Down and out in England.

[Iamfalang]

Good to hear you are getting settled.

 

It's amazing how one's circumstances can change in just one day.   You really never know what can happen, especially back home.  In LOS, less options but better weather.  

 

Being old and happy can be a real challenge, but start small.  laugh for a few minutes.  then laugh once an hour.....next thing you know, your mind will be filled with positive thoughts.   You can definitely live longer if you think positively, that's science.  

 

keep up updated.....daily if possible.   ????

[Mac Mickmanus]

24 minutes ago, Thujone said:

A brief note on something I thought others may find interesting, what has changed in England while I've been away.

And the answer is, not much.

I was expecting digital currency to be in full flow, but on the contrary, many shops have signs up saying Cash Only. Getting change for notes is never a problem.

When I read that Britain has 6,000,000 surveillance cameras in place on the streets, it conjured up images of a V for Vendetta type view while walking the streets.

Nope, the black bubbles are hardly noticeable.

 

The differences between here and Thailand are noticeable.

It's possible to walk for hours without ever having to take your balls in your hand and jump chasms in the pavement or watch out for protruding pieces of metal.

I haven't seen a stray dog since being here.

When shopping for potatoes, for example, there is a choice of 6 or more varieties, as opposed to picking the least green of one variety.

I usually cooked my own food in Thailand and cook my own food here, so the food is the same.

 

But, it's drizzly and can get chilly.

Thailand trumps here on weather.

Find large supermarkets and familiarize yourself with at what  they reduce items , often you can get decent food at up to a 90 % discount 

[In the jungle]

29 minutes ago, Thujone said:

A brief note on something I thought others may find interesting, what has changed in England while I've been away.

And the answer is, not much.

I was expecting digital currency to be in full flow, but on the contrary, many shops have signs up saying Cash Only. Getting change for notes is never a problem.

When I read that Britain has 6,000,000 surveillance cameras in place on the streets, it conjured up images of a V for Vendetta type view while walking the streets.

Nope, the black bubbles are hardly noticeable.

 

The differences between here and Thailand are noticeable.

It's possible to walk for hours without ever having to take your balls in your hand and jump chasms in the pavement or watch out for protruding pieces of metal.

I haven't seen a stray dog since being here.

When shopping for potatoes, for example, there is a choice of 6 or more varieties, as opposed to picking the least green of one variety.

I usually cooked my own food in Thailand and cook my own food here, so the food is the same.

 

But, it's drizzly and can get chilly.

Thailand trumps here on weather.

It is good to know that life back in Blighty turned out to be less disastrous for you than it might have been.  Often in my worst nightmares I fear that I could end up on the streets and frozen stiff there.  Thankfully for me that is unlikely to happen.

 

I spent five months back in the UK recently and I was surprised that generally speaking food in the UK is better quality, vastly better in terms of variety and generally cheaper than Thailand.  I became a big fan of Lidl while I was there.  They make Tesco and the like look a bit silly in terms of price.  Germany for the win.  Yet the British public still bitch about prices. 

 

Where I live you cannot buy beef, cheese or bread that is worthy of the name.  CP deserves much of the blame for the overpriced rubbish that Thai consumers are offered.

 

Best wishes and I hope it is onwards and upwards for you.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by In the jungle

[Thujone]

Well, things aren't going quite as (not) planned.

(Or maybe they are going quite as not planned...) 

So far, nobody seems interested in employing an old fart. 

I can't blame them. I wouldn't. 

 

I've applied any job I've felt I had a chance of getting. 

Even a Festive Colleague at Tescos. 

Mostly getting no replies. 

I got a reply from Hastings Council regarding a job as a housing liason officer, no experience necessary, dealing with people who are homeless. 

Thanks, but no thanks. 

 

Getting a job which pays the rent and has any money left over is going to be difficult. 

I'm checking out the jobs with accommodation supplied. 

 

So, basically I'm up the creek, and never mind the paddle, I haven't even got a canoe. 

But I do have accommodation, so at least my head is above water. 

There's room for optimism. 

And it's interesting to see what happens next. 

[BritManToo]

22 minutes ago, Thujone said:

I got a reply from Hastings Council regarding a job as a housing liason officer, no experience necessary, dealing with people who are homeless. 

Thanks, but no thanks. 

