Pocket money jobs for a retiree with no English

[zendeveloper]

Need some brainstrorming from the hivemind.
Looking for some "pocket money" job ideas for the following situation.

A person in their mid-60s, with no English at all (and probably limited ability to learn it to any reasonable level from scratch now), who had a long professional career but it was not in the UK and their skills are not directly transferrable (let's say, a lawyer or an accountant).

Looking for a hobby job for them that would be more to satisfy a desire to be busy and useful rather than to earn money. Unfortunately, there are serious health restrictions so intense manual jobs are probably out of the question.

Living in London at the moment.

Quite a lot of cleaners (eg in hotels) don't speak English, and also cooks (or helpers) in restaurants serving that ethnicity's cuisine.

Their mother tongue is Russian, they speak Ukrainian fluently, but as a second language.
Most (probably all) young Ukrainians from the East are completely bilingual, so I don't think there is any demand for that. It would be as unusual to find a person younger than 40 who is not, as it would be to find a Scottish person speaking only Gaelic and no English in the UK.

They are not manicurists or beauticians, they are an engineer with a PhD and an accountant (with a legal sub-specialism) couple.

Interesting. That's not my experience re Ukrainian language. Along the Eastern seaboard it appears to have been universally Russian and most of my charges (seafarers and their families) speak very limited Ukrainian.

There is a massive online education programme set up by the Ukrainian ministry of education. I wonder if either of them could tutor on that?

What about cleaning? Lots of people need/want a cleaner and they don’t need to be able to speak English. Just clean well

I think dog walking or pet sitting would be suitable as long as they could get instructions translated. I do pet care to keep busy and it's very easy and rewarding.

I’m still doubtful about this. When someone’s looking after my cats I want to receive updates & know they can answer my questions / tell me if there’s a problem.

And also contact and deal with a vet, in an emergency.

This sounds like a great idea, and not something I was aware of.

can you search for Ukrainian groups that they could join - there must be some. and they could work with those people?

It sounds like they need some reassurance that they are not a burden and breaking down a stigma about not having paid work.

Are you/they in London? I found this Ukrainian Saturday school which might welcome their skills.

https://stmarysukrschool.co.uk/home

Presumbly no English would be required and they could offer fairly high level skills such as doing the accounts, or maths or physics tutoring in Ukrainian.

Do they have the correct visas to enable them to work in the UK?

Most dog owners would expect their do walker to have the correct insurance and have undertaken an animal first aid course

If he is an engineer with a phd the he could tutor maths and or physics online in either Russian or Ukrainian.

He'd maybe need to advertise to the Ukrainian/Russian speaking community, and it probably wouldn't get massive take up but if he is just looking to be useful then this would definitely qualify.

There's a big demand for maths and physics tuition.

Yes, refugee status (once granted, but not while awaiting it) includes right to work. They may not speak English but one of them has a legal sub specialisation, I'm sure they've thought to check first :)

Some people simply find language learning very difficult to grasp. OP has explained that their relative has put a great deal of energy in and the main request here is ideas for jobs. I have a lovely friend who is about 35. I've known him 15 years. His English is minimal and has simply never improved despite his best efforts living and working here. Course after course of study. It isn't nothing but it's certainly not what you'd expect for an intelligent, sociable man after 3 years, never mind 15. He works as a chef and expresses himself through very simple circumlocution and now Google translate.

Shall we accept the relative has tried for now?

Not sure if these suggestions are appropriate especially re fitness levels but I know people who work with little English.

Leafletting

I know a Ukranian woman slowly learning english who works as a hotel chamber maid. One of the big chains. My family helped her apply but I think the company have been quite supportive language wise, I think printed sheets of what to do in Ukranian plus google translate.

Warehouse work is one of the most available areas for those who come with little to no English. Many staff speak Russian

One of the big companies may be willing to work with them in this way, supermarket, hotel, warehouse, for instance, where the work is solo. Could be worth sending a few emails off on their behalf.

I don't know how physically fit they are but my dad is in huge demand as a gardener since retiring with elderly local folk. Nothing fancy, just keeping the lawns and beds neat, planting a few bulbs and things for summer.

Can they cook? Soup kitchen volunteer .

You say they aren't Christian - are they Jewish? Some of the UK Jewish community will be of Ukrainian descent - perhaps the local synagogue could help?

You can be hired by a pet care company rather than doing it by yourself.

Information can easily be translated these days.

Its illegal for a company to pay below the minimum wage and you should not be suggesting that they accept a job where this would happen.

An ESOL class might fit the bill, lots of them have outings.

Leafleting if health allows.

Can they cook? Cooking Ukranian food might be an option, lots of food banks also have a cafe.

Some food banks do deliveries, you don't need much English to hand over a bag of groceries.

I have a local community shop near me, they can always find a place for a volunteer, shelf stacking springs to mind. They also have a befriending service, where I am it is ENglish only but that doesn't mean it has to be.

Language assistant if there is a school teaching Russian.

Have they reached out to their respective professional communities?

Eg Facebook group for Ukrainian accounting and finance professionals in the UK

Ukrainian accountant in London

https://www.colmancoyle.com/news/pro-bono-legal-and-accounting-assistance-for-ukrainian-refugees-please-read/

They want to earn a few pounds a week to prove to themselves that they are not completely useless and not a 100% burden on their family, at least able to buy a round of ice-cream on a day out for everyone. Not asking for charity

Why don’t they have money? As a refugee from Ukraine they will be able to claim either universal credit or pension credits depending on their age.

Reading it as them not having any money is odd. I'm sure they have a little bit of benefits / state support, but they're probably not rolling in it in terms of spare cash. Moreover, it's good for a sense of self worth, plus enlarges one's locus of control, to earn some money of one's owns.

I think it's admirable that they're open to menial jobs despite being from highly qualified backgrounds.

I believe this still needs certain qualifications and tbh I highly doubt any parent would be ok with leaving their child with someone who can’t speak english.

Op, do you have a community centre locally at all? I’m in Berkshire and my town has a Ukranian community centre :)

Not sure how feasible this is, but with no English language at all the only option I can think of is to offer themselves as Russian/Ukrainian language speakers.
So perhaps, childcare, additional tutoring, home helping, etc, for Russian or Ukrainian families currently in the UK who purposely want someone who speaks their own language.
I'm thinking for example, a Ukrainian family now in the UK whose kids are at school and speaking English all day, might want their kids exposed to more of their native language to ensure they keep it up.
Their best bet would be to find local/online communities for people from those countries who are here, so they can put themselves out there as being available for any suitable or appropriate work.
They must be going through such a difficult time, I feel for them.