0:00:02 > 0:00:05Last year, nearly 25,000 people left Northern Ireland
0:00:05 > 0:00:07to start a new life elsewhere.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I've never been to one of these expos before,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13but this is completely crazy, isn't it?
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I didn't think there was as many people looking to leave the country.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It shows you how bad things have got.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Unemployment has doubled in the past five years,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23and one in five young people are out of work.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25'I don't make any eye contact with anybody
0:00:25 > 0:00:29'because I kind of feel embarrassed, that people are judging me
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'that I'm lazy, or that I don't want to work, or I'm just a bum.'
0:00:33 > 0:00:38House prices have tumbled to half what they were six years ago.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41This was our dream house, but the economy is the way it is
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and Rhys needs a decent job that pays well.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46We've got to leave our for ever home
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and look for another for ever home somewhere else.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Behind the statistics are real people with real families.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57This series follows some of them in the lead up to a journey that
0:00:57 > 0:00:59could change their lives for ever.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03PHONE RINGS
0:01:03 > 0:01:05'Hi, you're through to Rhys.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08- 'Jodie.'- 'Dylan.'- 'Caolan.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:10CHILD SHOUTS
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- RHYS:- 'Please leave a message! Bye!' - CHILDREN: 'Bye!'
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Heather Kennedy has been looking for work for the last four months.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I went to Liverpool Hope University to do Drama and English
0:01:27 > 0:01:29and then I went on to do a PGCE after,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32because I wanted to be a teacher, so that's four years of my life,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34I'm 24 grand in debt,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37and I'm here on Jobseeker's.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Since graduating, Heather has had one temporary teaching job,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45but her chances of getting something permanent are slim.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Lovely, thank you. Cheers.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Last year, fewer than one in ten newly qualified teachers got
0:01:49 > 0:01:51full-time employment here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54When I was in high school, I did a thing called Team Teaching.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56My drama teacher introduced it
0:01:56 > 0:02:00for anybody in sixth form who wanted to add something to their CV.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I was only 16 and the kids I was teaching were 14,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05so only a few years below me.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08I was like, "This won't work. They're not going to want to listen to me."
0:02:08 > 0:02:11And I absolutely loved it, and I left that room
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17To be trained to be a teacher and not actually be in a position,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20it's really unmotivating, and it's not that there isn't jobs out there,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23it's just the competition is mental.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I'm going to have to start looking for jobs further afield.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29There's no other option, to be honest. I'll have to go where the work is.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31If I can use my degree to get out of the country
0:02:31 > 0:02:35and get a year's worth of work, then that makes me more employable
0:02:35 > 0:02:38when I come back, if I want to come back, and at least I'll be earning.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I'd rather be earning than doing this every two weeks,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43because it's soul-destroying, to be honest.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Joiner Ryan Scullion and his girlfriend Sinead McCann
0:02:51 > 0:02:53have decided to travel to Australia together,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56but with no jobs to go to they're hoping that they might
0:02:56 > 0:03:00meet some potential employers at the Working Abroad Expo in Dublin today.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03That fella just behind us, he's looking to go to Canada.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06He says it's better wages and stuff and just a better lifestyle,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08that's what he described it as.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Hopefully, the queues are worth it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12'When I first started and left school,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'there was loads and loads of work.'
0:03:16 > 0:03:20'There was houses being built every week, sites started.'
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Now, just the way things are at the minute,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25you have to look for your work, so you do,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29so it's just not as simple as it was four years ago.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Back when the things were good, most joiners
0:03:32 > 0:03:35was getting at least about £100 a day.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Now, if you get half of that,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41you'd be doing more than well.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45And then, to get onto the property market, again,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49it's very, very tough for somebody with small wages.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54'The main goal is to go over and make money and hopefully some day
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'come back and buy a house or
0:03:57 > 0:03:59'build a house of some description.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02'That's the main target, so it is.'
