Bonjour from a newbie to the forum

[Dilbert]

I couldn't see where to introduce myself to you nice people, so I chose here. 

I am 44 and currently working in IT in Gloucester.  My wife is 40 and is half French.  She is a theatre nurse and is currently living and working in Brittany.  She is there as her mother is recovering from a serious illness.  Her mother is well on the road to recovery and my wife's contract of work is coming to an end.  Faced with the thought of coming back to Gloucester or staying in Brittany, she has realised she would like to stay where she grew up and I can't blame her.

Like most people, my French is still at the "Le singe est dans l'arbre" stage and finding work would be a nightmare.  My mother in law is a retired head of languages and has taught French for 30+ years so I think I can see some lessons coming on.

Anyway, she calls me (on Skype which is free internet chat software so the call costs nothing other than the standard broadband costs per month) on Sunday evening and says she has a solution for my employment problems.  She has found a 3 bedroom property with a Gite attached to it on a reasonable sized plot.  The idea is that she can still work as a nurse and I can run the Gite.  She is looking into the property, I have the estate agents coming to do the valuations and the adventure starts here.

So I will be asking lots of questions, some sensible and some just plain stupid, so be nice, please! 

Oh, and please wish us luck

[Tresco]

 

'I couldn't see where to introduce myself to you nice people, so I chose here.' 

 The postbag is as good as any other place

I am 44 and currently working in IT in Gloucester.  My wife is 40 and is half French. 

If you and your wife have been temporarily separated because of the reasons you mention, that is quite a test of the strength of the relationship, isn't it?

'finding work would be a nightmare.  My mother in law is a retired head of languages and has taught French for 30+ years so I think I can see some lessons coming on'

As I understand it, possibly, but if you work in IT maybe the lack of language need not be a deal breaker?.

Anyway, she calls me (on Skype which is free internet chat software so the call costs nothing other than the standard broadband costs per month) on Sunday evening and says she has a solution for my employment problems.  She has found a 3 bedroom property with a Gite attached to it on a reasonable sized plot.  The idea is that she can still work as a nurse and I can run the Gite.  She is looking into the property, I have the estate agents coming to do the valuations and the adventure starts here.

Oh, you need to be so careful and realistic here.

Have you looked through the archives here, in the B&B and Gites section of the forum?

One thing is, it must be so hard if both people have been 'earning', then one suddenly isn't, and is suddenly reliant on the others wage. For me this would be really, really hard, but others may be different.

From your message, I get the impression that your wife now wants to live here in France again, but I have to wonder, if her mother has been ill, whether that feeling has been encouraged in some way by recent events? Is there any way you can 'hold off' until this present situation is clarified? I would be very wary of making this kind of move in these circumstances. Can you build in some time, lots of time?

So I will be asking lots of questions, some sensible and some just plain stupid, so be nice, please! 

Oh well, I am rubbish at answering proper factual Q's, but I can be nice when I try.

'Oh, and please wish us luck  '

Bien Sur! Bonne Chance!

tresco

 

 

 

 

[Musicmonkey<ADDRESS><STRONG>Musicmonkey<STRONG><ADDRESS>]

Hello, Dilbert and welcome to the forum,

I recently posted the following response (amongst others) to a post on another forum (www.vienormande.com) to a poster requiring similar advice.  The difference was that the other post was specifically referring to Normandy though I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't apply equally if not more so to Brittany.

"I have no personal experience of living in France and running a gite business.  However, I do have a holiday home that I am renting out to help cover costs.  I have only two bookings covering 3 weeks so far this year (much worse than last year).

I contacted one of the online agencies who advertise our property to ask them whether response to my ad was in line with others and their response today was that properties in Normandy receive 2.46 enquiries per month.

I doubt whether that is enough to make a living even if one had more than one property.  

I am sure others in a better position to comment than me will give more relevant advice but from friends who have moved to France and need to work, I don't think it is easy."

As Tresco says, there have been similar postings here on this site if you can find them.

  

 

[Dilbert]

Tresco

You make some valid points.  Yes being apart is very tough but the fact her mother is still with us has made it all worth while. 

I do work in IT, but as a Business Analyst.  This obviously involves a considerable amount of writing using business type language. As my French is no where near being able to do this, I still see this as an obstacle.  Had I been a programmer or web designer, perhaps things would be better.

As for the timing, we having been talking about this move for years.  We have put things off until her kids (from her first marriage) were old enough to fend for themselves.  They are now 18 and 20 so are old enough to make their own way in life, even if this means coming with us.

