fived

Hi there, thanks in advance for sharing your views and comments on my thread.

I am an British citizen, but I have only resided in Egham, Surrey for a couple of years during my college years.

I have been to Brighton and to London a few times. So basically my knowledge of the Uk is limited.

I have some family in London and in Brighton, but we are not close.

I have mainly lived in Spain. Which is were we are now.

I am considering moving to the UK for a few reasons.

Spain has been hit hard by recession. Both my husband and I haven't had a job for 6 years.

I have a good CV, speak several languages and have worked at multinationals, but I have a feeling that being over 40 and having a small child puts me at a disadvantage. This is certain for Spain, but is it like that in the UK?

My husband on the other hand, doesn't speak English and is from the Dominican Republic. Though he has a college degree he doesn't expect to get qualified work.

Another reason for moving to the UK, apart from getting jobs, is for my daughter's sake. There are more opportunities for her future.

So where I really need help at the moment is deciding where to go.

We are looking for a location which has a combination of affordable rental with work opportunities for me and my husband.

I could go anywhere basically. England, Scotland, Ireland...we just want somewhere nice enough for our family, not too expensive and with good chances of getting jobs.

Any suggestions?

If and when we do go, would a good plan be to rent shared accomodation until we get jobs? Is this something that is done? We are three plus a dog...don't know we can afford to pay rent on a flat. We pay 300 euros now for a 4 bedroom apartment 40Km outside Madrid. That is our max budget until we get regular income.

Thanks again for any ideas that you might have.

Editha

Hi. The situation you describe sounds like a real challenge.

Firstly, the areas of the UK that have jobs also tend to have higher rents. London and the South-East are the highest for housing costs. I recommended Manchester to someone else. I've read reports that it is booming, but rental prices there are not so high. Look at Rightmove for rentals.

Other forum members will recommend sites for house-share. But renting or house-sharing, you are going to find it more difficult with a child and a pet. If you are really desperate, you might have to re-home your dog.

But, your budget of 300 Euros looks very low for rental almost anywhere in the UK. Even in the Manchester area you will only find one room in a house share for that money, and they won't take a child or a dog.

For your first 3 months in the UK you won't be entitled to benefits. But after that time you could apply for housing benefit and council tax assistance, which would make housing much more affordable.

SanDiegogirl

Not having a job for 6 years is going to be a big hurdle to get over.

The long term unemployed are usually at the end of the list when it comes to prospective employers looking for workers.

What type of work are you looking for? Do you have a degree? Have you researched into what jobs are available for your field and where in the UK they are?

Your husband not speaking English probably puts him out of the employment market for the moment.

Obviously the larger cities will have more jobs on offer. These will also have higher rentals. Is that 300 euros (250GBP)a week you are paying for a 5 bedroom apartment. You won't get anything like that in the UK in any city area. The accommodation will be much smaller.

You need to have resources to last you for accommodation, food, travel expenses etc for a few months.

One suggestion, since you are a British citizen, is that YOU return to the UK, scout out accommodation and a job before you move your husband and child.

Better to do this than arrive penniless, jobless and with no-where to stay.

fived

Thanks for the replies.

In these six years I have started an online business which has moderate success. We get by, but looking to thrive not just survive.

I am concerned about just how hireable I might be at my age, being a woman and a mom. As is Spain that puts me at a great disadvantage.

As to my husband we are under the impression that non-English speakers can get jobs cleaning, etcetera. Is this a real possibility?

I was thinking of sharing rental until we find a job and know where we will be , but I did check out some sites and I guess it's not something that is habitual.

I've seen rents that are around 700 pounds pcm. My savings would be gone in a few months. High risk.

So I would only consider something like 300 pcm.

I will check out the job market in Manchester. Thanks for the tip.

But it seems like I shouldn't really move unless I have a job offer beforehand.

But then again, finding a job from abroad is hard.

Really interested in knowing if my husband could get any sort of job at all.

About benefits you mentioned...does it pay for full rent? Or do you need to pay for a percentage. Haven't a clue about benefits.

Editha

OK. Well, the online business could go on your CV. Sex and age discrimination are illegal in the UK and I'm guessing cultural attitudes might be a bit less ageist and sexist than Spain too, or maybe I'm wrong? Over forty is not that old. This site has seen women in their fifties go back to the UK and get a job quickly.

