It’s a small world ‘larf.’ That’s where I was before I left. I lived close by in Lutterworth. I worked agency for BT on Magna Park for years and the occasional Sunday for Asda or NFT Sainsbury’s at Crick. I made my bread and butter at BT, a great place to work for if your face fitted and fortunately mine did. Yet I always got the impression that if you took away Magna Park there wasn’t much left around that area and yes, eventually it became swamped with drivers. Nearby unemployment black spot Leicester and crack-pipe Coventry were useless. I’ll write to BT when I get back and ask them to confirm that I worked for them as a kind of reference and also to Asda and Crick to ask them if there are vacancies for agency drivers. I’m also looking at the Reading, Bracknell, Basingstoke areas.
Hutpick, I’m not getting a pension, I’ve at least another two years to go. Yes, I know the people you mean. Three months work followed by a month’s ■■■■-up and back to earn more. I wish I had £1 for every alcoholic I’ve met here, seriously. Often, when they run out of money they try and extend their stay by trying to be teachers. They don’t last long, like a duck out of water you can spot them a mile off.
I’m settled here, married and we have a house by the sea and it’s where I want to eventually retire to. I’m just turned 64, so how long is my work health going to last? Another couple of years, five maximum? I’m coming back to save money that I can eventually boost a low British state pension with.
Hi Grandpa.My post was not aimed at the 'alkis’and other types of dross,but in relation to several old ME colleagues and\or Swedes rom up her who are married to Thais or have just re-located for their old age.As i said some of my old mates[like me]worked for somewhat '‘dubious’'co in the past so have limited pensions.Like the guys here,and myself,if i work for 2 months in the summer here i make between 5-10k so can spread that over the Winter to supplement pension.Several guys do that and take the Money to Thailand.
hutpik:
Hi Grandpa.My post was not aimed at the 'alkis’and other types of dross,but in relation to several old ME colleagues and\or Swedes rom up her who are married to Thais or have just re-located for their old age.As i said some of my old mates[like me]worked for somewhat '‘dubious’'co in the past so have limited pensions.Like the guys here,and myself,if i work for 2 months in the summer here i make between 5-10k so can spread that over the Winter to supplement pension.Several guys do that and take the Money to Thailand.
There are Swedes here where I live and a couple of Germans, but as they’re not ‘native English speakers’ they don’t get employed. What they do is work in their home countries, buy a house here and use it as a holiday home till they retire. It all depends on age for we older ones though. One day the eyesight starts to go or the arthritis sets in and all those good times count for nothing if you’ve no savings and can no longer work. Even in the UK, I don’t think life on a British pension would be something to look forward to.
Due to working abroad a lot, my pension is around 4/5th of the maximum, so not enough to retire on and the savings go towards topping it up monthly as if you’re an expat in Thailand pensions don’t rise with inflation. I think we have the lowest state pension in Europe. The cost of living here is up to four times as cheap as the UK so your pound goes a lot further, but all currencies are now taking a beating.
First I have to choose a location on arrival and book a hotel. Good God, have you seen the prices for British hotels? You’d need a mortgage to have a holiday in the UK! Then quickly get a room so that I have a UK address and can start renewing my licence …
Grandpa:
First I have to choose a location on arrival and book a hotel. Good God, have you seen the prices for British hotels? You’d need a mortgage to have a holiday in the UK! Then quickly get a room so that I have a UK address and can start renewing my licence …
Motorhome? Buy a reasonable one and you are both mobile and have a bed. Some chance of it holding its value for a resale too, but all 2nd hand vehicles carry risk, and hotel rooms are dead money. Possible to chase jobs around too if necessary. Youll still need a permanent address to reg said vehicle and get a new licence though.
Grandpa:
First I have to choose a location on arrival and book a hotel. Good God, have you seen the prices for British hotels? You’d need a mortgage to have a holiday in the UK! Then quickly get a room so that I have a UK address and can start renewing my licence …
Motorhome? Buy a reasonable one and you are both mobile and have a bed. Some chance of it holding its value for a resale too, but all 2nd hand vehicles carry risk, and hotel rooms are dead money. Possible to chase jobs around too if necessary. Youll still need a permanent address to reg said vehicle and get a new licence though.
Before I decided on this Franglais I sat down and had a good think about it. I’m fit and healthy, but I know my limitations. I’m not likely to be able to manage the stress of multi-drops. Nor am I going to handball the contents of containers, or tramp for five nights a week, or for that matter want to sleep on a lay by. At 64 those days are over.
I could manage four on four off tramping and realistically I’m also looking at trunking with the large stores through an agency. So a hotel for the minimum period possible and immediately start looking for a small basic room in shop ads and the local newspaper. Nothing fancy, as long as it’s secure. That takes care of the address and accommodation, do the medical for the licence, plus CPC (maybe some ADR) and hope for the best.
