best country for benifits?

red_devil

HappyMJ wrote: »

The UK is much better. UK pays more than most other countries but the UK does have higher living costs. All you need to do is find a cheap area in which to live but isn't too much of a lower socio-economic area so that you do have some chance of finding work.

If you want to do just a little work in the UK you can work less than 16 hours a week as a self employed sole trader and as long as you make sure the profit you get isn't any more than £5 per week it will not affect your benefits.

£5 has it ever changed, there would be an outcry if wages had never risen?

fed_up_and_stressed

meer53 wrote: »

Most 50 something people who want to take a year out have managed to save a little something to live off during that time. I think your chances of getting benefits to fund your year long holiday are practically nil. You seem to misunderstand what benefits are for.

Considering the OP's user name is "prosaver" one would hope he would fund his own winter holiday with his savings.

missbiggles1

prosaver wrote: »

no i was thinking of having ,like a sort of gap year from life... im 51 years old and in a change of my life (divorce and all that) ..I mean why not?
tenerife sounds good but not sure about it being not in the eu and all that.

Tenerife (and the rest of the Canaries) is Spanish and very definitely in the EU. Very sensibly, you have to have worked previously in Spain before you're able to claim benefits.

missbiggles1

knightstyle wrote: »

Well the Telegraph story does not cover the whole situation. France for example will require someone not working and under retirement age to have private health insurance.
See " EU citizens moving to a member state or resident for less than five years in a member state have the right of residence provided they:
Have health insurance (either private or are eligible for state insurance)
Have sufficient financial means not to put a drain on the state"

Plus there are other pitfalls you will only find out about once you try to get benefits!

Not any more they don't - you simply have to pay a percentage of your income as social charges.

knightstyle

But that is if you are working, and even then you need top up insurance for the proportion not covered by your carte vital. If you are not working and have just moved to France you need full insurance.

prosaver

Plozzzo,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,

parkrunner

Voyager2002 wrote: »

You know that you are talking about early retirement? A man in his 50s who has not worked for a year is highly unlikely to be offered another job -- ever.

prosaver wrote: »

yes he is ......

Probably less likely though unless a very specialised job.