Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

droopsnout

Ah, OK. Thanks anyway. :beer:

seven-day-weekend

Droopsnout, unfortunately I can only thank you once. Please accept 1000 thanks!

My husband also has 'another try' after his first breakdown in 1990. He had two years out, then did a bit of supply, then a 0.5 contract, then full-time.

He then took a promoted post (Head of Sixth Form); this caused him so much stress/anxiety that he had to have a year off sick. Luckily his head was supportive and gave him his old job back as a classroom teacher of Geography (even though there wasn't actually a post vacant).

He then carried on for about another two years, then had another bout of illness, then went part-time on a jobshare and then finally got out as soon as he could- he was approaching 55, the earliest age that teachers can take early retirement and take their pension (albeit reduced by 25%) so he gave his notice in. - the last six months of his career he was off sick.

Thanks SO much for your help, support and eloquence in 'telling it as it is' at the chalkface.

Savvy_Sue

droopsnout wrote: »

But, Sue, best wishes to your son. He has an excellent role model!

:rotfl: I wish he'd believe you! :rotfl:

Although the funniest moment at parents evening was his physics teacher saying "I think we've met before, haven't we?" I wasn't sure if he was serious or not, so I just said "Yes, did you not teach DS1 and DS2?" And his response "Really? Of course! I hadn't realised he was related to THEM, I thought he just shared their surname." :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:It's not even a common surname! Although DS3 does hide behind so much hair, it's quite hard to see WHAT he looks like!

seven-day-weekend

droopsnout wrote: »

I suspect that Mr s-d-w and I had little choice. We didn't get out - we fell out.

And when I reflect in my more morbid moments upon my departure, I recall that I didn't receive a word from my Headteacher nor a leaving/retirement present of any kind, despite serving the same school for 22 years as Head of Faculty (plus all the out-of-hours stuff like rugby coaching, language clubs, extra tuition, school magazine, liaison with press, etc., etc.)

Bitter? Me? Nah!!! I'm here, and they're still there!!! :rotfl:

But, Sue, best wishes to your son. He has an excellent role model!

My husband got nothing also, in spite of running out of school activities, having 100% pass rate in his subject, doing all the schemes of work for the Geography Department and being one of the most popular teachers in the school. He had been at the school for thirteen years.

Some of his colleagues were actually ar$y about it as they thought he was getting a 'golden handshake' when the truth was he had to forfeit a quarter of his pension for going five years early. Someone who he thought was a friend has not spoken to him from that day to this.

The Head, however, sent him a card and was actually the person who told him he would be able to keep his IB in Spain. (Thankyou Huw!).

But otherwise no, you would think he had never been at the school, sunk without trace.

donny-gal

Hi everyone

I was not in teaching but in manufacturing, and the only female manager, it was supporting a moving assembly line with parts. High stress levels I thrived on, everyone believed I would never cope with early retirement (the place closed) but to be honest I think I was just ready for it, and peed off with the male pettiness, though I was rather good at winding them;) .

I have a theory about teaching, for what it is worth, when you two guys decided to go into it, the kids based on ourselves had a basic discipline ethic, which has today disappeared in too large a percentage. Also the heads role has totally changed as have the head of departments, they are now more like an MD and the Directors or Staff Group of a Company, something they never ever trained for or in many cases wanted, they are b. good teachers not business managers. It would be better if they had business managers and let the teachers teach. The same applies IMHO to the secretarial role, now folks can use a pc, they have presumed (in industry totally not just teaching) that everyone can do their own typing hence cut staff, but not realise they are paying high salaries and there is a limit to what anyone can do in a day, police, social workers, etc., too.

My DS now 23 was moved from the local school to an independent school (paid) but as a day pupil, after the first half term of Y10. The difference was unbelieveable, he is now working after getting his (drinkers) degree 2.2 (hons), if he had stayed at the local comp. I doubt he would have had 4 or 5 GCSE's at C+ instead of the 10 he got. But he was used to discipline, and responded to their teaching. When the idea was muted, he jumped at moving, I was extremely surprised and so I ask what had he done, his response was that he had done nothing, but "fed up of the idiots, who stopped them learning, and those who bullied.

