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Benefits and moving abroad???
GotNo£
Posts: 55 Forumite
Specifically wanting to hear from people who have done this, if it's possible. Is it possible to claim JSA (at least for several weeks) whilst living abroad in say, Spain, Italy or Greece (or any other Country for that matter)?
I'll be job hunting soon and needless to say, you need to be "on-the-ground" in the particular Country to have a better chance, BUT without even just a little bit of cash to help you by, for most people it's hard to just fly somewhere and look whilst there. So, back to the original question. Is it possible to get UK benefits whilst looking for work abroad? Hopefully I'll get some good advice here and possibly even from someone who has first hand experience of this.
I'll be job hunting soon and needless to say, you need to be "on-the-ground" in the particular Country to have a better chance, BUT without even just a little bit of cash to help you by, for most people it's hard to just fly somewhere and look whilst there. So, back to the original question. Is it possible to get UK benefits whilst looking for work abroad? Hopefully I'll get some good advice here and possibly even from someone who has first hand experience of this.
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Comments
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It certainly should be possible within the EU but there can be difficulties depending on each country's individual system. I'd post separate questions about this on the various expat forums. AngloInfo's not a bad place to start.0
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I've recently registered with an ex-pat forum but thought here would be a good general place to start as it's a popular well known site. Sometimes ex-pat and travel forums aren't so well known. Well thanks for the reply anyhow. Ok, i'll try and be more specific as I have to choose a Country to move to, so i'll be obvious and go for Spain. Original question applies.0
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I've recently registered with an ex-pat forum but thought here would be a good general place to start as it's a popular well known site. Sometimes ex-pat and travel forums aren't so well known. Well thanks for the reply anyhow. Ok, i'll try and be more specific as I have to choose a Country to move to, so i'll be obvious and go for Spain. Original question applies.
We have one member here who's lived in Spain and a number of ex pats who post on the over 50s section.0 -
Spain - Theoretically possible, but they will tie you up in knots with their system. Unless you can speak, read , and write Spanish perfectly. Muy difficile.This is an open forum, anyone can post and I just did !0
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I've recently registered with an ex-pat forum but thought here would be a good general place to start as it's a popular well known site. Sometimes ex-pat and travel forums aren't so well known. Well thanks for the reply anyhow. Ok, i'll try and be more specific as I have to choose a Country to move to, so i'll be obvious and go for Spain. Original question applies.
For what it is worth, I travel to Spain (three different regions) and talk to a great many people from the UK who are living there or trying to earn a living. They are all doom and gloom as Spain has a very high rate of unemployment.
Some people scratch a living during the season do "PR" work that is standing outside bars trying to attract custom on a commission basis or becoming involved in the murky world of timeshare purely to earn a crust. The successful (and this is relative!) ones do self-employed handyman work on the properties of older UK citizens who now live there. This involves expenditure on a vehicle with its associated costs.
On the bright side, I know a couple of sisters who went to Majorca thirty years ago and loved it so much they just stayed. They found bar work and quickly became fluent in Spanish. They both married (one to a millionaire, no less) and have lived there ever since.
I have been told that there is a residency qualification before benefits can be claimed.
Off-season it is possible to obtain really cheap flights to Spain, and there are many cheap boarding houses (hostels) to stay. Before committing yourself it might be worthwhile to find a little money and go and check for yourself.
Best of luck what ever you try"If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools"
Extract from "If" by Rudyard Kipling0 -
You can import credits made in one EU country to another EU country, most of the time, but income related benefits are unlikely to be paid 'on arrival'.0
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For what it is worth, I travel to Spain (three different regions) and talk to a great many people from the UK who are living there or trying to earn a living. They are all doom and gloom as Spain has a very high rate of unemployment.
Some people scratch a living during the season do "PR" work that is standing outside bars trying to attract custom on a commission basis or becoming involved in the murky world of timeshare purely to earn a crust. The successful (and this is relative!) ones do self-employed handyman work on the properties of older UK citizens who now live there. This involves expenditure on a vehicle with its associated costs.
On the bright side, I know a couple of sisters who went to Majorca thirty years ago and loved it so much they just stayed. They found bar work and quickly became fluent in Spanish. They both married (one to a millionaire, no less) and have lived there ever since.
I have been told that there is a residency qualification before benefits can be claimed.
Off-season it is possible to obtain really cheap flights to Spain, and there are many cheap boarding houses (hostels) to stay. Before committing yourself it might be worthwhile to find a little money and go and check for yourself.
Best of luck what ever you try
I take your advice on board, but at the end of the day I have to relate everything back to my current situation which is not great. Trapped in England, no career, studying a bit, spending more than I 'earn' (soon I'll probably have to get the credit card out again). Time is just passing by without change, and time is passing fast. Hitting the year 2010 was a big wake-up call. I know it's a terrible time to move anywhere, but then how many more years do I want to be stuck here wasting away?? Better to give something else a try, even if it fails.0 -
I take your advice on board, but at the end of the day I have to relate everything back to my current situation which is not great. Trapped in England, no career, studying a bit, spending more than I 'earn' (soon I'll probably have to get the credit card out again). Time is just passing by without change, and time is passing fast. Hitting the year 2010 was a big wake-up call. I know it's a terrible time to move anywhere, but then how many more years do I want to be stuck here wasting away?? Better to give something else a try, even if it fails.
If you are young go for it. But remember the old clich! - fail to prepare and prepare to fail!
A little thing that I forgot to mention is that many Brit businesses can use someone with a knowledge of book-keeping but the pay will not be very good."If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools"
Extract from "If" by Rudyard Kipling0 -
Best of luck but isn't youth unemployment about 22% right now?
That's pretty high by anyone's standards.Be happy, it's the greatest wealth
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