Leaving, and what happens if it does not work

Some people try a place and it is not for them. That is a reasonable outcome of a reasonable experiment, not a character flaw, and the fact that this island suits me does not oblige it to suit you.

The people who struggle most are the ones who decide early that they have made a mistake and then spend two years unable to say so out loud, to each other or to anybody else.

If you are wobbling, notice when you are wobbling.

The urge to leave arrives reliably in the dark months and recedes reliably in June. That does not make it invalid, but it does mean February is a poor moment to make a permanent decision. Give it until the summer, decide then, and if the answer is still yes, it is a real answer.

If you hold an Employment Permit, leaving may affect your ability to return. Short Term Employment Permit holders face a maximum of three years' aggregate residence and must then take a break in residence at least as long as their last period here. Check your specific position with the Population Management Office before you commit to anything.

The property market moves slowly, particularly at the upper end, so selling can take longer than a mainland timeline assumes. Time to sell has been rising.

Sort the tax year, the school notice periods, and the practical unwinding earlier than feels necessary, because doing it from a distance is considerably harder.

This matters more here than almost anywhere.

Say proper goodbyes. Return what you borrowed, finish what you started, tell people why rather than disappearing. The island is small and long-memoried, and a departure handled badly is remembered for a surprisingly long time by a surprisingly large number of people.

More common than people expect. Plenty of families leave, spend two years elsewhere, and discover that what they were missing was the thing they had.

If you leave on good terms, the door is genuinely open. That is one of the better things about a place this size.