27 Y.o Englishman Returning To England After 11 Years

[kayo]

Any ideas folks.

Kayo is returning to the UK, and at the moment I'm specifically looking at Brighton, or near the coast in that area.

I've not been there for 11years and I'll be arriving fairly poor.

I'm all legit in the UK, got all my registration papers etc, etc.. I'm an englishman.

Just haven't lived there for ages.

Don't know it much anymore.

I've been living off the cuff in LOS and Guatemala and Amsterdam for the past many years

So just wondering if anyone has some helpful suggestions.

A starting point from which my questions can perhaps become more specific.

here's what I do know right now. Hopefully the thread can grow and I can be more specific. At the moment I am as flexible as this thread is:

Brighton Arriving around the end of Feb (start March)

Work (20-50 hours p.w morning/daytime only -broad experience - good ethics- no driving licence)

Accomodation (cheap, simple, I can live in any conditions, but I seek quiet)

ready?

Go!

(please??)

Edited November 19, 2006 by kayo

[Nikkijah]

Any ideas folks.

Kayo is returning to the UK, and at the moment I'm specifically looking at Brighton, or near the coast in that area.

I've not been there for 11years and I'll be arriving fairly poor.

I'm all legit in the UK, got all my registration papers etc, etc.. I'm an englishman.

Just haven't lived there for ages.

Don't know it much anymore.

I've been living off the cuff in LOS and Guatemala and Amsterdam for the past many years

So just wondering if anyone has some helpful suggestions.

A starting point from which my questions can perhaps become more specific.

here's what I do know right now. Hopefully the thread can grow and I can be more specific. At the moment I am as flexible as this thread is:

Brighton

Work (20-50 hours p.w morning/daytime only -broad experience - good ethics- no driving licence)

Accomodation (cheap, simple, I can live in any conditions, but I seek quiet)

ready?

Go!

(please??)

Juggle

[johnnyk]

Enjoy your time in the sun.

[Rinrada]

Lots of changes in Brighton over the last few years and ...for the better.......heres a bit of a start.....

good luck...

http://www.theargus.co.uk/jobs/

[LaoPo]

Hi Kayo !

I didn't know you were just 27...but it's an interesting thread about someone who's not sure where to go from now and build a future.

I noticed that you have been living a fun-life (more or less) so far in LOS, Guatamala on the vulcano-lake, and good old Amsterdam.

I'm just wondering why you choose Brighton, being a tourist destination, of all places.

If your choice is to 'grow' in the Hotel, Restaurant and Cafe business -Horeca- it's not a bad choice but I would think of different places to go to.....but that's me.

The future in this business, tourism, is in Southern Europe, Asia, Caribbean and a few more places where one can find INTERNATIONAL tourism and not, like Brighton, mainly UK tourists....nothing wrong with that of course!

You have such a wide International working/travel-experience so far that I can't understand your choice, but again, that's me.

You're 27 and fairly poor, no drivers' license (get one !!!) and what kind of future do you expect to find in Brighton ?

If I were you I would try to find a place where you can mix into the International Jet-Set and go for real bucks....

You speak your languages...use them.

But, maybe I'm totally wrong here and you don't wish to do so and I would respect your choice, of course!

Cheers and good luck

LaoPo

[kayo]

Thanks for the link Rinrada. I'm going to look at it quietly in the morning.

Laopo, thank you for your comments.

I tried to keep the O.P brief, but as there is some interest in assisting me, perhaps I should elaborate a wee bit.

I've been in the ho-re-ca as it's commonly known in NL for quite some time now, in either full or part time capacity since I was nine years old.

Although I have done random other jobs and assignments over the years, that industry has been my primary source of livelihood over the years I can not do that anymore.

I wish to stay far away from that life for some time. I get the shakes just going into a bar these days and hotels have already been out for a few years for me.

Evenings in this new life are reserved for writing, which is a career I am attempting to dive into the deep end of, and for time devoted to home studies relating to finishing up my High School Equivalency.

i may look into adventure travel trips, which would allow weeks on/weeks off rotation - again allowing me to write, yet if I can do something more locally, I'd really rather not travel too much, or too far. Maybe a bit fussy, and beggars can't be choosers. An additional idea I'm looking at would be to find some partners to set up a system Along these lines I travel well, and yes, I have fluency in five languages . (disclaimer: just throwaway ideas, anything definite I would develop privately)

I'm not, I'm afraid to say Laopo, really looking at Brighton as a new permenant home.

I've moved too much for that. But I do see it as a place I can lay my hat for a couple of years maybe. A pied-a-terre if you will, for England.

I choose Brighton for this primarily because it's a southern coastal town (i need the sea) and I'm a little bit familiar with the town from multiple short visits I made there in the mid nineties.

