expat returning to Ireland from Australia confused and scared

John6008

Hello 
I would just like to get some advice on my situation. I life in WA I have a good life here job etc...Im now married early 30's we recently had a our first child.
the thing is 90% of our friends have returned home and its a lonely aul place here. We miss our family and friends and have had close family members pass away recently and missed precious time with them . its hard with the baby also no cousins etc  or family support .
we are thinking of moving home in next year but I'm worried we will be making a terrible decision even though I feel such a longing to go home.
my friends give me mixed reviews but I think they wouldn't admit if it was the right/wrong choice. 
my main concerns are health care and work stuff I never would have cared about when I first left Ireland lol
I am in a good position finical I've one property mortgage free and one rental and some savings. 
I feel terrible with anxiety and worry about the move

Heres Johnny

What do you want to know?
If you're in such a good financial position, get great health insurance policy and you'll be fine.
It's not a 3rd world country here, there is full employment more or less, I don't get what you're scared of to be honest.
You're from here so you know this anyway
What job do yourself and partner work in?

Heebie

The only likely issue is finding housing is you're planning on being in Dublin.
Or, if your work is unskilled labor. That jobs tend to have lots of applicants.
Anything high-tech and you'll find work no problem.
Brexit will be coming into seeing next year, potentially, which might muck some things up, but should provide due even more jobs in IT and finance. (If Brits don't cube to their senses en-masse real soon.)

John6008

I just want reassurance it’s a big move I’ve spent nearly all my adult life here .
I’m afraid of the change i work in construction what if I can’t provide for my family my missus works in insurance. When I left there was no work etc . It was a bad time that’s the memory I’m left with it’s harbto explain, I understand it’s not a third world country but I’ve read so many post and blogs with massively condraticing views.
I’m just ****ting myself to be honest and I was hoping someone would have made the move and giving me a positive story of their own .

nazzy

John, it sounds like you have lots of people you can actually ask?

It's a very personal decision and one that only you can make yourself. A lot of people are faring very well over here again. Definitely things on the up, loads of 181 and 182 cars being noted for sure! But then Dublin is mad these days in terms of rents and accommodation availability even.

If it is possible, come home for an extended break, maybe 6 weeks and ask around; visit friends, ask how they are, go to recruitment drives or figure out if you've contacts for work. See how you feel about being home, figure out childcare costs if your partner wants to work.

Being in a healthy position financially is a huge advantage. And the decision you make doesnt have to be for the long term, you can always go back!

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

the whole year inn

Are you selling the house before you come back.Sounds like you dont have to much to worry about.You both want to come home so do .Not sure what you do or your wife but must be skilled some what to be able to pay off a house.

At the end of the day its your decision but from the little you gave ,I would come home.

lawred2

John6008 wrote: »

I just want reassurance it’s a big move I’ve spent nearly all my adult life here .
I’m afraid of the change i work in construction what if I can’t provide for my family my missus works in insurance. When I left there was no work etc . It was a bad time that’s the memory I’m left with it’s harbto explain, I understand it’s not a third world country but I’ve read so many post and blogs with massively condraticing views.
I’m just ****ting myself to be honest and I was hoping someone would have made the move and giving me a positive story of their own .

Is there a reason for the move home? You sound happy down there and not at all happy about coming back here.. what's pushing it?

Victor

Come home for an extended holiday. See how you like it.

John6008

thanks

nazzy wrote: »

John, it sounds like you have lots of people you can actually ask?

It's a very personal decision and one that only you can make yourself. A lot of people are faring very well over here again. Definitely things on the up, loads of 181 and 182 cars being noted for sure! But then Dublin is mad these days in terms of rents and accommodation availability even.

If it is possible, come home for an extended break, maybe 6 weeks and ask around; visit friends, ask how they are, go to recruitment drives or figure out if you've contacts for work. See how you feel about being home, figure out childcare costs if your partner wants to work.

