DebzinUS

I try and do as much in Excel as possible and then import into SPSS, so a work around of sorts. Works really well browsing in Firefox, IE, and Chrome Posting on Facebook, Twitter and BE is a breeze. Email-I have only used in Outlook and Gmail. It also works in some Learning Management programs like Blackboard and WebCT.

dunroving

Thanks, that is far more than I expected it to do. Sounds like it is a really good piece of software for the OP and people like me who type with two left feet.

Englishmaple

Just wanted to say thanks for all the support here.

If I go back to the UK, I will definitely have no support from family - my parents perspective: "you should have stayed with him at least you would have been taken care of" and "you made your bed, you lie in it."

Just to say I didn't plan on my marriage unraveling when I moved to Canada!

Editha - your comment about Edmonton underlines what I am concerned about - I don't think I can do the long winters there even though I've been told that people are much friendlier(?) and the job situation is better?

Not2old - yes I have become leary of people - and I really do miss the warmth of the English people - here, I think, the culture is so busy because everything is open 24hrs that it's really hard to connect with people on a personal level.

I have some money saved up as my ex had to give me a settlement and I think he will continue to pay spousal support but I have no idea who to consult in terms of sorting out the tax issues. I also have an RRSP which I guess I would need to sort out - is there a link anywhere on this site or on the web that someone could point me to with respect to steps to sort out before you move back? (I would look it up but I have to limit the time I'm on the computer otherwise I really will pay with lots of pain).

My lawyer has warned me though that if I move back to the UK it could be construed as damaging my employment prospects and therefore when my spousal support comes up for renewal there's a good chance it would not be renewed.

This is a big worry for me because I have spent thousands trying to get my health better but I can't use a computer for more than about 20 minutes and then I get pain - and I do use it for longer but I pay for it with constant residual pain.

With this in mind I worry a lot about what employer will take me on - especially as I'm 50. I was a really good librarian and researcher and as well as my Canadian social work degree I also have a yoga teaching qualification - so I know I have skills - it's just whether I can find an employer who will accommodate me and that I can earn enough to support myself.

I was looking at care worker jobs yesterday in Gloucestershire and I think I could do that but I don't know whether it's possible to live on minimum wage and run a car in the UK? I was looking at rents in Cheltenham and they run to around UK pounds 350 per room per month.

I lived in Hampshire before I moved which was beautiful but I have spent a good part of my life in the Cheltenham area and while my family are there, it's not them that I would move back for - it's the countryside - I miss it so much. I would consider Hampshire as well but I think the rents are more expensive there.

Other than my arm issues, I'm in good health-ish - I'm fit and I have good interpersonal skills. It's just whether UK employers will look at me and see someone who is overeducated (3 degrees) if I apply for non-computer related work and if I apply for computer related work whether employers would be accommodating ... or just see a health problem.

To the person who got a bedsit - how did you arrange things? Did you stay in a hotel and then move to a bedsit? I can show landlords evidence of savings but I have no idea whether not having a job will stop me getting somewhere to live.

Also, I'm wondering what the rules are now around renting in terms of whether its possible to be at a place for a few months without committing to a contract - as if I don't get a job in the area that I'm renting whether I'll be able to up and move easily.

Will stop here. Thanks for all the support - I need it!

dunroving

My step-sister is on benefits with three children and runs a car. However, it is a very cheap car and half the time it's off the road and she's scrambling for money to fix it. Personally, I'd look for a place with decent public transport if I were you. It may restrict where you can look for jobs but running a car can be a really big money-pit. If you paid £2,000 for a car and it ended up broke and unfixable, you'd be very sad. When I retire, I am considering not owning a car and just renting one for long trips. Even catching a weekly taxi from your Tesco shopping (you can catch a bus there) is cheaper than having your own car.

Regarding bedsits, take a look at spareroom.co.uk - people renting out rooms in their house. Often short-term, lots of good ones, too. They tend to be a bit more flexible in terms of length of contract.

Saz66

Have you thought about a live in job and be a carer for someone that needs help at home? Maybe an elderly person or younger person with physical problems and needs a 24 hr carer.

Just a thought as this would give you a job, doesn't involve computer work and proves a roof over your head. It's such a shame your parents aren't being very understanding.

WhoFan is the lady that started off in a bedsit, you must read her threads as she will be an inspiration to you.

Good-luck!

not2old

I had to look this up - surely its a lazy ass (or smart) way of word processing?

I think for texting maybe, other than that I'm fine with my two finger 40 wpm keyboard skills.

With the dragon is the end result quicker or slower than if you'd typed it once you've looked through & corrected?

I see the possibilities that it would help less tired eyes, sore wrists & neck issues. For those that have used it what did you find was the most annoying factor?

