 I'd stick where I am, get the mountain leader stuff nailed and then see what jobs are about then.
I/we've been toying with the same thing for the last few years, the Forestry Commission shake up put the brakes on that for the time being though. My plan is to get my summer ML qualification, get up to speed on the canoeing badges and start taking small groups out when I can. If that takes off we have a master plan but we'll see how it goes.
Good luck in whatever you choose to do, don't let the naysayers grind you down, if you've got a dream then why not give it a go, nothing worse than regretting in later years.
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.JPG) You hate your job and where you live now? You've got friends and family back where you want to go? Prepared to work in a shop or do conservation work?(bear in mind that these days, the latter is unlikely to pay a wage for a long time until you have volunteered and acquired a range of skills/quals) No ties? What are you waiting for?  (If you don't mind low wages, don't rule out casual gardening as a way of earning - flexible times and you are always outside - just make sure you have a good chiropractor  )
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 Get your new job before you hand your notice in. Jobs are not easy to get. If you are unemployed will have a lot of time to heart search about having done the right thing and it will get harder. +1 for getting qualifications needed before you change.
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 I can understand how you feel.
My Mrs and I moved from Ireland to Belgium 3 ago because of the fiancial situation in Ireland.
We are in the process of moving to the US for 3 years but we are planning to move back to Ireland or Scotland (wife is Scottish).
I really like my job but would rather be back in Ireland or Scotland.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
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 One day you'll be on your death bed. I very much doubt you'll think to yourself "I really wish I'd spent more time doing a job I disliked in a place I disliked". As I alluded to above theres a real danger people get wrapped up in a hollywoodesque world of it'll all work out beautifully. How many people in hated yet secure well paid jobs have left them with a passion to be a mountain guide or gamekeeper only to find out years later that the job they loved paid a pittance meaning they have a truely grim retirements worth of living on a basic state pension, little or no savings etc. Maybe I'm too hard nosed about it but ensure your future is secure BEFORE you start dreaming.
I/We are speaking from experience, Bedouin. It's doable. It's not easy, but it's doable and the rewards (not necessarily financial) can be immense. It may be an alien concept to you, but for some folk life isn't all about money. I agree though, dreaming is a waste of time. Doing is what counts.
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 ...for some folk life isn't all about money.
What is this 'money' of which you speak?
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 If you only have to support yourself, go for it. I 'had' to move jobs for financial reasons, I knew I would be spending less time at home with the family and work would take up a larger portion of my time. Now I am earning a few hundred quid more a month which is great, but I don't get home until the kids are in bed, I can't sleep at night and haven't got out walking for 4 months which for me is unheard of. I didn't want to move or downsize my house, and take my family responsibilities very seriously, but at this moment I am miserable and looking at how i might be able to retrain to extract myself from this situation. Like Mrs N says, you only live once. I know a few people who have 'opted' out of a conventional lifestyle and travel around in a camper van picking up casual work, they are as happy as pigs in shit. If you are prepared to tailor your lifestyle to that which lower wages will bring, you might have more options than you think. It's only when you want to have the mortgage, holidays, car lifestyle on minimum wage that you will come in to conflict.
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Whilst in the current climate it may not be easy to find a "job", it's never difficult to find paid "work" and not always for the minimum wage.
For example if you live in a rural area there are always people who want fencing erecting/repairing, drains fixing, etc. You don't need to buy any expensive stuff, most of it can be hired. If you don't currently have those skills spend a few months working for someone who does and learn.
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 Thanks for all the replies people ! Ayrshire Tiger greetings , Im a City fan as well ! Stephen good to hear from you, remember that night in The Beacons ? Good luck in the US.
I think peoples opinions are a microcosm of what I think i my own mind. Im certainly not expecting to walk into any conservation work and know that I find any qualifications rather hard to study towards. These things I would treat as aspirations. I would definitely only leave my current job once I have a real offer from another place. My location is the greatest factor in my need to move. I've pretty much nailed down North Yorks as the most convenient place in terms of access to hills and closeness to family and friends. (and there are plenty of nice girls in York I seem to remember !)
Simo, I feel for you. Although Im single and childless I don't have any of the financial responsibilities you have and as you say there is sometimes more to life than than collecting money and keeping up with the joneses. Finding the balance must be the key !
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 Finding the balance is probably the hardest part. I do feel for you living in the South. We live down here and it's pretty hard to get out on the hills. At one point my husband and I were going up to NWales every other weekend just to get decent hillwalking in and it was a 7 hour trip each way. It's also going to be hard to get the 'quality mountain days' in for your ML as they want a mixed range of areas too. You'll be so much better placed in N Yorks for that.
It's not just the money, although it makes life a lot easier, but it's the financial security that you need once you have children and a mortgage. We have a great lifestyle down here but I would love to live in a cottage in the hills...
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I would message you Peebz but it's turned off so apologies to everyone else. When times are really hard, material things offer you little comfort. A 50" 3D TV is no comfort if you contract cancer or a loved one dies, but you can't ignore the fact you need to eat and put a roof over your head. If it's only yourself you need to look after it's a bit simpler, there are loads of jobs I could do that would be ideal but the wouldn't pay the bills unless we moved to an area that would be less than desirable. Now is an ideal time to be honest and up front and put our cards on the table with employers, tell them what you want and wh and tr and get employed by someone with a similar outlook. You could re train to do almost anything, National trust caretaker, grounds keeper, or learning some of the old country trades ? Good look with it, There are a few good things on the net, one of the government websites had a helpful tool that puts your skills and lifestyle in to a calculator.It will only tell you what you already know about yourself, but it might throw up a couple of job ideas you hadn't thought of.
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 Ayrshire Tiger greetings , Im a City fan as well ! My commiserations! I assume your afflication was also by virtue of your birth place and not by choice! Still, at least the last few years have been relatively good compared to the 80s and 90s! As I said previously it sounds like your location is as much a problem as your job. I was in a similar situation many, many years ago, worked in London for a couple of years but couldn't see myself settling there. Moved back to East Yorkshire for around 9 years working in a reasonably interesting job in planning/economic development then finished up in Ayrshire. So I've still finished up a long way from where most of my family are but access to hills up here makes it bearable!
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 Its a question, in the first instance, of value. What is really important? One person will say proximity to their family, for another its career success. For some people the quality of their immediate environment is the thing. To make big decsions we have to work out what it is that we value most. What are our non-negotiables. Once we've done that we can build practical action plans.
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My reason for abandoning career number 1 was sort of the reverse of your situation. I was living in the Peak District and the only prospects of permanent employment were either in the South East or the US. I finally got fed up of working on short term research contracts where most of my time was spent applying for grants, rather than doing anything useful. Eventually, it got to the stage where I wasn't certain if I was actually going to get paid at the end of each month. I remember going in one day and simply announcing that I was off the Chamonix and I might be some time Luckily, I was single and while I had a mortgage in those days it was small and affordable and I had some savings. So I spent a few years as a climbing bum, while developing career number 2. I did various things to make ends meet, but always managed somehow.
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