working abroad

teacher2013

Hi,

I couldn't decide which forum this would be best posted to, so apologies if it should be somewhere else.
I am starting a new jobs in the middle east in September as a teacher. I have done a lot of research into various different things but keep finding so much conflicting information! I was hoping someone could help me.

1) NI contributions - would it be best to say im self employed and pay NI myself?

2) Rent - I own an apartment, which my friend currently pays rent to me. I will be renting my room out to my other friend. Can I just leave it at that, or will I have to let my mortgage lender/tax etc know?

3) Teachers pension - I have been paying into a pension. I have been told that I can make my own contributions, but have also been told I cant, both by the teachers pensions people!

Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Annisele

Those questions are quite wide - I'll have a go, but I can't answer all of them.

1. Don't know. HMRC has a guide that might help.

2. You will need to do something here. If you won't be living in the property, your friends can't be lodgers - and they'll likely be tenants. That means you can't use the rent a room scheme, and you'll have to ask (not tell) your lender if it's OK to let your flat. You'll also have to let your insurer know.

There are other potential niggles - if the rent is going directly to you, and you're resident outside the UK, then your tenants *might* be required to deduct tax from the rent. If you're in Scotland you'll need to register as a landlord.

Lots of info on that over on the house renting boards, but here I'll just say it's not something to be entered into lightly.

3. Hmmm. Will you be working for the UK government / UK armed forces in any way? If not, then I'd be astonished if you could continue to contribute to the Teachers Pension Scheme - you can only be an active member if you belong to one of the categories listed here. Your new employer will know - if you ask them and they say "what's the TPS", chances are you can't continue to contribute.

Savvy_Sue

You could, of course, start a personal pension.