maddie1959

Hi , I decided to check back in after some time ,re moving back home .
I hope its ok to post here . Need advice ,input !!!
I moved back home about six months ago ,after 37 years in Montreal.
I was working for the English Montreal school board as a behavioural specialist / child care worker, befor that I worked for almost 20 years for the social service in Montreal as a Educator / child care worker . Things weren't going great there due to my lack of french and cuts .
I had wanted to return home for a few years so I put all my belongings in storage .I shipped some cloths and returned with my cat.

It's a disaster I am really becoming depressed at the situation .I moved to Hull where I was from , but long story short after week and weeks of job hunting ,apartment hunting with no luck.
I decided to do a two month house sit in Gloucestershire believing I had time to settle in and there would be more opportunities there.
I have spent 15 hours a day on average often more job searching, visiting agencies in all surrounding town and cities. It has cost me most of my savings.
only to be told over and over there are very few jobs in my field and the ones there are pay 7 to 9 pounds an hour, and cuts are happening everywhere. After earning $31 an hr that's a massive drop .
I could have handled that, if it weren't for the rents and rules .
Rent on average with heating ,water etc is 800 pounds . Not only is that not possible on 7 an hour, but NO one will rent to me because I'm unemployed ,I have applied for hundreds. They won't accept my references , credit check from Canada and I have no history here .
I finally gave in an applied for JSA but get just 280 a month my bus fares are almost a hundred and phone 25 which I need for job hunting . No other help.I could get help with housing another 380 but that won't cover even half the rent , and like I said every one I applied to say NO BENEFITS.
I have looked at sharing but even that they dont want benefits and 400 min for just a room. Plus I am still paying storage in Canada,

I am really desperate now , thinking I should go back to Canada but to what , things were already bad in Montreal ,with language and budget cuts .
I have applied for lots of jobs in Toronto but no luck there either and rents very high .
any advice ??

Fish n Chips 56

I cant help you Maddie as I havent a clue but I sure hope someone can.

My only suggestion is...
I know the minimum wage jobs arent much help but at this point it may help your funds from totally going, you have to stop the bleeding.

maddie1959

Thank you for your support !
Unfortunately even if I were offered a job at minimum pay, after taxes etc it wouldn't even cover rent and bills let alone food ,travel, life .
People live with family ,friends here a lot because they can't make ends meet. I dont have that option.
Hopefully my perseverance will pay off . But to be honest I just want to pull the covers over my head.

verystormy

You should be able to claim benefits now. Go to your citizens advice to get help in this.

quiltman

part of the reason no one will rent to the unemployed is that the Government changed the rules a little while ago. Previously your housing benefit was paid direct to the landlord, but now it's paid to the claimant who is supposed to then pay the landlord. The idea was that this would help claimants learn to budget. In practice, many people just spent the money and did not pay the rent. As it costs a lot to evict someone, landlords just stopped renting to benefits claimants.My friend used to have 6 bedsits and was happy to rent to the unemployed as the rent went straight into his bank account. When the rules changed he had tenants doing moonlight flits on a regular basis - usually after he threatened them with court action for non payment of rent! He gave up and sold the bedsits. Can't help on the job front - aren't these types of jobs advertised in the Guardian? I suppose it depends on your qualifications and wether they are recognised in the UK.
I wish you good luck tho'.

Bud the Wiser

There used to be two periodicals, "Community Care' & 'New Society' that were full of Social Work vacancies, not sure if the paper versions are still running, but I found the online version of......


Community Care | Social Work News & Social Care Jobs


..... quite a few jobs on there.

Cherrysoda

No wonder you feel like pulling the covers over your head- I feel for you. Could you extend your job search to cheaper cities in Canada? Sometimes we need to leave our grass to realize it was green enough although it sounds like you faced certain problems in Canada.
Other ideas- don't pay rent! Find every housesitting website- advertise everywhere you can pet sit for free if you stay in someone's house- get that expense down.
Can you apply for teacher assistant jobs? They may only pay 7-10 but it will stop the bleed whilst you work out your next step. You sound like an accomplished person in your field with something to offer. Canada has more job opportunites than the UK as it is bigger.
Other ideas-I would get a copy of the Lady and see if you can find a live in nanny or housekeeper position- again this will enable you to save money and cut expenses and it is not for ever- just to get in your feet.
Don't stay in Hull- less opportunites. Move south where it is warmer and try and find a live in job for now.
Any of us could be in your shoes and I am sure a significant proportion of us would feel like pulling those covers-you are in a stressful situation but you do have control, however it may feel and you just need to start considering other types of job and living situation. Step 1 is do not get into debt- find a job somewhere in the UK where you do not need to rent a flat! However it feels now will not feel like this once you have any sort of income.

