robette

After much soul searching we have decided to return to England. We have lived here in Spain for almost 5 years and although I speak Spanish I have been unable to secure a job since we arrived here. My hubby did but he has since been made redundant. The unemployment benefit ended ages ago and we now receive "subsidio" this is also for a limited time. Our house will be up for sale along with possibly hundreds of thousands of others, so nothing there to help us buy another place back in G.B.

Does anyone know if we will be entitled to anything when we get back to England? We have to move in with our Daughter and her family and will both be looking for employment but we have to eat. I am sick with worry at 57 I don't think there will be many job opportunities but I am not lying down and giving in.

Help, anyone?

jcosta

I'm very sorry for that. Where my mum used to work got shut down and she moved to london to find work there and thats the only place she managed to get one.

LottieLou

Hi Robette, welcome to the forums

The only advice I can give, would be to go and see the CAB when you get back, they are a wealth of information. My mum and I did that a week or so after we got back and we were entitled to benefit and got a roof over our heads.

Good Luck

HighSpeedGrandma

Good luck and keep us posted. I have been dithering about my desire to go back to England for the last 10 yrs. I have put it off with so many excuses, ie nowhere to live, no job, no car, no clue how to live in England after being away for 20 years.
I came to the US married to a Brit and I will be leaving it married to an American. I am going back alone, to see if I can get a job and rent a place. I am 54, and feel if I don't do it now I never will. I have no money, nothing saved. That is a whole other story. But if I don't do this now I feel I never will and I really, really want to try before it's too late.
I am taking a 6 month break to visit another daughter in HK. So I will have been unemployed for a few months when I return to the UK at the beginning of next year.
I am terrified of not getting a job. But if you don't do it you will never know,right?

pcmaccallum

Hi this website will give you some information on what you might be able to claim, hope it helps.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/Do...gory/DG_172666

Good luck Chris

BristolUK

Apply for Job Seekers Allowance. Habitual Residence will be looked at (check other threads on this) but you should be okay if they are satisfied you have genuinely returned for good. Any income you already have (pension?) will make a difference as will capital. While you are trying to sell your property the value can be disregarded, but when you receive the money from it, that could also make a difference.

Obviously selling the property in Spain is a logical step towards showing you are returning to the UK rather than simply visiting.

Age will be a problem in getting employment but the Job Centre has targets and they get "bonus points" for people at a disadvantage in the job market towards those targets. You will find they'll bend over backwards to help you regarding any training needs, expenses for interviews etc. They may even have contacts with local employers known to give opportunities to more mature people.