Hi
Thank you for your reply.
I took a quick look at the link as I was worried that i may already have to have been claiming to qualify for assistance and would have needed to have been on JSA for a certain period. But this doesn't seem the case looking at the info.
They state -
'The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) gives support to people on Jobseeker’s Benefit who are unemployed and want to start their own business.
There is no qualifying period, which means you do not need to have been getting Jobseeker’s Benefit for a certain period of time. However, you will not qualify if you are getting Jobseeker’s Benefit and working part-time.
The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance is paid instead of your Jobseeker’s Benefit for a maximum of 1 year. It ends when your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit ends (that is, at either 9 months or 12 months)'
I will definitely make some enquires on the enterprise allowance to find out if I would at all qualify on my previous UK NI contributions.
Many thanks again