Laine

Hi Maggie, We are self-employed and had some financial difficulties recently and we found the best place to ask advice was a special section of the Mairie of our village that deals with people with such problems (I mean for everybody, self-employed or not)  The woman was very helpful and we had to provide a lot of information about ourselves (money in and out during the previous 3 months etc) and she helped us fill in lots of forms.  When you are self-employed you are in a difficult position and there was a temptation to close the company in order to have access to ASSEDIC etc.  However this wasn't the best solution, and in the end we received R.M.I. for  a short time and  also some help with  the rent. We have been in business in France for 13 years, which I think helped the situation, but anyway  the Mairie is a good place to start. Good luck. Elaine

Hi all, My husband is diabetic type 2 (diagnosed in France) and I agree it is difficult over Christmas.  I found that you can buy 'sucres lents' in packets at the chemist and although they are expensive, you actually use very little.  Have a good Christmas! Elaine

Hi, We live in Vedene, which is the next village to Le Thor. There are so many places to visit in the area - it really depends what they like doing. Some examples: Sunday antiques market at Isle sur la Sorgue. Les Grottes de Thouzin at Le Thor (if still open) Fontaine de Vaucluse (famous village with a mysterous, bottomless spring) Gordes and Baux de Provence (famous beauty spots) and Avignon (Pope's Palace, Bridge, trips on the river as far as the Camargue) Restaurants - many and varied (full price range). If you give me more details of requirements I can try to give more info. At the moment the weather is very mild and sunny here - I'm not sure how much longer it will last. I wish them happy holidays anyway! Elaine

I am certainly not a French citizen and I received this form. However I did work in France as a distributor for a while (very little money) in order to supplement our joint income (I work with my husband as conjoint collaborateur). I am not completely sure how they found me but once found it is difficult to escape! Almost certainly I won't receive any money from the French pension system (not the CRAM one anyway) but they want me to declare everything, with a view to possibly supplementing the UK pension (I hope but don't expect anything really). We'll see ...... Elaine

Hi, I am in the process of sorting this out as I am 60 next week. I am filling in this form and a dossier is being created by CRAM (the Pension place). Basically they are trying to pull together everything I have done in England and in France. We are profession liberale here so we have a special pension caisse,BUT it is quite complicated and if you like I'll keep you posted about what happens - I am buried under the piles of papers!! Regards, Elaine

I have been reading this thread with interest. We have a (very small) language school and are always looking for new ways to teach. We have been teaching in France for 12 years, but I have had very limited experience of telephone teaching or using the Internet. In fact my husband installs VOIP telephone systems so perhaps we should be looking at this in more detail. Any advice on this idea would be very welcome. Regards, Elaine

Hi, I'm certainly not an expert on this, but a good start for you might be ADIL (something like Citizen's Advice). You could type this into Google, or perhaps find them in your Yellow Pages. Good luck. Elaine

I agree with Lori (Hi Lori!) that it depends on many things. St. Remy is a very nice place to work and live, so why bother with Avignon? If you have a job then everything else is easy! (St.Remy does have a reputation for being expensive because some famous people have houses there). The weather here is nice and sunny, but it can also get windy and very cold in winter. Please give us some more details and perhaps we can be of more help. Good luck anyway. Elaine

Had the same problem as you last year, but this year have kept the pH level slightly below recommended (7.1) and has stayed crystal clear all season. In fact, if the water was warmer we would be in it today! I think your 7.6 is way too high. Good luck. Elaine

Many thanks for your replies Peter and Teamedup. I agree about the danger of upsetting the apple cart and I certainly don't want to do that, so I shall take your advice! Regards, Elaine

Hi, Many thanks for the replies. We pay for health via the Caisse des professions libérales and I think my best plan is to go and see them, as suggested. I'll keep you informed about what happens (if anything)! Thanks again, Laine

I received this form from the UK Pensions Dept. today because I am due to start receiving the state pension in October. However I am a little puzzled about what to do. In France I am already covered (for the usual 70%) under my husband's cover - we are self-employed. Obviously I can telephone the UK, but I wondered if anyone had the same experience and if you can you choose your medical cover? Maybe the UK cover is 100%??? By the way we have lived and worked in France for 12 years. Thanks for any help. Laine

