Sunday 21 May 2017

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.

26 comments:

  1. Sounds like tricky times But it sounds like you know what you are doing and why - good luck with everything.

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  2. It sounds like a tough decision, but the right one! That's an awful lot of factors to juggle with a demanding job.

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    1. life would be so much easier if all the family were in the same country then i could pop down on weekends to help sort things out

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  3. It doesn't sound an easy decision but not something you've rushed into. It sounds a juggling act with everything.

    Thank you for linking up

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    1. they just kept adding more reasons why i couldn't take the job with every email

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  4. There are so many sides of expat life that can involve difficult decisions aren't there? Good luck with it all... #mysundayphoto

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    1. thank you, i think the hardest part of working is not being able to see my children when i want to

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  5. Sounds like you have had so many things to weigh up in making this decision. I hope it proves the right one for you. I'm 50 this year and couldn't imagine retiring so I wouldn't worry about your age coming home.

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  6. I wouldn't be comfortable with having visa and medical cancelled and not knowing where the job would be. It's not much of an opportunity. How frustrating for you. I hope something turns up!

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  7. It sounds like you have so many other things going on. It sounds like you have made the right decision x

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    1. i feel like i have made the right decision at this stage

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  8. What a lot of factors to consider. All points in one direction. Hope something more suitable turns up. #MySundayPhoto

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  9. Last week I was ill. I cant even walk and yet I have to drag myself out of the house to do school run as I have no one here to help me. I know that feeling. Lovely honest read. #mysundayphoto

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  10. From all you've said here, you've made the right decision, the only one really for this particular opportunity. It's tough though, isn't it? I've now been out of the workforce for five years and I struggle to imagine what I could do now, if I decide I want to go back. Add in the expat angle and it does get really difficult. Hope you're okay x

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    1. hoping to find something soon that fits with my visa and allows the flexibility of visiting the family, but no idea what, i'm looking

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  11. Sometimes it's so hard to make the decision between what you want and what is best after all is weighed up. Things do work out in the end though.

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    1. yes I'm a great believer in things happen for a reason, sometime though it takes a while to show itself

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  12. It sounds like you've thought it through so at times like this, I think it's best to just have faith in the decision you made and look forward! Great things lie ahead, I'm sure!

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  13. As hard it seems, I'm sure you made the right decision for you and the family! There are positives to working but from the bit you wrote here there are too many down sides too

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    1. I'm still job hunting, but there's really not much around that fits my needs

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