W + F
My experience of being overseas seems pretty similar to yours. Not my first time and overall my family have been given the gift of experiencing cultures and events that give them a truly international outlook. Up to recently I would not have missed it for the world. Enduring friendships across many nations, better weather, great locations, fascinating work, and an enormous photobook of happy memories. I would add that looking back at the UK from living Overseas gives you a whole different perspective on the UK, and not necessarily a bad one.
But there are limits to this. For me it increasingly makes absolutely no financial sense at all. In particular, the system seems to be perpetually stuck in the 1950s were they believe the spouse dutifully gives up his/her job and the children happily wave at their freinds as they disappear to follow the flag. Also that we all live in FMQs and march out one day in the UK, have a jolly ferry trip, then in to our shiny exciting overseas pad like on some Pathe newsreel. The reality is that the effect on the spouse in terms of loss of spousal career and income is conveniently ignored. And as a home owner (encouraged by the military) you either pay for two houses simultaneously or put yourself at the mercy of a tenant which from bitter experience are not all nice people and don’t always pay or look after your house.
Overall, my opinion is instead of tinkering with LOA and other allowances as they have just done, the whole overseas package (not just allowances) needs ripping apart and building from fresh by someone who is not institutionalised in the current system and actually lives in the 21st Century.
Last edited by Brewers Droop; 9th Apr 2015 at 13:02.