls within an hour's drive, but that was down to location, not the country's fault. All in all, it's not a lot better, it's not a lot worse. It's a bit different, but it's fine. We're happy we made the move, happy with life and that's all that matters I suppose. Can't get a decent coffee anywhere though.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 19 minutes ago, Tricky said: After 8 years living in Australia, we've just hit 3 months back in the UK. The move seemed easy, however I'd estimate that from commencing the move from Australia until we will be in a similar position here, I'd estimate it'd be about a 14-18 month process. For us at least. We sold our Aus house, cars, sold some stuff, shipped some stuff, shipped a dog, stayed in an Airbnb for 6 weeks prior to departure and finally shipped ourselves. The reason for moving back was mainly family, however slightly work related. My profession wasn't recognised quite as professional in Australia than it is in the UK which always meant I would always be restricted at how far I could progress. Having been back 3 months, we've gone through the process of getting set-up with phone numbers, purchased new cars, got jobs, but that's about it. One thing that we have found difficult is having no credit rating. We had to buy our cars cash and we have been advised that we really should wait until Dec/Jan until looking for a mortgage to make sure we exist on credit agencies, finally appear on the electoral roll (even though we applied to go back on in July!), and will have enough payslips. So for now it's being shacked up with the in-laws. Apart from the financial side things are fine. Work is fine, and it's great to be back in a more responsible role however I forgot that the Brits actually work! Weather hasn't been that bad, not as bad as we remembered. It's never going to be like back in Aus though. Still, hasn't stopped us doing anything. Looking forward to a cold Christmas. Having family near is great, our daughter enjoys seeing everyone in person rather than on the iPad screen. Hopefully once we've managed to find a house we will feel completely settled, although the house buying process is one thing we're not looking forward to here. Lots of talk about Brexit on the TV and radio, but who knows what will happen. If it gets really bad, we can dust off our Aussie passports and jump on a plane back. Strangely I didn't realise how isolated I felt from the rest of the world in Australia until I got back to the UK. It's as though you live in a far away bubble when you're there and now it's back to being exposed to the whole world again. Hard to explain. It is nice being able to head to different towns and cities each weekend and not have a choice of 2 shopping malls within an hour's drive, but that was down to location, not the country's fault. All in all, it's not a lot better, it's not a lot worse. It's a bit different, but it's fine. We're happy we made the move, happy with life and that's all that matters I suppose. Can't get a decent coffee anywhere though.... Coffee, lol....coffee is just the beans you can get, I makecoffe myself that is easily as good as any coffee you will get in Oz using Koffee Kult Dark Roast Coffee Beans 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 11 minutes ago, Perthbum said: Coffee, lol....coffee is just the beans you can get, I makecoffe myself that is easily as good as any coffee you will get in Oz using Koffee Kult Dark Roast Coffee Beans Do you steam your own milk as well? When I was back in the UK last year I found coffees (cappuccino type coffees) from most coffee shops were tasteless. I did find one place that did a good coffee tasting coffee but the rest just tasted like milk. I know you can make your own at home but unless you have a proper steamer for the milk it’s just not the same as a good one from a coffee shop. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 39 minutes ago, Tricky said: After 8 years living in Australia, we've just hit 3 months back in the UK. The move seemed easy, however I'd estimate that from commencing the move from Australia until we will be in a similar position here, I'd estimate it'd be about a 14-18 month process. For us at least. We sold our Aus house, cars, sold some stuff, shipped some stuff, shipped a dog, stayed in an Airbnb for 6 weeks prior to departure and finally shipped ourselves. The reason for moving back was mainly family, however slightly work related. My profession wasn't recognised quite as professional in Australia than it is in the UK which always meant I would always be restricted at how far I could progress. Having been back 3 months, we've gone through the process of getting set-up with phone numbers, purchased new cars, got jobs, but that's about it. One thing that we have found difficult is having no credit rating. We had to buy our cars cash and we have been advised that we really should wait until Dec/Jan until looking for a mortgage to make sure we exist on credit agencies, finally appear on the electoral roll (even though we applied to go back on in July!), and will have enough payslips. So for now it's being shacked up with the in-laws. Apart from the financial side things are fine. Work is fine, and it's great to be back in a more responsible role however I forgot that the Brits actually work! Weather hasn't been that bad, not as bad as we remembered. It's never going to be like back in Aus though. Still, hasn't stopped us doing anything. Looking forward to a cold Christmas. Having family near is great, our daughter enjoys seeing everyone in person rather than on the iPad screen. Hopefully once we've managed to find a house we will feel completely settled, although the house buying process is one thing we're not looking forward to here. Lots of talk about Brexit on the TV and radio, but who knows what will happen. If it gets really bad, we can dust off our Aussie passports and jump on a plane back. Strangely I didn't realise how isolated I felt from the rest of the world in Australia until I got back to the UK. It's as though you live in a far away bubble when you're there and now it's back to being exposed to the whole world again. Hard to explain. It is nice being able to head to different towns and cities each weekend and not have a choice of 2 shopping malls within an hour's drive, but that was down to location, not the country's fault. All in all, it's not a lot better, it's not a lot worse. It's a bit different, but it's fine. We're happy we made the move, happy with life and that's all that matters I suppose. Can't get a decent coffee anywhere though.... Funny about the coffee! I have found the same. I’ve given up having coffee out. Convinced cafe staff are trying to kill me. The Halifax gave me a mortgage with my job offer letter as soon as I arrived back after 13 years away. No way I had any credit rating! Try them! I arrived back end of June. I have bought a house and am settled in but the process was poxy. I had to chase up agents and conveyancers relentlessly. Got it all done in 5 weeks though! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 As long as you have a contract of employment there's no reason why you have to wait any longer to apply for a mortgage. Payslips will only confirm you're getting paid which is confirmed by your contract anyway. Maybe the lender you approached had those rules but they're not the rules of all the lenders out there. The buying process isn't something to not look forward to here, it's straightforward enough. Whilst a credit history is a good thing, the main thing is that you don't have a bad credit history. The fact that you can document a clear reason why you don't have any history in the UK should be fine. You can always show your credit history from Oz, bank/credit card/mortgage statements etc if necessary. No reason to wait months to start house hunting. Why not visit a few banks and ask for an agreement in principle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s713 Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 Great news, all very positive for our move back. I hate coffee anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 Read with interest as we're about to do the same: ship our belongings, dog, 2 children ... to the UK after 19 years in Oz. Have rented a holiday cottage for 3 months until our shipping container arrives but was hoping to buy a house in that time so that everyone could be settled quickly. Will look into a Halifax mortgage ... can anyone recommend any others? The coffee may be bad but I bet their cream teas are better than the cream-in-a-can "Devonshire" ones on offer here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 10 hours ago, Perthbum said: Coffee, lol....coffee is just the beans you can get, I makecoffe myself that is easily as good as any coffee you will get in Oz using Koffee Kult Dark Roast Coffee Beans Nothing wrong with the coffee you can buy to make yourself, it's the coffee in cafés that's largely undrinkable. It's similar to how Poms feel when they move to some parts of Australia and find there's no local pub. It's not just the drink, it's the whole lifestyle that goes with it. If you've got used to a Sydney or Melbourne social life that revolves around cafés, you feel lost without it. It takes time to adapt to the idea that you've got to go to the pub instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 9 hours ago, NicF said: Do you steam your own milk as well? When I was back in the UK last year I found coffees (cappuccino type coffees) from most coffee shops were tasteless. I did find one place that did a good coffee tasting coffee but the rest just tasted like milk. I know you can make your own at home but unless you have a proper steamer for the milk it’s just not the same as a good one from a coffee shop. yes.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 3 hours ago, Perthbum said: yes.... I hope that's not how you make coffee - looks like Starbucks muck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 1 hour ago, Marisawright said: I hope that's not how you make coffee - looks like Starbucks muck! I make coffee as good asyou can get in Oz, thats a stock photo, I cannot understand this "coffe is better in this country yawn yawn yawn" if you get the same coffee beans then coffee will taste the same....its bulshite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky Posted November 15, 2018 Author Share Posted November 15, 2018 Oh I didn't expect people to focus on the coffee comment, I don't even drink it! Thanks for the info on mortgages. We spoke with 2 different independent advisors and both said similar but we might try another soon and have another go. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 3 hours ago, Tricky said: Oh I didn't expect people to focus on the coffee comment, I don't even drink it! Thanks for the info on mortgages. We spoke with 2 different independent advisors and both said similar but we might try another soon and have another go. Go direct to the lenders 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 8 hours ago, Perthbum said: I make coffee as good asyou can get in Oz, thats a stock photo, I cannot understand this "coffe is better in this country yawn yawn yawn" if you get the same coffee beans then coffee will taste the same....its bulshite If course it is, if you get the same beans AND make it the same way on a properly cleaned and maintained machine, and you store the beans properly and use the right grind and use enough coffee grounds and don’t scald the milk... Like I said, we’re talking about having coffee in a cafe or restaurant where you don’t have control over any of those things 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) 8 hours ago, Tricky said: Oh I didn't expect people to focus on the coffee comment, I don't even drink it! I had the same experience. I mentioned the coffee in the UK and everyone pitched in about it, and now there’s a perception here that I “made a big fuss about coffee”. I didn’t, I just switched to tea in cafes. Cafe Nero isn’t too bad Edited November 15, 2018 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Marisawright said: I had the same experience. I mentioned the coffee in the UK and everyone pitched in about it, and now there’s a perception here that I “made a big fuss about coffee”. I didn’t, I just switched to tea in cafes. Cafe Nero isn’t too bad Ahhhhh, aussies do not know how to make a decent cup of tea...they dont even use a teapot in oZ AND USE SHIT TEABAGS INSTEAD OF LOOSE TEA LEAVES, YOU CANT MAKE TEA LIKE THAT. Edited November 15, 2018 by Perthbum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 22 minutes ago, Perthbum said: Ahhhhh, aussies do not know how to make a decent cup of tea...they dont even use a teapot in oZ AND USE SHIT TEABAGS INSTEAD OF LOOSE TEA LEAVES, YOU CANT MAKE TEA LIKE THAT. Millions of people the world over make tea with tea bags and not loose leaf in a pot - not country specific. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s713 Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 In the last 24 hours he's cracked BBQs, tea, coffee, sausages, Brexit, fish and chips, you name it. What a guy, wasted on here . 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted November 15, 2018 Share Posted November 15, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, ali said: Millions of people the world over make tea with tea bags and not loose leaf in a pot - not country specific. Not in China and the Ritz or Harrods. Edited November 15, 2018 by Perthbum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulswin Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 On 15/11/2018 at 04:46, Tricky said: After 8 years living in Australia, we've just hit 3 months back in the UK. The move seemed easy, however I'd estimate that from commencing the move from Australia until we will be in a similar position here, I'd estimate it'd be about a 14-18 month process. For us at least. We sold our Aus house, cars, sold some stuff, shipped some stuff, shipped a dog, stayed in an Airbnb for 6 weeks prior to departure and finally shipped ourselves. The reason for moving back was mainly family, however slightly work related. My profession wasn't recognised quite as professional in Australia than it is in the UK which always meant I would always be restricted at how far I could progress. Having been back 3 months, we've gone through the process of getting set-up with phone numbers, purchased new cars, got jobs, but that's about it. One thing that we have found difficult is having no credit rating. We had to buy our cars cash and we have been advised that we really should wait until Dec/Jan until looking for a mortgage to make sure we exist on credit agencies, finally appear on the electoral roll (even though we applied to go back on in July!), and will have enough payslips. So for now it's being shacked up with the in-laws. Apart from the financial side things are fine. Work is fine, and it's great to be back in a more responsible role however I forgot that the Brits actually work! Weather hasn't been that bad, not as bad as we remembered. It's never going to be like back in Aus though. Still, hasn't stopped us doing anything. Looking forward to a cold Christmas. Having family near is great, our daughter enjoys seeing everyone in person rather than on the iPad screen. Hopefully once we've managed to find a house we will feel completely settled, although the house buying process is one thing we're not looking forward to here. Lots of talk about Brexit on the TV and radio, but who knows what will happen. If it gets really bad, we can dust off our Aussie passports and jump on a plane back. Strangely I didn't realise how isolated I felt from the rest of the world in Australia until I got back to the UK. It's as though you live in a far away bubble when you're there and now it's back to being exposed to the whole world again. Hard to explain. It is nice being able to head to different towns and cities each weekend and not have a choice of 2 shopping malls within an hour's drive, but that was down to location, not the country's fault. All in all, it's not a lot better, it's not a lot worse. It's a bit different, but it's fine. We're happy we made the move, happy with life and that's all that matters I suppose. Can't get a decent coffee anywhere though.... Can you do the electoral role from Australia or do you have to be back in the UK for that We leave in a few weeks and will be in same boat with no credit history etc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 (edited) 26 minutes ago, paulswin said: Can you do the electoral role from Australia or do you have to be back in the UK for that We leave in a few weeks and will be in same boat with no credit history etc! If you've got an address in the UK then you can sign up from Australia I think. https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote We found it incredibly frustrating having no credit rating - it's almost like you don't exist. We had to pay a full six months' rent in advance, and the banks would give us only the most basic account - no interest, no overdraft. Some banks wouldn't give us an account at all. Barclays gave us a credit card with a 200 pound limit (whoopy-doo). The worst of it is, your credit rating takes a very long time to rebuild itself: if you don't take out any loans, it won't budge. You have to pro-actively do things to build it up. This is a good site to read up on: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/credit-rating-credit-score/#improve It does depend how long you've been away. Have you checked to see if yours is completely gone? Edited November 16, 2018 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 9 hours ago, Marisawright said: I had the same experience. I mentioned the coffee in the UK and everyone pitched in about it, and now there’s a perception here that I “made a big fuss about coffee”. I didn’t, I just switched to tea in cafes. Cafe Nero isn’t too bad That’s funny. If it helps I don’t consider you a fuss maker about coffee! You noticed a difference that others of us identified with. Agree cafe nero is ok. I like the Christmas drink in costa, this year it is spiced apple (not coffee). If you are around Herefordshire and surrounds, coffee#1 is the best I found. Public forums, so easily distracted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I don't like British tea , either, except for Earl Grey. Too strong- reminds me of that stuff they have in the bush that you twirl the pot around over your head. But then I like green tea and Japanese tea which is more delicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 En traditional tea ceremony, Gion, Kyoto. There are 20 to 30 precise movements involved in the traditional tea ceremony I went to recently in Japan. I really enjoyed it and felt a real sense of calm afterwards. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Mods move this if you feel not really relevant to thread, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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