Podcast
NRI Family's Decision to Leave UK for India After 18 Years: Kids, Sports & Career
After 18 years in UK, Prine moved his family to Bangalore for his kids' development. His 13-year-old son plays tennis, younger son does multiple sports. He debunks work culture myths and shares why he chose a different city than his hometown.
In this story
Real Return Story • Last Updated: November 30, 2025
NRI Family's Decision to Leave UK for India After 18 Years
After 18 years in UK, Prine moved his family to Bangalore. His 13-year-old's tennis career, kids' development, and aging parents drove the decision. Here's his journey.
Key Insights from This Story
- 18 years in UK—started at Sapient, worked in finance
- Entrepreneur since 2019—left corporate world
- Two sons: 13 (tennis) and 9 (multiple sports)
- Chose Bangalore over hometown for wife's comfort
- Kids adjusted in weeks—now thriving in sports
- Key insight: "Women generally don't like to go back"—address this
Prine's Background
Prine's journey represents a typical IT professional's path—but with an uncommon ending.
Career Journey
- 2004: Started at Sapient Corporation in Gurgaon
- 2006: Moved to UK to work for a hedge fund—"London was THE place to go"
- 2007: Sent to US (New York, Stanford area) for UBS project
- 2008: Requested return to UK—loved it there
- 2008-2009: Global financial crisis—on bench for months
- 2009-2010: Worked in Germany (Dusseldorf) for a year
- 2010-2019: Corporate ladder in UK, switched jobs, increased value
- 2019: Left corporate world, became entrepreneur
Family Situation
- Wife: Married during Germany stint
- Elder son: 13 years old (recently turned), serious tennis player
- Younger son: 9 years old, into multiple sports
- Parents: Aging, need attention—"65-70, they need you desperately"
"I've been telling my wife since Germany days—I want to go back one day. It feels very dry in all these places. There's a word called 'Jeevan'—the vibrancy of life—that's missing from the Indian standard."
Why Return Now?
Multiple factors converged to make 2024 the right time.
The Kids' Age Threshold
- Elder son turned 13—critical window
- After 16-17, kids become almost independent in UK
- They'll have their own circle, won't want to move
- "If I don't go now and give them exposure for a few years, this opportunity will be lost forever"
⚠️ Lessons from Older NRIs
"I talked to one guy who came much earlier than us. His kids are already passed out, went to university. He was regretting at one point that he should have gone back. Now he has lost that chance completely because his kids are developed in such a way that they don't want to go back."
Prine says: "I think they all agreed that they made a mistake by not going on time."
The Burnout Reality
Managing kids' activities in UK became overwhelming:
- Tennis: Drive to court, wait 2-3 hours, drive back
- Swimming, boxing, other sports: Same pattern
- No support: No parental help, no professional help affordable
- Both parents juggling: One takes elder son, other stays with younger
- Result: "We were completely burnt out to a level where it became almost unmanageable"
"40 hours in office, 40 hours at home—save those 40 hours at home and do something else in that time."
Parents' Situation
- Parents are 65-70 years old
- "They need you now desperately—they won't say anything because they care for you"
- When Prine visits: "I just sit with my mom—that's it. She makes all the food, she's happy"
- "They don't want anything from you—they just want your attention and time"
The UK Reality Check
Prine realized he wasn't using any government services:
- Medical: Using private healthcare
- Schooling: Private schools for kids
- What UK provided: "Only better managed traffic and cleanliness"
- "If you're not annoyed by that in India, you have everything to gain"
Getting Wife on Board
Prine addresses a critical challenge many NRI families face.
⚠️ The Reality
"Women generally don't like to go back. Generally—I'm not saying all. They worry about relatives coming anytime, losing freedom, having to think about what they're wearing."
✅ The Solution: Different City
Prine's advice that worked:
- Don't go back to hometown—go to a different city
- Prine is from NCR (National Capital Region)—chose Bangalore
- Less interference from relatives
- Wife's freedom maintained
- "That's my advice to people—don't go back to the same city"
Sports Facilities: India vs UK
This was a pleasant surprise for Prine—India exceeded expectations.
Tennis in India (Soul Sports Academy, Bangalore)
- 10 clay courts—protects knees, better for development
- 4 hours daily training: 3 hours evening + 1 hour morning
- Program-based: Just enroll, they handle everything
- No booking hassles: No need to book courts or coaches separately
- Year-round play: Bangalore weather allows outdoor tennis always
- Professional kids: 13-15 year olds doing homeschooling, playing full-time
UK Tennis Challenges
- Must book courts separately
- Must book coaches separately
- Winter problem: Need indoor courts (limited, expensive, high demand)
- Parents' time: Must drive, wait 2-3 hours, drive back
- Max training: 1-2 hours possible per day
✅ The Proof: Kent County Championship
Prine's son went to India for training in April-May, then returned to UK:
- Kent County team wasn't sure if he should be in squad after 20 days in India
- His performance was so good they had to take him
- He was the "man of the entire tournament"
- Pulled his team out of danger—Kent County won the championship
- Reason: Developed stamina in Indian weather (not 10-12°C like UK)
Other Sports Now Available
In India, elder son now does:
- Badminton: 2 hours every other day at nearby academy
- Chess club: Occasionally
- Swimming: Enrolled
- "Their life is filled with activities—which was lacking in UK"
Kids' Adjustment
The kids' transition was faster than expected.
Initial Resistance
- Both sons were "ganging up" against the move
- Saying: "Dad's idea of exposure is nonsense"
- First week: Kept complaining, pulling dad's leg
✅ After One Month
The transformation:
- Ganesh Chaturthi: Community celebrations, kids went out to play
- Made 10-15 friends in the community within weeks
- Playing football, other games every day after homework
- Friends come to their house, take them out to play
- "They're always busy playing whenever they get time"
"Now they're really happy. But because they tried to accuse me earlier, they can't easily accept it. But I can see they're loving it."
The Dogs
Prine even sent their dogs to India:
- Expensive and difficult process
- But now kids have their dogs with them
- Complete family unit in India
Work Culture Reality
Prine's Business Situation
- Entire team sits in India—time zones overlap better now
- Can meet team frequently
- Using UK network for a new startup
- Leveraging India presence for opportunities
✅ The Productivity Gain
"Now my kids are taken care of easily. All these things are coming up in me. I tell all my friends—you don't need to work 40 hours in office and then 40 hours at home. Save those 40 hours at home and do something else."
With help available in India (driver, domestic help), parents can be more productive.
Moving Logistics
School Selection
- Elder son was at Seven Oaks School in Kent—one of most prestigious
- Challenge: Find equally good school in India
- Curriculum: GCSE (UK) → IGCSE (International)—very similar
- Selected prestigious international school in Bangalore
- Kids don't feel they're getting lesser education or facilities
Shipping Household Goods
- Furniture: Don't carry—can get better furniture in India for less
- Half container: Generally enough for most things
- If renting UK house: Leave furniture for tenants
- Process is simple—get quotes from multiple companies
Key Advice
✅ Summary of Prine's Advice
- Move to different city than hometown—less family interference, wife happier
- Kids' age is the deadline—after 16-17, opportunity lost forever
- Talk to older NRIs—learn from their regrets
- Sports facilities in India can be better than UK for serious athletes
- Help available in India multiplies your productivity
- Think about parents—they need you, won't ask directly
- Kids adjust faster than you think—give it a month
"At least give them the flexibility of both worlds. If they like it here, well and good. If they like it there, they can always go back. We wanted to open up this opportunity for them to better understand what works for them."
