Does anyone actually make any money?is it worth it?

[nicksouthuk]

I'm the sort of person who likes to thoroughly research things before making a big decision like moving to France and now I wish I had'nt bothered. The more you read the more you think is it worth it?

Everything seems designed to hinder rather than help, I can cope with bureaucracy to a point but even I never realized there would be so much.

Trying to work out a business plan is almost  impossible as theres no clear info as to how much social security you pay and how much tax. Its even more complicated as I was intending to buy a property with a friend and run a small guesthouse but have now read that you have to pay set amounts in the first and second year even if you havent made anything like that and then to top it all off if you go onto sell your property they try and tax you again on the value of the property if this has increased because you were running a business.

The question I'm asking is does anyone make any money even as a supplementary income or is this a self -deluding exercise in clinging onto the French dream, it seems to me that France maybe a place to have a holiday home or for holidays but as for anything else is it really worth it?

[SaligoBay]

I think even the most hardened rosy-tinted spectacle wearers would agree that France isn't the place to make money.

You have to look at the other benefits.  As they say.  Cheap wine seems to be a motivating factor for many, but that would be a personal decision, and if you drink a lot it'll still take up the same percentage of a smaller income. 

Mind you, Mr Lopez-cash-only, who cut down our trees recently, and who has painted at least 2 other houses in the street, has a very nice, big, shiny Mercedes fourgon/Transit van thing.   I think he does pretty well for himself.  Certainly by French standards, although they tend to be lower than UK ones.  

[nicksouthuk]

Thanks for the reply Saligo, I keep thinking to myself maybe I've just read too many negative comments on the variety of forums. I've realized that you aint going to get rich in France but equally I don't want to sink without trace under the tax /social security burden.

Drinking wine may soften the stress of it all until the next tax bill comes in!lol. Perhaps the best thing to do is stick my head in the sand and go for it and worry about the tax and social security later, the thing is alot of my excitement at the initial stage of looking into a move to France seems to have been overtaken by all the negative things I've read on this and many other sites. But I keep thinking if it was so bad why would so many people move over there from the UK?

Perhaps I've done too much research!

[Beryl]

Its no secret that many people who come to France are retired and have money to support themselves, but there an a lot of sucessful gite etc owners in France too. [:D]

For every 'go for it comment' , youreceive on the forum you are also likely to get a 'you must be mad' .

It would be sheer madness not to consider how you are going to finance your life in France and I would suggest that you keep a large stash of cash to keep you afloat for 2years, whilst your business is taking off.

But, only you can know if the gamble is worth taking [:D]

Edit. Guest houses and gites , think location, location, location!

[Keni]

Having been looking at this for some time, I can say that with many of my friends in France, they either have a living of their own - eg property income in the UK or are happy to have what is called a micro enterprise in France. Many companies have this micro thingy, they pay less tax from having a lower turnover. This is what a lot of companies do when they close say, from October to March. They pay less all round, so a seasonal business seems to be the way many have gone in France. Having said that I know people who work over here for two weeks and they go home to France for just a long weekend, keeping the family going that way. It is interesting though as to how many small French companies have started up along our southern coastline and now have a small subsidery in France, to avoid the social charges.

[nicksouthuk]

Thanks everyone for the replies, much appreciated. Our original thoughts regarding the guesthouse was to find somewhere near Prades near Mount Canigou because of the proximity to several spa towns, the pyrenees and the med as a way of trying to maximise the appeal for as many people as possible.

I suppose its a case of willing to take the gamble or not and perhaps thinking too much isnt a good thing as you mull over every possible disaster rather concentrate on the other side that things could go well and it could be a gamble that works out.

[nimportequoi]

I think with guesthouse or gites (3 minimum) as long as you don't have a mortgage and you are located in a popular tourist destination, it is possible to make a living without a supplementary income.

[Cerise]

I don't think you need to worry about tax bills Nick - by the time you've paid your cotisations and actually earned any money it takes a while to pay tax.  With Mr Cerise working full time and a B & B which is pretty successful we get by - but not yet paying tax!!  Depends what you want in life.  We're not starving to death, but by no means any where near as well off as we were in UK.  When I went to the impots to complete the scary forms last week the guy who I dealt with said he couldn't decide whether we Brits were brave or mad.  If I had known exactly how difficult it is to make a living in France maybe we would not have come - but then we'd have spent the rest of our lives thinking 'what if ....'  If you are prepared to work you will get by and you will have a different life to the one you had in the UK - whether better, worse or just different - for you to decide.  One thing sure though - you won't get rich here.

Maggi

[tmto]

A good way of avoiding having to wade through huge amounts of bureaucracy and be smothered by taxes is to be employed rather than self-employed, so that the answer to "Does anyone actually make any money?is it worth it?" would be yes. Although oddly enough many people seem to discount that option, prefering business schemes, some of which often look quite shaky.

Granted, unemployment is high is France but it is far from impossible to get a good job. And contrary to popluar belief on these forums, British qualifications are recognised in France, depending of course on the sector. Being able to speak the language is almost always necessary, but then I'd have thought it would be in order to run a successful business too.