Cannot escape poverty, what's the cheapest place in the world for me to move to?

[despair1234]

I can't cope and getting depressed again. I can't earn enough money. Had a real go with lots of tries at being freelance, because my health problems make it extremely hard to keep a normal job. Time off for hospital appointments etc.

I'm on my own in the UK and just done. I have a partner is another country but don't have a visa.

Need to move somewhere it's really cheap to have housing and food, I can't cope here anymore. Everyday is a massive struggle worrying how to pay the bills once my savings totally run out. No money is coming in. Not entitled to any benefits apart from Jobseeker's Allowance maybe which I don't bother with because I can't stand the effect it has on my mental health.

I just can't cope. It's too expensive just being alive. I have no family I can go to stay with, there is literally nowhere to go to relax.

It's like being in a nightmare except I never wake up. Constant, constant stress of money I can never overcome. Yeah I can borrow money but have no way of paying it back if I can't earn.

Where can I go??? Where can I find somewhere to rest???? I need to calm down and can't calm down, I'm having nightmares when I'm asleep, I'm not depressed but the impossible financial reality is making me depressed...because... where can it go from here?

It will never get better? Just breathing and eating and sleeping somewhere safe costs too much money? Let alone upkeep of clothes for interviews, reliable computer to try to find jobs, even small fees for retraining???

I just want to go away and escape, I need to escape.

I really sympathise with you, but you are really coming across as so defensive and angry

No OP is reacting to other people being defensive and angry because she has not agreed with their 'advice'. Some people on here are really really rude and aggressive.

"Asking people who the fuck they think they are is aggressive."

Yes I agree. I also think it's a shitty thing to do to say stuff to me like how can my DP be serious about me if I can't just go there to recuperate. Or to rethink my relationship.

I find that extremely rude. Yet, it's ok to say it to me? And expect no retaliation?

I have not responded with aggression to other posters who did not snipe at me.

It is untrue to say most of my posts have been aggressive.

despair1234 the hectoring and insults you've had from a certain person are a disgrace. I hope things get better for you.

I'm on page 5 so apologies if I've missed something further down the thread.

Op I understand your reluctance to jump through the requisite hoops to claim benefits and your desire to support yourself.

You say you have no qualifications, poor health and a need for flexibility in the workplace. Freelancing is not working out for you and has brought you to the place you're at now.

There have been lots of suggestions about cruise ships, work away schemes etc but presumably if your need for flexibility is driven by hospital appointments etc that type of transient lifestyle won't suit. You say you need 'a living wage' - you're not going to make a living way doing care work or similar part time or selling crafts from home.

It seems like what you are asking for is a job that will allow you to earn enough to support yourself without the demands of a full time commitment and ideally with the option to work for yourself. Do you have the funds / time / inclination to retrain? Because with no qualifications to speak of, meeting those criteria seems extremely unlikely.

You say you have savings. How did you get them? I.e. What other work have you done, perhaps before your health deteriorated?

You don't sound stupid to me, so I imagine if there was a simple solution you would have thought of it. If you can't / don't want to retrain, you may have to reconsider your stance on benefits.

Fwiw, I teach English as a foreign language in the U.K and I earn c. £1800 pcm gross for a 14 hr teaching week. The hours are fixed but there is flexibility to swap classes and I have plenty of free time for appointments and so on. The initial training cost me £1000 and took a month full time. I've since gained 10 years experience and a masters degree but plenty of teachers don't train further than the initial certificate. I doubt they earn as much as me but even a newly qualified teacher can expect £12+ an hour. I haven't done much online teaching but I think it's where the future is heading. I have colleagues who earn a similar rate to me teaching online from their homes. I think that would meet your criteria but it's not a solution if you're not willing or able to invest in your own career. I appreciate it's hard to do that when living alone and trying to support yourself in ill health. I think you need to park the (understandable) woe is me and consider realistically what you're able to change.

OP, would you be well enough to tutor English abroad?

I used to tutor children in Spain for an agency and used to earn about 900€ a month for 25 hours a week and my rent + food and bills where about 300€ total which mean that I could easily save a few hundred bucks a month and didn't even need a diploma to do it.

I am not British so not sure how Brexit will affect your possibilities to relocate inside the EU in the next few years but that could be a good solution considering you don't seem to have much holding you back in the UK.

If you are genuinely wanting to relocate abroad in a cheap/inexpensive country then South East Asia is probably the place to go considering English is your native language and you won't have much trouble finding a job there but obviously the culture and way-of-life there is extremely different and I guess something to consider.

Posting this because I am in a similar situation where I probably couldn't really afford living in my own home country without being absolutely miserable so had to make a living for myself abroad (and have absolutely no regrets!).

