Are these reasonable questions? Form E questionnaire

[Starbuck80]

Hi, I’ve just got through the voluntary form E questionnaire from my ex and 75% of it revolves around my returns to work. I’ve been a sahm parent for seven years and am starting to apply for jobs (with very little luck as I’ve been out for such a long time) and his solicitor is asking me questions including:

• They want me to prove how my Hypothyroidism (which I’ve had for 30yrs) affects my ability to work and to provide medical evidence.
• To provide a copy of my cv
• Confirmation of when I will return to work
• Examples of job descriptions with salary brackets suitable for me.

Are these reasonable questions? I’m waiting to hear back from my solicitor but his sole focus is on getting me back to work asap.
I have been a full time primary care giver since the children were born and would have gone back to work sooner but ex travels extensively and since we trialled him having the kids 3 days per week (2 months ago) he has tried to change his days 3/4 times and only actually looked after them the whole day 4/5 times per month and relies on me the rest of the time to cover him. We’re still having to live together as he’s delaying the financial settlement and I have no funds to move myself and the children out.

For context, I’m currently on UC and CB and can earn around £35k per year full time, he’s on £200k per year with bonus and £4million US assets.

cv no

if you have a disability which prevents you from working this is a factor in distribution of assets so it’s in your favour to document it if you can.

I don’t think of my hypothyroidism as a disability tbh. It never affected my ability to work full time before the kids. I’m certainly not going to blame it for my reasons for not working. As a couple, we agreed that due to the massive different in earnings, I would be the stay at home parent until both kids were in school and I would work part time until then. I understand that I must now go back to work but can he dictate the precise timeline?

No

1. you say your condition doesn’t affect work there’s no need provide evidence
2. i don’t think cv relevant given you are applying for jobs it’s more relevant what you have applied for
3. Say you are already applying for jobs and provide details eg I’ve applied for x jobs in retail without success. You can explain your options are restricted due to ex not taking on childcare consistently as had been expected and explain inconsistency.
4. you can provide examples of jobs you’ve applied for

often there will be questions like how many jobs have you applied for - that’s what I asked exH. If you are applying then don’t overthink it as you have evidence you are trying. No one can say when you will actually get a job. It’s relevant you are making applications just keep evidence that you are applying. If you are unsuccessful that’s evidence you don’t have much earning capacity.

The other side is going to contend that you are able to work and have a certain standard of earning potential. They want evidence of your qualifications and experience to determine that.

For example if you previously earned 150k in a specialised and professional role it is very plausible that you can earn that again. Even if you spend 2-3 years earning a bit less whilst you refresh or revalidate.

Does that mean you have to take a high flying job? No. But your settlement will assume you can and be adjusted accordingly.