No Going Back - ski chalets

[zeb]

Hi - we watched an old episode of No Going Back last night on TPS which featured a couple from Herts setting up a ski chalet. It all looked a bit hit and miss with their meals and very hard work but they were an extremely focused and enthusiastic couple and I'm sure they made a success of it.

However, there was no mention of registering the business or the French beaurocracy which goes with it, so we wondered if it's necessary for a ski chalet (this one slept 14). We have a micro-entreprise, nothing to do with tourism, so I can't imagine anyone running a business and not mentioning the nightmare (when you don't speak French) of the French system and the huge social charges involved.

Just interested as we have family who are considering doing the same.

regards......helen

[GRT17]

Helen

I don't know what they did about registering. There was a follow-up on this couple and after the hit and miss start they seemed to be managing well. I think they admitted that it was a time consuming job during the high season weeks but said they had no regrets.

Gill

[Teamedup]

I remember the follow up. They said that they had made what appeared to be quite a lot of money. However, there was no mention of costs, and judging by what was said on the program about the bookings they had had, the amount 'made' was actual income. So they would have to fork out for everything out of that. Heating, rates, food for the guests, etc etc and the business costs aspect of it.

So who knows how they were really doing. If they hadn't got a mortgage then maybe they are doing OK.

Now wouldn't it be nice, if at least one of these programs actually went into all the real details of how much this sort of business needs  to earn to make a decent living and what the costs and charges are.

[marilyn from oz<P>Marilyn Gould<P><P>Melbourne Victoria Australi]

[quote]HelenI don't know what they did about registering. There was a follow-up on this couple and after the hit and miss start they seemed to be managing well. I think they admitted that it was a time cons...[/quote]

Hello from Australia!  I also saw this program on cable out here recently I thought they didn't seem to make much of a living if you considered the time it took to get up and running.  I also wonder about those shows as much as I love them, is it pretty easy to just buy property and set up over in France?  Don't you need to have a visa to own property there?  My husband and I are wanting to go to France in a year or so to caretake or house sit for people as well as live and learn to speak French.  Would this be difficult to do?  I'm sure I can get Irish Citizenship through ancestry which I believe I can work as a member of the European Union?  Is this correct?

I would certainly appreciate any information you can give me or direct me to.

Thankyou,

Kind regards,

marilyn

 

[Meo]

[quote]Hello from Australia! I also saw this program on cable out here recently I thought they didn't seem to make much of a living if you considered the time it took to get up and running. I also wonder...[/quote]

Marilyn from Oz,

There is no visa requirement for EU members when moving to France and/or buying property. I am not sure how easy it would be to obtain membership through your links with Ireland, but as France is a big fan of paperwork (and the right paperwork at that), obtaining it would probably make life a whole lot easier.

[Coco]

The trouble with all of these programmes is that they never go into detail about anything, registering the business, health cover, mutuelles, etc etc.  If they did, perhaps not quite so many people would up sticks on a whim and move to France.

As for the Australian question, some aussie friends of ours got British passports by going down this route; one had scottish grand-parents and one had english grand-parents.  I don't think it was too difficult at all, although they were living in the UK at the time, so it might have made the paperwork a bit easier than trying to do it from Oz.  They now live and work here in France with all the same rights as the rest of us EU members.

[Opel Fruit<P><BR>Opel Fruit, Dept. 53<P>]

Their website is still on the web, but is well out of date.

I suspect they folded.

www.demipiste.com/