I don't know how easy it is for a non-English speaker to get a job, but my guess is that lack of English will be a handicap. Can't he learn?

Sorry, but I don't think that £300 per calendar month is going to be adequate to house 2 adults, a child and a dog in any area of the UK that has good employment prospects.

There is a benefit calculator here which will tell you more about your entitlement. But remember that you won't be entitled to anything for the first three months.

fived

Ok. Thanks! Indeed, I would have to go over on my own and get a job before moving the family over. Which takes me back to one of my initial questions...

Where would be a good place to start looking for a job. Somewhere where we might have good work-family balance. I.e. not long commutes, nice for kids, but has international jobs (to use my languages advantage).

And, other than London, which I figure will be just too expensive.

Reading, Dublin, Manchester, Southampton, Brighton, Cardiff, bath??

SanDiegogirl

What type of work do you want with an international company? Translator?

If you know what type of work you would be looking for it might be easier for you to "home" in on companies and their locations.

If you are looking for general office work then anywhere would do.

christmasoompa

Have you looked at a website like Rightmove to see where you could afford for £300pcm? Such a low budget is going to severely limit your location options, and I suspect the only kind of place you can afford on that will be in an area where employment will be unlikely and you certainly won't want to raise your child.

Before worrying too much about location, I'd suggest you look to see where you can afford, as you may find you have very little choice. You certainly won't get anything decent in the cities you've mentioned for that amount.

Good luck.

fived

Sharing for just me should be an ok budget.

I guess I'll need to scour indeed jobs to see where I might find jobs suited to my profile.

Sounds like London is the place with most options.

Editha

London might have the most options job-wise, but you might have severe problems later on when you want to house your family.

I've already suggested Manchester. Brighton is one of the most expensive areas to live in the South-East. My understanding is that the Irish economy is taking longer to recover than the UK's and so job prospects might not be good in Dublin, but you should check it out.

I'd look at Birmingham as a possibility. Nottingham -- any of the Midlands cities really. Bath is expensive, but look at Bristol.

fived

Excellent. Thanks so much!

holly_1948

You certainly have to live far away from London and the South-East if you want to live cheaply while finding employment.

Your one big asset seems to be foreign language fluency which is rarer among native speakers in Britain than elsewhere in Europe. I suggest you look for employment where your language skills are an essential part of what the employer is looking for and then move to wherever the work is.

Here is an example internet job search, just to get you started.http://www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?as_and=...t=&psf=advsrch

robin1234

I mentioned this on another thread recently, where someone on a budget was looking for a place to live and a job - The Lady magazine. Traditionally, it has been strong on non-standard jobs that often offer accommodation as well as work, such as a job for a couple where one partner can be gardener and the other housekeeper, that type of thing. See the jobs offered and jobs wanted links under the banner...

http://www.lady.co.uk

rebeccajo

Dublin is nearly as expensive to live in as London. And jobs are still scarce.

You might consider Northern Ireland as far as housing cost goes, but even then in a larger city (like Belfast) you would pay more than your stated budget. When looking online at rentals in my husband's hometown in NI you can't get a decent flat for anything less than £100 per week - and I'm not sure how 'decent' translates off the web. That being said, though, I have seen many jobs listed on NI job sites for people who are multi-lingual. And I am not fibbing when I use the word "many". I would look at job listings in Belfast if I were you. Also Londonderry.

petrichor

In your situation I would advise looking for a job as a translator. That's easily your most valuable skill in the UK job market and can pay well if you're good. You can look for online jobs for translating documents and instant verbal translating pays very well if you can get the work. I used to know someone who was a court translator but you have to be prepared to travel, and I think you needed a specific qualification.

The costs of childcare are high, and it will probably be better for your husband to stay at home and look after your child while improving his English skills. As far as being a mother working against you in the job market, please be aware that employers are not allowed to ask you questions about your marital or parental situation, and you are not required to tell them anything in this regard. It would be a very unwise and backward employer to raise such issues in an interview these days.

If you can find online work it may be possible for you to live in cities with cheap accommodation, such as Hull. I would advise living in a city to start out at least, because it's easier to live cheaply in a city.