We Never Planned to Leave the UK... Until This Happened to Our Son | Our Return to India Story
Garima and her husband had successful IT careers in London until their son's 10-hour A&E wait without treatment changed everything. Discover how high childcare costs, limited career growth, and a failing healthcare system led them back to India.
In this story
- Key Takeaways
- Synopsis: Why This IT Couple Left London for India
- Background: The International IT Journey
- The Trigger: When Everything Fell Apart
- How to Plan Your Return: The One-Year Job Search Strategy
- Career Transition Tips for Senior Professionals
- Can You Save More Money in India Than UK?
- What Is Work Culture Like in India vs UK?
- Are There Better Opportunities for Women in Tech in India?
- How Do Kids Adjust After Moving to India?
- Can Parents Visit and Stay Comfortably in the UK?
- Should You Give Up UK Citizenship Path to Return to India?
- 10 Essential Lessons for NRIs Returning from UK to India
- How to Decide If You Should Return to India from UK
- The Individualistic Decision
- Frequently Asked Questions About Returning to India from UK
- Ready to Plan Your Return to India?
- Related Articles You May Find Helpful
After 10 hours in A&E without medical intervention for their son's head injury, this IT couple left successful London careers and discovered they're saving MORE money in India than they were in the UK.
Key Takeaways
- 10-hour A&E wait without treatment for child's head injury triggered the return decision
- 1,500 to 2,000 pounds a month in childcare can eliminate salary advantages abroad
- Purchase parity means higher savings in India despite lower absolute salary
- One spouse securing job first removes HR skepticism for the second
- Diversity hiring creates more opportunities for women in India's IT sector
The Decision No Parent Should Have to Make: Garima and her husband had built successful IT careers in London, working for top investment banks, earning well, and living in one of the world's financial capitals. But when their 2-year-old son suffered a head injury and they sat in an emergency room for 10 hours without medical intervention, everything changed.
Synopsis: Why This IT Couple Left London for India
After 15 years in IT, including stints in Cape Town and London, Garima and her husband returned to India in 2024. What started as an exciting international career opportunity turned into a cycle of expensive childcare, robotic social life, and a healthcare system that failed them when they needed it most.
When their son fell and hit his head, they waited 10 hours in A&E without a single scan or meaningful intervention. That incident, combined with limited career growth (3-5% annual raises while inflation soared), made the decision clear.
Despite being just one year away from qualifying for UK citizenship, they chose to return to Pune and discovered they're actually saving more money in India than they were in London. If you're considering a similar move, understanding why families struggle after moving back to India can help you avoid common pitfalls.
Background: The International IT Journey
Garima's career in IT spans 15 years, with the first 10 years spent in India working across product-based companies, service-based companies, and investment banks. The international journey began when she got an opportunity to move to Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Town: Beautiful But Unsafe
"It's a very beautiful city. Cape Town is very beautiful but then I got pregnant and then I decided like because of the safety concerns I decided to come back to India because it is very beautiful but there are safety concerns there. The crime rate is very high."
- Worked in Cape Town for a period
- Returned to India due to pregnancy and safety concerns
- Delivered her son in India
- Stayed in India for 2 years during COVID
The London Move (2022)
In 2022, both Garima and her husband received opportunities to move to London:
- Garima: Worked for a big UK-based investment bank
- Husband: Worked for an IT company in wealth management
- Both were in senior positions
- Both were doing "financially good" with strong career profiles
"We never imagined we will settle there but we never imagined we will come back as well. It was just an open plan."
The Mindset: No fixed plan to settle permanently. They wanted to explore opportunities, attracted by London being the "financial capital of the world." Both were already well-established in India before moving. This pattern is common among NRIs—similar to the young family who returned after 9 years in the US.
The Trigger: When Everything Fell Apart
The decision to return wasn't made overnight. It was a series of experiences that gradually revealed the hidden costs of their expat life.
The Social Isolation
The Weather Factor: First 6 months were very cold with depressing weather. Hard to meet new people despite joining different groups.
"People are very formal. The friendships are very transactional. It's not like India like we have friends in India we can depend on but it was not possible there."
India Difference: Very big family and friend circle, spontaneous social engagement, deep dependable friendships.