Again the lack of anything from some of the heads/colleagues is again their lack of business management knowledge, though many in industry aren't that good either, it is surprising how the phrase "thank you" when appropriate can have your staff eating out of your hand. I was given one guy who had not asked to be moved, and had a chip on his shoulder, but he did the job well, and others told me about how helpful he was being, so I went to see him and said I had been told what had been said, and thanked him for it, his face was a picture. The chip just disappeared and then nothing was too much trouble, he said later, than no-one had ever done that before! Don't misunderstand me, I was know as a tyrant if they didn't do their job, and I do not suffer fools gladly.

When I finished I got a bouquet from the guys who reported to me (not my manager) I am sure you know how much that meant.

As for us, our work pension is >JSA so that when we finished we were entitled to nothing, we could sign on to get stamps, free dental. etc., but had enough stampts, so decided that we would not bother, as do not want a job. My pension kicks in in 2013 I fall into the age group which is staggered between 60 & 65. The fact we both have a pension allows us to survive.

As for returning to the UK, I think guys your money would go nowhere near as far as it does it Spain at least.

DG

droopsnout

Hi, d-g.

Pretty well all you say about schools is correct. There is no doubt whatsoever that social standards in the UK have crumbled, and those still in the business in the UK tell me that they have deteriorated further since I left teaching. Every day nearly I seem to hear of new educational initiatives or demands made on schools, and I think back to how we struggled valiantly to make the plans of the go-getters and fame-seekers work, for the sake of the kids we were responsible for. My former colleagues have now been re-organised on a city-wide restructuring of schools, with all the pain that brings. I'm well out of it.

And yes, although we were offered loads of management training, we went into the job to teach. The more successful you were, the more likely you were to get promotion, and once promoted, you taught less, to make time for management duties. Where's the sense in that?

And you're quite right in saying that with the advent of computers, we were suddenly expected to produce tons of personally-programmed materials for all our classes - almost on an individual basis when it came to special needs children.

Not sure what >JSA means, and not sure how you both have pensions if you were entitled to nothing, but that says more about my understanding of these things than your explanation, I'm sure.

Finally (and back on-topic) in today's gloom-thread, the pound has closed at a new low today, at well below 1.14€, making the euro worth 88.1p. The depreciation of my pension is now 40.96% over the six years. So, d-g, the temporary return to the UK would simply be to allow the pound I get to buy a pound's worth of goods. Because here, it's now only buying 59p's worth.

donny-gal

We both have a pension from our employers, which we could take before actual retirement age, they equate to more than job seekers allowance, hence after paying out dues all our working life, we were not entitled even to have "dole" after being made redundant.

Maybe it is worth comparing your supermarket bill with www.mysupermarket.com to see if you do get £1 for £1 as I feel that with the prices here and the petrol/diesel, gas/electricty/council tax here would your £1 be worth any more than it is where you are?

DG

droopsnout

Hi, d-g.

Thanks for the explanation. Well, yes, that sounds a rough settlement. It often strikes me that the straighter one plays it, the more one misses out. Oh, oh, I feel another rant coming on! lol

Funny you should mention that website. I was on it the other day, as I couldn't believe that cauliflowers and sprouts would be as dear in the UK as they are here. But they were about the same. Of course, a few months ago, those same things would have been 20-30% cheaper here. Maybe more.

Our main saving from being in the UK, though, would be because we would be staying in someone else's house (almost certainly my mum's), and therefore sharing expenses with another person. Of course, we'd still have to pay our French local taxes, insurances, etc. So it's quite hard to quantify the savings - if, in fact, there would be any at all. I need to look at it in more detail.

seven-day-weekend

Our main saving in the UK would be that I could do some temping work and therefore earn some money - there i s 20% unemploymentt in this part of Spain for Spaniards, let alone for expats who can't speak the language properly. My husband could do some trading on eBay (can't get the materials for our product here and it would not be to Spanish taste anyway).

We already pay all the expenses on our UK house through the rents of our son and his lodger, that would not change.

Our Spanish house we could rent out here and there, or just lock it up and leave it.

And Asda was cheaper than Mercadona last year when we went to the UK.

But, our main thing is working.

droopsnout

Yes, I'd be touting my skills around. Without much hope, though.

And what are you doing around here at 2.30 in the morning?