After spending four years in the UK, an Indian expat has started wondering if life back home might actually suit him better.The 32-year-old, who works as a project administrator, said he has managed to save around Rs 70 lakh during his time in the UK. But now, he’s considering returning to India and starting his career again, this time hoping to move into the tech sector.And he’s not exactly sure if he’s making a sensible decision.“I moved to the UK about 4 years ago. Now that the honeymoon phase has worn off and I’ve experienced what actually living here is like, I keep thinking: if I can earn reasonably well in India, couldn’t I have a quality of life that I’m equally happy with there?” he said in a post on Reddit.For him, the decision isn’t really about comparing which country has better infrastructure or amenities. He knows there would be some compromises if he moved back. But after living abroad, he says those things don’t carry as much weight for him anymore.“I know there would be trade-offs and, in some areas, a definite downgrade. But I’ve realised those things don’t matter to me as much as I thought they would,” he wrote.What he wants instead is fairly straightforward: financial stability, some time away from work and enough money left over to travel occasionally. A flashy lifestyle isn’t really on his list.His financial situation also gives him some room to take the risk. Since he has no dependants and is currently single, he says he could return with his savings and accept a lower salary for a while as he tries to build a career in tech.“Since I wouldn’t be coming back empty-handed or supporting dependants, I could afford to take a lower salary for a few years, build experience and hopefully work my way up,” he said.
‘Honeymoon phase is over’
His post struck a chord with other Indians living abroad, with several users saying they were dealing with similar thoughts about moving back.One user told him that the decision ultimately comes down to what makes him happy. If he can live comfortably with his savings and is happier in India, then moving back doesn’t necessarily make him “delusional”.Another suggested that his experience as a project administrator could potentially help him move into a delivery manager role in the tech industry, while advising him to research the move carefully before investing his savings.And he wasn’t the only person thinking about returning.One 26-year-old man living in Canada said he had saved around Rs 55 lakh and was also planning to move back after spending years studying and working there.“I see how life will be here if I stick around,” he wrote, adding that the “honeymoon phase” was over for him too.A 29-year-old woman from New Zealand shared a similar experience. She said she had also been thinking about leaving, despite being grateful for the money she had earned abroad. For her, the combination of a difficult job market and what she described as the dullness of life there had made India look increasingly appealing.For the UK-based NRI, though, the bigger question seems to be a simple one: after four years abroad, is going back home really starting over – or is it simply choosing the kind of life he actually wants?
