London offers a quality of life you can't find in France

[Will]

"...the quality of family life in Clapham, with its terraced houses and the wide open space of the Common, is much higher than in Paris..."

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article2663033.ece

Discuss...

[Iceni]

I cannot imagine circs in which I would live in either.

Neither a Welsh MP nor

[Gluestick]

Of course, if Les Anglais wanted to start similar dual-language schools in France, cafés with English menus, English-speaking staff only, etc, that might well be another debate.............................[Www]

 

[woolybanana]

By and large the French moving to UK are young, enterprising, well-educated, potential high fliers going into high-earning jobs, or young, entrepreneurial types. Brits moving to France on average may be something else.

[Russethouse]

...and you base that statement on ?

[woolybanana]

Living in Queensberry Place (next door to the Lycée CDG, our flat backing on to it) for a few years with two bilingual kids at the Lycée, mixing substantially with the community for the same period. And the fact that the average age mentioned in the article was 25-34 wasn't it? What is the average of the Brits in France? Closer to retirement I would say. One could go further.

[Russethouse]

Isn't it sometime since you lived in the UK though- my impression is that coming to the UK is rather more popular now than in the past therefore I would suggest that a wider social group are likely to do it.

FWIW, Three French people I know who have moved/live here:

a) Female, met her English husband on the beach at St Tropez (where she lived) Later married him, qualified as a French teacher and had two children. Still here after 25 - 30 years. Now teaching at a local college.

b) Male Age mid 30s, spent a couple of years working as a waiter in central London. (Very charming BTW)

c) Female, came to the UK in her early 20s as an au pair, married a plumber and later worked as a receptionist at a red brick university. Lost touch but my guess is that she is now a mother with a young family.

Another who may make the move

d) Female - interested in moving to the UK and has applied for a job as a beautician (She is qualified in this field)

Likewise I think that the days of only extremely wealthy Brits moving to France in retirement are over (although could possibly return in the light of the health care issues) there is probably a greater range of social - economic groups among Brits in France now than at any other time in the last century.....

 

 

[woolybanana]

Yes, I think though that in London there would be a big concentration of those associated with the City, import export, French firms in UK, French living off the French expat community. Logically there would be a spreading out from there over time to say the SE, round Canterbury, Bristol, Soton. And a wider and wider range of trades/ professions. Particularly in education or fields where people can start their own businesses because it is easier still in the uk.

But I think UK is still a destination for young french businessmen and entrepreneurs, whereas France is much less so for Brits of this ilk still. Maybe that will change. Quite a lot in academic life and research too.

But I do know that the arrival of the eastern European workers has taken many of the jobs that the young French used to take so that for them it is not such a mecca.

[Frederick]

But I do know that the arrival of the eastern European workers has taken many of the jobs that the young French used to take so that for them it is not such a mecca.

Spent yesturday afternoon in the company of a very helpful guy who organised the lay out of a room in local golf club for a private function last night ...40th birthday party for 100 plus ..arranged buffet ...manned the bar etc ..........Bulgarian

[woolybanana]

years ago we used to get dumped with young French students who had not made it to the Agence Peggy on Leicester square and not got a job. Left a worn patch in the carpet where the spare bed was. But they all got on in the end.

[MrCanary]

It is good that lots of French people are moving to the UK as it makes it easier to justify lots of Brits living in France.

[nimportequoi]

[quote user="Sidney"]It is good that lots of French people are moving

to the UK as it makes it easier to justify lots of Brits living in

France.[/quote]

But aren't all the French working there? Work is their main motivation

for moving to the UK, which is good for the country. Whereas many Brits

move to France to retire, or take things easier, which surely doesn't

contribute to the economy in the same way.

[Just Katie]

[quote user="ltf"][quote user="Sidney"]It is good that lots of French people are moving to the UK as it makes it easier to justify lots of Brits living in France.[/quote]
But aren't all the French working there? Work is their main motivation for moving to the UK, which is good for the country. Whereas many Brits move to France to retire, or take things easier, which surely doesn't contribute to the economy in the same way.[/quote]

But perhaps if there were more jobs in France, more of the younger Brits would move over in an attempt to work there.  That may cause a strike of some sort.  Also Itf, Brits retired or not DO contribute to the economy.  Where do they spend their pensions?

[nimportequoi]

I didn't say that retirees contributed nothing to the economy did I? Just not as much as someone working, paying income tax and social contributions on a salary, as well as spending their money.

[woolybanana]

I wonder how many younger Brits work in Paris? Might be a valid comparison. Go to Brussels and they are everywhere.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="ltf"]I didn't say that retirees contributed nothing to the economy did I? Just not as much as someone working, paying income tax and social contributions on a salary, as well as spending their money.

[/quote]

One must not forget the large (often very large) injection of capital into the local economy by house purchase without mortgage plus capital injection due to renovation costs. This latter contributes substantially to local employment or so my French colleagues tell me.

I would suggest that the young French workers in the UK are either buying on a mortgage or renting. As such their tax contributions on PAYE may take a large number of years to equal the capital sums spent by the retiree Brits in France.

[woolybanana]

No, most buy in order to play the Brit property game and make bucks

[powerdesal]

[quote user="woolybanana"]No, most buy in order to play the Brit property game and make bucks[/quote]

Presumably buying on a mortgage, as I said.

[woolybanana]

Sorry, scanned too fast.

[Gluestick]

Then they would have to be earning big bucks and bring over significant capital too...............

Which makes most of the justifications about leaving France 'cos of the poor pay, one reads in the press pretty weak!

 

[Will]

But if they are buying on a mortgage they are paying interest, and contributing plenty that way. And rental payments also represent a gain to the local economy. Not to mention council tax etc.

To be honest, the French are welcome to London - at least the well-known bits. I went into a couple of shops in the Oxford Street/Charing Cross Road area today and the standard of service, particularly general regard for the customer, made the average French supermarket look good.

 

[cooperlola]

And I DO pay income tax thanks very much, just as much as I would if I were working and earning the same amount - and taking a job from a French person probably rather younger than me.  Although the French governement will be saying bye bye to my healthcare contributions now! (Although of course they'll save the 75 euros they've paid me back in dental costs this year.)

[Minouche]

Yes, I am a retiree, but I have a residence secondaire, pay all taxes, outgoings etc.  Plus have spent substantial amount on doing up a very badly neglected property, previously French owned.  Friends come and visit and spend money.

Maybe if the French did not make it so difficult for other nationalities to gain employment, unlike UK, then the younger element would be able to make their home here. 

As far as paying our way is concerned, as holidaymakers we pay for any medical costs, the reimbursement is minimal from Newcastle, whilst other nationalities get all medical treatment in UK totally free, having been contributed to for years by all the retirees to France.

We who love France are c ertainly not out here for what we can get - we contribute in many ways.

[Frederick]

Woolly.....  Not everybody is into buying French houses to make a fast buck as you put it .....Like other posters I take nothing out of France as a second home owner....I pay all the costs required of me to own the house .cover myself by medical insurance  etc .....spending  like this year 3 months  there myself and my family  4 weeks while I was back in the UK  Our money has  flowed one way into the shops.. and for local services and work done on the place ......I  have a family who love France  having been taken there for years on holidays ...now my grandchildren are experiencing the same ......When I pop my clogs the place is theirs to continue to use not to sell ...thats the way I look at it .

[powerdesal]

I suspect you have mis read Wooly's post. He was replying to me and saying that the French In UK were playing the Brit game of making money on houses. It wasn't related to Brits buying in France.