maidofallwork

Euro didnt think you meant we were scroungers, I was just trying to point out that low pay work is helped, our daughters couldnt live without the extra they get, I dread to think if our daughter ceases to get DLA what she would live on,,,,, and our other daughter works making her garments and also as said does art classes with children twice a week, if she didnt have that she couldnt survive long, and yes we do have state pensions but the goverment recently took away the age allowance so everyone who has over £10,000 pa starts to pay tax at 20% over that.  We dont starve far from it but things like the MOT put a huge strain on finance to find, its the extras that make life difficult.  My other half paid a private pension all his working life thinking we would be ok but every time he gets an increase all of it goes in tax. I am so sorry for people with children I dont know how they manage.  It is really surprising how different other countries systems are.  The    mimimum wage was brought in but it is not enough for many people who are on that to manage without top up.  Thre are scroungers here and the trouble is if you stop their benefits they go onto crime because that is all they have known, there are families here who have not worked for 3 generations, its the system that fails not the idea It sounds a good system in france to not pay out ad lib, but only if there is work and good wages available. m o a w

Disability Living Allowance is given to people with a disability (not necessarily physical) who work but because of their illness cannot work full time, our daughter who is in receipt of this has epilepsy and has had since she was 3 she is now 31 and has only just in the last 3 years being able to claim it, thanks to a very considerate consultant, anyone who knows anything about epilepsy will understand that after having had a bd attack the person is virtually useless for at least 24 hours and more sometimes, limbs do not function correctly sometimes until the effects  wear off, medication partially controls it but not 100%.  She is basically a musician but cannot work as she never knows if she will be well at the moment enough to fulfill a contract so she is a jeweller working at home.  Our other daughter who is 27 works her socks off ,she is a textile designer and works with children after school also to earn an income, she gets working tax credit which is legitimately available to all who work 30 hours a week or more and have a low income. We are retired with a private pension also which the giverment taxes quite well here,  So no-one is scrounging, my OH and I worked hard  and paid taxes all our lives until retiring..  We had no real means of knowing what the system is in France and are grateful for all the information as according to the EU blurb one  assumes reciprocal bnefits apply., obviously not so However, thanks once again for all the info and help M o a W

Again thank you all for your comments and replies, please dont think I was being icky in any way. that was not my intention, your replies  and honesty are really appreciated. The EU has a lot of answer for (at least the information you are given) in that we are all supposd to be one happy family (that I have never believed as we are so many different cultures) and you dont realise that the benefit system is not as easy as in the UK. You have all given us much to think about, incidentally our friends are in the restaurant business. M o a W

Well I certainly got a lot of information, thank you all, but I really wonder why anyone lives in France at all, judging by the various downs of the place. I do appreciate that it is very different and as far as we as a family are concerned you go to a new country accepting their ways not trying to live as you would in your own country, but I really wonder why some of you people stay there if it is so bad.(again not wishing to offend) but a picture has been painted of a not very nice place to live and I am really surprised after having some french friends who have been in England for many years but are going back as they cant keep their business going here. Anyway many thanks for all the information, it is really appreciated and gives lots of food for thought. M o a W

Thank you for your reply, indeed it is a very different culture, our daughters do work and earn. not enough to move out of the family home but keep themselves going, with internet sales etc. and fairs, shows etc. One of our daughters has a disability (not physical) and has dla and the other does have wtc and we obviously have our pensions including a private one.  I was given to understand that because we are all in the EU benefits etc are relatively the same..  I think it is the actual lifestyle difference that we are interested in, we are pretty much self sufficient here as we have land etc, here and whilst not looking for a chateau or vineyard, we have been given to understand that a french rural house has land with it. Anyway it is all very much in the sky at the moment and we wouldnt dream of moving until we had a good smattering of the language to say the least, I came on this form to ask questions and to find out what we so obviously dont know and we are very grateful for all the answers and information. M O A W

Thank you all for your extremely helpful replies even if I didnt understand the french terms.  We have 2 adult daughters living with us also, they are both self employed one as a textile designer and the other a jeweller, and I have been given to understand by some french friends that they would do extremely well in France, better than the UK I would hope/  Roughly what would we have to pay for a 3/4 bed house a decent size rooms etc. and where is a good place to look.  I thought of Toulon (simply because Johnny Wilkinson has gone there and half the worlds rugby players) LOL but dont know France at all, except they have some good showjumping arenas. Anyway thank you all again for your kind replies M o a W

I have read with horror some of the stories on here and have immense sympathy for those who have had such traumas letting their property.  I would point out that not all tenants are like that.  We live in rented property in the Uk and have done so for many years, and are now retired.  We are thinking of moving to France to enable us to have a better life. We are unable to buy a property and would wish to rent.   Reading these stoies  makes one wonder if it is actually possible to rent long term or is it just renting from British people who no longer live in their properties there who have had problems..  If the legal system is so bad how do the French manage as there would appear to be a high preponderance of property rented out in France. Not wishing to cause offence by that comment I am just curious as having had conversations with someone trying to get work done by builders over there  and also in Ireland , does  being  an absent landlord affect the progress or any difficulties or work. M of A W