moving to france very soon...

[rosie]

Hello there.... bonjour

my partner and i are currently going through the 'sale' process of our flat in the u.k, it is due to go through within the next few weeks or so, and our plans are to go to france, & rent somewhere for a couple of months whilst searching for a property to buy,

we have visited france a few times, & viewed different properties & areas, so far its been the areas that we cannot decide on.. (due to lack of knowledge)however we are now very interested in the languedoc region & carcassone.

although we plan to buy outright we are hoping to buy a property that has a means of making a living i.e gite or something to rent out ect

we are finding it difficult from the uk to find any available (furnished) properties to rent, as all that comes up on the internet is holiday rentals, we were hoping for a cheap 'out of season' rent (if this exists)?

also, ihave just discovered that i am approx 6 weeks pregnant with my first child, & am worried about how i can get registered with a local doctor / hospital for any treatment ect, as my gp here seems to think it will not be easy? (although i was thinking it would be better than in the uk)

 

so any advice would be much appreciated

[Patf]

I don't know about Languedoc, but in the Gers you can find longterm rental properties quite easily - in local immobiliers and advertised in the papers. About 4-600 euros pm for a flat/small house. Do you speak french? You will need to have a contract and that will be in french. If you are genuine (?) you should be concerned about what kind of health insurance you will have, especially as you are pregnant. Your GP is right, it's not easy. 

[rosie]

Hi, thanks for getting back to us. We do speak a little french but probably not enough to understand a contract! We are learning at present. We are a very genuine couple in our early 30's looking to relocate to the south of france for good. Is there any kind of health insurance you could recommend for us and any further advice on moving abroad/health care etc would be greatfully recieved.

Kind regards

rosie

[Patf]

Rosie this is a big topic and if you have a few hours to spare you should study the recent discussions in the Health forum here as there have been dramatic changeslately. Briefly - if you and your husband/partner have a full work and NI contributions record in the UK you could be eligible for health cover for 2 years with a form E106 which you get from Newcastle and then take to the french authorities when you arrive.  Ring Newcastle and ask. Or if you are lucky enough to find work here you would contribute to the french health system in your "national insurance" contributions. But best for you to study the info on the health forum. Especially "Advice on applying for an E106" in the stickies at the top of the page.

[Rob Roy]

If you do a search on this forum re. having a baby in France you will find lots of information. It isn't difficult to get registered with a GP, and from what I understand the pre and post natel treatment is excellent, but what you might be liable for financially I don't know. However as Patf suggests there is lots of help on the Health section.

Re. rentals - if you think you will only be renting for a few months then it might be best to 'do a deal' for an out of season gite rental. Why not post a request on the Gite section further down the page? 'Normal' rental property in France is more complicated and tends to be much more long term than the usual 6 months contracts you can get in the UK.  

By the way congratulations on the baby, and good luck with the move.

[rosie]

Thank you very much for your reply it has been very helpfull.

Kind regards 

[Pads]

Hello Rosie

Sorry dont know any thing about babies or health issues, but Carcassonne (good choice by the way) is already full of gites and B & Bs have you thought of other forms of making a living ? There is a shop with 3 flats above for sale in carcassonne.  I have been nagging my husband but he says I cant have any more houses (men can just be so selfish some times[:)] ) I think a good living could be made here either renting all four or working in the shop and living above plus still renting out 2 flats . I can Pm you th estate agents details if you want them. there is also some book shops for sale in montiu (sp) which is a village north of Carcassonne, cant get hubby to buy me one of them either [:(]     

[rosie]

Thanks alot for replying to my post. It would be great if you could send me over some details of the place in Carcassonne and any others you know of.

Do you/how long have you lived in france and where abouts? If there's any other advice or help you could give us it will be greatfully appreciated.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Merci

[Nickel]

Might be worth reading this article and if you get to the end of all the correspondence (sorry it is a tad negative) and remain determined - then good luck!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2007/10/31/expats-returning-home.xml

[Will]

The Telegraph article, and the replies, provide good useful advice. OK, it's one sided, but it lists many of the things that have to be considered.

The negativity has to be countered by the fact that there are plenty of people who have moved to France and are perfectly happy with their lot. They do, though, tend to be people who have been in the country permanently for, say, five years or more, and had the chance to become established with their gites or building and/or gardening businesses and build up goodwill and a network of clients before the markets became overloaded. Either that or they took early (or late) retirement with a comfortable pension and lump sum so did not need to contemplate the need to earn a living. Though a look at other sections of this forum suggests that many members of this category may be changing their outlook from happy to worried thanks to some of the new president's reforms. There are also others who quite happily live outside the system, not paying taxes etc and existing on odd jobs done on a cash basis - if they are happy ducking and diving and looking over their shoulders, or maybe just surviving on ignorance of how things should be done, good luck to them.

