My Sunday Photo Week 125. J is for Job.

Actually that should read J is for job that I've declined.

Make your mind up Suzanne, all you've ever talked about for the past almost 7 years since leaving the UK is giving up your career and how it formed an important part of your identity.

I've been offered a teaching job in the UAE. I live in Dubai, one of the 7 emirates. I could be placed in any 1 of them and a school won't be allocated until the day before training begins on the 20th August. If I am allocated a school outside of Dubai I could face up to a 2 hour commute each way to work every day. I cannot relocate due to Peter's employment.

There are a few other issues I needed to consider, mainly managing our UK home that we rent out, the flat we've purchased in South Wales and all the paperwork related to it, including annual UK tax returns, as well as maintaining our home here. We have no family here and few friends, so if Peter is away and I'm ill I have no support, if the pets need to go to the vets, I take them, when visa's and house rent need renewing, i do all the paperwork, same with car insurance and re registering our vehicles each year.

Last year I was teaching in Dubai and due to the timing of leaving the UK it means visa's, rent and policies expire and need renewing x's 3 all within a few months. It takes time and effort and with weekends being Friday and Saturday here and up to 4 hour time difference. Due to Peter travelling it has fallen to me to manage the home and the UK side of things.

I'm also the primary support for our 5 children, yes they are all adults now, but our eldest is disabled and lives in a care home, we've had major issues with her funding and it took a couple of weeks earlier this year to sort out. The youngest is in his final year of boarding school and needs somewhere to live from the start of July until his apprenticeship starts, which I need to be in the UK for to a) put a roof over his head and b) help with finding him somewhere to live and moving him out of school and into his new life. 2 of our boys went into the army and the 3rd went into staff accommodation when they left home at 18, so this is a new process for me and he has to be UK based for interviews etc.

I did have a job last year, teaching in Dubai. But I was stressed and tired all the time, pathetic I know, but I had 4 years in South Africa of not being able to work and my role in life changed. I became a SAHM and then went through empty nest which is what probably forced me into getting the last teaching post.

The final deciding factor into turning this job down was the fact they were going to apply to cancel my current visa, which would mean Peter would lose his family package and would in effect be a single person, this would involve us moving in December, I'd lose the medical cover and be provided with basic cover. There was also no leave during the first 6 months during probation, so I wouldn't be able to see the kids until next March.

Sadly by turning this job down it will delay our return to living in the UK. 2-3 years of teaching here would've bumped the retirement fund up nicely and would've put me back in line for resuming my career on our return to the UK. I'll be almost 50 by the time we move back to the UK, Peter will have retired and I'll need something to do.