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finding work in Normandy


tonycond
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My wife and I are hoping to move over to Normandy in July of this year. Could anyone please advise me of the current Job situation in Normandy.We will hope to have no mortage and ideally live a more relaxed lifestyle, I have been a postman for 28 years so I would still love to carry on working outdoors. How hard would it be for us to find any kind of work.

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We are attending French classes at present so hopefully by July we will be a lot more advanced. I understand that I will not be able to get a job in the French postoffice but a driving job as such would be just bliss.

 

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As in all of rural France, unemployment is high and job vacancies are few. Once a Frenchman has a job he tends to hang on to it. The French system means that employers look for relevant qualifications or long experience for all jobs, even the most menial, and expect you to be able to speak and understand French (to a high standard - as an example tests and the lessons I am taking put me at an 'advanced learner' standard but I'm nowhere near fluent enough to be able to survive in the French emplyment market).

Stringent laws and high social charges discourage casual or short-term employment. Many jobs, even those which are well paid in Britain, get only the minimum wage. There are plenty of British around who have come to France, run out of money, and are looking for means to earn more, so things like gardening and house minding for second-home and gite owners are very competitive and even casual black-market (n.b. illegal) employment can be hard to find.

So things don't look too encouraging. But you could strike lucky - if you come here with a positive attitude you may just come across something.

Sorry if the reply isn't what you want to hear, but I think it better to be honest at the outset rather than put on the rose-tinted glasses of the TV programmes. Although Nigel, for example, deliberately shows himself as a prat of the highest order, his experiences are rather closer to the truth than his programmes would have you believe.

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Will,

As an aside, Nigel was on the Channel 4 email chat room, last night,after his programme. He only answered questions from sycophants who gushed how they would like to emulate him. Any practical questions, including how much did he earn from Channel 4 for his contrived  series, were ignored.

Reading between the lines it seems Nigel might have another series planned - maybe "Nigel returns to Blighty?

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Yes, as Will said, it is difficult to find a job in Normandy, especially as unemployment is running at 10%.    But there is work to be had, it all depends on your attitude and ability.  For example, I found work, TOH works (both of us legally, I hasten to add!), and Will and his wife work, plus many others I know who post on here - so it is not impossible.  Rate of pay is atrocious though, and social charges very high.  There are organisations to help you find work, and in some areas there are even cheap/free French lessons.

Some Brits coming over discover an entrepreneurial streak they didn't know they had and set up their own businesses (beware aforementioned high charges).

A useful site to look at is www.anpe.fr  (That's from memory - doubtless someone will correct it if I'm mistaken!) and the Chambre des Metiers can also advice.

Research everything thoroughly - and Good luck!

JudyM (14)

 

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Where  in Normandy are you going to be?  Had you considered 'caretaking' work for Brits with homes abroad? I have seen quite a few posts from people struggling to find someone reliable to look after their property and come October I will be one of them!

Michelle

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Hi Michelle

           We our staying in Plomb near Avranches in May and are looking around that area, hopefully to find our new home.  We realise that we need to be near a large town/city to find employment.    My wife currentlyworks as a secretary and any work in a hospital/school etc. would be ideal for her as well as cleaning.   For myself, the idea of caretaking sounds ideal as I am used to working with people plus a driving job would be suitable.

Tony

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Unfortunately, many secretarial jobs in schools and hospitals are through the civil service and your wife would have to take the exams. However she might find something in private schools or clinics. You both seem fairly flexible, and that is the key to the success of your move.
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Without wishing to put a damper on things with regard to the caretaker etc type work is concerned, to do a job properly you need to be fairly close to hand, because for starters, a week like last week with -7 degrees at night and plenty of snow, people will be asking you to make extra visits to their properties, so although sometimes it appears on here that there are not enough people to do the work, I can assure you it is only because they are too widespread.  In theory you may think that you will take work in a 50-60km radius but you soon realise that once you are doing the work that following tractors down country lanes means that even something 25 km from home can take you almost an hour to get to, so 40-50km is virtually out of the question, unless of course it is straight down the motorway. 

I would love to take on all the work that is offered on this forum, but if it is more than 25km from us it is just not practicable.  You have to bear in mind that people are not really happy to pay travelling time, so if you only have a one or two hour job to do somewhere and it takes you an hour to get there, then the whole job takes 3-4 hours of your time for 2 hours money; then youhave to factor in the fuel it takes to get there and back.

So although there may appear to be lots of people crying out for help, just how many of them are near enough to make it worthwhile?

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