The shock of going from an IT salary to nothing is a big change and one that I have my doubts about.  There is a lot to consider, including pensions, and I do not under estimate the inormity of the decision we are looking to make.  I don't want to be a burden to her and her single salary so some careful considerations have to be made.  The property has a single Gite attached so is not going to give a big income.  There is sufficent land to build more but at what cost and at what return? As mentioned I need to do a lot of serious investigation into what is involved and the likely returns.  We may find we can't raise the required capital to purchase anyway from our house sale and the mortgage she has been offered so it may all be accademic!

[Tourangelle]

Welcome to the forum

Bon courage Dilbert!

[Tresco]

Hi Dilbert.

Firstly, you took what I said pretty well. Some of it was a bit cheeky of me really (late night posting). I mentioned the thing about you possibly not earning, because apart from all  a pretty good lump sum we have, I will be living off my husbands pension, and it does feel a bit tricky for me sometimes.

You seem to have your head screwed on Dilbert, if it is really important to you both to be near your wifes mother, and indeed, near to your wife then why not? Could be an adventure couldn't it. We intend to stay here, but if things don't work out we can go back having had just that.

good luck to you.

tresco

[Jo53]

Hi Dilbert. You may be overestimating the language problem in finding IT work. I have just spent 5 weeks at a company in our area of France putting the documentation for a large software project into decent English. The developers/programmers have to deal with all their international clients in English, and the company has to supply documentation in English. So English is highly prized there. So if you have the right technical skills and can achieve a basic ability to communicate in French (and then work hard to get more fluent), there might be hope. Having said that, work is always hard to find in rural France.

Best of luck

Jo

 

[Dilbert]

Jo

Thanks for that nod.  It is encouraging and maybe all is not lost.  My wife is currently working in Pont L'Abbe which, incase you don't know, and there is no reason why you should, is near Quimper in South West Brittany.  We would like to be close to this area but this does give us Quimper, Lorient even Brest as possible larger conurbations.  The problem is that the main IT area, as I understand it, is Orange, but I may be wrong.  I think I need to investigate this also as a possible option as well as running a Gite complex.  Oh what the heck, she works, I can be a kept man I wish

David

[Russethouse]

Lucky you Dilbert - I would love to live in Pont L'Abbe, the Fete de Brodeuses, Le Minor, the market ...shall I go on ?

(and not too far from one of my favourite restaurants either)

[letrangere]

Like most people, my French is still at the "Le singe est dans l'arbre" stage

Don't worry, Dilbert, by most British people's standards, you're a fluent French speaker, though I've never heard that expression before!  M

[Dilbert]

[quote]Like most people, my French is still at the "Le singe est dans l'arbre" stage Don't worry, Dilbert, by most British people's standards, you're a fluent French speaker, though I've never heard that ...[/quote]

The expression comes from a comedy sketch by Eddie Izzard where he goes on about how useless some of the French you were taught in school was.  The synopsis was that he went into a forest and released a monkey in to a tree and then waited for a passer by.  After the formalities you could look into the tree in amazement and quote the expression.  It is obvioulsy a lot more amusing when Mr Izzard does it!

As for that making me fluent, I think I have way to go before that will be the case!

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

Tesco,I have misunderstood you,I had you down as a lot younger trying hard to make it in france the hard way.Now it transpires that you are well off with a large stash in the bank and a regular income to live off as well,with thoughts of going back to the UK to boot.

 

[Turnip]

[quote]Tresco You make some valid points. Yes being apart is very tough but the fact her mother is still with us has made it all worth while. I do work in IT, but as a Business Analyst. This obviously ...[/quote]

See the "What do you think of France" thread re the difficulties of relying on Gite income and the story of someone who regrets moving to France. It's the side the "Dream home in France" programmes do not show.

[Tresco]

[quote]Tesco,I have misunderstood you,I had you down as a lot younger trying hard to make it in france the hard way.Now it transpires that you are well off with a large stash in the bank and a regular income...[/quote]

Outcast I was only 41 when I came. Now, seriously, I'm not complaining too much about retiring at 41. I would love to work again though.

However, we did not base any of our financial plans on the possibility of getting work, or running a gite, or doing bandb here.