Being in a healthy position financially is a huge advantage. And the decision you make doesnt have to be for the long term, you can always go back!

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

thanks for a great response

John6008

the whole year inn wrote: »

Are you selling the house before you come back.Sounds like you dont have to much to worry about.You both want to come home so do .Not sure what you do or your wife but must be skilled some what to be able to pay off a house.

At the end of the day its your decision but from the little you gave ,I would come home.

we own the house at home so we are sorted in them respects.

John6008

the whole year inn wrote: »

Are you selling the house before you come back.Sounds like you dont have to much to worry about.You both want to come home so do .Not sure what you do or your wife but must be skilled some what to be able to pay off a house.

At the end of the day its your decision but from the little you gave ,I would come home.

we own the house at home so we are sorted in them respects.

John6008

the whole year inn wrote: »

Are you selling the house before you come back.Sounds like you dont have to much to worry about.You both want to come home so do .Not sure what you do or your wife but must be skilled some what to be able to pay off a house.

At the end of the day its your decision but from the little you gave ,I would come home.

we own the house at home so we are sorted in them respects.

John6008

lawred2 wrote: »

John6008 wrote: »

I just want reassurance it’s a big move I’ve spent nearly all my adult life here .
I’m afraid of the change i work in construction what if I can’t provide for my family my missus works in insurance. When I left there was no work etc . It was a bad time that’s the memory I’m left with it’s harbto explain, I understand it’s not a third world country but I’ve read so many post and blogs with massively condraticing views.
I’m just ****ting myself to be honest and I was hoping someone would have made the move and giving me a positive story of their own .

Is there a reason for the move home? You sound happy down there and not at all happy about coming back here.. what's pushing it?

id say the main reason is to be close to family and friends and have the little one grow up around family. there is not many people here left that are close friends. but is that enough to up sticks?

John6008

lawred2 wrote: »

John6008 wrote: »

I just want reassurance it’s a big move I’ve spent nearly all my adult life here .
I’m afraid of the change i work in construction what if I can’t provide for my family my missus works in insurance. When I left there was no work etc . It was a bad time that’s the memory I’m left with it’s harbto explain, I understand it’s not a third world country but I’ve read so many post and blogs with massively condraticing views.
I’m just ****ting myself to be honest and I was hoping someone would have made the move and giving me a positive story of their own .

Is there a reason for the move home? You sound happy down there and not at all happy about coming back here.. what's pushing it?

id say the main reason is to be close to family and friends and have the little one grow up around family. there is not many people here left that are close friends. but is that enough to up sticks?

markjbloggs

Victor wrote: »

Come home for an extended holiday. See how you like it.

100% agree with Victor. We decided to move back (first time) 25 years ago but took a 3 week holiday here after the decision was made. One week into the holiday, we both knew we had made a terrible mistake. And we were very well off, job and housing both sorted - motivations for the move were identical to OP's. Years later we are just getting by, with the option of emigrating for a third time now closed to us.

Biggest issues you will find are housing, healthcare (third world in many aspects) and general expense.

Laneyh

John6008 wrote: »

Hello 
I would just like to get some advice on my situation. I life in WA I have a good life here job etc...Im now married early 30's we recently had a our first child.
the thing is 90% of our friends have returned home and its a lonely aul place here. We miss our family and friends and have had close family members pass away recently and missed precious time with them . its hard with the baby also no cousins etc  or family support .
we are thinking of moving home in next year but I'm worried we will be making a terrible decision even though I feel such a longing to go home.
my friends give me mixed reviews but I think they wouldn't admit if it was the right/wrong choice. 
my main concerns are health care and work stuff I never would have cared about when I first left Ireland lol
I am in a good position finical I've one property mortgage free and one rental and some savings. 
I feel terrible with anxiety and worry about the move

Certain things are expensive here and people don't exactly feel they're getting value for money but it doesn't sound like you have cause for serious concern.
To be honest the cost of living in Australia appears to be quite high. I wouldn't know about workers rights / entitlements but things like health insurance wouldn't be too different either.