Grandpa:
So a hotel for the minimum period possible and immediately start looking for a small basic room in shop ads and the local newspaper. Nothing fancy, as long as it’s secure…
Grandpa:
So a hotel for the minimum period possible and immediately start looking for a small basic room in shop ads and the local newspaper. Nothing fancy, as long as it’s secure…
Yes, I’m already looking into that. It’s probably just me and something I’ll have to get used to again, but I’m amazed at the prices for simple accommodation online. Having looked at the south and prices and even minus the hidden extras of fees and deposits, I’m gradually moving back towards your suggestion of the ‘golden triangle.’ My view might be a bit discoloured as when I was leaving at the end of 2008 the whole place was falling apart – layoffs, no hiring, redundancies …
I know the area, I lived in both Coventry and Lutterworth and although Coventry is probably the worst place I’ve ever lived in, I know that accommodation there has always been cheap and plentiful. Another idea I have is that I write to the Transport Manager in the companies I worked for in that area and although they obviously won’t remember me, they’ll likely still have details of when I was there and be able to tell me if they’re still recruiting through agencies and have work, or whether what I hear online from the agencies https://www.adrnetwork.co.uk/hgv-driver-jobs-in-crick is just the usual spiel.
Why stick to the UK,many European co are desperate for drivers.They may be more inclined to help with accomadation if your contemplating working for a few months then going home. Surely then it makes no difference where you live,you just want to earn a sack of money to take home.I fail to see the Point of working '‘normal’'hours and sitting around after
hutpik:
Why stick to the UK,many European co are desperate for drivers.They may be more inclined to help with accomadation if your contemplating working for a few months then going home. Surely then it makes no difference where you live,you just want to earn a sack of money to take home.I fail to see the Point of working '‘normal’'hours and sitting around after
It’s more like working a few years than months. I don’t think there’s much difference between what a domestic European trucker makes and a British one? I think if I were working 12 hour night shifts Mon-Fri in the UK and the occasional Sunday as I used to do, that would probably be enough for me and saving 15K a year for three years would see me retiring at 67.
Ok,your choice.I just thought if you wanted to work for a few months to supplement pension,like i do,then there are many possibilities.I am on pension so only work for a couple of months in the summer here,but if i work 3 nights x 11hrs i clear over £700,so dont have to work so much each year.
I have a mate here,also English who goes as 2nd driver with the Norwegian fish trucks.He gets £300 to drive from North Sweden to Stockholm [10hrs]and then gets the train back[paid for]
hutpik:
Ok,your choice.I just thought if you wanted to work for a few months to supplement pension,like i do,then there are many possibilities.I am on pension so only work for a couple of months in the summer here,but if i work 3 nights x 11hrs i clear over £700,so dont have to work so much each year.
I have a mate here,also English who goes as 2nd driver with the Norwegian fish trucks.He gets £300 to drive from North Sweden to Stockholm [10hrs]and then gets the train back[paid for]
A bit of a mix up I think. I’m not looking to supplement a pension because I’m not on one yet. Or to save up and have a blow out every year. When you emigrate to a developing country there is no welfare, or free medical care and the immigration authorities lay down conditions for residency. One of those conditions is that you must have a certain amount static in a bank account in that country which you can’t spend. Another is that you must have a certain amount of income available every month without being dependent on others. At the moment I satisfy those requirements, but in another couple of years I won’t.
The objective is to save enough so that when I do retire and come back here I can top up the UK pension with savings. As the cost of living here is three to four times less than the UK, a pension of £100 pw and a top up from savings of an equal amount, plus owning our home here, would be comparable to you having a pension of £600/800 a week and accommodation already paid for. That satisfies immigration requirements and gives me a good standard of living for the rest of my life. So, £40K saved in two to three years and that’s me finished.
Re: Your Swedish trucker mate. There are a few Swedes and Germans where I live. Next time you talk to him ask him how much tax he pays on that!
Ok,i lived for 2 years in Afghanistan and have spent a lot of time in Asia so i do understand about no safety net and the requirments that countries require for foreign nationals.Thats why i have my own house and some reindeer here.
Re myself and my Swedish mate the Money we earn is after tax,what goes in our pockets is the only thing of interest.If asked i state only the netto amount i earn as anything else is irrelevant,you should only base your Lifestyle upon the Money which goes in the bank.Many people try to impress by stating a high brutto wage to cover what is,in reality a mediocer netto.The fish trucks have to get the fish from northern Norway to Danmark within 30 hrs so a premium is paid for a supplementary driver to make that possible.Due to the fact we have 6 months Winter experienced drivers are important,so rather than employing 2 cheap EE’s on one truck which frequently results in the truck and load ending up in the ditch,they prefer to pay extra for people who hop in for a part of the trip who live here.
Not Everything in transport has been buggerd up by the EE,there is still good Money to be made if you know where to look.
hutpik:
Ok,i lived for 2 years in Afghanistan and have spent a lot of time in Asia so i do understand about no safety net and the requirments that countries require for foreign nationals.Thats why i have my own house and some reindeer here.
