Daft Doctor
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Posts posted by Daft Doctor
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Hi, for what it's worth I am quite 'tax savvy' as far as the UK is concerned, but the french tax system is much more complicated than you would imagine. I too have a leaseback property under construction and hate spending any unneccessary cash on professional advice, however I would strongly recommend it. The forms are bewildering and though advice is not cheap, it will probably save you at least as much in tax if you shell out. I have an english speaking french accountant, Angela Francoise, whom it may be worth speaking to. Her email is [email protected] I am sure if you search the forum there will be others. Good luck!
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Hi, I may be wrong but I think the equivalent in english is Multiple Sclerosis, characterised by widespread patchy demyelination of the white matter in the nervous system, hence leuko (white) dystrophy.
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Hi Sweet 17, maybe I can oblige. GPs in the UK have had to do a minimum of 3 years specific vocational GP training (including a year working in General Practice) since the early 1980's, so nothing has changed there recently. All GPs have to undergo annual appraisal, and have to prove they are following current best practice guidelines and have undertaken necessary training and education identified at the previous appraisal. No one has been stopped from practicing because of a poor appraisal however, that isn't at the moment what it is intended for.
In the wake of all that Shipman business, there are plans for all doctors to have to be periodically re-accredited, but the powers that be haven't yet decided what would be a fair way of doing it. Going through the appraisal process will be a part of it however, so most GPs do try to keep on their toes in this respect. Its expected that re-accreditation will be introduced in the next 5 years, so the british public will be confident that the odd rogue like Shipman will be weeded out before they do too much harm!
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In an earlier thread on the forum I mentioned that I am planning to move to France eventually and may end up doing some GP work where I settle (if any is available and if they will have my help). I guess only then will I really know how each system stacks up relative to each other. Its interesting as always what a diversity of views there are on the subject of health and GPs, wherever one happens to be!
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Hi, no axe to grind whatsoever, but as a UK GP myself, I just wanted to make sure everyone is properly informed. I think the average GP pay in the UK will certainly be around £90+K, (not £111K as quoted in the Times article) but has in fact fallen over the past couple of years. As the press have correctly reported, GPs in the UK got a massive pay rise in 2004/05 and to a lesser extent in 2005/06. The government botched the contract negotiations in 2004, were far too generous, and thought that GPs would not attain more than 70% of the quality targets set for them. The figure achieved was more like 95% (no surprise to GPs), hence the big rises.
Since then there has been an income freeze for GPs to try to offset the over-generosity, and in addition, there have been more strings attached to getting some of the income, e.g. extended opening hours, 48 hour access, etc. GPs have same costs as many other businesses, such as staff, IT, insurance, gas, electricity, premises maintenance, etc, etc, which of course have continued to rise with (or in the case of energy well above) inflation. The net effect of that is that GPs earnings net of all expenses have in fact fallen since 2006, and things are gradually coming back into line to where the government expected GP earnings would be in 2009/10. Personally I wish they hadn't given so much to us back in 2004, as it is always harder to give up income once you've had it compared with never having had it in the first place! Nontheless I think we remain very well paid for what we do, despite the fact that the job is actually a lot more difficult (and wearing) than many people realise.
We are obviously however much better paid than our colleagues in France, where there are twice the number of GPs per head of population, and by what has been said on this forum, the french GPs work very hard for their money. They seem to operate from premises and with equipment and IT (if any) akin to what was common in the UK in the 1970's, so the fact that they do such a good job and remain motivated despite all that and low pay is a credit to them indeed. I wonder however if there is any trade-off in the overall quality of care provided (treatment, prevention, record keeping, audit, etc) in such a low investment fee per visit/service system. The UK spends a much smaller percentage of its national income on health care than France, despite what its GPs get paid, and one reason it can do this is the gate-keeping role that GPs have to hospital and outpatient care in the UK. I believe that in France patients can and often do self-refer to specialists, bypassing GPs and logging up high costs for the state as a result. Maybe that is one excuse the french health service uses to pay its GPs so little? I think the truth is likely to be that there are good things and bad things in both systems, none being ideal.
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Hi Odile, thanks for that advice. We live in Newcastle, so there are numerous secondary schools (both state and private) in the vicinity.
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Hi, yes, as I said earlier, a few sessions of part-time work a week is all I would be after, and I may feel after settling in that it just won't quite be possible for one reason or another. I wouldn't be going to France primarily to work, but would want to contribute to the system, pay my taxes, cotisations, whatever, rather than just sit on my derierre (no french pun intended). I just wanted to get a feel of what expats and interested others thought it would be like for me to get medical work, and whether an english speaking and qualified GP would have any attraction.
The negative thoughts are as interesting for me as the positive, as it helps build a balanced picture in my mind. I wouldn't be moving for at least 3 years, so I have time to explore my chosen area and possibilities in some depth, both from a distance and through trips out there. It seems that there may be many practical hurdles to overcome to practice in France, including regulatory bodies, language and medical culture differences, but these hurdles may not be insuperable.
