I've already posted this on the France sub-forum but maybe this is a better place.

Having lived in France (east of Toulouse) for 25 years I'm now looking to return to the UK. For the last 15 years I've had my own gardening business so I'm looking for employment as a gardener in the UK. I've been told it will be easier to move back first, then find a job as employers are put off by the logistics of committing themselves to someone from abroad.

I hadn't thought of that before as it takes just 4 hours door-to-door to visit my family.
What are other people's thoughts on this?

Doesn't hurt to try applying from France, does it? They might be wrong.

Like you say, it's 4 hours. You could easily attend an interview for a promising offer. (At least more easily than - say - someone who has lived in Australia the last 25 years).

I'm going to try and apply to as many places as possible prior to arriving. I've also heard it doesn't hurt to register with recruitment agencies and send off a few emails detailing your intentions.

But I can certainly understand why some employers would be hesitant to deal with someone abroad.

Rent a mail box from Mailboxes Etc, which has a "street addess", and use "flat x" or "unit x" instead of "PO Box x". Then register for a British VoIP phone number (will ring at your home in France. Now you have a British address and phone number to put on your CV and applications.

GOOD ADVICE!!!! We could even do that (the phone number part, the addy we can use a family members address) so that my Hunny can "answer" the call himself with no one being any the wiser... till they are talking to him. We have to start thinking applying soon too!

ime of moving to Switzerland - employers simply do not take applications from abroad seriously so I guess in England it would be similar. As others have suggested try using a local address for contacts could help possibly include some nonlocation indicating VOIP. Whatever you do have to expect to get to interviews even though you will be technically abroad

Its certainly what I will be doing shortly - testing the waters but ultimately you will probably have to relocate to be nearer your job market and accept the risks involved in that upheaval

anyways good luck