0:04:03 > 0:04:05For the last three months,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Sinead has been working as a community care assistant.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's not what she hoped what she'd be doing
0:04:10 > 0:04:12after three years of university.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16'I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do when I started.'
0:04:16 > 0:04:19I went on work experience for accountancy with my auntie
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and I hated it. It was so boring.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I couldn't sit in the office, I had to be out and about.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28So, I went on work experience for radiography for a couple of days
0:04:28 > 0:04:31up in the Royal and I loved it, basically.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'And that's how I got into it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36'When I first started uni, things were good.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'We were hoping everybody was going to get a job out of it, basically.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41'There was loads of jobs.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45'Everybody that was qualifying was just getting jobs straight out.'
0:04:45 > 0:04:48There were 60 in our year and we've all qualified
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and I don't even think half have got jobs yet.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52'I went for interviews, but there was
0:04:52 > 0:04:54'maybe 100 people interviewed
0:04:54 > 0:04:56'and it was just for a waiting list.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59'The way things are, you can't turn jobs down.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02so, fingers crossed they don't ring when I'm in Australia!
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I'll have a massive dilemma then.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09The boys' school projects.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11The perfume from my wedding day.
0:05:11 > 0:05:1410 years after moving back to Northern Ireland to settle down,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Joan and Rhys Yardley are returning to the Isle of Man,
0:05:17 > 0:05:18where Rhys grew up.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20The first night we met, we played that tape.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Just having a young baby
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and not really knowing anybody in the Isle of Man,
0:05:24 > 0:05:29and Rhys's parents and family were fantastic,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32but I really just wanted to be at home, close to my family.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Mine's bigger. - Yours is a wee bit bigger?
0:05:34 > 0:05:36I worked for The Royal Bank Of Scotland
0:05:36 > 0:05:40and I then transferred to Ulster Bank, who are part of that same group.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And then a really good opportunity came about to start
0:05:43 > 0:05:45a business with my brother-in-law.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Watch you don't knock somebody out.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'The first two years we were very successful,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51'there was lots of work, but that's when the recession started to
0:05:51 > 0:05:55kick in and the opportunities for work started to decrease.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:57We just tried to keep the business going as long as we possibly could.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59What else have we got in here?
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The recession hasn't hit the Isle of Man as badly as other parts of the UK
0:06:03 > 0:06:07and Rhys believes there'll be many more job opportunities for him there.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11You feel quite sentimental, but I'm glad I have it all, because
0:06:11 > 0:06:14they're all memories and the thing is, you take your memories with you.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17You take your photos, boxes and everything with you and leave behind the shell.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20And that's kind of the way you have to look at it.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Otherwise, you'll be blurting, crying, which I will try not to do.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28We're kind of jumping the gun a bit, sending the container on ahead
0:06:28 > 0:06:32to the Isle of Man, because Rhys doesn't have a job yet.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33'We don't have a home there yet.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36'We don't have a school for the kids there yet.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39'But, we found someone who's quite happy to rent our house
0:06:39 > 0:06:43'long-term, so in order not to lose that tenant,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'we decided that we'd move out.'
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So, Rhys'll have it all to unpack on the other side, now.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51'I'm lucky that my father has a factory on the island,'
0:06:51 > 0:06:55so I'll store all the furniture and other bits and pieces in there,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- so it will be safe and sound there. - We're progressing.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03They're torturing me. Big red eyes on them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04It's OK.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I'm a wee bit emotional myself.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11I suppose the realisation's kicking in that we're leaving,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15we're going away, even though it's not for another few months.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16All our stuff's gone.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Oh, sorry, the chicken herb pieces!
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Heather has been living with Myrtle for the past seven months.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Trying to think of a way to describe Myrtle.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30'She's kind of like my mum, my best friend and my sister,
0:07:30 > 0:07:31'all rolled into one.'
0:07:31 > 0:07:35She'll stay there and eat that now, cos Pebbles is watching her.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37'Myrtle has an absolute heart of gold.'