I will try to find out whether my qualifications and experience would allow me to practice at least in theory, then take it from there. As I said in an earlier posting, I might consider doing something well away from medicine if necessary. I also happen to have an MBA and a business leaning, so I might even be able to make use of that in the right setting. I suppose medicine is what I am most experienced at that's all, and might be transferable to France in some minor way, given time. Any other thoughts will be much valued, thanks.
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Hi Odile, we certainly will be doing what we can to get Jack and ourselves up to speed before going. My wife and I speak a little bit (I'm probably the more confident of us at pres), and we try hard to learn whenever we are over there. Have used a bit of Rosetta Stone, and will probably try Michel Thomas courses for ourselves, at least in the short term. Later on, will try to get some more face to face tuition. Jack already has started French at school at aged 6, and we just got him a french course for his Nintendo DS to get him going. It is games based, and he's very competitive, so he's already well into it. He'll need individual help later on as well of course. If anyone has any thoughts on maximising learning prior to moving to France, I'd be very grateful to hear it. Thanks.
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Thanks Panda. In that case, if I am right, if we (say) moved over to France January 2012, Jack would be 10 and would ordinarily join the last 2 terms of CM2, being one of the youngest in his year. He would almost certainly have to retake that year, but would do so with the next lot of CM2 pupils and most new friends made would go on to college. If our move did occur then, it would seem better to ask school to put him in CM1 at the outset instead of CM2, then he would hopefully go on to CM2 the following year with the same group of french children. That would give him 5 terms at primary school before going on to College, picking up both the french language and french friends along the way, and would make him one of the eldest in the year. Only trouble would be if they were sticky about him voluntarily dropping down to CM1 at the outset, though as I understand it, about 30% of french children 'redouble' a year anyway, so I would hope that kind of approach wouldn't be a problem?
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That is very helpful advice indeed, thank you very much. Jack has a December birthday, so in France is it age attained by 31st August which dictates which year he would go into (as in England), or is it 31st December (which I thought I read somewhere else)? Thanks again
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Hi Lucinda,
The BAC S pass rate at the local lycee was 97% this year with almost a third with either 'tres bien' or 'bien' rated passes, which from what you say seems quite good. The BAC ES was 95% and all the others were over 90% except the BAC Pro which was 80%. Seems to be a decent school at the moment, quite encouraging. Its a big step to put your little one into a strange country and a strange (to them) education system at the same time, so I agree it is nice to hear it is by no means all bad! Practical considerations mean it may be 3 or 4 years before we can make the move, which would make Jack either 10 or 11 at the time, i.e right on the cusp between primary school and college. In your opinion, would there be a significant advantage either for him to get the last year of primary school in or for him to simply make a fresh start in the first year of college (the local college has only 200 or so pupils)?
Panda, we are indeed looking at the Chamonix area as it seems to tick the boxes for us, but not Chamonix itself as it always seems incredibly busy and congested whenever we've been!
Best wishes.
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Thanks very much lucinda. I checked out the BAC pass rates for the Lycee local to where we hope to relocate, but wondered what is considered to be a good percentage of students passing (I realise that the higher the better of course but wondered if there is a benchmark figure which suggests a school is doing well)?
Also we wondered what the availability and level of IT education was in French schools these days, and at what stage IT tends to be introduced into the curriculum?
Any help you can offer is gratefully received
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With no offence meant to sweet 17, I certainly am a realist, and don't posess any rose-tinted specs. That's why I am researching wise advice and opinion through the forum (with grateful thanks for all input received), rather than booking my plane ticket and lovingly packing my stethoscope.................
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Hi, I understand your points absolutely, and certainly wouldn't want to contribute to a 'brits-only' culture or society in France. As stated in my previous posting, my intention would be to concentrate very hard on the language both before and on arrival in France, so to be as 'marketable' as possible as a GP (or anything else for that matter). I just wanted to understand what that 'market' might be, and it seems on balance that an english speaking GP might be valued in many areas. There is certainly a whole language in itself related to medicine and all the logistics which go with the job. I'd have thought very good french would be essential even just for that. I could even just spend an initial period settling in, improving my french, getting to know how the land lies medically, and getting to know people locally. Observing real consultations first hand is one way GPs are trained in the UK, and this might be possible in France by saying the right things to the right people. That would help understanding not only of the medical language, but how the system works in comparison to the UK.
As far as pay cuts are concerned, any work would be mainly to supplement my NHS pension, so a few euro for a few sessions per week would fit the bill. I wouldn't want to work flat out (have done that enough already), but thought that some local french practices might value an english speaking GP as it might attract income to them whilst satisfying an un-met demand. Just as an aside, GPs in the UK certainly do pay for premises and staff substantially from their own pockets (a fact often completely ignored in the press).
Thanks again
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Hi, thanks to everyone for their input. I did a bit of internet searching, and as I have quite high level GP qualifications and over 20 years experience, I would have no problems practicing in France from the professional point of view and would not need to sit any competency exams. I should also say that although I have only basic french, it would be my intention to improve drastically on that as quickly as possible when I got settled, so I would hopefully be able to eventually see french nationals if needed (or wanted by them!) It sounds as though the next step might be to speak or contact some of the GP practices around Chamonix, St Gervais, Megeve area and see what they would feel about having me around to help out. Many thanks, and if any more observations or advice, keep it coming!
