dowot?

Hi clarksinfrance. Sounds a good plan, I thought it would have taken a lot longer to see movement, goes to show how wrong you can be.I even know where to get the glass.  Thanks Chris.

Hi all. Got on a bus the other day to find an American driving it, he started in teaching, married, became fluent and turned to bus driver which he really enjoys. I was amazed, mind you it may just have been a way to drive something nearly as big as a regular US car! Chris, Versailles.

Hi Shez'n'bud. Just a thought and as posted on another thread, get certificates translated. Good luck. Chris

Hi Grecian. I found work delivering the freebie newspaper and fliers here in Versailles. Adrexo, which I expect has offices in other large towns. You will not make your fortune as its minimum wage, but the hours are to suit and not being fluent is no major problem as they employ all sorts and English is in some ways the "linga franca", Age is also not a problem and you will pay tax etc as it is a respectable company. I understand that there are other, similar, delivery companies in Versailles, so ask around, look for fliers, read the freebie papers. Just one point, dont under-estimate the cost of living, food can be expensive, a Sunday roast will cost almost double. This may just be a Versailles thing, but I have a feeling it may be France wide. Manpower have offices throughout the country and provide temp. jobs and I think the social services office can find jobs, like in the UK. The state also offers language classes to foreigners to bring them up to a minimum standard and a damn good idea I think. Finally don't be afraid to talk, most locals love to show off the English they have learnt at school and are very happy to help you learn. Just a short aside, which may be of use, Radio 4 can be heard on longwave so the cricket is available, so I'm happy. Good luck.  

Hoddy, thanks for the reply, good questions which I would only have thought of when I was 300 miles away. Funny you should raise the question of location, it was one of the reasons to go back for a second look, this time armed with something sharp to poke the wood with. Like most country stations it is not that close to the village centre but it is not isolated. Once again Ta. Chris.

Hi all, I've spent the last few days reading the posts and am amazed at the depth of knowledge and information available. I am thinking of buying a small, old, "T" plan, 2 up 3 down, railway station in the Allier (03) Dept, but have a couple of fears, which I hope can be dispelled by your expertise. First, there is evidence of past (maybe present, I have only viewed the place once and the photos I took don't show the damage) wood boring insect infestation. I think the hole size is consistant with common woodworm but some of the upper level floor boards have deep ruts on the surface. Most of the roofing timbers are hidden behind pine panneling and the upper floors look to be laid on top of  another layer. The planks run in the same direction as the joists so there must be some other layer, am I right? Second, the exterior stucco (?) surface has some fine, 1/4 inch wide max, surface cracks above windows runing to eaves, which I am inclinced to disregard, more inportant is the much wider crack above a window in the extension. It can't be seen on the inside. The window is 1 M from the junction with the main building, it is single storey the main building being two storey. The extension is about 6M long. I don't expect to do much to modernise or extend the building except move an existing wc to give an entrance to the bathroom from an internal hallway rather than the kitchen as at present. The building has been empty for at least a year, but seems dry and being a bit of a train buff, it has a certain attraction. So the question is, when I next visit, what should I look for and what questions should I ask? Many thanks for any advise you can give. Dowot? (If someone can explain how to add pictures I will include a couple to show extent of cracks)