Moses2013

You certainly picked the wrong area in your case and the only advice would be to move to other parts of the UK. The only other option I see for you is to move to the Republic of Ireland where salaries are higher and rents cheaper. Definitely not Dublin, but I live in the West and there are jobs if you are willing to do anything and rents outside Galway City are a lot more affordable than Galway itself. If you pick a smaller village or town, you could start building up some savings again and it would certainly be cheaper than moving back to Canada.

Cherrysoda

Yes- Ireland rents are very cheap- in Northern Ireland too. I am amazed when I watch those prop programs and the rents ar 400 for a 1 bed flat in beautiful towns in N Ireland.
York is not very far away and has a big tourism season so you could get a live in at a hotel or something just to find your feet or a live in carer.Rents in York are probably higher than Hull but if you did a house share with mature students( lots of them do teacher training at St John's College) you could get your rent down to 200-350 a month. York also has those alms house that they rent out- a friend of my mum lives in one and it has worked out great for her.


Check out the website mrmoneymustache.com
It is essentially a site that has lots of tips on how to live frugally but a lot of young people who worked this out at 18 are on there- already retired from spending small throughout their lives so I that could be a morale downer- I have had so many tips on how to cut my food bill and how to spend less money and it has helped us get by on one wage for 7 years learning how to basically only spend money that is absolutely necessary. The big one( which we have never done anyway) is not to get into debt- take any job to prevent that. Could you uber drive in the UK- it pays about $15 an hour here in the U.S I hear- better than not making anything?

BristolUK

She is claiming benefits...she referred to JSA.

Housing Benefit (HB) will only kick in if there's rent to pay and the OP has said she can't find a place to rent because she's on benefits and if she did find somewhere, the HB won't cover it so the shortfall would have to come from JSA.

There are places where HB levels are closer to the actual rent but it's less likely there will be the right employment opps around.

A complete job change might be a temporary solution.

Or back to Canada but maybe avoid cities like Montreal and Toronto. Try smaller cities.

maddie1959

Thank you everyone I try to answer.
Most of what has been suggested I have done or am doing .For example the Lady,I have applied ,I think a part of that problem is I am over qualified for some, thus they know I will leave and under qualified in this country for others.some of my qualification as been accepted but only at a BTEC LEVEL 3 ,thusI can't get into social work it seems.
Re house sitting thats what im doing now but ends in a week, I have applied for dozens. sharing i've tried so many ,the problem with that is again thy wont rent to unemployed without six months up front.
So I put ads everywhere offering to provide all furinchtre etc and split rent if someone could get a lease.
I even applied for house keeper which makes me want to hang myself .
Is this what it's come to at 57 I have to give up everything I have worked for and start again ,at minimum wage.

Moses2013

I don't think you have to give up everything. I noticed myself a few years ago that finding rental in the UK is a lot more difficult when you're unemployed. Probably depends on location, but here in Ireland I know someone who was unemployed and they had no issues finding rental, but then again the landlord was a farmer renting outside the city and very easy-going. It will again be different in a city/bigger town and how the rental demand is. If you're really struggling Ireland might be an option for you to get back on your feet, before giving up completely.

This link might not have the right positions you're looking for, but worth looking at other fields. Even a minimum wage job will still pay you more than what you'd have in Hull.
child Care Jobs in Ireland from Irish Jobs

BristolUK

I had a look at some of your previous comments and interests and I can see it must be enormously frustrating.

As Moses says it's not necessarily giving up everything. If renting somewhere you'd like is impossible if you're on benefits, then putting things on hold (rather than giving up) and taking yourself off benefits might help.

That might mean taking something you'd rather not do (if you can get it) and as much as that might make you want to hang it is something that very many have to face in the UK. If it gets you work, it might get you somewhere to rent and then you at least have that while looking for what you really want.

I see how you dislike Canadian winter. I can relate living where I do.

But maybe you could get something more in your line of work and interests and flip the finger to winter. That sounds better than you are describing your situation right now.

I always assumed Canada to be much the same weather wise, apart from BC of course, but last year I discovered there are places between Kingston and Toronto and around to Hamilton where the snowfall is less than two-thirds what we get (and maybe less than Montreal?) so I've been looking at the possibility of living there instead of Moncton.

Housing is more expensive than here but I'm unwaged and I reckon it's doable even for our modest means whereas Toronto would be impossible.

If you were set on a bigger city, lots of those places around Lake Ontario are within a couple of hours of Toronto by train.

Hopefully something will work out. You are very resourceful if that's not too condescending.

Zelda247

If you are considering Ireland bear in mind you will need private health insurance.

Editha

I'm just wondering whether you've tried applying to the local council as someone in housing need, or getting advice from your local CAB. You should certainly do so if you are homeless.