is moving to France that bad a deal.

[sandie bree<P>sandie<P>]

Hi Everyone..i am a Newbie....every page i find on France..like moving to france people say is a bad move..i have lots of animals and am retiring this year but my hubbie will want to work..Is France that bad a deal..i really do not know where to start..i have a house to sell in Kent..do i have to apply to french Embassy can anyone tell me what to do first please..

Sandie Kent

[Ron Avery]

Posting  your question in the right place on the Forum would be good start, this section is for useful websites.  Try Finding/Owning French Property.

Without being rude, you do not appear to have a clue about moving to France or its implications and it seems that you have not done much research for yourself either.  So a good read of the topics and Forums on here would be a good place to start

[Will]

Sandie

Please don't take too much notice of any rude replies. Living in France is what you make of it. Forums like this urge caution, as the view presented by the popular telly programmes is one of all sweetness and light, constant sunshine, everything cheap - in fact little short of paradise. Reality is not the same. Cost of living is certainly not cheap, unemployment is sky-high, winters are very cold, getting work done can take forever, and French bureaucracy is world-famous.

If you are coming here to retire, on a reasonable pension, these probably won't affect you. However if you have little money and are hoping to earn a living things may be hard.

Another piece of advice is to move to France because you like that country - rather than because you dislike Britain or are runing away from anything. Problems tend to stay with you wherever you are.

[Alan Zoff]

Good advice there from Will, Sandie. In general, contributors to Forums such as this try to be helpful while there will always be some who regard it as their private domain and an opportunity to show off rather than share valuable information.

Beware also of people claiming to be experts. It is easy to give very positive advice when you know that you are not accountable.

So do your home-work, ask lots of questions - and above all get out there and get a feel for the place to make sure you will fit in before making any irreversible decisions.  Good luck.

[Teamedup]

You haven't mentioned that most important of things if your husband wants to work here and that is speaking good french. So does he?

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Good advice there from Will, Sandie. In general, contributors to Forums such as this try to be helpful while there will always be some who regard it as their private domain and an opportunity to show ...[/quote]

Sorry Sandie if the first reply wax a bit brusque but asking the right questions in the right place is a good start, I was not being rude and I apologise if that is the way it seemed

My advice, is do your homework, ask lots of (SPECIFIC) questions" and read this Forum particularly FAQ's or did I say that before

Another thing, make sure you sell your house in Kent before you buy here, too many people are now in dire straits out here because they budgeted on living on income from their house sale and went ahead and bought assuming a quick sale that did not happen, and now they are paying the price

Ron

[Russethouse]

>>Another thing, make sure you sell your house in Kent before you buy here, too many people are now in dire straits out here because they budgeted on living on income from their house sale and went ahead and bought assuming a quick sale that did not happen, and now they are paying the price<<

au contraire - think long and hard about renting in France to give it try, perhaps for a year or so BEFORE selling your house (they do not seem quite as worried about animals as English landlords)

All shades of opinion here as you can see

Good Luck

[stevecentrefrance]

We moved to france 7 months ago and its only the last month i have started to like it. We brought from the uk 6 siamese cats on the ferry. I found it very hard in france but every day it gets better. I now feel i would not go back to the uk.

[Logan]

This reply I am about to make may upset a few people.

However I have to say that recently from meeting a very wide cross section of British people who have emigrated to France I despair a little. I have the overriding impression that these Brits have previously lived in a soft, spoon fed society with an excess of social liberalism. They appear to me to be clueless as to how actually to survive when the going gets tough. Living in France with no means of support, speaking almost no French and with not an ounce of understanding about the workings of the new state to which they have moved, lock stock and barrel. Please folks do your homework extensively before even considering moving to France. France is not the UK and is nothing like it. It is more than just a cheap house and a society that will bale you out if in trouble. They will not, despite everything you have been told.

It's simple if you cannot bring an income with you then don't come unless you have qualifications the French state needs and can speak the language as a native. 

[Mpprh]

Hi

Again, something that may not be universally popular :

When you are sure it is the right decision, avoid buying a property that is too cheap.

Too cheap, you say ?

Well, properties that are remote, with no public transport, no employment, no shops and no schools are cheap for a good reason.

If (when ?) recession comes, they lose value quickly and are very difficult to sell.