Good luck OP as you seem to be in a tough situation!

Thanks all.

Quite a few mentions of teaching English as a second language and this is something I would enjoy I think. Are the cheaper courses worth doing at all? Or is there a particular accreditation that's respected by the industry?

Hopefully if you sign onto esa you may be able to get courses funded.
If that's the case accredited would be best.

Don't mean to hijack but does anyone know any way to train for teaching English as a foreign language part time or via distance/ online. I am in a similar situation to OP and have looked into this (my background is in a similar field so think it would be a good option for me) but all the 'decent' accredited courses required some full time teaching practice. I can't do full days (limit probably about 2-3 hours a day daily or 4 if it was alternate days) due to health. If I could qualify I'd be looking to do a few hours a week face to face and maybe some online teaching. Is there any way to qualify on these small number of hours?

My pain has kicked in big time this evening so I won't be on the thread for a bit but definitely interested in any other suggestions if anything occurs to people. Researching most cost efficient way to get cert for teaching English is top of the list for me at present. lLke above poster there could be others who would also gain from suggestions.

Thanks to all.

I have several friends who have TEFLd as a route - it can be flexible and the demand is there. It’s also very transferable.

I understand why you don’t want to move abroad as a short term solution - I have done this in the past and whilebots rewarding it’s a challenge in its own right.

Just one other thing that I always find helps me if I’m in a rough spot: break down what your needs and wants are in the immediate, mod and long term future.

So for example immediate needs for health could be a medication review to check pain is being managed correctly. Mid term might be physical or other therapies and long term a more cohesive strategy for dealing with pain and illness.
If you can do that for the job situation as well it could help you plan - sometimes the most immediate solutions and the longer term ones are not the same (if that makes sense?) sonfor example mybown plan a few years back when in a job I loathed and very unhappy would have been: immediate - cope with this contact by doing x and y. Mid, quit contract and retrain, long term, work towards career in x industry in x country. Obviously yours will vary but immediate coping strategies plus mid and long term goals are helpful.

Please do also see your GP for a medication review. Anybconsition that leaves you in chronic pain should be reviewed regularly to make sure what you’re taking is working for you.

Gods the typos... do excuse those.

The UK is really expensive but we also have free healthcare and education which we’re incredibly lucky to have. And benefits are a pain in the arse to be on thanks to the tories but at least they’re still there for now.

Prague is the cheapest place I have experienced and from friends who live there, rent is cheap too. The food and drink is just SO CHEAP. But you struggle to work with your health issues so isn’t that going to restrict you wherever you live?

Re training for efl teaching, you really need to ensure any course has a minimum of 6 hours assessed teaching practice. Without this, it's really not worth anything. The British council, who are the accrediting body for language schools, make this stipulation so there would be very few U.K. Schools that would offer even very casual employment without it. Overseas it varies, depends where you want to teach but as a rule of thumb it still stands.

The two main courses that fit this criteria are the Cambridge CELTA and the trinity TESOL. They are v similar in content, duration and price. I would say they are more or less equally respected. You can do the training in any number of places both full time or part time. Distance is not a possibility as you must be physically present for the aforementioned assessed teaching practice. Different centres run them on different schedules. Part time, which might be one or two evenings a week plus a few Saturdays for 12 weeks or so, is not unusual. It really depends where in the country you are based how many options there would be. There are also plenty of accredited centres abroad. This could be an option for the op if your partner is in / within commutable distance of a city with that provision. Full time is usually 4 weeks intensive. When they say intensive, they really mean it!

Tefl.com is a good starting point.

There are also a few related courses on future learn (free online courses) which would not qualify you for teaching but might give you more of an idea of whether it's something for you.

I did a cheap TEFL course years ago and it was a scam. The course existed but involved sitting in a cheap hotel for a few evenings looking at power point & no teaching practice.

Pointless. I didnt apply for the "certificate" at the end as it was worthless

I did actually move to be with my partner abroad - although we had no kids at the time so not quite the same situation.

Is that something you’d think of doing as a long term option? If so perhaps you could work towards that by retraining (TEFL is always a useful thing to have, several friends have TESOL certification and have worked all over the world.) I think it’s a more positive move as a ‘pull’ rather than a ‘push’ from circumstances although if I’m honest I was working long hours in a job a lot he’d for utterly shit wages.