Perhaps the biggest error people make is the assumption that they will be able to find work, or to legally exist on doing a variety of small jobs for other English speakers while building up a business and a reputation. Or even carry on doing work they were doing in England, as remote workers, without becoming involved in French business law, tax and social security etc. All of the above are possible - there is salaried work, but unless you are very fortunate it is seasonal or of a menial and unpleasant nature, and French language skill is still required. There are systems that allow you to work legally on odd jobs in the home - but it does have limitations and can involve both worker and client in paperwork and bureaucracy. And although people seem to get away with teleworking for English companies, it does verge on illegality and can be very costly if uncovered.

The best advice is to plan an escape strategy with as much, or even more, care as you plan your move. Then all is not lost if it does not work out.

 

[rosie]

thank you all so much for your help & expert advice, i have read the 'times' link however i'm still raring to go! please keep the advice comming xxx

[zeb]

Hi Rosie, Will and Pat give very sound advice but I'll chuck my two penneth in.

When we moved to France we were very naive in many ways but we did ensure we had enough money to survive on for a couple of years, or so we thought. We knew we would have to work and once here realised that we would have to create our own business as jobs in rural France for non French folks were few and far between.

Unfortunately, like many Brits, we went into holiday mode whilst renovating, for the first year, so spent most of our money.

Luckily I have a very small private income which we had to survive on until our business became established. But, as a gardening/property maintenance business, we had one hellofa job competing with folks working au noir and also finding the 4000 the first couple of years to pay our cotisations (health, pension, national debt charges). It's difficult to earn 4000 a year gardening especially if the weather, as it was that first year, is abysmal!

We fall into Will's bracket of folks who have lived here over 5 years and become established; we joined the system legally immediately (CdS, tax forms, CPAM, registered for work) and now, after "upgrading" the business are established and happy here, and although we are moving, we're moving within France.

As Pat says, it's getting tougher now due to the forthcoming changes to healthcare for British folks who are between E106 and E121 (state pension). It's also tough due to the much higher cost of properties, the vast numbers of legal and non legal workers, and also the abundance of gites and chambre d'hotes around.

So do plenty of research, have a couple of years capital to survive on, learn the language, get your E106s and then see if you can afford the healthcare costs for a family, and I'd advise you to add another string to your bow jobwise..............and good luck.

[pepsisue]

Hi Rosie

If you would like to talk about your requirements, my husband and i, relocated to France in 2004. We stayed in Montque dept 46 Midi- Pyrenees for 4 months, whilst househunting.  It's a beautiful area.

regards and Bonne chance, and congratulations

Sue

[AnOther]

[quote user="zeb"]When we moved to France we were very naive in many ways but we did ensure we had enough money to survive on for a couple of years, or so we thought. We knew we would have to work and once here realised that we would have to create our own business as jobs in rural France for non French folks were few and far between. Unfortunately, like many Brits, we went into holiday mode whilst renovating, for the first year, so spent most of our money[/quote]I wonder how many Brits could quote precisely the same story.........[Www]

[ChezShells]

[Www]

[Nickel]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2007/11/22/living-in-france22.xml

Not sure where I should have posted this - quite an interesting little article and it certainly gives the "thumbs up" to this forum.

I only joined recently and am staggered by the amount of information - some of it even useful ( only joking!).

So thanks to everyone and especially regarding the recent health care issues.

 

 

 

 

[cooperlola]

[:)] I like the idea about lurking for a while to get the feel of the place and the "regular posters" and "prickly topics"!

[Tresco]

[quote user="cooperlola"][:)] I like the idea about lurking for a while to get the feel of the place and the "regular posters" and "prickly topics"![/quote]

I was about to quote that exact thing.[:D] She's quite right of course.[;-)]

[Just Katie]

Wow, I wonder if Jon Doust posts here.  I would love his autograph and his recipe for marmalade.

[Just Katie]

G'day, Tresco, where have you been again? (blink blink)

And you Cooperlola, get yourself over to the 'kicking the habit' thread and have a butchers at the horrific anti smoking films posted.  That'll learn ewe!

[Tresco]

[quote user="Just Katie"]Wow, I wonder if Jon Doust posts here.  [/quote]

Hello Blinky![:D]

I do believe he does![:-))]

[Just Katie]

Who is he Tresc?  I bet he is that Furry Knickers guy isnt he?

[Pads]

I have just read the article posted by nickle, and rural france dos'nt sound that different to rural Cornwall, you dont see a sole after the sun sets. There is nothing public to do. No one in my village speaks the same language anyhow , so when I move over I think I will settle in very well[:D] But I love it, in the summer I never have time to sit and stare........ but come winter time I can catch up on all the books I have brought and stuck on the shelf all summer, work on my french, find loads of interesting things to do on my computer, work on my camera skills have time to snuggle up in front of the fire with hubby when he's here. plus I have just started a book club witha few locals which will turn into a wine fess, so seeing people once a month thats enough for me. Roll on rural france [:D] Im never bored as long as I have my self to talk to and I not going anywhere [blink] yet . but then I will take myself with me when I do       

[Tresco]

[quote user="Just Katie"]Who is he Tresc?  [/quote]

No, Kitty, you're barking up the wrong tree.

[Pads]

Huh ??? wos I barking again [8-)] I must tell my self Im a kitty cat im a kitty cat im a kitty cat.

Which tree wos I barking up ???????