‘I quit the UK for a better work-life balance abroad – now my salary has doubled’ | UK | News

A British woman who was so overwhelmed by stress that she wept daily at work has abandoned the UK for Australia — and claims she now earns double her previous salary. Wynter Yeomans relocated to Sydney, Australia, with her partner, Luke Richards, in February 2025 in search of a healthier work-life balance. The 26-year-old, who had been working in pharmaceutical marketing, secured a new marketing role within three months of arriving, claiming both her wages and quality of life have soared dramatically ever since.

Wynter, who took home £25,000 in her former position, says she now earns £48,000 ($90,500 AUD) and no longer ‘lives for the weekend’ — making the most of every moment outside of working hours. While Wynter spends $1,500 (£795) on rent, she noted that everyday costs such as food and coffee are cheaper than back in the UK. Wynter, whose hometown of Nottingham sits 10,000 miles from where she now resides, said: “We loved the idea of living abroad so we decided instead of moving into a place in the UK to move to a place in Australia.

“I finish work and I’ve got the whole evening – people go to the beach and have BBQs with friends. There’s a lot less focus on the weekend, people are out most of the weekdays. I feel like in the UK you live for the weekends.

“I went travelling, I did Southeast Asia around 2022 for about five months and I loved it. Coming home after travelling really made me realise how much bigger the world is than your home town – meeting people and seeing different countries.

“As soon as I got back it was a shock to the system. When you’re travelling you are doing so much and then you come home and everyone is doing the same thing. I make so much more money, in the UK I was on £25,000 and here I’m on £48,000 for an entry position.

“I used to pay my mum £150 rent a month. Now I pay $1,500 in rent. I used to cry to my mum that I can’t afford her rent and now I don’t bat an eyelid.

“Things are so much cheaper here compared to the UK. You can get coffee for £2. You have your happy hours and people eat out all the time.”

Following travels across South East Asia in 2022, Wynter’s mental health took a serious turn for the worse upon returning home in July 2023, with her describing the initial six months back on British soil as “a dark place”.

The highly pressurised nature of her job left her claiming she would sob daily and suffer from stress-induced rashes.

In February 2025, Wynter and Luke, who now works as a tree surgeon, jetted out to Australia and say they now enjoy a better work-life balance.

Wynter recalled of her previous experiences in the UK: “I really struggled, I really didn’t fit in. The first six months were a dark place, I really struggled to get back to reality.

“I landed a corporate job. I would cry every day at work and I was so stressed, I was breaking out in rashes. It was cold, it would be dark when I drove to and back from work.

“We appreciate the summer in the UK and Brits love a pub garden, but the work-life balance – I found no one I worked with had that. My mental health was not great, I love the sun so we had a good reason to push to leave.”

Yet she still cautions others about the very real hardships of relocating abroad that often go unseen on social media, explaining: “It’s easy to see people on TikTok living amazing lives, it took me three months to get my job. I have a science background and did pharmaceutical marketing in the UK.

“It can be really scary picking up your whole life and moving, everything is so uncertain. You can try it and if it doesn’t work out you can go back home. I came with my partner and I’m very fortunate in that. You just have to trust the process.”