Jump to content

Thinking of moving to the Limousin with no job - ARE WE MAD!!


mark1963
 Share

Recommended Posts

[:)]Thanks to all! Am still watching but couldn't keep up with the postings.

Plenty of views - for and against - so our plan can't be all bad. Brief comments against some postings to date:

Difficulties finding work - as suggested, are looking into UK-based agency work i.e. split my time between France and UK - am starting to develop a network of possible contacts for the future.

Have a nice place in the Limousin, purchased this year, so not looking to move somewhere else for a while yet.

Encouraging that kids appear to settle in well, and get on with the language.

[8-)]Are not moving because of the weather. Know that winters can be harsh.

Are French house is in a town with basic amenities, 'ecole primaire' and 'college' - probably haven't spelt those right!

We are not materialistic - and don't want the kids to be as they get older. Are usually careful with money. No problem for us resisiting buyng all the Christmas goodies on sale in the shops December. [:@]Thanks to the local garden centres for announcing Christmes with their wonderful displays last week. No wonder kids think its all about getting presents - what's 25th December all about? Oh yes - presents!! ([:@]Don't get me started.)

There is with us an element of 'seize the day', 'take a chance', 'what's around the corner' etc. etc. I work to live, not the other way around. Yes - plenty of planning needed etc, but we could be in a box tomorrow.

rjbingham - [:)]excellent reading for us - good points and the bonus of entertainment. Spot on.

We are taking the whole thing serious - not loooking at the proposal as some big adventure because we thought (before entering this forum) that it would be bloody hard work all round. And we are thinking about the kids...........

Renting out our present UK home isn't really an option if we are to maximise our 'pot', so it is all or nothing there.

'clarkie' - very like minded and you can relate to our local area. But it's not all about the location here in the UK - it's more about attitudes and standards (or the complete lack of them).

Good point about the glossy mags. They can be helpful up to a point but there is not suibstitute for first hand knowledge and experience - as this forum shows.

[I]Will probably be posting a new question soon - Living in France, working in the UK - good idea?

At the moment we are pretty certain to be putting our UK home up for sale in the New Year. My OH and I are in full flow doing the 'House Doctor' bit and as mentioned above, I'm figuring out opportunities for working in the UK and basically commuting at weekends. (Realise that this in itself would be challenging to us, but would mean us not falling over finacially staright away and creates time to explore opporunities within France whilst still having an income.

[B]Cheers to all for the postings. I'd say keep them coming but the topic is probably about worn out?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 68
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

[quote user="mark1963"]

[:)][B]Cheers to all for the postings. I'd say keep them coming but the topic is probably about worn out?

[/quote]

To people like me (ie desperately wanting to move to France) the topic is never worn out.  Even if no one else responds, I do hope that you will tell us, Mark, what you decide to do in the end!

Bonne chance!

Anna

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark don't dismiss renting out the UK house. We reckon selling was one of the biggest mistakes we have ever made. It might max your pot short term but if we had looked at the long term picture we would now have a rental income of £1500 per month and the property would be worth £700;000. [:'(]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't believe the topic is ever worn out, in the last week we've learned of two other families failing and breaking up because the dream didn't work out, both families didn't really deserve it but neither were equipped to survive here. Both came out with the dream and the excitement and were eventually eroded into failure, I'm gutted for them. If only people were more honest about what it takes to make it here it might make the journey for others just a little easier. Of course I'm talking about those of us who have families and need to earn an income, not the financially secure Brits here.

Publishers like Living France are as guilty as the rest of the media for the break up of the families and the crashing dreams that we see all to often, they put their circulation and profit above the truth, I personally wouldn't want the conscience of the journalists. In truth their business sense is short sighted because everyone knows just how tough life can be here but how many of the glossy mags really address the problem? The first journalist that makes the break and starts to tell the truth will be onto a winner but no doubt the glossy mags dare not give a balenced point of view 'cos their competitors are taking nice 'photos of cheese & wine and old buildings. The Scottish teacher on another thread is just typical of the seekers, thankfully he has the intelligence to research and ask an honest question, I just hope he realises the risks involved.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark1963

"Not to forget that we find the Limousin region to be lovely and have got ourselves a nice house in a nice town with a chateau (bit of a clue?).

Perhaps I am thinking of the wrong town BUT if it's Chateauponsac, I have English friends who have lived there for about 8 yrs and they say quite openly it's a dying town, DEAD and very dreary in long Winter months. Undeniably a very beautiful area especially in the good weather. Their daughter had to travel quite a way to school and then did a course in Limoges so was away from home all week as it was too far to go on a daily basis.

