Back in England after 12 years and working in Germany

[jimballard]

  I posted a message way back in July about after 12 years in Thailand I ran low and money and needed to go back to England and earn money.  I thought you might like to hear the story of what happened.  Its not going to be written too well, I am a trruck meachnic and not a writer or IT expert and didn't to good in school... haha. I have some holiday for Christmas so have some spare time to write something for you guys.

Well I was born in Stockingford Nuneaton, the home of Larry Grayson and George Elliot.  Worked for a long time fixing trucks in Birmingham. Never married or had kids until met a nice lady on holiday in Thailand in 2006. My last chance so what do you do? Got married and moved to live out in the sticks in issan.  I bascially left England at 52 years old in 2008, yes maybe stupid but last chance saloon yes?. Got some money coming in about 900 a month (poiunds). We got two kids and one had some medical problems from birth and I used a lot of savings 1 million baht for hospital treatment. Then the wife got bad after accident in the pick up- so couldn't work. Pound falls and everything gets desperate. So I need more money coming in. Less than 40k a month is not enough, never mind about the visa. Pick up on its last legs and the house needs repairs.  So I decide to go back to UK at the age of 62 to play the spanners again. Old boss in Brum (sikh bloke) will have me but the pay is bad, the same as I was getting 12 years ago and the cost of a room is just stupid.  A mate is working in Germany so offers to get me a job there on good money even though I have never been to germany. So i need to go back to England and then Germany.

 

So, I use some money to get back to Birmingham with Emirates.  Stay on the couch at an old mate for a few weeks while I try to get an Irish passport (I want one because of brexit and had a grandfather who was Irish).  The irish embassy in London is very helpful but I have to wait quite a few weeks in Birmingham.

Well, I have high blood pressure and cholestrol so I need to get some more tablets. Go to my old gp surgery.  They still have my name on the computer but I have been taken off their list and so no appointment possible.  The reception asks where have you been?  I say lving overseas.  They say ok, we need to see your passport and utility bills with your name and rent contract with your name!!!  I asked for a prescription but no can do.  Some I go to another GP - same story...    OK. So I go to A and E at Heartlands hospital in Bordesley Green. They say its not an emergency and I have to see a GP.  So I go back to my original GP.  The girl on the desk then says, ok you can have a private appointment with the GP - around £100 and we take it from there.  See the doctor and he gives me private prescriptions.  Afterwards they reception tell me, its OK, no charge for the appointment.  At this point I have thinking Oh <deleted> this is going to be expensive!.  But the chemists only charge me £18 for private tablets so not too bad at all. A result!.

 

Anyway things I noticed changed from 2008 and different from Thailand..

 

A lot more speed cameras everywhere and everyone driving slowly.

Long 50mph limit on M6 with a cameras

Lots and I mean lots of homeless. People begging everywhere in Birmingham..

A lot more dirt and litter. The place looks a complete <deleted>hole. In little sidestreets there is rubbish piled up and bits of old furniture not been removed by the council.

A lot of young arabic/pakistani looking guys jumping into expensive German cars. What is going on there?

Strong smell of weed when you are walking around

NO police. Hardly saw a single copper.

More parking restrictions and cameras enforcing parking with massive fines like £100.

Good food is cheaper than in Thailand. Yes you can eat cheap in Thailand if you eat <deleted>.  Lidl free range chicken is less than £5.  Nice cheap tomatoes and beer from Lidl is cheaper than 7-11.

Weather was really <deleted>. It was raining most of the time and sky just grey grey grey. 

Everyone looking miserable.

Everyone arguing about brexit.

A lot of bad tempered people. Some nutter rode his bike into me on the pavement and then threatened to kill me.

We went over to Leicester one day to see an old mate retired from Ford and Slater.  Sweet jesus that town is like one big refugee camp, its just a complete mess.

Basically the place has gone to pot and I couldnt wait to get out.

 

I am so pleased to see that Brexit will happen.  Hopefully the country can pull itself out of the current mess caused by Europe. I heard about 600000 jobs disappeared from the UK and went to the EU due to EU subsidies. As a kid I remember all the things we made in England.  Bush tv's and radio, Ferguson. Cars being made at places like Longbridge, Canley. Triumphs and Jaguar at Browns Lane.  The list goes on and on. I am older enough to remember the vote in 1974 and I thought it was bad idea then to join.

 

Got the irish passport and then on the plane to Franfurt.

Bloody brilliant job.

The German lads are friendly and the pay is amazing compared to what I was offered in Birmingham although I cant figure out the tax system but take home is very healthy

We have super clean workshop and all the service data can be read in English off the computer so no problem having to learn german.  I can speak a few words now like currywurst mit bier haha!

The boss speaks English pretty good and very helpful bloke. Got a room sorted and now been doing the job a couple of months. Yes my bones are old and some arthritis in my neck but I can still turn a spanner. Leave the electrical stuff to the young lads though.

What I cant get my head around is how young mechanics in germany can speak good English.. <deleted> amazing!

I will keep this up for two years and then back to isaan with nearly 2 million baht and not long after the UK OAP kicks in.

Edited December 24, 2019 by jimballard

[Chazar]

12 minutes ago, jimballard said:

A lot more dirt and litter. The place looks a complete <deleted>hole. In little sidestreets there is rubbish piled up and bits of old furniture not been removed by the council.

A lot of young arabic/pakistani looking guys jumping into expensive German cars. What is going on there?

Strong smell of weed when you are walking around

NO police. Hardly saw a single copper.

Rubbish, I lived there and go back every year however I  lived in Bournville  not  Handsworth or where ever you ended  up

[champers]

Good luck to you, Jim. You have a serious problem and take responsibility to sort it out for the sake of your family. You should be very proud of yourself. All the best for your future.

[meechai]

Good on you for seeing a problem & getting it sorted

 

Good Luck to you !

[metempsychotic]

Im unclear as to how you can be so staunchly pro brexit, yet have no issues in procuring a passport which allows you to work in the eu.

 

You see no hypocrisy there?

[jimballard]

1 hour ago, metempsychotic said:

Im unclear as to how you can be so staunchly pro brexit, yet have no issues in procuring a passport which allows you to work in the eu.

 

You see no hypocrisy there?

Hi Mate. When england leaves the EU there is a chance it might a lot more difficult to work in the EU.  Since i want to work in Germany for about 2 years it makes a lot of sense for me to get an Irish passport. Ireland is in the EU so I can work in germany and get medical cover and other things.

Cheers. Jim.

[Emeraldisle]

1 hour ago, jimballard said:

Hi Mate. When england leaves the EU there is a chance it might a lot more difficult to work in the EU.  Since i want to work in Germany for about 2 years it makes a lot of sense for me to get an Irish passport. Ireland is in the EU so I can work in germany and get medical cover and other things.

Cheers. Jim.

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

[Emeraldisle]

Anti British Rebel song

 

[yogi100]

7 minutes ago, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

Pure claptrap. I'm part Irish and my Irish relatives were afforded all the benefits an English person was. And got good money doing it.

 

So were all the Irish people in London we knew. They all got council housing if needed, pensions, child allowance, dole, sickness benefit and all the trimmings. They integrated, pulled their weight and their offspring are just as English as any native citizen.

 

Don't insult decent people who appreciated what they attained when they crossed the sea to England.

[RJRS1301]

40 minutes ago, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

The man is doing what he needs to do support a child with ill health, another child and a wife unable to work, and if he is entitled to an Irish passport to achieve this, why begrudge him.

Small amount of empathy and compassion, may enlightened your bitter attitudes

[scubascuba3]

Good report and credit to you for having the motivation to go back and earn money, good luck

[steve187]

1 hour ago, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

not really your choice

[HuskerDo]

"that town is like one big refugee camp"...…. yes, its not your mother's version of England anymore is it? Gives you a good understanding of what Thailand and the Thai people went thru with the huge influx of westerners, Aussies, etc over the years. 

[HuskerDo]

1 hour ago, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

"I worked in UK when I was young"..... how many decades ago was that? Lots of people treat other people like trash. It's only getting worse my friend so get used to it. Times are different than when we all were young unfortunately. Many of us wish it was the same safer world we grew up in.

[Chazar]

14 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

"that town is like one big refugee camp"...…. yes, its not your mother's version of England anymore is it? Gives you a good understanding of what Thailand and the Thai people went thru with the huge influx of westerners, Aussies, etc over the years. 

who received  no benefits  no healthcare.......nothing....unlike in the Uk when in years gone by the got a HUGE handout and so started the clampdown on  immigration to the UK, the  times when one family  member could then bring over  his entire  family granny,  grandad,  nieces, nephews etc etc

[HauptmannUK]

22 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

"that town is like one big refugee camp"...…. yes, its not your mother's version of England anymore is it? Gives you a good understanding of what Thailand and the Thai people went thru with the huge influx of westerners, Aussies, etc over the years. 

No comparison. For a start very few Westerners in Thailand are immigrants. Most are on a non-immigrant visa - they are visitors with very few rights. Cannot draw SS/healthcare or own land. Report every 90 days. Oh, and need to prove an income 3-4 times that of the average Thai.

[HauptmannUK]

On 12/24/2019 at 5:34 PM, Chazar said:

Rubbish, I lived there and go back every year however I  lived in Bournville  not  Handsworth or where ever you ended  up

OP gives a pretty good description of Birmingham. Its bloody grim..

[rabang]

23 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

"that town is like one big refugee camp"...…. yes, its not your mother's version of England anymore is it? Gives you a good understanding of what Thailand and the Thai people went thru with the huge influx of westerners, Aussies, etc over the years. 

How many foreigners are there in Thailand? I found a figure of about 2.5 million or less than 4 percent. Most come from poorer neighbouring countries or China anyway. Some Western countries may have 10 percent or more and these people have access to welfare and low paying jobs too. Not comparable.

[Why Me]

On 12/25/2019 at 12:20 AM, jimballard said:

Its not going to be written too well, I am a trruck meachnic and not a writer or IT expert and didn't to good in school...

You're a good guy, Jim. That's all that counts. Hope you get to 2,000,000+ soon and back to your family. I bet you miss them a lot and vice versa.

[mogandave]

On 12/25/2019 at 1:12 AM, metempsychotic said:

Im unclear as to how you can be so staunchly pro brexit, yet have no issues in procuring a passport which allows you to work in the eu.

 

You see no hypocrisy there?

It’s not hypocritical.

 

I’m against free college tuition, and I’m hoppy to put my boy through in a few years. But it the **** makes it “free” and starts taxing me to put other people’s kid’s through I’ll be go to h*ll if I insist on paying for my kid. 
 

That’s not being a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone that pretends to be all about democracy until they lose the vote and then run to the courts.

[daveAustin]

On 12/24/2019 at 9:26 PM, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

I'd sooner be Iraqi thanks and he had an Irish grandfather. So you got the mick taken out of you and stick your finger up to the place that gave you a life as it has countless Irish that get on really well there. Pfft! Get a life and take that boorish anti tripe elsewhere.

 

To be fair, op, Brum has always been a hole. If you travel around you'll see the place is generally a lot cleaner. It is just too busy though and the driving and parking suck.

 

/ fair play, btw, hope it all works out.//

Edited December 28, 2019 by daveAustin

[soalbundy]

On 12/25/2019 at 1:12 AM, metempsychotic said:

Im unclear as to how you can be so staunchly pro brexit, yet have no issues in procuring a passport which allows you to work in the eu.

 

You see no hypocrisy there?

correct, so how come the Uk is messed up because of the EU but not Germany? the problems are home grown, the system stinks not the working man. I've worked both in the UK and Germany, in Germany there is still pride in doing a good job and shame at slacking and letting the side down because you are getting well Paid to do a good job and you are treated as a responsible adult, in the UK.... oh dear.

[Aussieroaming]

Good luck to you, going back to work in a foreign country is a good experience. I've worked off shore for the past 15 years and wouldn't swap for anything. A lot of the young people that I work with here speak at least 3 languages and many 4, pretty impressive.

[Nip]

On 12/24/2019 at 9:26 PM, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

Speak for yourself and you certainly are doing just that. We Irish when things were tough took the boat to England in our hundreds of thousands and as much as it pains me to say (joke) the English in general are the most welcoming and forgiving race. I recall our company did millions of pounds of business with Littlewoods, Tesco etc and if the the situation was reversed in relation to the IRA and Ireland was being bombed by an English paramilitary gang we would refuse to do business with English companies but to the credit of the retail companies in the UK nothing was mentioned. Nothing changed. Yes there is banter with my English buddies buts that's all it is. Your vengeance is not supported by 99.999 % of Irish people who also abhored the atrocities carried out by the IRA. And no mention of how the Irish abused the UK national health service. 

[barmatt]

A good read. You'd put some journalists to shame.

All the best for the future. ????

[SheungWan]

Auf Wiedersehen, Jim Pet. Good luck!

[murraynz]

On 12/25/2019 at 5:32 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Good report and credit to you for having the motivation to go back and earn money, good luck

Good luck also, I think you need some.. 

This is a great warning to all the other men, who dream about life in Thailand.. 

Make sure that you have very ample funds before you move here.

For most of us, it is almost impossible to find work in our 60s,so you need to create long term passive income. 

Why are so many men so desperate that they need to get married, once they come to  Thailand? 

There are plenty of lovely ladies available for friendship or fun.

Wake up guys, you may have another 30yrs beyond 60,so prepare for that. 

No where is any good without money and good health. 

 

 

[silver sea]

On 12/25/2019 at 4:26 AM, Emeraldisle said:

I worked in UK when I was young. English people treated Irish like <deleted>. Now you all want Irish passports. We don't need you as Irish citizens 

In addition to other replies to your post, the Irish had full voting rights in UK elections, but maybe you chose not to vote. You were happy to take the money though.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by silver sea

[cnx101]

Good luck to him, glad things are working out well.

[Pdavies99]

On 12/25/2019 at 4:45 AM, yogi100 said:

Pure claptrap. I'm part Irish and my Irish relatives were afforded all the benefits an English person was. And got good money doing it.

 

So were all the Irish people in London we knew. They all got council housing if needed, pensions, child allowance, dole, sickness benefit and all the trimmings. They integrated, pulled their weight and their offspring are just as English as any native citizen.

 

Don't insult decent people who appreciated what they attained when they crossed the sea to England.

Yes, you are right, I don't understand why anyone would write such rubbish? As in all countries there are troublemakers and bad places to live etc, but you don't have to choose to live there. Medical treatment is free to any UK citizen on return to live full time in the UK, and many others living legally in the UK, I think maybe he was not a UK citizen if asked to pay for GP and Hospital treatment, the same in Germany.

 

And as for saying Germany is the land of bliss, well he should look around, they also have plenty of issues etc.