Ultimately, as I mentioned in the O.P, I'd be arriving March to work daytimes or mornings, initially with some flexibility as I settle back on the island. Whatever links and or assistance anybody may have for me would be useful. I'm arriving a little bit as a stranger to my land.

edit: (web link and some text added)

Edited November 19, 2006 by kayo

[PhilHarries]

You're gonna find it bluddy tough! I went back in '04 after 12 years in LOS in pretty much the same circumstances you describe (i.e. pretty poor). If I hadn't been able to crash at my mother's house I'd have been totally bolloxed.

I don't know Brighton that well but I'd guess there must be some cheap accommodation available being a holiday and a university town.

Getting employement is going to be a tough nut to crack especially without a drivers license. I had nine months on the 55GBP per week jobseekers allowance (ex dole) but you should be able to shake the system down to cover your rent but you'll get nothing if you have over 7 grand savings (unless you 'forget' to tell them).

In nine months I submitted well over one hundred job applications before I got a sniff of a job and then it was for a small local company paying, for me, a pittance but at least it was a start (something I will be eternally grateful for).

From your postings it seems that you have spent your entire adult life bumming around doing a little bit of this and that. Therefore you will have to be somewhat creative when writing your resume and I would suggest starting now by visiting various websites (sorry I can't provide any links). Having been abroad all that time does allow you to be a little bit more imaginative in your resume as checks are going to be difficult to do.

For job seeking I would suggest two web based outfits called Jobseekers and Monsterjobs (don't quote me on the names) they are free and I think both offer a resume writing/editing service (at a cost).

You say you were in horeca (new one on me - thought it was a typo) most of your time but you don't want to return to the business. With only that on your resume you might find it is the only option open to you. I would suggest to go for that route if only to get you started, getting a job from within a job is a lot easier that getting one from the dole. Once I got that first job I had more job offers than I could shake a stick at and now am earnig five time that first paycheck.

Anyway best of luck for the future, at least March is pretty well the end of winter (I went back end April) so you have time to adjust before the sh1tty weather starts. Be prepared for a culture shock, the UK has changed enormously. One thing I noticed was this noise in my ears like howl round in a PA system. Was about to go see a doc before I realised is was just the whining poms I was hearing (yes you Aussies, you're dead right!) .

[Prudent_rabbit]

A bit off topic, interested in what 5 languages you speak, surely there must be a job where they can be put to good use?

[Barney_the_Dinosaur]

Brighton is good for homo. My gay cousin Anthony used to live there.

Also close to Gatwick airport. Perhaps you could work at airport, maybe pilot or flight control.

[Couthy]

Hi Kayo,

Good luck!.

Can I suggest employment agencies?. There are thousands of them around the U.K.

Most pay minimum wage, but it is a way to meet prospective employers whn you are 'on site'.

(Good impression etc...etc..).

With your languages you should be able to get an in as an employment consultant as most of these agencies rely on foreign labour/foreign students to fill the jobs.

I worked for an agency for a while in England basically looking after the foreign student employees who were mostly Chinese, Viet and Middle European.

It was fun and you sure meet a lot of people.

Working 20-25 hours a week is never going to be enough to survive on in Blighty.

(Unless you are very lucky).

I would consider applying for a baggage handler job at Gatwick -they get a right good screw -mercenary sods that they are.

The cost of rooms let alone apartments is horrendous, then there's the dreaded Council Tax.

Anyway, good luck and at least you can get decent fish and chips!.

[Mahout Angrit]

I've been in the ho-re-ca as it's commonly known in NL for quite some time now, in either full or part time capacity since I was nine years old.

Although I have done random other jobs and assignments over the years, that industry has been my primary source of livelihood over the years I can not do that anymore.

I wish to stay far away from that life for some time. I get the shakes just going into a bar these days and hotels have already been out for a few years for me.

i may look into adventure travel trips, which would allow weeks on/weeks off rotation - again allowing me to write, yet if I can do something more locally, I'd really rather not travel too much, or too far. Maybe a bit fussy, and beggars can't be choosers. An additional idea I'm looking at would be to find some partners to set up a system Along these lines I travel well, and yes, I have fluency in five languages . (disclaimer: just throwaway ideas, anything definite I would develop privately)

edit: (web link and some text added)

It's a tough one but nothing was ever achieved by the person who said "it can't be done". Your biggest outlay in UK will be your accomodation, so if you have a friend who you can check in with for a while go there (wherever it is), there are jobs all over the UK but probably more choices in London and the south. You may also find it difficult to sign a rental contract yourself as everyone wants references these day so maybe be better to go for a house share if you've no mates in UK

It sounds to me you could fit easily as a travel consultant, there are a number of specialist agents for treking, overland etc which would be more interesting but with your background how long do you think you can sit in a travel office without going mad? Your language skills would be in demand too but may take a while to locate the job. You can often contact the travel companies direct via their web sites, Companies like ebookers etc (do a search on travel companies in uk)

As previous poster says there is a lot you can do on the web the government sponsored job centre is at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk and you can search on jobs or locations. Most of these jobs are basic paid £5.35 per hour minimum.

