Hi everyone! It’s been a lot of years since I posted anything here, but I’m back and interested to see what people think.
I’ve been in Taiwan now for knocking on 20 years. It’s occurring to me that it’s a hell of a long time, and now I’m considering the big move back to the UK. Yes, yes, I know the UK is looking pretty abysmal at the moment (depending on who you listen to), but I have family there and would be able to live with them essentially for free if the need arose.
The quick take - I’m 42. Teacher, but not interested in doing that at all back in the UK. Would have to retrain and essentially start over. Not married, no kids. I live in a nice place. Money isn’t really an issue. I have some modest savings, but I’m not saving anything much from my job here and my Taiwan pension contributions wouldn’t last me that long when I’m ancient.
I’d like to hear if anyone out there has, or knows someone who has, made the move back. Especially if they made the move after spending some considerable years here, and basically started over. How did it go? How were you received in your new country as a noob, but also (relatively) old? If you knew then what you know now, what would you tell yourself? What stuff took longer to sort out than you thought it would, or what things didn’t you think about that ended up quite important?
At this point in my life, I do feel very torn and I’m sure a lot in my position do. I know I’m not moving towards anything like what I hoped for as a future (nothing lavish, just not living in a concrete box in a city) while I’m working here, but starting over at this point feels like “a death” almost. Losing the things I worked for here, but knowing that they aren’t really what I want anyway. It’s a very odd and anxiety inducing feeling that I’ve been suppressing for far too long. Or is this just what a mid-life crisis feels like?
Thank you for reading through that and for any advice or even just opinion that you might have!
42 isn’t that old , you are in a good place to make the transition. Also your situation is very simple compared to many of us, no dependents , free place to stay..that’s easy street !!
In fact being older doesn’t mean you can’t up sticks and do different things , many do, and I hope to also someday, but the issue is making a decent income is more difficult when older especially over 50 as mentioned. You aren’t making much in Taiwan so it is not going to impact you negatively financially if you move , and probably you can do much better there.
You better listen to your inner voice and just do it.
Harder to get employment when older, but there is also the opportunity of self employment by starting a small business and hopefully grow it bigger over time
Depending on what you’d consider comfortable, you’d need roughly £2500 per month for rent/mortgage, bills, fuel, car etc. in the UK at the moment. From what I hear, the bills are enormous compared to Taiwan. £50 a month just on water and sewage at the minute, around £150 for electricity, same again for council tax, some of the insurances such as home and car have taken massive uplifts as well.
I do realise you’ve said money isn’t really an issue, but then you say modest savings, again depends on what you think is modest but cost of living in the UK is very high at the moment and it could be 4 or 5 months before you find your feet. Be prepared for that.
The UK is fine, realistically it was probably over-valued before, thinking that it was on an equal footing with places like the US. Lots of people are vacationing within and the general vibe is to try to buy/shop local a lot more than previously, so it’s not all bad. Knowing where to look, there’s still decent success. Londoners are a tiny bit less up-its-own-arse and now do seem to acknowledge (still a very tiny amount) the existence of stuff outside of the M25 so there is that.
Yes, I’ve been ignoring that voice for a long time.
And I’ve seen my share of British winters. It’s one of the things I miss, tbh. I get a little taste every Lunar New Year though.
Anyone out there have any input on shipping things to the UK? Like companies or the customs relief thing for sending your personal things home? Is it as easy as they make it sound on the HMRC website?
Selling things like decent furniture (is it worth it)? Just bin it?
Paying taxes before leaving and how that works. Is it simply showing up to the tax office and paying what’s owed just before I leave or is there more to it? I’ll probably be working up until I go.
Anyone go back and have any regrets?
Thanks for the wise words mate!
Yes, everyone I speak to mentions inflation and cost of living and how out of control it’s become. And for sure utilities have always been insane compared to Taiwan. I’m lucky enough that I’ll be able to live with family and, should I choose, not have to pay anything. Of course I will contribute, but it won’t be living solo and paying it all myself, so I’m not too terrified about that.
I live in the UK, have a Grade II listed house and make more than your average person. Also have Canadian and UK defined pensions for the future that will be inflation indexed.
The UK is expensive at the moment but not nearly as bad as Canuckistan. Where the UK is bad is for utilities. I pay 300 pounds quarterly for gas and electricity, 100 pounds a month for council tax. If you’re relying on family, I think it is doable.
My advice: find some way, whether in Taiwan or the UK or elsewhere, to save more. I don’t know what’s your best route to do so but that would be my priority.
On my return in 2020, I shipped a some heavy and bulky stuff via a shipping company (Taipei). It was custom ‘furniture’ if you like, I had made myself and other things. My expensive stuff was sent via airmail.
I have posted the link on a couple of threads here of the company that sorted it out, and it was a fair price. I also sorted out a ‘transfer of residence’ before sending back stuff. You get given a number which you can use on parcels and shipped container personal items. You have to make a list of the things you plan to send back for the UK tax body.
I would not bother taking back furniture that can be easily replaced especially if you are going to live with family for a while.
Hey, I’m almost your age and I’ve been doing the same thing for nearly my entire career, so I understand the dread you must be feeling going back to the UK. I’m in the opposite situation to yourself - desperate to leave this godforsaken island and to get back to Taiwan, but it’s just so hard for me to find suitable work there and I’m not desperate enough (yet!) to teach the kiddies!
Do you know what you would re-train in or what kind of work you think you could realistically look to do? Are you totally opposed to teaching adults English or doing exam-marking work and that kind of thing?
The NT$64,000 question! At this point in time, I’m trying to remain open, but I’ve been looking into health, safety and environmental training. But something that gets me outside and not stuck inside all the time. I feel I’ve gone as far as I can with teaching or anything related, but I might come round eventually.
To be honest, a long time ago I felt really quite valued here as an educator - by the kids and the parents. It feels like it’s changed though over the last 10 years or so. Not just in English, but the respect for education generally that used to make Taiwan really stand out to me against the UK (the entire West?) has become considerably less obvious. Not as bad as the West by any means, but moving in the wrong direction. Add to that the plummeting birth rate and rocketing aging-population (in Taipei at least), and I don’t see the future being that bright. People do seem to have less money to spend now too (like everywhere) and one of the first cut-backs they make is the expensive English classes. That means in an effort to keep it cheaper, wages have barely moved for foreign teachers in that whole 20 years. I don’t see that changing much either as parents can’t really afford to pay more. This might be different in other places though, like Hsinchu, where there are more young families and people might earn more with lower costs, but I’m not really familiar with that area.
I don’t blame you wanting to leave the UK at all. If it wasn’t for the family fall-back, I wouldn’t even be considering it. But I do know something needs to change as I’m saving nothing. Mostly because I live in a nice apartment and cook my own food.
Ha ha - I hear ya! Yes, it would be with my parents. I’m lucky enough that I get on well with my parents and they have a reasonably large house. At this point it’s a bit of an unknown how long it might be for. I don’t really envision it being permanent and I have Irish citizenship too, so perhaps at some point I’ll look for something in Europe. I don’t have dependents in tow so we should be able to find our own space as needed.
I know what you mean, it’s a huge change and will take a lot of compromise and adjustment, but I’m not a partying teenager anymore. I’m OK to stay home and watch Emmerdale for the while (if it still airs), and see what happens.