"Pressure to give them the latest game consoles (plural!), mobile phones, TV's, DVD's, IPods (sorry about the advert) because everyone else in the class has them."

Well you may find that similar pressures are more and more present for Fr. families and their teenagers.

"Perhaps we just come across the wrong people in the Midlands?"

Have you thought about relocating to a different area in the U.K.?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Chris Head"]

Publishers like Living France are as guilty as the rest of the media for the break up of the families and the crashing dreams that we see all to often, they put their circulation and profit above the truth, I personally wouldn't want the conscience of the journalists. In truth their business sense is short sighted because everyone knows just how tough life can be here but how many of the glossy mags really address the problem? The first journalist that makes the break and starts to tell the truth will be onto a winner but no doubt the glossy mags dare not give a balenced point of view 'cos their competitors are taking nice 'photos of cheese & wine and old buildings. The Scottish teacher on another thread is just typical of the seekers, thankfully he has the intelligence to research and ask an honest question, I just hope he realises the risks involved.

[/quote]

Living France, criticised, here? [Www]  Wash your mouth out!

Have you seen me and Jude in the latest issue? Slightly off centre from what I remember of their visit Chez Saucisson, but heck! [:-))] 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be nice to hear from people who moved their kids to France, put them through the french education system and find out what jobs they have ended up in.We hear from plenty of people whos kids are in the system, but I am very interested as to what happens when it comes to them getting work and how successful they have been.The tourist season in the Limousin is about eight weeks long, you cannot live on that, what else is there?It has cost some friends of ours £60,000.00 to get there son into farming and he earns £600.00 per month and works all the hours god sends.Yes it is wonderful to give your kids an idylic childhood,but just as important to give them the chance of a decent carreer choice,I will repeat what I put on another thread,the U.K. might have its downfalls, but boy its all out there for your kids, they can do what they want if they have the determination, the best university education in the world the chance to have a very good standard of living if you have the work ethic,business oppertunities are plenty,why would anybody want to take ther kids away from that.As for England going down the pan, people are more well off in England than ever before.Why do people want to escape,yes France is beautiful, I adore it,but I would not have risked my sons education and future in a country where there own people find it hard to get a job,because I was fed up of the 9 to 5 routine.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Verviale, it all depends on who and what you are, your social background, your language ability, your abilities and marketable skills, your desire to invent yourself on your chosen new culture, your determination to succeed and your and perception of the realities of living here, how you take the knocks and rise above them, how much you listen to the romanticists and those on this forum who quote rules and regs and who are sadly trapped by them....I guess there's just horses for courses and some folk manage to succeed in their dream but many dont.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose, I am to much of a worrier and not a chance taker,don,t get me wrong I so admire people who take the plunge,but from my experience of the young people, I know in our neck of the woods in France, it only seems to be the really accademic kids that manage to get good jobs.I must admit there are jobs in the building trade but it seems so difficult to get going in France.I suppose we all worry about our kids futures and I was just not brave enough to take the plunge.However I am very happy with the outcome,my lad has a fabulous job in London and a great life, he works very, very hard and long days it is not a piece of cake,but he is twenty and in a position to buy his own house if he wants and I do wonder if he would have had the same chances if we had moved him to France.His eyes nearly pop out his head when I talk about the time when we nearly moved to France when he was six,and exclaims what does a young person do miles from a town.He likes to travel and says how would I have afforded to do that on french wages, he does have a  point.I suppose he would have had to work in Paris to have a similar life to that which he leads in London.Do you really think your social background is important, I don,t really.What I will say, is all the people moving to France are only able to do so because they have been able to make money within the property market in the U.K. so they have something to take away from the country that a lot of people insist in running down all the time.I feel the U.K. has been good to me, I have a very ordinary job , my O.H. is a ceramic tiler, we have made quite a lot of money doing houses up and moving on and will have moderate pensions to enable us to have a fairly comfortable retirement and in between have managed to upkeep our house in France.I think most people in any job feel like escaping at times, but the lack of money to pay the bills must be a hell of a strain.Just maybe I am gutless.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everybody's decision to move over here is a very personal one and a mix of financial, lifestyle, work situation, health etc, etc, factors.

For some, continuing income is vital (CdH, Gites), for others just the change of location at a time in life when that's the 'lift' that you need.

Whatever, "Be informed" (as well as you ever can be), but "Don't look back" would be my advice. Adjust, accept the mistakes that you'll undoubtedly make and think positive. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Scottish teacher' here quoted from earlier!

