Pollyana

Ten years this Hallowe'en.

Ten years of poor health.
Ten years of fighting to get a temp job, and then fighting for a permanent job, and then ever since fighting to keep it.
Teh years of hating the heat and humidity.
Ten years of being away from my family.
Ten years of losing friends as they go home from Aus, or move on with their lives back home.

Would I do it again? Never in a million years, not for anyone.

old.sparkles

Pollyana

Made my bed and I'm lying in it C'est la vie! Apparently I was very wicked in a previous life

moneypenny20

Apart from that it's all been good then?

quoll

Hang in there Polly, ya never know what opportunity is right around the corner and just when you think all is lost you get tossed a lifeline. Have hope!

NickyC

I can't for the life of me understand why you still live here.

It's been years now since you split from the OH.

What keeps you here now? Why not move back?

Pollyana

Lack of funds for one thing, no house to sell, no savings to live off till I get work. Can't go back to my old job as the police won't employ me till I;ve been back3 years, plus my eyesight is now screwed so I can;t go back to doing fingerprints anyway. With no skills (except cyclone watching!) the best I could hope for is a basic admin job or shelf stacking or something of that ilk, starting at the bottom again with a very low income. If I was 30 maybe, but not at my age. Plan at present is to move back when I am forced to retire, at least then I won't have to worry about paying for healthcare in my old age!

NickyC

I understand. What we'd happily do at 30 is a different kettle of fish twenty years later.

Are there no similar bodies in the UK public service that could use your experience and co-ordination skills? Obviously not cyclone watching - but the UK still gets floods and storms. Is disaster management and the like all done by the police over there?

Pollyana

Ony chance of a similar job in the UK is in emergency planning wither for local counciils or the NHS, but any decent job has a lot of people chasing it. I've got a friend who moved back and looked forjobs in that field and it took her nearly a year to get something. She'd only been out of the UK for 6 months, and she had proper UK qualifications and background in the field. I have no qualifications in it, its all been learnt on the job and even though I keep putting my hand up to go on courses, the boss prefers to send the younger ones, calls it investing in the future, and I guess I can't really argue with that.

carolinephillips

My sister is an emergency planner for Wiltshire govt, and they have cut back so much that she is doing 3 people's jobs for less pay than she got 5 years ago- and today she was told that she may lose her job before Christmas- she had to reapply for it and so many people went for it that she doubts she will even get an interview!!

So no, Polly is absolutely right when she says there is little likelihood of her getting a job in that area.

BEVS

Aye. Seems to be the way of things at the moment. Friend of mine moved back after nearly 9 years here. He is an Environmental Health Officer with decades of experience. All he could get was a temp contract for someone on maternity leave and that is with him prepared to move most anywhere within the UK. Knocking early 50's , he is now wondering what he has done as he had a full time perm. job here in NZ.

ozzieeagle

Good luck with being forced to retire.... Some people go to 70 at the Post Office..... So I assume that would be the age limit at any government agency..... Hmmm if your born post 1957 like my wife you have to go to 67 now...she's one of the first to have to wait for the state pension at that age.

Maybe you'll get time off for good behaviour

Maybe you'll win lotto.... How much do you reckon you'd need ? .... Genuinely interested in costings for moving back and living on the UK minimum wage....

Are you going to inherit anything per chance ?

Pollyana

Precious little chance of inheriting anything unless there is a long-lost aunty out there who turns up out of the blue!
I reckon I would want about £20,000 to move back before retirement age, enough to cover shipping and stuff, f set me up and live on for a year - hoping that within a year I could get some kind of reasonable work. Com retirement at least I'd have a full pension to come home too, plus a bit of super. I'm sure its do-able for a lot less but I don't want to move and then be on the breadline cos that would result in me hating being back.
I've tried for voluntary redundancy twice when they've had major government cutbacks, but I count as a front-line employee so they won't agree to it. That would do it, I'd up sticks and come home if I got that.

ozzieeagle

That doesnt seem to high a target to aim for..... Have you looked at the possibility of night shift transport coordination around Milton Keynes ?..... With all the transport companies based there ?

Pollyana

No experience, same old story. I know nothing about transport logistics, and thousands of peope have a good background in it.