Re myself and my Swedish mate the Money we earn is after tax,what goes in our pockets is the only thing of interest.If asked i state only the netto amount i earn as anything else is irrelevant,you should only base your Lifestyle upon the Money which goes in the bank.Many people try to impress by stating a high brutto wage to cover what is,in reality a mediocer netto.The fish trucks have to get the fish from northern Norway to Danmark within 30 hrs so a premium is paid for a supplementary driver to make that possible.Due to the fact we have 6 months Winter experienced drivers are important,so rather than employing 2 cheap EE’s on one truck which frequently results in the truck and load ending up in the ditch,they prefer to pay extra for people who hop in for a part of the trip who live here.
Not Everything in transport has been buggerd up by the EE,there is still good Money to be made if you know where to look.
I’m sure there are other countries who also have the same positions available; Canada’s ice road trucker’s spring to mind. The figures you’re quoting are not typical Scandanvian salaries, whether in the EU or not and for people who can’t speak the language and require residency and work permits … They’re hardly suitable for a 64 year old foreigner, currently sitting in 40 degrees tropical heat after an absence of 10 years driving. I’m too old for the get rich quick jobs and I’ll stick to UK trucking.
Ok,it was just a thought.The pay is in relation to the quality of drivers that the co’s require.The language is not the problem,it is the ability to drive up here in the winter.
The ice road truckers pay is ■■■■,and the equipment is bad,i worked 1 winter from Tuktoyaktuk.
hutpik:
Ok,it was just a thought.The pay is in relation to the quality of drivers that the co’s require.The language is not the problem,it is the ability to drive up here in the winter.
The ice road truckers pay is [zb],and the equipment is bad,i worked 1 winter from Tuktoyaktuk.
Any advice is appreciated, but my selling points aren’t going to be stamina, or ice road trucking. My skills are delivering a load safely in one piece, without hitting bridges and returning without mirrors hanging off. There’s always been a shortage of those kind of drivers.
sawadee khap granpa.
I returned from deepest Issaaann… 18 months ago with license expired after living in LOS for five years.
As others have said you only need a medical to get your license back.
DVLC do a live chat which I found very helpful if you have any questions.
As for your DCPC the benefits agency paid for mine. It was a week of getting back to work skills first aid, health and safety interview skills CV writing etc and then the week for CPC.
I was dreading the two weeks in a classroom but I did learn some useful stuff and my new employer was impressed with the certificates they provided.
If you didn’t already know you won’t be able to claim any benefits for 3 months as you have been out of the UK for too long.
Tj916:
sawadee khap granpa.
I returned from deepest Issaaann… 18 months ago with license expired after living in LOS for five years.
As others have said you only need a medical to get your license back.
DVLC do a live chat which I found very helpful if you have any questions.
As for your DCPC the benefits agency paid for mine. It was a week of getting back to work skills first aid, health and safety interview skills CV writing etc and then the week for CPC.
I was dreading the two weeks in a classroom but I did learn some useful stuff and my new employer was impressed with the certificates they provided.
If you didn’t already know you won’t be able to claim any benefits for 3 months as you have been out of the UK for too long.
Chock Dee and good luck.
Greetings fellow wanderer. We’re just north of Sattahip on the Eastern Seaboard, but my other half is from Buriram. Actually, I spent more time in Northern China than I have here, but that’s beside the point. It’s not the LOS anymore, the recession has hit hard and immigration is really tightening up now.
I’m on a marriage visa so I’m taking the required bank deposit of 400K back with me as I already know I’d fail the ‘habitual residency’ requirements. Strange that, as no one was complaining when I served in the forces, or paid tax and NI for decades. Still, I’ll get my revenge. When I die I’m coming back as a black, one-legged lesbian and I’ll milk the system dry!
If I’m not entitled to benefits, would they still put me through a return to work program and pay for my CPC? That sounds like a good deal. The classroom rote and memorization part wouldn’t worry me – see my resume link at the top of the page. I wouldn’t be able to put a UK vocational resume together after all these years, but an idea I have is to write to some of the companies I used to work for. Obviously, they won’t remember me, but they might still have records of me having worked there which I can use as a reference to show I’m not a newbie. It’ll be strange coming back after all these years away, but I look at it as just another way to earn money so I can return later when I reach pension age, or my health declines.
Hi Grandpa.
Yes although I could not claim any money they paid for my medical and the course as well as bus fares to and from. This was Wolverhampton agency.
Concerning your retirement visa,I don’t know wether you know but there are ‘agents’ providing them for around 15-20K baht. I have many friends using them without any problems.
Someone else has mentioned a motor home. I would consider this as there are no 500baht rooms over here.
Often, when they run out of money they try and extend their stay by trying to be teachers. They don’t last long, like a duck out of water you can spot them a mile off.
Then quickly get a room so that I have a UK address and can start renewing my licence …