The Career Growth Ceiling
Despite both earning well and working for prestigious companies, they noticed a troubling pattern:
- After reaching a certain salary level, growth becomes very limited
- Annual appraisals: 3-5% raises
- Inflation: growing faster than raises
- Net result: effective pay cut year over year
The Childcare Crisis
Their son was 2 years old when they moved to London. The childcare costs were staggering:
The Numbers:
- Monthly childcare cost: £1,500-£2,000
- For a single-income family: half the salary
- School starts at age 4 in the UK
- Before age 4: childcare is mandatory if both parents work
"We didn't have any support at home as well and we are getting very less time to you know enjoy with our son because both of us were working going to offices coming back he's also going for full day."
The Healthcare Nightmare (The Breaking Point)
The Incident: Their son fell from a table and suffered a head injury. He was bleeding, and they rushed him to the emergency room.
What Happened:
- Waited in A&E for 10 hours
- Zero medical intervention during those 10 hours
- After 10 hours, doctor said "he looks fine, just go"
- No scan despite it being a head injury
- Told to "observe him for a week and come back"
"It was very disheartening as a parent to see your child suffering for 10 10 hours straight without any medical intervention and even after 10 hours you know doctor came and then he said that he looks fine just go."
⚠️ The Realization: "Even after earning so much having so much financial independence we can't choose like where we can go with our son you know we can get immediate intervention."
Additional Healthcare Issues: Both parents had medical issues. Couldn't get GP appointments. Simple appointments taking months. This was a continuous problem for all three family members.
Decision Point: This incident happened in January 2023. From that moment, they were sure they wanted to come back. The NHS challenges they faced are increasingly common among families in the UK.
How to Plan Your Return: The One-Year Job Search Strategy
Timeline
- January 2023: Healthcare incident; decision made to return
- 2023: One full year of job searching and planning
- 2024: Successfully returned to India (approximately one month before interview)
The Strategy: One Job First
"We don't want to go like this like we either one of us should have a job in hand because both of us were very you know doing very good financially so we just didn't want to come like this leaving everything apart."
The Challenge:
- Both working at very senior positions
- Wanted similar positions in India
- Not expecting same packages (understood purchase parity difference)
- But wanted comparable roles and responsibilities
The Job Search Reality
The Question Everyone Asked:
"Why you want to come back because everybody wants to go from India and you want to come back. So it is not a regular scenario."
The HR Skepticism:
"Couple of places like I got selected and like HR told me why should we select you if you don't come like what will happen because it's a waste of time for both of us. They give interviews they check the salary and they don't join back."
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Location Choice: Why Pune?
Primary Factors:
Familiarity
Garima started her career in Pune. Lived there for 8 years. Knew the city well.
Pollution Consideration
"Many people when they want to move back the first consideration in their mind comes about the pollution part because it's a very sensitive topic for most of the people. So that was one of the consideration as well irrespective of the package or whatever I didn't want to go to you know Delhi region."
Cost of Living
Pune offered good quality of life with reasonable cost compared to other metros.
Specificity Extended Timeline
Both concentrated specifically on Pune opportunities. Not open to other locations. This specificity extended the job search to one year.
Career Transition Tips for Senior Professionals
Direct Hiring Manager Outreach
Use LinkedIn to identify hiring managers. Send personal invitations explaining your situation. Leverage your India network to get introductions. Be explicit about your seriousness to return.
"I used LinkedIn a lot. I try to send personal invitations to the people who are at managerial levels. So whenever I was searching for any job, I try to find the hiring managers."
Referral Strategy
Reconnect with old colleagues and friends. Explain your situation clearly. Ask for referrals even if you've been away for years. Most people are willing to help if they understand you're serious.
The Sequential Approach
"I would suggest like one one of the person should get the job first and then you can plan ahead because in our case my husband got the job first through referral only and then once he got the job it was very easy for me."
Why This Works:
- Removes HR skepticism about commitment
- Provides concrete proof of return plans
- Makes the second person's job search much easier
- Shows you have "skin in the game"
This approach mirrors what worked for the Microsoft engineer who returned after 8 years in the US.
Managing HR Skepticism
- Understand that companies have been burned before
- Provide evidence of commitment (spouse's job, flight tickets)
- Be patient with the process
- Don't take the skepticism personally
Alternative Locations Considered: Dubai
"I think it was kind of a wave. Everybody was talking like Dubai Dubai Dubai."
Why It Didn't Work:
- Both worked in financial sector/investment banks
- Not getting enough opportunities in Dubai
- The kind of roles they wanted weren't available
- The kind of salaries they expected weren't matching
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Can You Save More Money in India Than UK?