Definitely have a look at ESA - i think what you need right now is a bit of breathing space and maybe ESA could help with that. Poverty grinds you down mentally and physically. A bit of space could help with your physical health too.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Hi op I havnt read full thread so apologies if not useful. We live near Newcastle it's called North Tyneside and they are lots of cheaper places to live You can also get shared houses. How much rent are you paying at the moment ? They are nice areas here some aren't as nice but I can let you know some of the nicer areas of you wanted. Are you eligible for some housing benefit? Have you checked on the benefit calculator in case you are missing out on anything? if you have a irregular income then where we are you can show proof and claim housing benefit if you are eligible not sure of that is everywhere. Jobs wise the teaching english seems a good idea. I'm probably not much help but my cousin did work for the ambulance service she was contracted to so many hours but was able to pick the shifts that week within reason so she did 16 hours but chose them at a weekend due to partners work but did have to be available for 8 hour shift from between 7am to 12pm so maybe a no go. What about admin work ? about part time reception work or trying at local council or school office type thing ? i don't really know anything about freelancing so sorry can't advice but is there a way to advertise your services with a agency ? Hope things improve for you soon.

Vietnam, Cambodia, Phillipines. India. Pretty much any developing country.

Hi OP. for you. You sound so frustrated. I don't have a new suggestion I'm afraid but a bit of experience with tutoring.

I tutor children with reading difficulties (like dyslexia) from my home. I did the training 1 day a week for 4 weeks. It doesn't qualify me to teach in schools but I didn't want that. I do it as a top up to school and it's very rewarding and flexible (but out of school hours). There's a lot of demand from parents whose kids are finding it hard at school. I'm doing it part time while i look for a permanent job and get universal credit.

I have also studied and taught tefl (though that's not a prerequisite for the tutoring). If you're in or near a big city I think the opportunities are better. Celta was v intensive full time (I remember the odd 18 hour day) so part-time is advisable in your circumstances.

DM me if you would like any more info and good luck.

I suggest you go to cab or another welfare organisation to find out what benefits you may be entitled to. There are two types of ESA (and JSA), one based on certain types of NI contribution and the other on low income (also looks at any capital.) There are also rules about claiming additionally in some parts of the country the income based ESA/JSA and housing benefit have been replaced by universal credit.

I can veyr much relate to your feelings and situation OP. Apologies if the thread has moved on while I have typed this (I am a bit slow!)

It is very brave to consider applying for ESA or PIP as it can be a terribly degrading and awful experience, but sometimes you do get seen by kind humans and it can sometimes go OK. We have had good and bad.Take some time to read about it and look at your options. You aren't alone in wondering how on earth to make some kind of worthwhile life, or in being fearful of ESA and PIP :(

As you have said, ESA may be a 'good' option. It has different descriptors to PIP and allows work up to 16 hours a week and approx £100pw. If you have been paying National Insurance (and paid enough within the relevant periods) you will be eligible for contribution based ESA which can top up the means tested ESA = Income Related ESA. Both need an assessment but with evidence it is possible to not have an awful time getting it. It can be possible to catch up your NI if you need to. If you get IR ESA this can give you housing benefit also.

But Universal Credit is also here in many places so deos change things a bit, and replaces Housing Benefit. Self employment under UC is not easy as requires jumping though some hoops so you dont get caught out. This is really difficult for many unwell people as self employment can be the best way to manage illness.

As mentioned the site Benefits and Work are brilliant, as is Scope. It is well worth having a look there. CAB can also be great.

I have no magic wand sadly but we have some circs in common and so please feel free to pm me if you would like to mull over ideas or to let off steam.

Just a suggestion but if you have lot some of appointments, if they are at one hospital or site, could you look for a job there? That way you could attend them without the appointment being massively disruptive to your day. Also sometimes if you know the staff you can ask to be shifted to the end of the clinic etc. Maybe wouldn’t be able to do that straight away but it might even be something your manager could support you with.

Everyone keeps mentioning.. come up north and flats for under £500 a month.
I rented out a decent sized terrace house for £425 a week to a single gent . there’s £90 for council tax
Gas and electric £65 a month
Water ...£25 a month

There’s over £600 a month without phone, tv licence, food and travel costs.

That’s if you can even get a job!
It’s cheap up north for one reason and one reason only... there’s no blooming jobs!

Do you live near a university? They are usually have flexible full & part time jobs so it's worth looking. A friend works in the events management department managing conferences & seminars. It's worth looking there for administrative roles too.

I think a home based role would suit you better given your health issues. Have you had a look at the mumsnet jobs web pages?

mumsnet jobs

In terms of relocating to cheaper areas, the northern cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds & Newcastle are your best bet. Basically, a northern university town as there will be a variety of jobs at the university, council and industries connected to the university. The cost of living and accommodation would be significantly cheaper than London.

What's jumping out at me from your posts is anger not aggression.

I haven't been in your situation so am in no position to give advice but if I were I would probably be spitting feathers too.

I really hope you find a way out of your situation, TEFL sounds like it could be your ticket. Best of luck!

Have a look on the guardian careers website for tips on presenting your CV in the best possible way.