TestaRossa

So it's full of natural ingredients like the statutory amount they can get away with and no prospects of another job in this climate then!

I can't imagine JL taking as big a hit as M&S but I could be wrong. famous last words and all that.

Lorna at Vicenza

I find it amazing to read that someone actually finds baby and kids' stuff cheaper here.

When mine were babies nearly everything was bloody Chicco or Pre-Ne-Tal and I hated their stuff and especuilly their prices. No way would I pay 8 euro for one non-drip cup when Superdrug sells them for less than £2.

I bought all the bottles, plastic dishes , cups, spoons, teats, dummies etc. in multi-save packs in the Uk. Not only was it cheaper but much of it was prettier and more practical too.

Now that they are older I buy their clothes in the UK. I refuse to pay 2 euro for one pair of tiny socks when I know that I can get 5 if not 7 pairs in Asda or Tesco for just £2.50.

Asda sells packs of 4 vests for just £2. They are 3 euro each in the supermarket here and crappy cotton too. That is just the basic essentials but when the sales are on in England there are some fabulous things to be had. My daughter's thick furry-lined winter coat cost me just £8 in the Next sale. Nowhere ever ever here have I seen a coat for anywhere near that price here. The Italian Mums seem to think they have got a bargain if they pay less than 30 euro for a good winter coat.

I think I have already mentioned the fab 60p jeans recently bought but that was in the last dregs of the Wollies sale - but hey - it worked for me !

.Ariel.

On my Christmas trip to England I bought loads of baby clothes in the Asda sale for a friend. So cheap, and good quality.

Kenny and Moe

There was a big thing on BFBS about it, 4 quid odd for a M&S sandwich, 1 pound odd out of Greggs, 14 quid odd for a platter of prawns the size of the palm of your hand, however the chairman did say they had 375 stores and were closing less than 10%, me thinks he may be eating his own words by summer. I hear Zavvi have managed to keep some of their shops open although online sales have stopped and anyone with vouchers is urged to use them NOW. Are they open to sell off the remaining stock from throughout UK and pay off the creditors Chaos utter chaos. Still wet and windy

nbrome

I, too, bought all my kids' (4)clothes and equipment in the UK and USA. There is no comparison in price/quality.
M & S have always charged alot for their food. Their clothing costs however have been in line with other stores for some time now and the quality is excellent. My most recent buys were a couple of years ago. I bought summer Tshirts for 5 pounds and they will easily do me through a third summer, if not more. You can't find Tshirts for 8euros here except off the bancarelle and they will certainly be thrown away after the season.

kevray

Just from another view, Not looking for sympathy, just saying how it is.

I was made redundant in Oct last year, from a well paid and professional position, not the slightest chance of finding suitable work here in the midlands, I work in Computers, the job centre is overwhelmed, and you're treated like a criminal, I now rent a small terraced house and today have been informed that I will no longer get full housing benefit, they are deducting 30 pounds a week from the payment as I have a two bed house and live alone, the fact my young kids stay at weekends is apparently not taken into account, so I now have to live on £30 per week to pay for food, phone, electricity gas etc, I am doing a course to become a teacher, no help from the government towards the cost of the course, in fact I was told that if I admitted to doing the course I would lose my benefits completely as I would "Not be available for work".

So I have learnt that lying is the only way to survive, what a great way to show as an example to our children. After 30 years of working full time, I wonder if any of it was worth it.

If I am to end up as a tramp, then maybe being in a warmer and more pleasant country is the best thing for me to do.
I utterly despair of this Government, wholesale lies and mismanagement have caused the collapse and I see no end to it.

lindaf

Hi Kevray

what teaching course are you doing? are you getting qualifications to work inside schools/colleges or doing ESOL/TFL courses?

My work is IT systems admin and I qualified as a teacher when I took vol redundancy about 8 years ago. The UK does seem to have a strange policy between saying it wants people to retrain and get new qualifications but not actually wanting them to do this. You'd think they'd be pleased that someone wants to put themselves through further qualifications.

kevray

Yes its the TEFL course 120 hours plus a weekend hands on module, The college will find employment in various parts of the world, china, Philippines Taiwan etc but the closest to the Uk is Spain, they don't cover Italy, so I have to decide whether to go to somewhere in Italy that I have found already, or take pot luck on a job that could be anywhere in Spain, oh decisions decisions lol, then I need to think about ......... oh where does it stop lol

Lorna at Vicenza

I know you said the college cannot find emplyment in Italy for you but I just wanted to say that even though your college has no connections here, many of the private language schools will want TEFL anyway so it won't go to waste here if Italy really is your dream destination.

kevray

Yes I have found that, I was told by the school I had an interview with, that they would pay 10 euro per hour, increasing to 15 when I get the certs, my concern is that can I live on 800 to 1200euro a month, the Spanish job would pay 1000 per month, Spain being cheaper to live in than Italy

Lorna at Vicenza

I'm not sure how many people in the Spanish forum would agree with that lately.

Loads and loads more Brits in Spain as well so maybe less openings for a teacher.

Pros and cons everywhere aren't there?

TestaRossa

Will definitely depend on which bit of Spain. South coast is same as here for most things, maybe a little cheaper in some areas. The big cities are like all big cities and just expensive.

ballerina

I moved back to England from Italy in August, and I have regretted it slightly. But not too much as I know I will be back soon enough!
I moved back mainly to get some professional qualifications I was a tour guide in Rome and it was a nightmare trying to find information about how to work 'legally' - I could rant on for ages about this but i'll spare you! Anyway, tourguiding was a brilliant job for me and paid so much better than teaching English, which is what i'd originally arrived in Italy to do.
So, I thought, a couple of years doing this course, which is a recognised qualification that i HOPE I can get converted for the Rome licence, and I thought that I could earn good money in London and save a little for when I came back.

I was so wrong! Despite having qualifications and work experience coming out of my ears, I have been unemployed since the day I returned. Life is so expensive here (although clothes are definitely much cheaper, more choice, better quality!) and it has been such a struggle. My ex collegues are still working in Rome - nobody has been deported or arrested for not having the correct permits to work as a guide.. I wonder sometimes if I just panicked too much. But on the whole, as I know I will be back permanently next year (if all goes to plan) so I don't miss it as much as I probably would have otherwise. I do know for sure that I do not want to bring children up in England, or for them to go to school in England.

TestaRossa

Good to hear from you! Not so good it isn't turning out how you hoped. But at least you have the qualification and, by the sound of it, a bigger wardrobe!

Keep in touch and let us know how things turn out. I have always heard the same about tour guiding - a friend here in Florence is one and she had to get her licence. I think she had to know about 3 or 4 languages which to me is the main hurdle as it is something I would love to do too. Always fancied it in London so it is sad to hear you aren't having any joy. Maybe you should do Ghost tours or something?!

37100

I have heard that here in Verona they frequently check if the tour guides are 'legal'. It's not too hard to check because it's only a 10 min walk from one side of the town centre to the other Unlike Rome I think.