The Savings Calculation
London Lifestyle Costs:
- House help (needed because both working)
- Childcare: £1,500-£2,000/month
- Multiple classes for son (social activities, learning)
- High EMIs and rent
- Overall: very high cost of living
India Lifestyle:
- Comparable salary (adjusted for purchase parity)
- Similar lifestyle maintained
- All the same expenses (help, classes, activities)
Key Insight: Even with lower absolute salary numbers, the purchasing power and cost of living in India means higher net savings for the same lifestyle quality. For detailed financial planning, check out the NRI FIRE strategies guide.
📊 Financial Planning Support: Understand how to maximize your savings, manage the currency transition, and plan for long-term wealth. Download the Financial Transition Blueprint
What Is Work Culture Like in India vs UK?
The Nuanced Reality
"Work life balance is not generic in India."
Garima's Experience:
- Early career in India: Mixed experience; service-based companies had poor work-life balance
- As she grew: Found it was about defining boundaries
- Key principle: "It's me who need to define like what I want to like how I want to work it should be me not the other person"
The Approach:
- Complete your work efficiently
- Get it done well
- Then you're not questionable to anybody
- Find good managers who motivate and mentor
The Leadership Responsibility
"Now when I'm coming back, I'm coming back at a senior position. So I'll be defining the work culture for my team."
The Mindset:
- It's the leader's responsibility to define work culture
- Senior people coming back should correct what's not working
- Bring best practices from abroad
- Create the environment you want to see
Her Inspiration: Had a manager from US who came back to India. She mentored Garima beautifully and gave her a good impression of how a manager should be. Now Garima wants to do the same for her team.
UK Work Culture (For Comparison)
The Reality:
- 9-to-5 schedule
- If you complete your work, nobody questions you
- Very good work-life balance
- Definitely better than India in this aspect
But:
"In India, I think it's improving slightly. And when the people are coming at senior levels, it's their responsibility to you know correct it whatever is not there."
Are There Better Opportunities for Women in Tech in India?
The India Advantage
"I found like in India opportunity for women are more because they have lot of diversity hiring these days. Even I got hired as a diversity in within diversity hiring."
Career Growth:
- Many women friends excelling in their careers
- Diversity hiring initiatives
- Opportunities to grow up the ladder quickly
- Better support for women in leadership
The Abroad Challenge: Support System Gap
"In abroad definitely I mean the opportunities are there but then being an Indian women the support system was missing at home. So you have to take care of your kid as well. You have to do your household chores as well and then you have to excel your excel within your career."
The Mother's Guilt:
"Though both of us were contributing equally but I think there was a mother's guilt within me that I am at my office and my I'm not meeting my son. I'm coming back at 7:00 he's sleeping at 7:30. So there was kind of you know constant guilt within me that I'm not giving him enough time not you know cooking for him. It's not like nobody's telling me to cook but it was a mother's guilt."
The India Solution
Work-Life Balance Negotiation:
- Joined at senior position
- Discussed work-life balance needs upfront
- Manager (from UK) was supportive
- Flexibility to work from home when needed
- Can leave office for family needs and take calls from home
The Support System:
- Parents available for support
- Extended family nearby
- Household help affordable and available
- Can balance career and family better
How Do Kids Adjust After Moving to India?
Son's Adjustment (Age 5)
The Worry:
"My main worry was about his school because I chose a holistic school for him because he's coming from that environment. I just didn't want to give him more pressure. I wanted to him to relax to enjoy and I mean get accustomed to Indian ways and everything."
The Reality (After One Month):
- Almost settled in school
- Enjoying the environment
- Made lots of friends in the township
- Living in a gated community with all amenities
The Township Advantage:
- Just go downstairs to meet other kids
- Soft play areas
- All sports facilities
- Easy socialization
"For him, it was comparatively easy. I was worried a lot, but he took it very very nicely."
Husband's Experience
Work Setup:
- Came to very senior position
- 4 days of working per week
- Office just 5 minutes away from home
- In UK: complete remote working, never went to office
- Enjoying the change and socialization
Garima's Experience
Work Setup:
- Was going to office 4 days in UK
- Now going 2 days in India
- Describes it as "kind of a chill"
- Wanted the change after hectic London life
"Our parents are here as well for our support. So it's kind of good. I mean we are not missing anything. We are gradually you know getting accustomed."
Can Parents Visit and Stay Comfortably in the UK?
The Experiment
After shifting to UK, they brought their parents for vacation just after one year.