0:07:37 > 0:07:41She is one of the most inspirational people you'll ever meet in your life.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44'She'll do anything for anybody.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46'I always joke to her that she has a halfway house.'
0:07:46 > 0:07:48The two of us get on so well in the house and stuff
0:07:48 > 0:07:51and we always have real good banter between us,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55should we just be only carrying on, dancing about the floor,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- just be silly things like that, there. You know that way?- No!
0:08:01 > 0:08:04This is actually a picture of my mum.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06You can see the little band.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09This is the last picture taken of her.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12She was in the hospice at this point. It was just for pain relief.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15So, she was sitting, actually talking to one of her mates
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and I just got my phone up and took a snap.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19Little did I know that that would be
0:08:19 > 0:08:21the last picture ever taken of her.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- MYRTLE:- 'I was devastated.'
0:08:25 > 0:08:29'Known Anne over 20 years, and we'd been very close.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- What you doing?- What am I doing? Taking Sophie for a walk.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I used to play with her daughter
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and we used to stay at each other's houses and stuff.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39I don't remember a time where I didn't know Myrtle.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41I'm think I've known her my whole life.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44When things were bad, I would have done
0:08:44 > 0:08:46the crying for the whole lot of them, like.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Heather was real strong going through that, like, so she said,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51"Myrtle, we don't need to cry, cos you're doing it all for us."
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Come on!
0:08:52 > 0:08:54'Heather was away at university,
0:08:54 > 0:08:59'but Anne wanted her to continue on with her coursework and stuff,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03'so I think Heather just wanted to make her mum proud and she did.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05'I'm sure Anne would have been so proud of her.'
0:09:06 > 0:09:09With 8,000 other people at the RDS today
0:09:09 > 0:09:12eager to find out about work overseas, it hasn't been easy
0:09:12 > 0:09:16for Ryan and Sinead to find the information they're after.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18- SINEAD:- It's been a wee bit disappointing. Not too bad.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21We got signed up to a few recruitment agencies.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Canada, mainly, has taken over.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25There's only a few stalls on Australia.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Ryan's family have mixed feelings about his going to Australia.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Ryan text to say, "Mummy, I have booked my flight to Australia."
0:09:33 > 0:09:36I text him back, "Is Sinead going?"
0:09:36 > 0:09:40He text back, yeah, she was going with him.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I was kind of shocked at the time.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46There's always that worry for parents that what begins as
0:09:46 > 0:09:51a year away might become a permanent move to the other side of the world.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'There's so many young ones, now,'
0:09:53 > 0:09:54that's all gone out, so.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Like whenever a couple of his friends said they were going,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01I knew that Ryan wouldn't be too far behind.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03'We probably will worry.'
0:10:04 > 0:10:08'There'll be plenty of texting and probably set up Skype.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11'But sometimes with boys, it's like they're are bit slow with
0:10:11 > 0:10:13'picking up the phones and that.'
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I think I'm going to start crying.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20SHE CRIES
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'He is the youngest in the house and she probably
0:10:25 > 0:10:27'will be very upset when he goes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29'The way I look at it is, if they're happy,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32'and they're enjoying it, well, the year will go in fast
0:10:32 > 0:10:36'and hopefully they'll only stay the year and come back home again.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:43With nothing on the job front in Banbridge,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Heather has been applying for teaching jobs overseas.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49We just going to go off to the school I used to
0:10:49 > 0:10:52work for in my maternity cover last year.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55It's in Lurgan, so I have a few things to drop off.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58It's a good excuse to call in and see how everybody's
0:10:58 > 0:11:02doing before I go and just tell them where I'm going.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Until something comes up,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06she's booked a flight to visit her brother in America.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08'Plan is, I stay there for three months.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11'I've got a nanny job from my brother.'