That meant we had to have money as a back up fund, you know, for stuff like a newish car somewhere down the line, roof repairs, many years of health insurance. People often give the advice here that people coming should have enough funds for a couple of years, while their business gets going, for example. For us, we had to have enough for ever!!!!!!!!. But basically it's stashed, we don't touch it, and our weekly income is nothing compared to what we earnt, and Dilbert the original poster has acknowledged he could find that hard, the drop in income.

As to going back, I don't want to. Honestly, all I meant was that we could if we found that we were not happy here. The figures people quote about lots of people returning to England after two or three years must come from somewhere, so why should I not allow in my mind for the possibility that it could be us?.

Dilbert too is in his early 40's, and at that age it need not be for a lifetime, coming to France. He and his wife could do it, and if it doesn't work out, there is little harm done.

tresco

ps I got offered a job in a bar. It was miles away from here, English run, only English staff, nearly all English customers. Madness, and no chance to keep up the language learning.

[letrangere]

As for that making me fluent, I think I have way to go before that will be the case!

Ah, but keep at it.  Lesson number 2, "la plume de ma tante" and what's that other old favourite, "Hark! the postilion has been struck by lightening"???  (Posted in English as I'm sure my translation would be even more incomprehensible!)  M

 

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

Tesco in that case like me you have to agree with boggy,bring back 15%interest

[Russethouse]

'the postilion has been struck by lightening"

A Dirk Bogarde title I do believe ; (apart from anything else!)

Have you read it ?

[letrangere]

I most certainly have read it, Gay.  Still can't translate it though!  M

[Cat]

[quote]The expression comes from a comedy sketch by Eddie Izzard where he goes on about how useless some of the French you were taught in school was. The synopsis was that he went into a forest and released...[/quote]

I'm a avid Eddie Izzard fan, and know the "Le singe est dans l'arbre" story almost by heart.

Imagine my huge delight when, walking by the river in Cahors last year, I spot a small courtyard containing both elements essential to the story!

Imagine also the probability of my being in the company of a visiting english friend who is also a big Eddie fan.

Imagine the ensuing scene...

Me, pointing wildy at monkey on chain in tree  "I don't believe it, look, LOOK.. Le singe est dans l'arbre, LE SINGE EST DANS L'ARBRE!!!"

We laughed until the tears ran down our legs

Good luck Dilbert, just make sure you use your "best laid plan....." and heed not the mouse with the flipchart

 

[Musicmonkey<ADDRESS><STRONG>Musicmonkey<STRONG><ADDRESS>]

I am just curious, but wondered why Dilbert seems to have had almost exclusively positive responses to his idea of moving to France and running a gite (and in the North at that where the season is notoriously short) when many other people who have asked the same question seem, in my opinion to have had almost all negative replies.

As I said in my post, I am not a French resident, only a holiday home owner, but I am intrigued.  Can someone enlighten me please?  I realise that Dilbert's wife already has a foot in the door so to speak and their language skills would help them to integrate more readily, but is that enough?

[Tresco]

For me the one gite idea is not going to be enough, but I got a bit more positive after my first reply because of Dilbert being relatively young, the possibility that he could find some IT based work here, and particularly the fact that there are no dependent children. Mind you, with mine there were 'feelings of abandonment issues' that had to be got through

tresco

[Dilbert]

Musicmonkey

Although I have had some positive responses, there have also been words of caution.  Tresco has made many valid, pertinent and sensible comments.  1 Gite is not enough.  I may get IT work, I would more than likely not.  My wife may not get her temporary contract renewed on the other hand she might.

I have advantages over other people considering the same move.  That advantage is my wife, pure and simple.  Without her language skills, transferable nursing skills and family connections, we would be dead in the water.  Her mother has a house with a self contained flat that we can rent for a song and she has lots of extended family to help out.

As I have said, the comments have been positive, but I am under no illusion that this would be easy, or even possible.  The more I have looked into things, the more unsure I become.  We can't really make any serious decisions until July, when we will know if she has work or not.  We have a lot of things to think through and decisions to make.  We do have to consider the kids and the issue of feeling abandonned.  This is exactly what happened to my wife, so she knows what it feels like.  

This story is set to continue, but at the moment I am still only writing the prologue

David

[Miki]

MM said "...I am just curious, but wondered why Dilbert seems to have had almost exclusively positive responses to his idea of moving to France and running a gite (and in the North at that where the season is notoriously short) when many other people who have asked the same question seem, in my opinion to have had almost all negative replies.>>"

MM, we have been involved in tourism of one kind or another, for quite sometime here in France and our records of gites and B&B, both ours and others, show much longer seasons in the North than the south.

