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Construction in France/Plastering


Gazwebb
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Hi all ,1st post

Whats the construction industry like in France? Is it picking up or still on its knees?I'm a plasterer with all the neccessary qualifacations (NVQ L2) and 20 years experience.We'd love to move to France as we enjoy there way of life but as always money rules.

Regards Gary

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Where we live there seems to be a lot of new investment going into commercial premises by the amount going up on industrial zones in the area. Domestic speaking from many years in the building trades here, if you are on decent money there, stay there because you will never earn that here. France is still the country for retirees or those who do not need to work (although if you are under 60 you must fund your own medical cover if not in the system).The system is such that employees are governed by set rates of pay depending on niveau (level attained regardless of age or experience in another country) and the social charges are horrendous compared to virtually very little in the UK where you only pay NI and your income tax.

To find sufficient work you would need to look at living near to very large towns and cities, the countryside is very quiet and remember you will have to compete with french speaking nationals for any job vacancies sohope your french both spoken and written is pretty good.
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Wise advice from Val_2.

Also, when you say 'all the necessary qualifications' - plâtriers in France have an extensive range of training options, from basic CAP to specialist diplomas for the highly skilled, so before you make too many plans it might be worth finding out whether NVQ L2 is recognised in France and if so, whereabouts on the scale it would slot in.
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I only know of one house that was plastered inside as they are  in the UK. Ours certainly was not and no one else ever had it done. Plaster boards used and then the joints levelled and that was it. Never knew a plasterer in France either and I knew people in all the other artisanal metiers.

So if my bit of the Alps didn't go in for plastering, who does in France?

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A few houses around here are plastered but the majority of new build and renovations are plasterboarding,we do hundreds of metres of this every year for clients. French plaster is nothing like UK plaster, it never dries for a start and you will find may walls have a protective piece of timber sticking out from the skirting at the base to stop furniture and chairs especially touching those walls. Think same as a plaster cast a UK hospital would fit and how that is never solid but crumbles. It is a specialist metier in France and something that is attracting fewer and fewer apprentices according to the bumph we get from CAPEB and the CdeM regarding formations etc.
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Thanks for all the replies.

I do all aspects of plastering which includes boarding and taping ,I never thought it'd be easy as I'm just inquiring about certain points.

I don't own a plastering firm,I sub-contract out to other firms.Is this how it works in France?

Regards Gary

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Not usualiy. In France you either work as a registered artisan and all that entails regarding registration or you are employed by a patron who pays hefty charges for you and for which you have a legal contract and a yearly medical. Otherwise you must register as a business,pay your cotisations and find your clientele or sub to another company as a business which is registered.
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  • 5 months later...
I have had several plasterboard walls/ceilings plastered during my renovation as the result is far better than tape and joint.

The first plasterer I used up and left back to the UK without warning leaving me to find someone else. His workload had apparently tailed off so much that he couldn't survive here. I have now found another plasterer who starts this week and who will hopefully stick around long enough to finish all the work I've got lined up.

I personally don't think that now is the time to come here and start afresh if you need to work to survive as even the French artisans are struggling. I have a property maintenance business with a Brit only client base and two of my regular clients have their properties up for sale as they can't afford to keep a second home anymore.

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