When to go home? What to do?
 

Hi.. wanted to pick your collective brains...


I have had an incredible 2.5 years. Rode from UK to Nepal over 4 months. Worked in Nepal for 8 months, and worked and traveled New Zealand for 16 months.


I have a three week trip back to the UK planned in a months time. I'm currently on a working holiday visa, and my job is fairly keen on getting me on a work visa next year, although it is not an easy task, the chap who runs the business really wants to keep me on and get me to stay. The wife on the other hand is a total nutter and we have a huge personality clash, she thinks me getting the visa is to many hoops for them to jump through. (It's a motorbike gear shop).


I am weighing up whether to call it quits for now and not to return to NZ. I'm 50%/50% at the moment. To add another spanner in the works, my motorbike engine big end is on its way out, so I'm here in the city without access to a working bike to carry on exploring


Pros of staying:
Summer coming
Never get the chance to get a work visa in NZ without totally retraining
Lifestyle here is a little cheaper, shorter commute, beaches nearby
Potentially have another year here- if I did 2 years, there is the chance of residency.


Cons of staying:
Risk that I might not get work visa and have to leave at short notice
Once on work visa cannot work second job, and pay is low
Will have to pay labour/workshop time to rebuild engine

Winter in UK, long commutes, having to look for new job
No bike to go on little adventures and no spare cash
No spare cash for emergencies/medical stuff
After March, I can no longer ride on UK plates and will have to register onto kiwi plates, more $$$.


Pros of coming home:
Can retrain/new career and save up for next big trip
Unlimited workshop space and help from dad on bike, can rebuild as and when budget allows
Miss my family terribly and can live with them - cheap rent
Feeling that I've been away for far too long and want to have some time back in my old community and rekindle old friendships
Shipping my bike back will not cost me a huge amount


Option 1: Come home in 1 month time
Option 2: Fly back to NZ, keep going with the job, open the motor up, see what the damage is, apply for visa, and if still no better situation and wanting to come home, go back to UK in March.


As the Nepali's would say, Ke Garne.. What to do?

Ask 10 travellers this question and you are likely to get 11 different answers. You have already been away for longer than I have on any one trip and I have been happy to get back home so would opt for a return. If you feel like going back I would try and get a definite answer from you boss, and his wife, then think about it.


If she see this it might make your decision for you. :oops2:

Where's the dilemma, NZ... obviously! doh

bier

After 2 and a half years on the road, Home might not be quite what you remember.........

This is very true! Although missing family is very real, nostalgia and the perceived safety net of the UK with respect to job prospects might be unduly influencing your potential decision. Both options seem to end in coming home, so why not go for option two allowing yourself more time to arrive at informed decision? It sounds like you'd like to stay but are concerned financially (which is totally understandable!) about continuing to live over there. The fact that citizenship was mentioned tells me at least part of of you has considered this. March isn't that far off, by which time you might have a clearer idea about where things stand financially / visa wise.

If you came home, once you'd spent time with family and friends (which would've great), would you regret not having given it a little longer?

Re the wife - no job is 100%. There is always something that could be better!

With all due respect to your employer, his wife, everyone on these forums, the experts who give advice on how to make decisions, the neat list of pros/cons, and even myself, I say this:

Forget them all. What do you want to do?

Go do that. You'll find a way.

[edit: I'd be far more explicit and strong with a different F word if this site didn't censor what we write.]

Othalan- Thank you so much for exercising restraint- it is much appreciated- and yes, vulgarity is best avoided to maintain the Hubb a family friendly site:thumbup1: - you can always use bold to emphasize an important point.

I never regretted going someplace but I can remember regretting going home.

something I have learned ,a few times opportunities have arisen
and I said "well I can do that next year or next trip"
guess what next year never came,I was somewhere different or working.
follow your gut and there is no shame in bailing or pulling the plug.
you have already lived a part of your life many dream about
good luck
kp

hi Fern
As you know, my daughter lives in NZ & I sympathise how difficult it is to be so far away from family and friends. Skype will never replace a homely hug & a good ole chin-wag with people who know you well.

Are you thinking of moving because you think you should keep travelling or genuinely want to do something different? (a rhetorical question)

I'm older and in a different position to you but my advice would be - if you think you NZ could be home, go with the 2 year plan.
Once over 30, it's more difficult to get in. The world will still be there after you've earned your right to live in NZ :)

It's great that your employer wants you to stay - speak to an immigration officer for further advice. Maybe get the ball rolling while you're away?

If you retrain - have you decided what that would be?
Can you get the qualifications in NZ? Student fees in the UK are fairly high too. If NZ is your ultimate target, ensure the qualifications are recognised by immigration & on their shortage list.
Although my IT qualifications and experience are what will get me into NZ, if I stepped back 20 years, I would now choose a professional trade - there's an endless shortage of plumbers, electricians and engineers all over the world!

That reminds me. I'm fairly sure I once read that if you gain Ozzy residency, you can move to NZ without all the visa hassle.
Australia are stricter than NZ for immigration so not an option for me (too old). But if you fancy a change of scenery, perhaps a move to Oz could be an option?

Hi Fern,

I know what you are feeling as I am nearly in the same situation at the moment.
I have just spent a year in NZ, a year in Auz and a good few months looking around western Europe. I was offered the chance to look at working long term for a Landy specialist in Christchurch but I have none or very little revelent experience that I could go about getting a visa with. Im a forester by training! I rang immigration and they said that it was highly unlikely that I would be offered a visa without direct qualifications and experience and they are checking up on it. Now this is MY experience so it may be entirely different to yours.

If you are thinking about it, I would ring immigration in NZ and have a chat. I found them very helpful and you will be able to discuss your circumstance confidentially. All I would say though is you need your employer 110% on side as it is a costly route to go down (around $15-$20K) and being Auckland, potentially more difficult than if it was the south Island for example.

I found the lifestyle better than what is on offer in the UK, but Ive spent a number of years living in rural Ireland and being closer to family means Im more likely to stay/come back there, with the seaside just down the road etc. Also I found that salaries are low in NZ meaning that if you do want to call home to Europe to see family, it really is a struggle to pay for it.

Coming home for a few weeks might help to clarify what is important. There is a chance that no-one else will have changed, but you will have and how you deal with situations. Sometimes we have to go away to realise what is truely important and what we actually have back home.

Hugh

The answer you seek could well be in Paulo Coelho's " The Alchemist"..

Go home. Get your bike fixed and save a little coin. Catch up with your folks. When the time and circumstance meet again, then bolt