I am curious. Where did you base or get your thoughts or knowledge from ? and by "North" where have you geographically calculated that to be, apart from the obvious , so I guess I really mean which departments ?

The season in the Langudoc and Provence for instance can be fairly short as can other southern regions. Not all of course but a substantial amount of the high tourist season there is after the 14 juillet and finished well before the end of August.

We have found that the North can offer a lot more opportunities for mid week breaks, weekend breaks and indeed in general the more normal weekly lets and a much longer letting season in general, than in the south.

[Musicmonkey<ADDRESS><STRONG>Musicmonkey<STRONG><ADDRESS>]

<<I am curious. Where did you base or get your thoughts or knowledge from ? and by "North" where have you geographically calculated that to be, apart from the obvious , so I guess I really mean which departments ?>>

Miki,

As I said I am no expert but surely I am not alone in observing that in general, when people ask for advice on this forum as to whether one can make a living from gites they seem to get 'blasted' (even newbies like Dilbert).  So, as I say, I am simply curious as to what is really different here, aside from Dilbert's wife's situation.  I have no axe to grind here and wish Dilbert success whatever he decides to do.

By the 'North' I mean those cooler climes, which, I thought it was generally accepted, tend to have a short summer season.  I was thinking specifically of Brittany as that is where Dilbert enquired about and Normandy as that is where we rent our gite, though there would be the NE as well.  I was only talking about gites as that is again what Dilbert referred to I assume a B & B tend to me more all year round being more flexible with short breaks as you suggest. As for my own experience we have had one or two out of season bookings and as I previously said, having checked with one of our online advertisers they confirm that Normandy properties are only receiving 2 .46 enquiries per month. Their figures not mine!

Properties based in the south must surely be able to expect a longer season as spring and autumn may be more attractive than our areas at these times, but if I am wrong I am prepared to be corrected as I know you have experience of both!

 

 

[Miki]

Cooler climes is what many people actually want, believe it or not. In a tourism survey a few years ago, many people said they would not bother to go to the "south" as it was too hot !! Others that went there for a late summer holiday said it was too cold !! you can't win eh ?

The Doo Don and the far south are struggling as much, if not more, in these last few years of more & more "over supply" than many in the North.

It comes down to many reasons : poor advertising, advertising too little, too much but all in the wrong place ! wrong position, wrong area, no pool, nothing much of interest and if so, not enough, poorly equipped gite, too dear, too cheap, the list is almost endless at to the fors and againsts of choosing a gite.

Believe it or not, Brittany is the most sought out area in France for an all year round break. Whether or not, someones' gite in Britany is booked, can well be down to one of the many points above.

Example, Perigueux in the Dordogne is a beautiful town but compared to Le Mont St Michel, Saint Malo, Dinan it's position, percentage wise, as far as tourism goes, does not even get close to those three. Frontignan near Sete in the Languesdoc is in an area that is buzzing in summer, go there in September and see how it is then. Then take a look in Brittany (and of course in some other depts of regions in France) none of this is to take away the beauty of other parts of France.

Summer is a very short season for many French, it starts in earnest after the fete nationale (14 July)and by the middle of August, it is all but over of any large numbers of tourists for many departments, especially for many of the summer resorts down south. The French simply love "Le Weekend" & "faire le pont" etc and out of July/August that often means a two to three hour trip to somewhere of interest. The Parisien (ienne) for example, loves to now take the fast autoroute to Brittany (and Normandy of course) It is these out of season months, May for instance is busy, busy in this area, 4 holidays in the first 16 days !! We are full and have been for quite a while but even after the 17th we are busy and will no doubt get even busier or full.

The French have their "petit tour" vacances, which take in the months of April-June & Sept to early Novemeber (11th) and these will offer great opportunities to people with gites and B&B's. We get many from the UK and the Channel Islands looking for short breaks, these we have never, or rarely, got whilst in the south.

A gite can be flexible, many folks use it for B&B out of season.

Your advertiser is one of many in the market place and with around an average of 3 per month, it is time to look at the advertiser and your advert I guess.

Take a look at the posts from those that live in the south and see how they moan every winter, I know, I've been there, done that etc ! (as well as spring and autumn proving rather cold and wet at times) about how poor the weather is down there.

The milder weather and again, believe it or not, is in Brittany for the Autumn, Winter months It is a myth MM to believe the south (beautiful as it is)is the place for a long season, it ain't !! Just a case of one thinking the grass being greener perhaps.