The Thinking:
"Initially we thought like maybe we would settle here and we wanted our parents to come there you know frequently because we never wanted to just live there and never you know visit them or visit them occasionally. We wanted to have a frequent connection with them."
What Happened:
- Parents came for visit
- After 15-20 days: very difficult for them
- Parents said: "We are not enjoying"
- Family felt it wasn't fair to keep them if they weren't enjoying
The Pattern:
- While taking them out and visiting places: okay
- But after some time: "No this is not the life we are enjoying"
- Parents left after about a month
Next Year:
- Asked parents again if they wanted to come
- Response: "No it's better you come back we don't want to come"
"This was again one of the major factors because our parents were not interested to come there and as a as their child we as as their kids we also didn't want to force them."
👨👩👧👦 Planning for Parents? Learn about senior living options, healthcare access, and support systems for aging parents in India. Explore Elder Care Options
Should You Give Up UK Citizenship Path to Return to India?
What They Left Behind
They left the UK after approximately 2-3 years—potentially just one year away from qualifying for UK citizenship.
What They Gave Up:
- Path to UK citizenship
- Established careers at top investment banks
- High salaries (in absolute terms)
- European lifestyle and travel opportunities
Why They Still Left:
- Healthcare system failure
- Expensive childcare with no family support
- Limited career growth (3-5% raises vs. higher inflation)
- Social isolation and transactional friendships
- Parents unable to visit comfortably
- Son's limited social life (dark by 4 PM for 7 months)
The Financial Reality Check
"When we got the job in India we calculated did everything and we were like if we are saving the same amount like what is the purpose?"
The Question: If you're saving the same amount (or more) in India, with family support, better healthcare access, and a happier lifestyle—what's the point of staying abroad?
10 Essential Lessons for NRIs Returning from UK to India
Healthcare access matters more than healthcare cost — 10 hours in A&E without intervention for a child's head injury is unacceptable, regardless of it being "free."
Childcare costs can erase salary advantages — £1,500-£2,000/month for childcare means one parent is essentially working just to pay for childcare.
Career growth plateaus abroad — 3-5% annual raises while inflation runs higher means you're taking an effective pay cut every year.
One job offer changes everything — Having one spouse secure a job first removes HR skepticism and makes the second person's search much easier.
Direct hiring manager outreach works — LinkedIn connections to actual hiring managers, not just HR, can bypass the skepticism barrier.
Purchase parity beats absolute salary — Lower salary in India can mean higher savings when cost of living is factored in.
Senior returnees can change work culture — If you're coming back at a leadership level, you have the power (and responsibility) to define better work culture.
Diversity hiring favors women in India — Current initiatives in India create more opportunities for women to advance than abroad.
Parents' comfort matters — If your parents can't enjoy visiting you abroad, the distance becomes unsustainable long-term.
Close your ears to the noise — Everyone will have opinions about your decision. Write down your pros/cons, calculate everything, and make your own choice.
How to Decide If You Should Return to India from UK
The Excel Method
"We made an excel we actually made an excel about everything pros cons we calculated everything it was not like hush decision that we thought like just go and next day we came back. No, we took one year."
What to Calculate:
- Current savings vs. projected India savings
- Career growth path in both locations
- Quality of life factors
- Family support availability
- Children's education and social life
- Healthcare access
- Long-term business/entrepreneurship plans
The Noise Problem
"If you are really interested to move back, I would say just you know close your ears because there's lot of noise that will come to your way."
The Reactions They Got:
- "No it's not a good decision. You are doing so great. Why you want to go back?"
- "You're degrading your life."
- "If you have taken a decision you should be stick to it. Why you want to [change]?"
- Some saw it as losing status
The Reality:
"Every person has different varieties in life. You have to think about yourself whatever you are thinking just write it down."
The Six-Month Rule
"If you want to come back and even if you're half-minded like you are not fully sure, I would suggest don't you know stop listening to people analyze what you have in your mind where your heart and mind is taking you. So more advice you will listen more confusion it'll bring. So it is better you know just be quiet for six seven months take your time take your good time analyze everything write it down and then you know gradually take your decision."
Why This Works:
- Removes external noise
- Allows for rational analysis
- Gives time to gather data (job market, salaries, costs)
- Lets emotions settle
- Enables clear-headed decision making
The Future Planning Factor
Long-Term Considerations:
- Both in IT; know the industry changes every 5 years
- Wanted to start something of their own eventually
- India offers better environment for entrepreneurship
"Which country will give you you know benefit over that? That was one of the consideration as well because India is our country. We don't have visa issues. We have a lot of support, we have a lot of connections, it is a favorable situation if you want to start anything new, any business something like that, you have lot of support at home as well."