0:11:11 > 0:11:13While I'm there I'll still be doing application forms.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19I've just sent off an application for South Korea. I'm very excited.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23While she's at the school, Heather pops in to see some of her old pupils.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- We've got Miss Kennedy here. - Hi.- Surprise, surprise.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- PUPILS:- Hello, Miss!
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Are you all happy to see her?- Yes!
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Why is it you're going to another part of the world to get a job?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Why can you not just get one in Ireland?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I've been waiting by the phone every single morning from September
0:11:38 > 0:11:41for a subbing job, and I've had nothing,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43so I just have to kind of go where the work is.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I don't really have a choice.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- TEACHER:- 'I've heard numerous reports that'
0:11:48 > 0:11:50young teachers, young doctors,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54young nurses have had to leave the UK to seek employment.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56'But, unfortunately, with the recession,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'they obviously just have to go further afield.'
0:12:00 > 0:12:03So, are you going to have to teach them English over there?
0:12:03 > 0:12:04If I get the job, basically,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07my role is to work with another Korean teacher and we team teach.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10But my main job is to just speak English,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12if I get the job - touch wood.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Like, if that was me, in your place, I'd be so scared.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Like, so nervous having to leave.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22I'm just worried what's going to happen when it's us in a few years.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Are you going to miss us?
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Of course I will. Right, ladies!
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- Behave yourselves!- PUPILS:- Bye!
0:12:29 > 0:12:31TEACHER: 'Looking on the positive side of things,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34'I'm sure she will succeed wherever she goes in the world.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Safe journey, bon voyage, and do keep in touch now, OK?
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- I will do, promise. - All right, see you, bye!
0:12:40 > 0:12:43That was really nice. I love coming back and seeing the girls.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I think that's when you realise how much you loved it at the time
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and how much you'd give anything to be back into it.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52So, as much as I've been talking myself into,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57"I want to leave and go out and I have to do this to get a job and it'll be an amazing experience,"
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I think if somebody offered me a job in the morning, I'd probably say, "Yeah."
0:13:03 > 0:13:05It's never an easy decision to move away from a place where
0:13:05 > 0:13:09you've put down roots, especially when it involves children.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- JOAN:- 'I think my biggest wrench
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'leaving Northern Ireland is going to be leaving that school,'
0:13:15 > 0:13:18because it's just fabulous.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'The teachers are brilliant, they're very approachable,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'they're very knowledgeable.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I'm on the Board of Governors at the school,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27so I've been heavily involved with everything going on at the school
0:13:27 > 0:13:31'and I really feel like that's my place, my place in the community.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34'It'll be tough for me to establish myself again
0:13:34 > 0:13:36'the way that I'm established here.'
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- RHYS:- 'It feels like a great shame, cos we've been here for a while.'
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Everyone here's just amazing. They can't do enough for you.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Sometimes I'll come home from work to find my grass cut.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47That's how brilliant some of the people are.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49In a community like our own, we need to be getting people
0:13:49 > 0:13:52like yourselves into it, rather than losing you.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54I'm sure you will, cos you're a very welcoming community.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58And I will be sad to go, there's no doubt about it.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It's been a very positive step for us, moving here.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06- The good thing is the children are young enough to make a change. - That's it. I hope it doesn't...
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Make new friends and that and that's important.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14- They're very much a part here... - They are.- ..in the community and school and all that.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16That's all they've known.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The boys themselves, they have loads of activities during the week.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22There's Irish dancing, swimming, gymnastics.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- They've got Irish dancing again... - Trampolining.- Trampolining.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29It's tough to leave that, so it wasn't an easy decision to make.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Two days before she flies to America,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Heather has a Skype interview
0:14:37 > 0:14:39for the job teaching English in South Korea.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44I'm all dressed up in my kitchen, looking at a computer,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47so it's a wee bit strange.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50I don't know, I feel sick.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Oh, my goodness.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57I'm actually shaking.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- 'Hello!'- Hi, how are you?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02'Hi, I'm doing well, my name's Heather.'