Housing is the biggest issue faced by people returning
Things like car insurance are also silly prices as the companies have somewhat of a monopoly.

As you already have property and are financially secure I don't see how it could be that big of a mistake

busymum1

We moved home when my eldest was just about one. I have no regrets at all. We had a great life overseas and it was tougher for us here financially.
However no money or sunshine could compensate for my children growing up without their extended family. The value of them knowing their grandparents and having an extended family that they know and love and are there for all their birthdays, christmases etc is hard to describe.
Also I can't imagine how difficult it would have been to manage my fathers cancer and death from overseas. I'm so glad that my children knew him and we had many years here before his death and would have bitterly regretted it if we'd stayed overseas.
Be where you are, not wishing you were somewhere else. Move if you need to, to achieve that. It always works out in the end. Best of luck.

d.pop

Hi, we moved back home from Perth 3 years ago. Similar reasons, wanted kids to get to know their grandparents etc before it was too late.
I also work in construction.
If you are within commuting distance of a city you will be fine for work, my company can't find any good guys, serious shortage of skilled workers out there.
The move was great for us, it's great being home but to be perfectly honest- financially ireland is poles apart from Aus.
I miss having spare cash....
You'll be comfortable here and want for nothing but very unlikely you'll have spare cash for the Aussie toys, jet skis, boat, motorbike etc etc..
Not sure what your 'trade' is but self employed wages are about €25 per hour, employee hourly rate about €19p.h.
Management type roles pay more.
Move home cost us about $30k for flights, shipping and then set up costs at home i.e. Second hand cars, insurance, phones etc

John6008

lovely thanks for the input thats a great help from someone who has done it. A lot of my mates said theres not many good lads around I'm a plumber by trade. where you worried at all when making the move ?

John6008

thanks so much for your reply, if we aren't entirely happy here why are we staying ?

John6008

thank you for your reply I appreciate  your honesty

Sleepy

Any decent tradesman is refusing work at the moment tbh. So many left the country (or just retrained into another profession) during the recession that with the massive upswing in construction over the past couple of years, there's more work than there are tradesmen.

Tombo2001

First of all - the whole thing about healthcare - please go to a third world country, rock over to Mali or Bangladesh, live in the slums for a while and then come back and tell me we have a third world health service.

It has flaws no doubt, but my god is it rolled out every time someone wants to knock Ireland. Reminds me a bit of this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3tPfXGKrnE

Personally - I would say the biggest adjustment would be the weather. Ireland is a great place to raise kids.

The only point I would make is - where in Ireland. That is important.

If you your wife works in financial services, then you wont be living in rural Donegal. And obviously from a housing perspective there is big difference between Dublin and other parts of the country. Somewhere in between? The likes of Kilkenny or Ennis I would say are great places to live.

John6008

I've been to third world countries and I've experienced their health care, I never said Ireland had a third world health care system but I read all these stories and seen how bad it actually is especially compared here  

Tombo2001

markjbloggs wrote: »

100% agree with Victor. We decided to move back (first time) 25 years ago but took a 3 week holiday here after the decision was made. One week into the holiday, we both knew we had made a terrible mistake. And we were very well off, job and housing both sorted - motivations for the move were identical to OP's. Years later we are just getting by, with the option of emigrating for a third time now closed to us.

Biggest issues you will find are housing, healthcare (third world in many aspects) and general expense.

I was referring to this.

Tom Dunne

John6008 wrote: »

we own the house at home so we are sorted in them respects.

This is a fairly significant matter. We moved back two years ago, same thing - all our friends were moving back, parents getting older, etc. The one thing that made it significantly easier is that we moved back to our own house.

What you need to do is make a decision and stick with it. I've seen way too many people make a decision (either way) and waver and change and flip-flop. It is a nightmare, the uncertainty will take its toll. One person described the decision to move back like ripping a plaster off a wound - you can never be sure it is the right thing to do, it's going to hurt a little, but once it's done, it's done. So make the decision and stick with it.