The Individualistic Decision
No Right or Wrong
"I would say I mean it's a very individualistic decision. It's it's all about your priority. I would say like it's there is a no right or wrong decision in here. I mean it's all depend what you prioritize in life."
The UK Experience:
"I won't say UK was bad or good. It was an experience we wanted to have as a family of a developed country because you know if you don't go you always regret in your life that we get we got the opportunity and we didn't took it."
The Family-First Principle
"The main reasons for us like we both of us we were very much connected to our family. We are like in all all the decisions in in our life whatever we took till now we always kept our family together like informing them bringing them."
The Pattern:
- Always kept family informed
- Brought parents to UK for vacation
- Wanted frequent connection with parents
- When parents didn't enjoy UK, it became a major factor
The Livelihood Factor (For the Child)
The Dark Months:
"For my son I think I felt for 7 months in a year it was dark after four. So the social life that you know the cultural aspect the social life the liveless that was missing for him."
What They Tried:
- Enrolled him in lots of after-school clubs
- Many activities
- But after coming from school, if it's dark, even parents weren't interested in taking him to the garden
- He wasn't enjoying that aspect
Frequently Asked Questions About Returning to India from UK
Q: How long does it take to find a job in India from the UK?
A: "We took one year. We don't want to go like this like we either one of us should have a job in hand because both of us were very you know doing very good financially so we just didn't want to come like this leaving everything apart." The timeline depends on your specificity—Garima and her husband concentrated specifically on Pune opportunities, which extended their search. Being open to multiple locations can shorten this significantly.
Q: Can you save more money in India than in the UK?
A: "In terms of saving if I calculate I am saving in India more because of the lifestyle I had." Despite lower absolute salary numbers, the purchasing power and cost of living in India means higher net savings for the same lifestyle quality. When you factor in £1,500-£2,000/month childcare costs in London, the savings advantage becomes even more significant.
Q: How do I convince Indian companies I'm serious about returning?
A: "I would suggest like one one of the person should get the job first and then you can plan ahead because in our case my husband got the job first through referral only and then once he got the job it was very easy for me." Having one spouse secure a job first removes HR skepticism, provides concrete proof of return plans, and shows you have "skin in the game."
Q: What is work-life balance like in India compared to UK?
A: "Work life balance is not generic in India. It's me who need to define like what I want to like how I want to work it should be me not the other person." The UK offers 9-to-5 schedules with no questions if you complete your work. In India, it depends on your company and manager, but senior returnees have the power to define better work culture for their teams.
Q: Are there good opportunities for women in tech in India?
A: "I found like in India opportunity for women are more because they have lot of diversity hiring these days. Even I got hired as a diversity in within diversity hiring." Many women friends are excelling in their careers with opportunities to grow up the ladder quickly. The support system in India—parents, extended family, affordable household help—makes balancing career and family easier.
Q: How do kids adjust after moving from UK to India?
A: "For him, it was comparatively easy. I was worried a lot, but he took it very very nicely." After one month, their 5-year-old was almost settled in school, enjoying the environment, and had made lots of friends in the township. Living in a gated community with soft play areas and sports facilities made socialization easy.
Q: Should I wait for UK citizenship before returning to India?
A: "When we got the job in India we calculated did everything and we were like if we are saving the same amount like what is the purpose?" Garima and her husband left just one year away from UK citizenship eligibility. When healthcare fails you, childcare costs half your salary, and you're saving the same amount in India—the citizenship path may not be worth the wait.
Ready to Plan Your Return to India?
Garima's story shows that returning to India isn't about giving up success—it's about redefining what success means. When healthcare fails you, when childcare costs half your salary, when your parents can't visit comfortably, and when you're saving the same amount (or more) in India—the decision becomes clear.
Summary: Key Takeaways for UK to India Return
- Healthcare access can be more important than cost
- Childcare costs abroad can eliminate salary advantages
- Purchase parity often means higher savings in India
- One spouse getting a job first makes the transition easier
- Direct hiring manager outreach bypasses HR skepticism
- Senior returnees can positively influence work culture
- Diversity hiring creates opportunities for women in India
- Parents' comfort matters for long-term sustainability
Plan Your Career Transition Back to India
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Related Resources
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- NRI Banking Setup - Manage your accounts across borders
- Elder Care Options - Support for aging parents
