Thinking of coming back to Malta

I can't answer that as I have not.
All I can suggest is that as you left in a hurry, you may return in a hurry too.
Perhaps you need more time to stabilise?
Work towards a possible return, saving what you can.
Perhaps explore other options in UK in the meantime?

at least you tried.. and if you do decide at some stage on a return then at least you will know what to expect and can be better prepared,,,, as any old tradesman will tell you a good job is decided by preparation preparation preparation the more there is the better the end result.

you know where it went wrong the last time so you are better armed now

work towards your ultimate goal but dont rush it - we took a long time to decide to move and planned it as best we could - dots on i's and crosses on t's - belt and braces and a parachute too - but we still didnt end up where we expected to... am not saying we are ecstatically happy here but its not bad... and sure is better in many respects to the uk.... but its not our end game our end game is somewhere else for sure.....and we are working towards that now.

so good luck but take your time

As Toon said you tried and at the time it seemed right to move on.
My advise would be to stop looking back and start looking forward, you cannot change what happened so move on.
Make your next decision based on the future not the past!
Perhaps the next move to Malta will be the right one but think it through and plan based on what you would like the future to be.
Right it down in steps and make each step for the right reasons.
Set a practical time scale and put a little away so that you have some backup for the lean times, you may have to make sacrifices but it will be worth it if you really want it too. 

Good luck and a happy new year,

Terry

Old fashioned exercises work. See this: http://www.businessballs.com/goal_planning.htm

Thanks for the replies. To be honest a lot of our visit was tarred by my mother coming with us. Not to sound harsh as I love her dearly but she was such a worry and became so dependent on me it was like having another child to look after. She became quite depressed and I felt responsible for that. I think if we had just went over as a family it would have been better and we would likely still be there.

Our other main reason for returning was our concerns of long term plans and our son's schooling but from what I can see and read now, most expats don't seem to have a problem with the schooling and as for long term I guess I don't need to worry too much about that as no one knows what the future holds.

We have been discussing a possible move back to Malta for about 8 months now so it's not a rash decision. As you say we know where it went wrong before and a lot if those things have been instantly fixed by us now considering a move on our own.

We do like where we are but I think we are just both fed up with the UK in general, the whole feel of the place, weather, work environment etc. I admit Malta had its problems but compared to how we feel here they really were minor.

Right now our lease is up in March and after then we go on a month to month lease so I will be researching etc to see if the move is right. I am not going to rush it as there is no real hurry. I have an income here but I would prefer to not put my son in nursery here and then pull him away so ideally we would move around that time. He turns 3 at the end of March and our intention was to put him in nursery around April. Here's hoping I can make the right decision this time.

Whoever knows what are the right decisions? That only comes with hindsight. If we do what we believe to be right at the time then why carry regret or guilt? Keep talking and keep posting then you will make you own decision at the right time.
Good fortune and 'no regrets' eh?

Hello SummerRaine! I do hope you get it right next time. I am actually in the same boat as you but rowing in the opposite direction... If I should go back to the UK!.

I have been in Malta for the last 9 months and since then so many things have happened already that I am pondering if it's worthy to settle down here. To be honest, I am not struggling financially or unhappy with everything but there are a few specific things I am not sure I'll be able to take it for longer. I love the island, the weather, the laid-back so to speak mentality, the cisk , etc...
But a part of some people's mentality that I can't stand and some services that do my heading, there's also my son's schooling. The school here it's not too bad and my 4 year's old son is actually improving a lot with his English. However, I still reckon he would probably be better of studying in the UK. Even though the public schools in Malta teach both languages (Maltese and English), the Maltese one, will always come first. That even happens when they give paper notices to the parents, if I don't get my son's teacher to translate some of those notes in English, I wouldn't have a clue of what are they were about.

My son is gonna be 5 at the end of this month and I kinda have to decide within the next few months, what will be the best option for him. I am working as a self-employed for a UK company and if I go back to work in the UK, I would be working as a full-time and employed and a normal worker, not as SE anymore. My only concern is that I left the UK about 7 years ago and I know lots of things have changed and therefore, it might be a bit of a shock if I go back now. We all know that the weather in the UK it's not the best in the world, but it has never been an issue in my previous 8 years while living over there. A bit like you (with its differences), I am also in a dilemma to see if I should remain here or not and as I said in previous posts, only time will tell. I won't make a move at least within the next 3 or 4 months because my wife is expecting a baby, but after the baby is born, there gonna be a few things to think and decide about.

But anyway, I wish you all the best for whatever decision you make and a very Happy New Year to you and your family!

Cheerio,
Antonio

Thank you for your replies and mantonas for your perspective.

I have contacted some language schools today in Valetta and Sliema querying whether my CELTA qualification would stand me in good stead for a job and what sort of salary I could expect. I was told with a CELTA qualification I would be sought after and the salary for 900 hours annually would be around 10,500 not sure if this is gross or net. I would be looking for more than 900 hours annually and was told there are the bigger schools on the island that would definitely offer more, especially in the summer. I am not sure how much weight to put on this however 3 schools have said similar. My husband will of course be looking for work too. Does this salary seem okay? We were paying 600 eur per month for a 2 bed apt in Sliema but we would likely be looking at swieqi, attard areas as I am sure we can get cheaper.

I am researching just now and seeing if it might be a good move but definitely taking my time.

Hi SummerRaine,

the quoted figures are correct. With CELTA you can expect between 10 and 12 €/hour. This is gross and you will have to pay NI. In that income bracket you won't be paying a lot of income tax.

Beware that schools only pay for actual teaching hours and not any preparation time and most of the hours will be during the summer season.

During the summer it will not be a problem to find work holding a CELTA certificate.

Cheers
Ricky

Have you seen here? facebook.com/pages/English-Language-Academy-Malta/229257877088088
I know a manager there.

Thanks very much for the replies. So I take it that salary is quite good in Malta, i.e not minimum wage? I realise I wouldn't get paid for preparation and that is fine. I was hoping I could maybe do contract work and also maybe private tuition if I couldn't get more hours. From what I understand CELTA offers the best prospects in this regard.

Redmik - Thank you for that link. I am looking at their website just now. I will like them on Facebook to keep up to date with job postings etc, it seems like a really nice school! It's not far from where I used to live either!

If you want to contact someone personally pm me .