0:15:02 > 0:15:04My name's also Heather, nice to meet you.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08I just hope it all goes well with her, that she gets the job, like.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I think that would be a big step for her now.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And I think she will be very excited about it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I'll do exactly the same in Korea. I had to do it...
0:15:15 > 0:15:18I can hear her chit-chatting away there, so...!
0:15:18 > 0:15:23I was only 16, so I literally... He got me a bike...
0:15:25 > 0:15:27She seems to be doing quite well.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31That's one thing - she can talk, like! I'll give her that, like!
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Well?
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Oh, my goodness, that was really weird.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- You can talk!- Did you hear me?!
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Whoa! I'm still shaking, I need to breathe!
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Did you really feel nervous?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51You didn't come across as if you were nervous,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53cos you were just chit-chatting.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- Actually shaking. Look at my hand. - You are!
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I don't think I've ever shook for an interview before in my entire life!
0:16:00 > 0:16:03You can take your glad rags off you now. That's you.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Christmas is only a few weeks away.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12It won't be long before Sinead and Ryan are heading off to Australia.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Sinead's mum is dreading losing her eldest daughter.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16It's harder when it's the first,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and it's probably harder when it's a girl, as well.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23They will be very close.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26The two wee girls are like late additions to the family,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28so she was a great help in that respect.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31She would help out, doing school runs and that whenever she was off,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34so I've no doubt they will miss each other,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39but with technology now, they'll still be able to keep in touch.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42My aunt got me a contact in Australia for my line of work,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45which I'd love to do, in radiography.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48She was talking to a girl and she's got me her phone number
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and is getting me her email address.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54She has a chain of radiography services throughout Sydney,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58so I'd love to get into there and maybe do radiography assistant
0:16:58 > 0:17:00or in somehow, just in the same line of work
0:17:00 > 0:17:02that I've been trained to do.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Hopefully everything'll work out.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Over the last two years, Sinead and I have probably come very close,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and obviously this step of going to Australia is a big step for them.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Hopefully... I don't know if it'll make or break them.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I maybe shouldn't be saying this, but hopefully it won't, hopefully
0:17:19 > 0:17:24it'll make them and they'll stay together and come home even stronger,
0:17:24 > 0:17:25because they're very good together.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29We're getting excited now. The weeks are flying in at the minute.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We're just sort of working away, and Christmas and stuff coming up,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36there's a lot of distractions, you just don't see the time going in.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39We're counting down the days, basically, now.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42We've a few wee things to get sorted and stuff, but I think after
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Christmas it'll just fly in, so we're looking forward to it now.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I feel happy that she's going with him
0:17:49 > 0:17:53rather than going with a bunch of girls, cos it's maybe...
0:17:53 > 0:17:56It's maybe being selfish for me, but I think
0:17:56 > 0:18:00I feel safer that she's with a fella than going with a bunch of girls.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I don't know if that's right or wrong,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05but I hope I'm right and he does keep her safe!
0:18:07 > 0:18:09So, you need to click on my name.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- Now?- Yeah, you click on my name.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13And then it comes up...
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Before she leave for America tomorrow,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Heather is showing Myrtle how they can use the computer
0:18:18 > 0:18:20to stay in touch.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Oh, you're ringing me! Two seconds.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Ooh!
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Can you see me?
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Why can you not see me?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- Oh, it's...- Oh, squished.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35There you are! Look!
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Hiya!
0:18:38 > 0:18:40I can only see your forehead!
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I don't want you to see my face. Is that better?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Right, that's it now. Yeah.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Oh, imagine, I'm going to see this wee pretty face! Hiya!
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Yeah, the next time you see it, it might not be so pretty,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54cos it'll be, like, three in the morning. I'll be like, "Rar!"
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I'm going to hang up on you now and just come and talk to you!
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Talk to you soon, love you, bye!
0:18:59 > 0:19:00"Talk to you soon!"