Hi Lori, I live in Vedene, which is not far from Avignon, and would be happy to meet up for a coffee. I don't always have access to the car, so you would have to come over here (perhaps to meet in the village centre). What do you think? Regards, Elaine

Thanks for the info Mistral. I think my son's application will be different as it is 'the right of living here' not through marriage. Anyway I'll keep the forum informed, in case anyone else is interested (my son was told he would have to pay quite a lot so....!!!) Watch this space. Cheers, Laine

Congratulations on being French (to Mistral)! How long did this procedure take please and was it expensive? My son is considering either dual or just French nationality, as he is thinking about the army as a career. He has lived here for 11 years (came at aged 10) and shouldn't have any problems (I hope!). Regards, Elaine

When we came we registered with URSAFF because we chose to be 'profession liberale', it depends what statute you decide to be. I think otherwise it is the Chamber of Commerce rather than Metiers, but I'm not completely sure- there is a good web site in French about the advanatages and disadvantages of each statute, but I'll have to look for it. If you are interested let me know. Good luck whatever you decide. Cheers, Laine

We came to Avignon 11 years ago and set up a language school, but just offering English lessons. For the last 2 years we have been working from home because in the end it was just not a viable proposition. In fact we still have our language lab for sale - it isn't pratical at home. It is difficult to give advice because every area in France is different, and obviously all situations are different too, but if you have any specific questions I'll try to answer them. Which area are you thinking of? Cheers, Laine

We work from home and don't forget you can offset as business expenses the pro-rata of electricity, water etc. Also, the tax professionnel can be reduced by applying for a 'degrevement', which means you only pay on your real earnings. This can reduce the bill substantially, in our experience anyway. Good Luck. Laine

I'm not sure if this is an appropriate forum, but I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on this. We have lived in France (renting and working) for ten years and the only thing we could afford to buy would be a mobile home. I know that 'trailer parks' are popular in the US, but I've never really seen any reference here (Vaucluse). Retirement isn't quite yet, but money will be tight! Any thoughts appreciated. Cheers, Laine

Thanks for the prompt replies. We are profession liberale and our pension 'provider' is CIPAV (was CREA), so I don't think it's CRAM for us. The more you look the more complicated it is! Perhaps I should just take what is offered from the UK! In fact we were just allocated to this provider in France 11 years ago and have been paying (heavily) ever since, presuming that it is a pension for a married couple that we will receive when my husband retires (at 65). They have sent us details of what we will be entitled to but obviously it isn't much - we hope to put everything together and survive like that!! Any more thoughts on this would be welcome! Thanks again. Laine

I have just received a pre-retirement forecast from the UK and am wondering if it would be financially better to take the years from the French system instead. I have worked in France (self-employed) for 11 years and I understand it is possible to 'transfer' years from one country to another. In other words am I likely to get a better pension from France or the U.K., does anyone have any experience of this? Thanks in advance. Regards, Laine

We came to the Vaucluse with children aged 10 and 12, so they had a little time in the primary school, which helped. They didn't speak French either. Of course a lot depends on your daughter's nature, if she is fairly out-going it is easier to make new friends (wherever you are). Both of mine picked up French very quickly - it is a question of necessity and your daughter may find she is popular because she has 'rarity value'. As long as she manages to make friends and there is no reason why she shouldn't, all will be fine! Of course then you have all the usual problems of bad influences etc. - but this is true anywhere!! Good luck. Laine

I agree with Mistral. Our children came here at 10 and 12 and we think in retrospect that the time spent in the primary school was very beneficial. My daughter (12) only had a short time there and my son stayed for an extra year, but both appreciated the more relaxed family atmosphere, where time can be spent on making a child feel 'at home'. In the college this is not the priority and the change is rather brutal, even for the French kids! I'm sure all will be well after a very short time - kids are amazing (ours didn't have the advantage of speaking French either). Good luck. Regards, Laine