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Hi, I'm an experienced GP in England and also do some GP specialist musculoskeletal work. It is my hope to move to France (hopefully St Gervais in Haute-Savoie) with my family within the next few years. I could retire from Medicine altogether and try and do something completely different to earn a living (the NHS pension is generous, but not enough to live on if taken early), but I wondered from all the expats out there in France how satisfied they were with their French GPs and whether they felt there might be sufficient demand for an british GP to either set up independantly (if the French Authorities would allow it) or to tout my services with local French GP practices. I would want to integrate with the french way of life and community and not create any animosity, so the latter might be the preferred option. There are a few expats in the Haute Savoie area, but a lot of british tourists in both winter and summer, so I wondered how important the availablitity of a british GP might be, both in terms of language and different culture in practicing medicine. Any insights or opinions would be very interesting to hear.
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Hi, the threads on this part of the Forum are fascinating, but I wondered if anyone knows a web link to help me get a full grasp of the french education system (including school stage changes, key exams, etc). There are a lot of terms I don't understand, such as what the different parts of the BACS are and what they mean, and I would like to know what is considered a good performance in these exams. The results for all the schools are available, but it seems there are no grades as such, only percentages passing or failing. There are no league tables as such, as there are in England, so any insight would help us compare potential schools.
I have a 7 year old and we are considering a permanent move to France in the next year or 2. What age would anyone consider to be least favourable for joining the french education system? Any advice much appreciated.
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Hi, just a quick thank you for all the helpful info. It is much appreciated
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Hi, I have a tax question if anyone can please help out. I am a UK resident but have a leaseback property under construction in France. In respect of the property I am registered for TVA in France and filed a french tax return and TVA return earlier this year. Because of fees and expenses paid out with no income to offset against it as yet, my french accountant calculated a tax loss in the year ended 31/12/07 of about 6,500 Euro and my french tax return was filed accordingly. I am unsure however whether I should also include this loss in the foreign property pages of my UK return for year ended 5th April 2008. I don't think the loss can be offset against my general UK income, but could be offset against future foreign property income. If however, I have declared this loss to the french tax authorities already, they will offset it against future french income anyway. In entering it on my UK return I would seem to be declaring it twice, which surely isn't right?? Is it that I declare any losses and profits in both the UK and France, and if I ever made profits I would offset french tax against UK tax?? To be honest, as I have a french mortgage for the property, it's doubtful I will ever make a profit as such, but I want to make sure that I do everything right from the outset. Many thanks as always for any insight received.
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Hi, hope someone may be able to answer my query: My intention is to retire early from my job in the NHS when I'm 60 and I intend moving permanently to France soon after. I will be in receipt of my NHS pension, but will be below state pension age of 65. Will I be entitiled to French state healthcare benefits, and if so, do I pay contributions to the french system to continue this until I reach UK pension age (I realise that not all french state care is free and that top-up insurance is needed for about 30% of cost)? I've read on this forum of forms E106 for UK employed/self-employed persons and of E121 for pensioners, but what documentation would be appropriate in my case?? As a GP I'm taxed under schedule D as self-employed, and pay Class 2 and Class 4 NI contributions. I read that E106 can last for 5 years for self-employed persons (if that would be the appropriate form for me), but am not sure how being retired from work but below state pension age affects things? Any help would be gratefully received and I apologise if this has been dealt with elsewhere on the forum (I couldn't find anything on a search).
Many Thanks
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Hi
You'd probably get a much better euro rate from an online exchange broker such as Hifx or Travelex (especially for considerable sums) rather than using your bank, and they all transfer the money on to your french account without charge. I'm with Axa Banque and they make no charges for receiving euro funds in this way. The whole process takes only 3-4 working days.
Graeme
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Hello and thanks in advance for any help offered. I am a UK resident, buying an off-plan leaseback property with my wife. It is only at foundation stage at present. The TVA recovery on the build has been handled by French Accountants. On Friday 2nd May I received a letter from them, along with 2 copies of form 2031 K, forms 2033 A-G, and 2 copies of form 3517 K. Their letter was in french, but it said that the forms related to TVA due on the rental income, of which there has been of course none to date. It also said these forms should be a the french tax office by 30th April, but apart from telling me to cross out their address and put my own in in red, there were no instructions as to how to fill these forms in to reflect the circumstances!!
I really just need to know what I should put on the forms and where I should put the zero's! Form 2031 k has options at the top including a TVA option and a 'regime simplifie' option, both of which intuitively I think I should tick, and I presume I am a BIC non professionnels as I have no income from commercial letting. Do I just put zero's in 8a,b and c?? Do I need to fill in forms 2033 if I have no income?? What on earth do I put on form 3517 and where do I put the zero's??
I may need a specialist accountant for this, but it seems daft when just a few zero's need putting somewhere, and I am concerned as I am already past the submission date. I thought someone may have been through this before and could maybe advise. Can anyone help me??
Many Thanks
what to declare on tax form
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