Failing all that go for the labour intensive places, (airports etc) and just sell your labour but it would be a shame but much better paid.

Don't expect to be able to get any help with finance from the government agencies as you havn't contributed to the dole system and they wont give it, you may be able to talk them into retraining you into something though.

Best of luck

[Boo]

Kayo, go to the employment agencies. Somoeone suggested the airport. Good jobs to be had there esp for someone with your experince in the tourist trade.

Try the hotels near the airport too. Bars, clubs,eateries in brighton are all good options. Go for a flat share. Rents are really high in Brighton these days & once the summer comes all the picking & packing jobs are gone to the polish who come over to work the summer months. Try to get here before spring otherwise most jobs will be gone.

Bear in mind though that being a university town means that competition for the bar jobs is massive as the students all want to add to their loans. Why not try temping in London, you can still live in brighton as the commute is realyl easy these days but you would be earing big bucks in the smoke in comparison?

[marshbags]

Any ideas folks.

Kayo is returning to the UK, and at the moment I'm specifically looking at Brighton, or near the coast in that area.

I've not been there for 11years and I'll be arriving fairly poor.

I'm all legit in the UK, got all my registration papers etc, etc.. I'm an englishman.

Just haven't lived there for ages.

Don't know it much anymore.

I've been living off the cuff in LOS and Guatemala and Amsterdam for the past many years

So just wondering if anyone has some helpful suggestions.

A starting point from which my questions can perhaps become more specific.

here's what I do know right now. Hopefully the thread can grow and I can be more specific. At the moment I am as flexible as this thread is:

Brighton

Work (20-50 hours p.w morning/daytime only -broad experience - good ethics- no driving licence)

Accomodation (cheap, simple, I can live in any conditions, but I seek quiet)

ready?

Go!

(please??)

Juggle

You forgot the word soot

Good luck when the time comes and even if you are unemployed for awhile, you can still sign on for benefits and have lot,s of spare time to read all the posts that build up between log ons

Ups sorry, got this thread mixed up with one of your others ( only joking )

marshbags

P.S.

Forgive the humour, i,m trying ( hard ) to lighten up a bit after the bad news of yesterday.

Edited November 20, 2006 by marshbags

[paully]

Accomodation (cheap, simple, I can live in any conditions, but I seek quiet)

Cheap, simple, quiet and Brighton don't really go together, I'm afraid. It's getting on for being as expensive as London, tons of noisy students, etc. Try Seaford if you really want quiet - but boring.

[atlastaname]

Perhaps i'm a good one to answer this as i have lived in and around Brighton ALL my life.

It's certainly a strange kind of life you have had so far , but one that would fit in in Brighton.

First thing you'll notice about the UK since you were last here is that it is now fast becoming a police state with more Draconian measures coming in soon (no smoking at bus stops and other absurdities). Almost anything pleasureable is being clamped down on , every single company you phone will put you onto an automated phone system... i could go on and on...its not the lovelky place it once was when it was the land of the free..now its the land of the controlled.

In Brighton you will find it dead easy to get a job as long as you aren't fussy about what you do. Accomodation is more expensive than most other places outside of London and will eat into your budget a lot. You don't HAVE to have a car as the buses are good and in fact having a car can be expensive in parking charges as they are exhorbitant in Brighton. Very good nightlife (the best outside of London?) , loads of cafes and bars and the council has spent milions doing up the seafront from the grot it was in the 1990's to the cosmopolitan place it is now.

I think it a good choice for you for a while.

[binnsy]

Picked a right place to stay it is bloody expensive in Brighton and jobs are done by the eastern europeans i would suggest CAPE VERDI ISLANDS.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Brighton is good for homo.

Kayo should fit right in!! Just joking!!

A word of warning about Brighton, it's a pretty popular destination for people backpacking around the UK and as such has many people willing to work for less than the minimum wage.

Good luck, I'm going back to Scotland next year. I'm going back to uni and my wife (from Loei) is going to work. I'll be a kept man!

[paully]

Picked a right place to stay it is bloody expensive in Brighton and jobs are done by the eastern europeans i would suggest CAPE VERDI ISLANDS.