Lots of  sage statements - this is a very useful  forum for me. I am trying to secure empolyment before we move, and my kids are not at the ideal age; however we all like the idea of moving to France. Visited many times  - have friends north of Paris we have seen in both countries - enjoyed the glory that is 'Formule 1' - and I feel now is the appropriate time to live life to the full. Lots of decisions lie ahead with many family discussions to come....   Each family is in their own situation and all we others can do is offer our experiences and advice, I believe. (Almost sounds intelligent - and just finished reading Camus - what is happening!?)

Bonne journee

Donald

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="verviale"]It would be nice to hear from people who moved their kids to France, put them through the french education system and find out what jobs they have ended up in.We hear from plenty of people whos kids are in the system, but I am very interested as to what happens when it comes to them getting work and how successful they have been.The tourist season in the Limousin is about eight weeks long, you cannot live on that, what else is there?It has cost some friends of ours £60,000.00 to get there son into farming and he earns £600.00 per month and works all the hours god sends.Yes it is wonderful to give your kids an idylic childhood,but just as important to give them the chance of a decent carreer choice,I will repeat what I put on another thread,the U.K. might have its downfalls, but boy its all out there for your kids, they can do what they want if they have the determination, the best university education in the world the chance to have a very good standard of living if you have the work ethic,business oppertunities are plenty,why would anybody want to take ther kids away from that.As for England going down the pan, people are more well off in England than ever before.Why do people want to escape,yes France is beautiful, I adore it,but I would not have risked my sons education and future in a country where there own people find it hard to get a job,because I was fed up of the 9 to 5 routine.[/quote]

Verviale I think you have hit the nail on the head. Friends of ours came to rural France in 1990 with two children aged five and three they hated school at first but settled in and had an idylic childhood glorious summers, village fetes, swimming pool etc. However now one is 19 and has returned to the UK to go to University, the equivalent courses were not available in France The other is still in France living with her french boyfriend both are unemployed and she has just had a baby . I don't know what benefits they receive but by their standard of living it must be quite good but long term it must be limited.  The parents have also returned to the UK because he was self employed and the taxes etc were taking him over. Additionally they did not think even after fifteen years in the same place they had integrated and believe me their french is very good. They need to make a living for 20 years before retirement and feel it is possible in the UK but not if they had remained in France. They could not have tried harder to stay in France but everything was against them.

Another family we know still run very successful Gites in France but the three children returned to the UK to go to University. One is now a teacher, one works for the BBC and the other has just graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts with a first class degree.None of them want to return to France even for a holiday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Poppy"]

None of them want to return to France even for a holiday.

[/quote]

Although we would love our (teenage) kids to embrace the laid back, earlier era approach to life in France - our kids view of France is that it is a boring, old fogies place!   For this reason (and not wanting to screw up our kids education) we are waiting until we retire (aka they are 'adult') before we move permanently!  I think they would hate us if we made them move and leave their friends, cinema, pizza hut, night clubs etc etc behind.

Kathie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

In reply to verviale's request to hear from people who moved their kids to France, we came here 13 years ago when our children were 10 and 12.  I am happy to say that now they both have interesting and reasonably paid jobs and this is in the Vaucluse which is not known for its job prospects!  Both of them only studied as far as the BAC Professionelle (secretarial and computing respectively).  My daughter now sells fruit and veg to England and my son works for a computer company as a technician.  Certainly they have been lucky, but often you make your luck and if you work well at any job (even a horrible one) you begin to be respected and chances come your way.  This is perhaps even truer in France than England because a lot of youngsters here won't touch jobs they think are beneath them (maybe after many, many years of study they are entitled to think that)- and this leaves the way open for others!

Regards,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This has been an interesting topic; personally, I wouldn't have considered coming to live in France without a guaranteed income. We have retired here. Since I first found this web-site some five years ago I have remained very suspicious of those people who, as one astute poster wrote, escape from the UK. France isn't some paradise where you can leave your doors open all day if you go out. It is subject to the same social problems as the UK - immigration, inner city violence, drugs, child molesters, even obesity now, and has greater unemployment. The current game being played on some cities' streets is "Ambush the Police". A few years ago, in one year, eight French police officers were killed on duty. Imagine the furore in the UK, fighter pilots would be turning in their graves. We like rural France, but we don't have young children to entertain, only ourselves, and we can get off on growing courgettes and hunting for cepes.

It must be very difficult trying to decide whether to leave the UK or not, heaven knows we hummed and hahhed for years, and we knew that money would not be a problem. For me the biggest disadvantage living here is the language; even though my French is perfectly adequate, the speed with which langauages grow these days, allied to the inevitable cultural deficiencies from which immigrants (yes we are that breed!) suffer make conversation with French people often stilted and thin of content. We try to keep in touch with what is going on in French society but nearly always need our neighbours to clarify what is occurring.

Whatever you decide - Good Luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...