The economy is near full employment, things are good at the moment, you don't have the madness of having to look for somewhere to live - it sounds like it is a no-brainer.

Oh, and one final thing - don't move from winter there to winter here. I've been told it's a killer. Make sure you get your timing right. It's the little things like this that make the difference.

seamus

Construction and insurance are two industries absolutely booming at the moment. Insurance companies are throwing massive packages at experienced staff. As said above, builders and tradesmen are turning work away they're so busy.

Nobody has a crystal ball, so we can't say how it'll be in five or tens years' time, but you can say the same for your current situation.

The Irish public health system is poor in terms of waiting lists for non-critical procedures, but is otherwise OK. Unless you have some very specific needs, then having health insurance will keep you and your family in a good place. Premiums here are about twice as expensive as Aus.

markjbloggs

Tombo2001 wrote: »

I was referring to this.

Ever been in a hospital west of the Shannon? Ever been in a waiting room in James? Ever been on a waiting list? Ever watched a loved one being harrassed by druggies in an emergency room while in great pain?

Granted, once you are in the front door of a hospital, standards are good. getting there is the trick. In rural areas, part of a TDs job is seen as getting constituents jumped up waiting lists. The most powerful person in many rural towns is the receptionist at the Doctors' surgery.

All this is not conjecture or anecdote - I have experienced / witnessed it first hand.

Mrs OBumble

I reckon there's a high chance you will become a ping-pong Paddy.

You'll move back, find that your family are busy working and don't have much time for you, and your old friends have moved on with their lives. Your kids will hate the climate, and having to learn Irish in school. You'll hate the sort of house you can afford in Dublin. So you'll end up back in Oz.

Shortcut the process by syaying there snd making friends with locals instead of recent arrivals.

Tigerandahalf

If you have lived in WA for 10 years then you must like the hot climate there. Coming back to Ireland from that will be a huge adjustment, especially if you both are outdoors people.
Seeing you are a plumber you will probably be inside from the weather most of the time anyway.

A lot depends on where you plan to move back to within Ireland. If you are moving back to city or big town environs the adjustment wouldn't be too bad. Will you have the ammenities for kids - playgrounds, pools, greenways, woods - that are so important when kids come along.

With a kid and possibly more on the way will your wife be staying at home? Will she be happy in your old home area?

I moved within Ireland from a small village to a big town and it was one of the best decisions I have made. Rural Ireland is in decay and it is sad to see the boarded up pubs and small businesses with mold and moss on the walls.

Since I moved and kids came along I see my parents about once or twice a year. You are just too busy with kids once they come along. Family being closeby can be a godsend or a pain in the arse depending on what they are like.

Take out a sheet of paper and both of you write down the pluses and minuses and go from there.

If family comes first you will probably come home. If money and lifestyle come first stay in Oz. Saying that the cost of living in Oz is huge now and there is no guarantee that the economy won't go into a bad slump there. Once your parents get older you will have the inevitable call of whether to go or not when they are unwell. Some deal with that easier than others.

Hard to beat having good weather I must say.

doolox

My family (brothers,sisters,cousins ) are too busy to meet up with me and I am too busy to meet up with them. They are not important enough for me to move around the world to be in touch with at great cost.

Your child will have to learn Irish, a useless language and a drain on scarce educational time and resources for most students of average ability. These students need to spend all their time mastering useful subjects like maths and science and English language ( not literature ) if they can. Australia, especially the mining areas, is where the future is. Cultural fig-leafs like Irish language is OK for students of a strong academic ability and the Irish education system caters more for people of strong, natural academic ability and leaves the average and below average students behind. People may argue for a rounded education to include cultural aspects but I see it as a middle-class luxury increasingly beyond the reach of most people who need to put housing, health, food and necessities first.