Something for me to look into

Editha

I don't, and never have, driven a car. I suffer from a very severe form of migraine, and since attacks can come on very suddenly, I decided that it was unsafe for me to drive.
It is not nearly as much of a handicap in Britain as it is in Canada, even if you live in a rural area. You just need to pay attention to local public transport routes when you are looking for accommodation.
I'm sure that, as a driver, you will want to get a car eventually, but that isn't something that should concern you at this stage.
Canada's current unemployment rate is 7.2%. The UK's is 7.5%, and by the time you get to the UK it could be lower than Canada's. Your lawyer's advice may not be wrong, but I'd discuss with him how he can rebut the assumption that employment is more difficult to find in the UK.
I can't comment on whether people are friendlier in Edmonton than in Ontario, because I've never been to Ontario, although my husband has some Ontarian cousins who have visited us. I did not find people very friendly here when I arrived. We hold a Christmas party every year and invite our neighbours and work colleagues. At our parties in Edmonton we've discovered some of our neighbours are socialising for the first time, despite living in the street for 30 years. So, no, I don't think Edmo is a very friendly place, though it is a smidgen friendlier as a result of me living here for a few years.

not2old

RRSP's when you no longer a resident of Canada the CRA will take a 25% withholding tax.

1. Leave the RRSP Intact.

A lump sum collapse of an RRSP account can result in the highest taxation possible in Canada. Of course, this depends on your income for the year and the balance of your RRSP.

Instead, if you need to withdraw from your RRSP, it's best to wait until permanent residency is established in the new country. Once residency is setup, CRA will only charge you a 25% withholding tax (as low as 15% in some countries).


On the renewal time of the support payments, hopefully it'll be down the road after you're up and running settled back in the UK and you MAY no longer be dependent on it in the event it stops.

IMO "damaging your employment prospects" sounds like utter nonsense too me. With the degree & experience your age won't be an issue - its about finding the right job to start in your field - then later on a better job

DebzinUS

No, Its software that interfaces with whatever word processing application you are using. For me, using Dragon is much more efficient. I really don't have any issues that annoy me. I remember being a little frustrated while the program was learning my speech patterns (I have an odd hybrid accent now), but that was short lived.

Cardienscarf

My nephew has live in carers but they rotate every couple of days. I don't know if it would be possible or even a good idea to be a 24/7 carer.

dunroving

No, I'd say lazy-ass is more:

A leaf-blower

Battery-operated screwdriver

Petrol-powered cultivator

Paint-sprayer

Ride-on mower

... except for their use as time-savers (situations where the job is huge), the physical activity gained from doing these jobs manually is much healthier for you and keeps you off the couch.

There is little physical effort in typing and potentially a risk of RSI type problems. Also, if I can type faster and more efficiently by speaking, it means I am done earlier and can get out and dig the garden, mow the lawn, paint a fence, etc. It would also be good for my mental health because I get very frustrated at my pathetic attempts at typing and have failed miserably to learn how to do it properly.

Cardienscarf

[QUOTE=Englishmaple;11082254]I'm a female (50) and I think I want to move back to the UK - but am struggling with some issues:


The few friends I have in the UK have all said the economy is awful don't move back ...

Is it better to die in exile or in poverty? I kind of feel if I move back to the UK I probably face the latter but on the other hand, the prospect of staying here is so hard to contemplate .. I don't have anyone back in the UK that I could stay with for a month or so to get myself sorted out. And I've few friends here ... it's been really hard.
/QUOTE]

The economy isn't awful but the people who constantly moan about it are! I don't mean to diss your friends, but really many people just don't know how lucky they are.

You seem to be looking for the better of two evils but, while you can be fairly sure one evil exists - living in exile, you don't know that the other exists. If you were living in a place where you felt happier, you might find some of the other things in your life not so stressful. You do know you'll be miserable if you stay there, but you don't know that you'll be miserable if you come back here. In fact, you stand a better chance of being happy here.

It might take some planning and you might need to be careful with your money for a while as it can take time and effort to get on your feet when you get back here, but for all you know, you might find a job you like here. It's hard to see the bright side of life when you're stuck in the mire. Best to get out of it really.

islandwoman120

I rented a bedsit for 6 months, with no lump sum paid. But as I found the place via a Lettings Agent, I had to pay their fees of £250, plus 1 month deposit, plus rent for the upcoming month, which came to a huge chunk of my money. I broke the lease after 3 months as I had found a better place, and the landlord agreed to break the lease because one of the other tenants was causing grief - loud music at 1:30am, electronic guitar and amplifier, drunken parties etc. I got back my deposit, but lost the Lettings Fee. I stayed in one place long enough to find a better place to live at a similar rent, get all my documents in order and get a bank account opened. I did have to sign a lease for 6 months which is standard here as opposed to the year lease in the US (I don't know about Canada). I also go my name on the waiting list for a Housing Association, which is where I now live - after 18 months in Somerset. Some waiting lists are long, some are short. Very much depends on the area you are looking in. Previous posters in the Over 40s section of BE got accommodation with their job, and found work through these sites:
http://www.gumtree.com/;gtbuyersessi...FEAABBD4A94687
http://www.greycoatlumleys.co.uk/
I found my housing via Housing 21 - if you look at http://www.housing21.co.uk/housing/property-search/ you may find some useful information there. If not, just Google 'Housing Associations' and put in the area you are interested in living in, and see what comes up in a search.

islandwoman120

Just found this site: http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/li...&searcharea=GB

not2old

For housing 21, did you experience any difficulty in terms of finding the right place for the right price, was there a choice of what you could get & how long did it take to get a place through them?

Also how is the housing 21 rental price compared to private landlords?