0:19:00 > 0:19:03# We're all going to Granny's
0:19:03 > 0:19:06# We're all going to Granny's... #
0:19:06 > 0:19:09The Isle of Man isn't the other side of the world,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12but for a close-knit family like Joan's,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14it still feels very far away.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Don't open the gate now.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Did the weans say anything yesterday about moving away or anything?
0:19:19 > 0:19:25No, just... You know what I'd said the day before, a couple of days ago.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29He says, "Granny." I said to him, "What?"
0:19:29 > 0:19:33He says, "Could you not move your house and come to the Isle of Man?"
0:19:33 > 0:19:36But I says, "No, I can't move this house."
0:19:36 > 0:19:41I says, "I have to "stay here." And then Caolan says,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45"But sure, Granny'll be coming over to see us,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47"and we'll be coming to see Granny."
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- So they were happy enough? They weren't fretting?- No.- That's good.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54It's sad for us, that you're going.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55It's sad for us, too.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00It's hard to take the weans away from their granny,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02and me away from me mammy.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08But I think we'll have a life as a family, Rhys and I, over there,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11whereas now he's not home till half seven at night,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13doesn't get any time to spend with the kids,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16he's working all the hours, he's not getting paid any extra.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18That's the main factor for us.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21You know yourself, there's no job prospects here.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26Just look at how many cousins and nieces and nephews are working
0:20:26 > 0:20:31in the likes of McDonald's and have got degrees and all sorts.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I know that.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I think it's because, whenever you get older...
0:20:47 > 0:20:49you feel more like you're going away.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Your dad, he'd say, "Well...
0:20:53 > 0:20:58"..I could be dead next time that I see you."
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- I'm only 20 minutes on the plane. - I know.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I'm not in New Zealand or Australia. 20 minutes.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Even though there is still no word about the job in South Korea,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Heather is leaving for America anyway.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13It's coming to the crunch.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16I'm going on up to work now this morning, so...
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The airport will be the worst part for me.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Have a nice day! Oh! Don't work too hard.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Tell Esther I said thanks for the message, by the way.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I didn't get chance to text her back.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32OK? Stop it!
0:21:34 > 0:21:35Go, I'll see you later.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41I'm away.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Bye, darling.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46See you later. I love you, too.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Here you go.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59With only a matter of days left before he goes to Australia,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03it's beginning to dawn on Ryan just what he's leaving behind.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06No dirty laundry, she's cleaning all the time and washing up
0:22:06 > 0:22:10and cleaning out the bathroom after me and making the bed.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Things like that that I'll miss.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15She'll not miss them! She'll get space!
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- You're going to miss me! - I will, surely.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Everybody has to go their own way.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25You can't be holding Mummy and Daddy's hands all the time.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It'll probably be worst the first three...
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Maybe up to six months will be hard,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33but you soon get into your routine and stuff.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38And you can keep contact, phone calls and Skype, Facebook.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41It's a whole lot handier now than it ever was,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44back in the years with maybe just letters and stuff.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48So, and again, if - maybe a big if -
0:22:48 > 0:22:50if I start earning good money, I'll treat Mum and Dad
0:22:50 > 0:22:52to a flight out to Australia.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56We'll worry about that when the time comes!
0:23:00 > 0:23:02- How many bags?- Just the one, please.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Heather's younger brother
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and best friend have brought her to the airport.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Heather left me a little magnet for my fridge, and a lovely letter.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I'll read you just a wee bit from it.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20I was told not to cry.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26But...she just thanked me for...
0:23:27 > 0:23:30..for all I'd... I can't read it.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36- Have a good time.- I'm going to try.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Look after yourself and tell me when you get there.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Make sure you let me know.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Oh!
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Just how much that she'll miss me...
0:23:48 > 0:23:52..and that I've made her so happy.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Possibly the happiest she's been since she's been gone.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And I know I'm a crazy rascal, and that's it!