Health services for insured private patients is as good as anywhere else in the world. You need to throw money at health problems here to avoid time wasting queues and you need to keep in mind the imperative of getting well as quickly as you can while you are a wage earning adult. Health insurance is needed to prevent loss of earnings in wage earning people as time is money when you are sick.

Climate is another huge aspect of the move. Australia is not for everyone but if you have stuck the heat for ten yrs you will find Ireland especially in Winter, a big change. The cold damp Winters and general dreariness and darkness are not for everyone. I have known people who bounced back to Australia after a few months back home in Ireland.

Plumbing is a good trade to be in, preferably also get OFTEC and Gas certification if you want to get involved in the heating end of things as these are legal requirements and can command higher wages as a result. Also the recent "dry" spell here has shown up Irelands shambolically bad water supply system, but the political will to repair it is not there to improve things at the moment. A few "droughts" may change that political will as the hoses run dry....

If the government move to regulate water supply and maintenance and repair of water piping etc you could see regulation of the plumbing sector getting very strict and higher wages being commanded as a result for qualified and experienced workers in this sector. Technical training for this, if you have the money, is good but expensive.

KKGirlatheart

Hi,
My husband and I moved back from London last summer with our two kids (under 3). We sold our house in Ldn, we were both sure we wanted to move home even though we loved London having lived there for nearly 15yrs.

In general I feel cost of living is more expensive here than UK....e.g. our car tax was £30pa vs €200pa here for exact same car/we brought it back with us. Wages are not as good as UK. Also paying for healthcare is really crap....We were used to free NHS which was amazing. €60 for a Doctor consultation is plain greedy. We don't have Health Ins not sure if well bother to get sucked into the scare trap.....but either way you still pay (kids under 6 do get free care now which is fab!)

However on the positive side, we live less than 40mins from brothers/less than 2hrs drive from our folks. We've seen more of our family in the past year than we had in 2-3yrs in London and we used to come home regularly enough. The kids have formed great bonds with Uncles, cousins etc that you could never do by phone or a couple of visits a yr.
We also value them going to school here (and wasting years on learning Irish haha!) For us it was important for them to be 'Irish' and to grow up here. The pace of life is far more chilled out, less materialistic. For us it's been a great move, so glad we did it esp. whilst the kids were so young

We knew lots of older generation Irish in London who made great lives for themselves and are very happy. Ireland was always referred to as home no matter how long they lived there. In many instances they said the lure home changed when parents passed away etc.
I would say that you'd both really want to have that 'ache and longing' to come home and have gotten OZ out of your system. It is a huge adjustment, things go SO slowly here, the weather is a challenge but the thing with kids is that they do make you realise what's important. The grass is not always greener (soz most unhelpful comment ever) If you are happy and challenged and love where you are...think hard. Lots of people commuting to Dublin to work in construction leaving no time 'to live life'

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Trust your gut instinct

KKGirlatheart

Also just want to mention that my hubby works in construction, huge shortage of real skilled labour. Ex. UK/OZ guys who have the experience would be top of the list to employ!

Tombo2001

Surprised at all the comments about family - @your family will be too busy, you'll never see them.

That all the depends on the family, but I would say this.

I would not underestimate how important grandparents can be for children. They can be a hugely positive influence.

Yes, brothers / sisters - married with kids or whatever - you wont see them all that much.

Grandparents have lots of free time. Obviously some people see that in terms of childminding resource - I am not specifically talking about this. I am talking about kids having adults in their life who give them undivided attention, dont scold them (to the same degree as their parents), dont judge them and also are a greater authority than their own parents (being the parents of the parents).

THats not all grandparents obviously, but it describes a lot of them.

Obviously you make a judgement call on this. However, I have noticed that of my peer group - the ones that have gone to Aus and stayed frequently fall into two groups (i) they come from a rural part of Ireland, such that they cant go back to where they grew up that easily and (ii) they dont have a great relationship with their own parents.