Would point out getting an advertised council job often leads to the opportunity of getting a better and unadvertised council job. Best no to be choosy at the start IMHO.

[Thujone]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Would point out getting an advertised council job often leads to the opportunity of getting a better and unadvertised council job. Best no to be choosy at the start IMHO.

They were being choosy. 

I applied for the job, they said no. 

I'm going for anything feasible. 

As you say, one job may lead to another

[Thujone]

So, all in all, this is turning out to be a balls up. 

My advice to anybody who has decided to leave Thailand is, as I was advised, to give Cambodia or Laos a try first. The weather will be good and there's a chance you might have some money left to make another decision if things don't work out. 

The only positive I can think of regarding my decision is that at least I'm old and near the finishing post when I made it. 

 

Unless things take a turn for the better, I'll sign off now, as I don't want to post negativity online. 

I wish you well. 

[CharlieH]

5 hours ago, Thujone said:

So, all in all, this is turning out to be a balls up. 

My advice to anybody who has decided to leave Thailand is, as I was advised, to give Cambodia or Laos a try first. The weather will be good and there's a chance you might have some money left to make another decision if things don't work out. 

The only positive I can think of regarding my decision is that at least I'm old and near the finishing post when I made it. 

 

Unless things take a turn for the better, I'll sign off now, as I don't want to post negativity online. 

I wish you well. 

I was kind of hoping your next post would be a job of some description.Dont worry about the negativity, people need to see the reality.

Hope you keep posting and things improve soon.

[DaveE13]

On 10/1/2022 at 9:36 PM, Thujone said:

Hastings Borough Council. 

I lived east Sussex a few years ago. You  probably did the right thing by going down there and rather here to London.  Sounds like you are sorted.  Good luck finding work. But you are in the right place in East Sussex. Plenty hotels requiring hospitality workers.

[DaveE13]

On 10/26/2022 at 7:16 AM, Thujone said:

They were being choosy. 

I applied for the job, they said no. 

I'm going for anything feasible. 

As you say, one job may lead to another

There will be a lot of seasonal work starting soon ( xmas)  retail, bars. Hotels etc.  Age shouldn't be a problem my old dad (rip) used to find little handyman jobs when he retired. Good luck fella

[simon43]

This website specialises in job vacancies for the over 50's

 

https://restless.co.uk/

 

Good luck!

[Mac Mickmanus]

On 11/1/2022 at 4:19 PM, Thujone said:

So, all in all, this is turning out to be a balls up. 

My advice to anybody who has decided to leave Thailand is, as I was advised, to give Cambodia or Laos a try first. The weather will be good and there's a chance you might have some money left to make another decision if things don't work out. 

The only positive I can think of regarding my decision is that at least I'm old and near the finishing post when I made it. 

 

Unless things take a turn for the better, I'll sign off now, as I don't want to post negativity online. 

I wish you well. 

If the problem is a lack of income or money, going to a cheaper Country like Laos or Cambodia wouldn't solve that problem .

   

[Denim]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:16 PM, Thujone said:

They were being choosy. 

I applied for the job, they said no. 

If I ever found myself in your shoes , looking for work at an advanced age , I know that a prospective employer would ask for recent work history.

 

Since I have none in the UK I would not mention I had been living in Thailand. Too many woke people there will assume you are some kind of sexual predator praying on Asian women.

 

I would say rather that I had been a self employed handyman on one of the Spanish Costas , looking after expats bungalows ( gardening, pool maintenance etc ) and doing ok until Brexit when work dried up and with visa issues you were obliged to leave. Self employed , under the radar , no Spanish tax records.

I think this would sound more acceptable.

 

Try asking in care homes for the elderly. Apparently very short staffed.

[Thujone]

Funny old world, innit? 

Hastings Council have decided that my right to live in this flat runs out on 5th of January.

Then I will be out on the street and presumably frozen like a dog turd on the pavement by the night of the 6th.

So...first idea is that if I can manage to beg/borrow the money for the flight, does anybody know the best way I can get a teaching job organised in Cambodia before January?

There's only a slim chance I'll be able to do this, but if the alternative is making my bed on Hastings beach in January, I'll certainly have the stimulation to put in full effort. 

I always knew getting old was going to be <deleted>. 