0:24:03 > 0:24:04That's awful.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- See you later.- OK, bye.- Bye.- OK.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Keep in contact, all right?- You too.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20We'll be glad to see you. Look after yourself.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Now that it's time for Ryan to leave for Australia,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27friends and family have gathered to say their farewells.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29It's not too bad at the minute.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32My mum and dad are coming down here to the airport.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I think Daddy's going to miss me, like, cos me and him
0:24:34 > 0:24:37would have done more together and stuff, you know?
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It's only for a year. Well, a year at the minute, we'll see.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44See you later.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52- Hey. See you.- Enjoy it. - Aye.- Enjoy it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- Bye, then.- See you later.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Saying goodbye is just as hard for Sinead's family.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Come and say bye-bye to Sinead.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Come on down and say bye-bye.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Go on down to the door to Sinead and say bye-bye.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- Look after her, Ryan. - I will, surely, Sheila.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Say bye-bye.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- Right, go.- Right?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37See you later.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39- RYAN:- So it's all sorted?
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Weans are breaking my heart. - It's OK. It's OK.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45It's all right.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Myrtle gets a Skype call from Heather in America
0:25:58 > 0:26:01about the job she'd applied for in South Korea.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Well, how have you been?
0:26:02 > 0:26:05All right. Not too bad.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Well, what about the job?
0:26:08 > 0:26:09No, I didn't get it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14And I asked how many people didn't get through.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16It's over 50% this year.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20That sort of made me feel a little bit better.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21How do you feel now?
0:26:21 > 0:26:24I feel like I don't know what to do with my life!
0:26:24 > 0:26:25That's what I feel like!
0:26:25 > 0:26:28I've now started just to look up jobs
0:26:28 > 0:26:30in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33cos I don't really have much option, to be honest.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36And you just don't want to come home?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- To what, Myrtle?- To me!
0:26:39 > 0:26:42To you, and my £56 a week and my boredom?
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Yeah!
0:26:43 > 0:26:45THEY LAUGH
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- No.- Woman!
0:26:47 > 0:26:49I don't blame you. I don't blame you.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- I can't wait to get on this plane. - I know. That's it.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- Just lay back and relax.- I know.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04We've had our party, last week, and said our goodbyes and stuff,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09and all just family and close friends the other day.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- That's the hardest bit of it. - Other than that, it's...
0:27:13 > 0:27:16We're going to the sunshine! We're going to enjoy ourselves, so we are!
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Maybe at the end of the year we'll come back for a holiday
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and the by that stage we'll know if we like it or we don't like it,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and if we like it, we'll go back.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- Have a good one. Have a good one. - All right.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- Right, Sinead.- See you.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31I'll miss you.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33'It's just the ones you're leaving behind.'
0:27:33 > 0:27:36They're going to miss us coming home in the evenings.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38- Annoying them. - Annoying them and stuff.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41'But they're the wee things that you miss, so they are.'
0:27:43 > 0:27:45'Aye, they'll cope, so they will.'
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- Bye, Sinead. Take care. - We'll be home!
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Right, let's go. See you later.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- Give us a text. - Oh, aye! See you later.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58Bye!
0:27:59 > 0:28:01- You all right?- Yeah.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Heather kept applying for work
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and has since got a teaching post in South Korea.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17Next time on Departure Diaries, the Yardleys' move is in jeopardy.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I have no home to go to, and everything is packed.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23It has gone from being fairly straightforward
0:28:23 > 0:28:24to an absolute nightmare!
0:28:24 > 0:28:28The young people leaving the recession-hit Glens of Antrim
0:28:28 > 0:28:30for life under the Australian sun.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33If we don't do it now, we'll never do it.
0:28:33 > 0:28:34If you don't do it now,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37you'll not do it when you're in your 50s or 60s.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39And those leaving all that they love behind
0:28:39 > 0:28:41in the hope of a better life elsewhere.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43To me, that's just home.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Sea, mountains around it. You've got everything.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd