Moving to France with young Children

[countrygrooms]

Hi, we are looking to relocate from Hampshire, UK to France- likely the Limousin region- within the next year or so, taking along with us out two sons who by then will be approx. 2 and 7.

Has anyone experience of moving to the UK with young children and starting school with them. Where it is a rural area i am worried about finding schools and how the schools will deal with an english speaking child.

By then my son will have attended a school here for about 2 years but i am not sure how different the french 'national curriculum' is compared to the uk and the way of learning.

I know it will not be so bad with our youngest as he will be at nursery beforehand but even so what is the settlement like with british children in french nurseries.

In the meantime we are looking to send our eldest to french club so he should hopefully be someway to speaking french by the time we move but i have this worry that they will find it difficult going to an institution where they are the only english speaking children?!

Any experience and advice would be appreciated!!

[Swissie]

I really don't want to put you off - and hope you HAVE won the lottery in order to support yourself and pay for health Insurance, etc. If you HAVE won the lottery fine, but otherwise, I hope you've worked out how to support yourself and your little family.  Bonne chance.

I'd say priority number one is to work out your health insurance.

The kids will adapt very quickly at their age- from that point of view, perfect timing. How good is your and your OH's French?

[countrygrooms]

My French is pretty good, OH's is pretty basic but this wil be remedied before we move with the intention that we both undertake French lessons- i am already doing an online course to improve!

We have (unfortunately) not won the lottery but do have considerable funds to fund the move and by the time we move over will have fully considered how we will support ourselves (possibility of OH retaining his business in the UK or having holiday cottages... something anyway!)

We have been considering and researching this for the last 18 months and are just waiitng to be in the right place financially before buying a property so it is not something impulsive or on a whim!!

How do you start finding out about the health insurance- costs etc- as this is one aspect i have found conflicting and confusing information about?

[HoneySuckleDreams]

Every child is different so any info you get will be based on other peoples kids. (In my opinion forget french club, waste of time.) They should make it eventually. Unless you have a private school in your area you can send your kids to, you won't have a choice. It will depend on the commune you move into and what age they will be when they arrive.

There are plenty of people on this forum who will pitch in with their knowledge (far more superior than mine I might add)

Start preparing yourself for a big culture shock.

[Daisy]

You can't really find out what the childrens' school will be like until you have found out where you will be living and so which school they will be attending.  Some schools are really helpful and some not; some good, some bad (no difference to the UK!) Our local primary gave extra French lessons and the teacher could speak some English, but that isn't standard throughout. Some primary schools have a "maternelle" section for pre-school children.  Perhaps the best way forward is to ask about schools in the areas that you are interested in.  A good school will make all the difference between the children having a positive rather than a negative transition.  I would keep French club going because it will help them to familiarise themselves with at least some words and might help them to settle in.  It certainly can't hurt.  If all goes well, and they realise that it will take a little time to understand what is being said, they should have a grasp of some basic French after about 6 months, and be more confident after a year.  They should be encouraged to have lunch in school so that they can play with their friends - a great way to learn French without any pressure.  Wednesdays are the day off for primary school children, and you will probably find that the local commune will organise fun art or nature based activities for the children on those days.  Our commune issues an agenda for the month and you can book your children in for a very small fee (they give them lunch on that day too).  It will take time, it will feel very strange, but they can repeat a year if they need to, which will probably be expected, so it's really a case of patience. Young children are like sponges, and at their age they should do just fine with time.

Regarding earning a living; I would look into it very carefully.  It is a bit of a minefield, and many people have come acropper.  It's very hard to deal with all the paperwork if your French isn't up to it.  You need to know that a lot of organisations here will not speak English, and must assume that you will need French all the way down the line; from attending parent/teacher meetings to sorting out your electric bill.  Do plenty of research and read all the forum postings.  It will help to give you some idea of what it's like here on a daily basis (with a pinch of salt, obviously!)

Best of luck to you all!

[NormanH]

In my opinion the language issue for the children is not the most vital: children learn very quickly and will soon be translating for you after the initial shock.

More important is to consider whether you want the French style of education (heavy on content and rote-learning/tests etc) for them, and whether you feel their long term future (possibly University, certainly jobs after) is likely to be in France.

Another thing to consider is if you will be able to provide for them long term. Very few British people manage to command the same level of salary here that they had previously.

It's all very well down-sizing, but there are problems of self-esteem around feeling under-valued, and unable to communicate on a closer than functional level with all around,  that can be particularly acute in rural isolation.

[Sprogster]

As you are a young family, I assume you are all healthy and do not have any existing health conditions. This is important, as if any of you do have health problems, then obtaining comprehensive medical insurance can be virtually impossible.

Most members of this and other similar forums who are resident full time in France tend to be retirees and therefore moved to France after their children had left home.

The question you have to ask yourself is why is Limousin so sparsely populated and property relatively cheap. The answer being because there is little employment and the younger French locals have moved away to find work. As a result I would investigate carefully the quality of the schools in the area you are planning to live.

Go to France by all means, I am just not sure if Limousin is the most suitable area for a young family.

[vissac]

[quote user="Sprogster"]As you are a young family, I assume you are all healthy and do not have any existing health conditions. This is important, as if any of you do have health problems, then obtaining comprehensive medical insurance can be virtually impossible.

Most members of this and other similar forums who are resident full time in France tend to be retirees and therefore moved to France after their children had left home.

The question you have to ask yourself is why is Limousin so sparsely populated and property relatively cheap. The answer being because there is little employment and the younger French locals have moved away to find work. As a result I would investigate carefully the quality of the schools in the area you are planning to live.

Go to France by all means, I am just not sure if Limousin is the most suitable area for a young family.[/quote]

   I would not entirely agree with Sprogster's comments regarding Limousin. It is about the size of Wales and varies a lot.Our little corner , near Brive, is very different to Creuse which is indeed sparsely populated with hardley any towns of any size which  in turn will reflect in the number of schools especially the senior ones. I suggest that you might try and refine your search.

[cooperlola]

My Bil moved to France with 3 children of ages varying between 3 and 10.  All adapted well and were fine but he (the Bil) who is in education himself - he is a faculty head at Marseille Uni' - is extremely rude about French schooling as being very rigid in form and therefore not suitable for everybody.  And all three kids have returned to the UK for Uni and/or their A levels - not on their parents' say so but because they found the system here somewhat stifling. 

[Davids]

Hi

 

our family circumstances are very similar - we have a baby of 6 months and a son of 6yrs.

Planning to go to France this August after many months of planning and thinking about it.

 

Why not give me a call PM me for contact info - I might be able to give some guidance on the healthcare front.

 

David and Jacqui

Edited by Russethouse