[scubascuba3]

Surely they won't kick you out now you are in a house, if they do move to outside council offices

[Mac Mickmanus]

On 11/12/2022 at 6:59 AM, Denim said:

If I ever found myself in your shoes , looking for work at an advanced age , I know that a prospective employer would ask for recent work history.

 

Since I have none in the UK I would not mention I had been living in Thailand. Too many woke people there will assume you are some kind of sexual predator praying on Asian women.

 

I would say rather that I had been a self employed handyman on one of the Spanish Costas , looking after expats bungalows ( gardening, pool maintenance etc ) and doing ok until Brexit when work dried up and with visa issues you were obliged to leave. Self employed , under the radar , no Spanish tax records.

I think this would sound more acceptable.

 

Try asking in care homes for the elderly. Apparently very short staffed.

Telling lies isn't such a good idea , can easily be found out 

[Sandboxer]

3 hours ago, Thujone said:

Hastings Council have decided that my right to live in this flat runs out on 5th of January.

I don't know about UK laws or the power that a council has to enforce its own decision in a speedy manner but what if you simply refuse to move out on the 5th (buy enough Armageddon-level canned goods to last you for a while) and lock yourself in? Could that buy you a few months (or longer) befoe they actually break in with a SWAT team and drag you out like they would in AmeriKKKa?

[Denim]

36 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Telling lies isn't such a good idea , can easily be found out 

For a high end job , but for something manual I doubt it.

 

When I first used to return to the UK on long holidays Thailand did not have the reputation it has now and people took it as just another destination.

 

Over the years this changed. If I told them I lived in Thailand it often raised eyebrows.

 

To Thujone I would advise not giving up. Never know whats around the corner. They cant just make you homeless. Something will turn up.

 

Galling to think there are people landing on the beaches illegally every day being put up in hotels while you are being threatened with homelessness. Good luck with it. Perseverance will pay off.

[Mike Teavee]

46 minutes ago, Sandboxer said:

I don't know about UK laws or the power that a council has to enforce its own decision in a speedy manner but what if you simply refuse to move

I don't think they can evict you without offering alternative accommodation but I would recommend contacting CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) or Shelter to see what rights you have & what help they can give you...

 

According to the .Gov site https://www.gov.uk/council-housing-association-evictions

 

The eviction process goes... 

1. You get written notice that the council or housing association plans to evict you.
2. If you do not leave or cannot come to an agreement, the council or housing association can apply to the court for a possession order.
3. The court decides whether you can be evicted.
4. If you still do not leave, bailiffs can remove you and your belongings.

The 2nd/3rd steps sounds like something that should be enough for them  to find you alternative housing or at worse take months for them to go through hopefully giving you enough time to get something sorted. 

 

 

Good Luck, there should be even more temporary hospitality jobs around at the moment with the World Cup & Xmas looming which will hopefully be enough get you back on your feet ???? 

 

 

 

[Toolong]

4 hours ago, Thujone said:

Funny old world, innit? 

Hastings Council have decided that my right to live in this flat runs out on 5th of January.

Then I will be out on the street and presumably frozen like a dog turd on the pavement by the night of the 6th.

So...first idea is that if I can manage to beg/borrow the money for the flight, does anybody know the best way I can get a teaching job organised in Cambodia before January?

There's only a slim chance I'll be able to do this, but if the alternative is making my bed on Hastings beach in January, I'll certainly have the stimulation to put in full effort. 

I always knew getting old was going to be <deleted>. 

Thujone, I have just read this entire thread today, for the first time, with immense interest and as I've done so felt an increasing sense of sympathy towards you and the ongoing predicament through which you have been.

I too am British, elderly-ish (in my 60's), live in Thailand, and have for many years enjoyed living here in circumstances for which I have been, and am still, thankful. However, without going into details re those circumstances, I am aware of the fragility of what can sometimes feel like a solid, secure state of affairs, but more often than not is closer to actually being (or feeling like), in truth, just a house of cards. (Or 'Castles made of Sand', if, like me, you're a Jimi Hendrix fan!)

And my own bridges are long burnt in the UK, too, sadly.

 

So sympathy for you, yes Thujone, but much more than that I very much admire the way you have so far dealt with things, especially on an emotional level (or at least to the degree that is evident from how you describe your own feelings).

And the tone of your posts & outlook suggests strength of character. 

 

I wish I could offer something more helpful or substantial than what I've said, but just wanted to say it, anyway.

 

Good luck, Thujone, and hope you are able to keep posting on this site.

 

(I note that so many people here have offered great advice & encouraging words, without a single post that is negative or nasty. ????)

 

 

 

 

[nausea]

Try Paris. 

[Mac Mickmanus]

On 11/20/2022 at 1:32 AM, Mike Teavee said:

I don't think they can evict you without offering alternative accommodation but I would recommend contacting CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) or Shelter to see what rights you have & what help they can give you...

 

According to the .Gov site https://www.gov.uk/council-housing-association-evictions

 

The eviction process goes... 

1. You get written notice that the council or housing association plans to evict you.
2. If you do not leave or cannot come to an agreement, the council or housing association can apply to the court for a possession order.
3. The court decides whether you can be evicted.
4. If you still do not leave, bailiffs can remove you and your belongings.

The 2nd/3rd steps sounds like something that should be enough for them  to find you alternative housing or at worse take months for them to go through hopefully giving you enough time to get something sorted. 

 

 

Good Luck, there should be even more temporary hospitality jobs around at the moment with the World Cup & Xmas looming which will hopefully be enough get you back on your feet ???? 

 

 

 

It would depend on what contract he has and what it says .

I doubt that he signed a  tenancy agreement and thus wouldn't need to be evicted by a Court .

   He probably has a contract that is similar to a hotel room contract

[Mac Mickmanus]

On 11/19/2022 at 9:26 PM, Thujone said:

Funny old world, innit? 

Hastings Council have decided that my right to live in this flat runs out on 5th of January.

Then I will be out on the street and presumably frozen like a dog turd on the pavement by the night of the 6th.

 

Couldn't you find a room where the landlord accepts housing benefit ?

   Like, a spare room in a house with housing benefit ?

[RayC]

2 hours ago, nausea said:

Try Paris. 

Texas or France? No idea of the entry requirements for the former, but pretty difficult for Brits to (legally) stay in the latter nowadays.

[simon43]

On 11/20/2022 at 4:26 AM, Thujone said:

Funny old world, innit? 

Hastings Council have decided that my right to live in this flat runs out on 5th of January.

Then I will be out on the street and presumably frozen like a dog turd on the pavement by the night of the 6th.

So...first idea is that if I can manage to beg/borrow the money for the flight, does anybody know the best way I can get a teaching job organised in Cambodia before January?

There's only a slim chance I'll be able to do this, but if the alternative is making my bed on Hastings beach in January, I'll certainly have the stimulation to put in full effort. 

I always knew getting old was going to be <deleted>. 

I haven't re-read all of this thread, so I can't recall if you have any teaching experience.  If you are able to string more than 2 English words together, then there are well-paid (more than Cambodia) teaching jobs in Myanmar (Burma).  I was teaching there until a couple of months ago, when a bout of pneumonia sent me back to Thailand. Business visas to enter Myanmar were suspended for a couple of months, but are again being issued.  I am staying in Thailand right now, because I have to sort out some prostate cancer (basically, I'll go for the full sex-change!!). I'll probably go back to Myanmar to teach again if I can zap the cancer.

 

I was offered teaching employment by 6 different schools in Myanmar.  Granted that I do have teaching experience.  But it's very likely that those schools are still seeking foreign teachers, and I'm happy to send you the contact names and email addresses of the recruiting officer at each school.

[magicroundabout]

On 11/19/2022 at 9:26 PM, Thujone said:

So...first idea is that if I can manage to beg/borrow the money for the flight, does anybody know the best way I can get a teaching job organised in Cambodia before January?

Have you thought about online teaching?  Check out sites like "Cambly" etc. It's not the greatest money in the world but it would give you a income.    

 

[brianthainess]

On 8/21/2022 at 9:54 AM, Kinnock said:

In the UK it helps if you have an address, as then you can register at the local benefits office.

I have heard they are not allowed to let you leave their office without at least money to eat.

[puchooay]

I may of missed it but I cannot find where you said how old you are.

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, puchooay said:

I may of missed it but I cannot find where you said how old you are.

May "have".

[puchooay]

29 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

May "have".

Yes. Indeed. Apologies.

 

Must have predicted text set to US.????????????????