Perfectly true, these days, I'm afraid. Plenty of Poles around to do the dirty jobs (and some skilled jobs too) for less than Brits would settle for. Also, there'll be a goodly supply of Romanians and Bulgarians working for even cheaper from January '07, particularly in a place like Brighton. This is what the UK is now coming to - a marked change from just 3 or 4 years ago.

I live in a small out-of-the-way town in Hampshire of maybe 3,000 people and there is already an established Polish community for cleaning, plumbing, picking, building, shop staff and various oddjobs. The library has just stocked its first few shelves of Polish novels for the lads and lasses to have some entertainment - not that I would expect too many to actually pay the Council Tax that funds this stuff. High Council Tax is another thing the OP'll have to contend with after so long away.

Edited November 20, 2006 by paully

[atlastaname]

You all seem to be very anti-eastern europe here today. You are right they are flooding places like Brighton (Polish restaurants and signs everywhere) but why does that matter? I find them to be very friendly , unlike the local English lads who are the troublemakers and yobs. They do the jobs no-one else wants and they create a more booming local economy bec ause they spend their money here as well. Good for local businesses and they also push up house prices because they provide extra demand.

[Briggsy]

You all seem to be very anti-eastern europe here today. You are right they are flooding places like Brighton (Polish restaurants and signs everywhere) but why does that matter? I find them to be very friendly , unlike the local English lads who are the troublemakers and yobs. They do the jobs no-one else wants and they create a more booming local economy bec ause they spend their money here as well. Good for local businesses and they also push up house prices because they provide extra demand.

And no honour killings too!

[paully]

They're certainly not all bad, that's perfectly true. However, there is at least some evidence that East Europeans (not their fault, but that of the UK government which criminally underestimated the likely numbers arriving and staying in the UK, 600,000+ instead of the 13,000 predicted) are having at least a local effect on unemployment figures as well as adding to existing high pressure on housing, social services, health facilities and schools. Pushing up house prices is a double-edged sword, of course - if you're a first-time buyer then it just makes purchasing even harder.

It would indeed be a great pity if there was a backlash against them.

Edited November 20, 2006 by paully

[Soph]

Cant really help you out with regards to Brighton, never been but have some mates living there - they moan about prices, but all have decent jobs so its not too bad. You could always come to Nottingham - weve got a spare room, if your skint youd fit right in, as we are all poor students - we could live on baked beans and kebabs and huddle round candles to keep warm. Theres 5 girls in the house so im sure you would be made to feel more than welcome!

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Cant really help you out with regards to Brighton, never been but have some mates living there - they moan about prices, but all have decent jobs so its not too bad. You could always come to Nottingham - weve got a spare room, if your skint youd fit right in, as we are all poor students - we could live on baked beans and kebabs and huddle round candles to keep warm. Theres 5 girls in the house so im sure you would be made to feel more than welcome!

Is Nottingham not the city with the best female to male ratio in the UK?

[the scouser]

You could always come to Nottingham .... Theres 5 girls in the house so im sure you would be made to feel more than welcome!

Do you, perchance, take in 39-year-old, fat Scousers?

Scouse.

[paully]

With an avatar like that, the OP should get on up to Nottingham at full speed Blow Brighton!

Edited November 20, 2006 by paully

[LaoPo]

Cant really help you out with regards to Brighton, never been but have some mates living there - they moan about prices, but all have decent jobs so its not too bad. You could always come to Nottingham - weve got a spare room, if your skint youd fit right in, as we are all poor students - we could live on baked beans and kebabs and huddle round candles to keep warm.

Theres 5 girls in the house so im sure you would be made to feel more than welcome!

Wow, Kayo...................... though there's no sea in Nottingham it seems there's a sea of nice Ladies in Nottingham.

Destiny is calling !

LaoPo

[Soph]

Cant really help you out with regards to Brighton, never been but have some mates living there - they moan about prices, but all have decent jobs so its not too bad. You could always come to Nottingham - weve got a spare room, if your skint youd fit right in, as we are all poor students - we could live on baked beans and kebabs and huddle round candles to keep warm. Theres 5 girls in the house so im sure you would be made to feel more than welcome!

Is Nottingham not the city with the best female to male ratio in the UK?

Dont know - is that more girls than guys? If so, it could explain the current dry patch I have been going through

[paully]

^ Can't be for much longer, Soph, dear, looking like that.

[Soph]

You could always come to Nottingham .... Theres 5 girls in the house so im sure you would be made to feel more than welcome!

Do you, perchance, take in 39-year-old, fat Scousers?

Scouse.

Sure! The more the merrier Allways happy to be in the company of scousers, just bring booze and the party begins

[the scouser]

I'll have to run it past the missus, but what time's the next train?......

Scouse.