Remember that these properties only attract other 2nd home owners, and recession tends to strike across Europe.

Better a smaller property in a popular area than a maison du maitre no one wants ?

 

Peter

 

 

[Lori]

I agree with Russethouse - rent for a year.  Personal opinion, don't sell your house in the UK until you have rented here for a year.  Maybe rent it out.  This will give you the opportunity to discover what France is like.  We did this and I am glad we did.  You may hate it, or you may find it unworkable (in many ways).  Everyone's experience is different.

To work, if you are lucky enough to find any, will require good oral and written French.

I also agree that to buy in an area that is remote would be a big mistake.  Not only will you be spending a fortune for petrol to go just about anywhere, it will be lonely - perhaps not for the first few months, but after a year or so, unless you are real hermits, you will be sorry.  Agree with earlier post - this is where the "cheap" properties are - be aware.

We are happy here, but it is certainly not paradise.  I'm not really sure paradise exists, but we are all different.

As has been said, read, read, read and research.  You will know after that and a year of renting here.

Good luck.

[Melrob]

I would fully agree that you need to research everything, then researcg it again and again until you get to the truth! The truth will probably be different depending on where in France you choose and possibly the type of people you are. We moved 3 months ago, to a very rural area, our living costs ARE less than they were in the UK, I speak and write French to a low intermediate level, my partner speaks a little. In the first seven weeks of being here I applied for two jobs, was accepted for both, chose the best one for me, and am now very happy in my work. So if you have done all your research and are 250% sure it is what you want go for it. Be aware of the potential problems, but don't let them overwhelm you. I'm sorry if this goes aginst popular viewpoints on here, but in our case it HAS been like the TV programmes make out - So Far!!

[SaligoBay]

In the first seven weeks of being here I applied for two jobs, was accepted for both, chose the best one for me, and am now very happy in my work.

  Tell us more!  I spent 2 years looking for a job, registered with agencies, did ANPE, you name it.  My French is apparently fluent, so that wasn't the problem.  But nothing.

So what's your secret?   

 

[Tourangelle]

yes, please tell more! What sector do you work in and is the work full time. Don't get me wrong, it is great that it is working out for you, but it is so unusual to read about such a positive experience!

[Jc]

When you airily talk about TV programmes,just remember the original series,years ago,when the follw-up series showed all but half of one couple had returned to the UK within 12 months.They were a couple that bought a wine domaine and he returned with medical concerns.

[Logan]

[quote]I would fully agree that you need to research everything, then researcg it again and again until you get to the truth! The truth will probably be different depending on where in France you choose and ...[/quote]

Amazing how there will always be exceptions to the rule. My many French friends would be utterly amazed reading this post. It goes against every current trend.

So come on tell us more.

[Melrob]

Hi there

It does go agains't the normal trend it seems, but so far things are working out really well. Hopefully they will continue in the same vein, but I know from bitter life experience that anything can happen in life.

As for the job, I worked out what I thought I would have the best chance of getting, given previous experience, registered on the ANPE site, so they emailed me jobs matching my requests. Applied for one I liked the look of, panicked like hell about my French level, had the interview, got the job.Teacher for the local Chamber of Commerce, good hours, good money, happy in work. Just waiting for the black cloud to descend, whilst REALLy hoping it doesn't.

Mel

[Logan]

Good on you Melrob. You did extensive research, had a skill the French want and you speak the language. All subjects members on this forum have continually said is essential for a successful working life in France. Hope the gods continue to shine upon you.

[Debra]

Really nice to hear about your positive experience, Mel.  What are you teaching?  Presumably your UK qualifications were accepted or did you need to do some sort of conversion?

[Melrob]

Hi there,

I teach IT skills, and business / general English. I had teaching experience in the UK, but they were more interested in my business experience. Touch wood and fingers etc crossed, things will continue to progress as smoothly as they have so far, but if they don't we will work through them. We made some enormous sacrifices before moving here, in order that we COULD move here and I like to think that we are now getting payback (of the nice variety)

Good luck to everyone with their lives in, and moves to France

[Debra]

[quote]Hi there,I teach IT skills, and business / general English. I had teaching experience in the UK, but they were more interested in my business experience. Touch wood and fingers etc crossed, things wil...[/quote]

Nice one - I was looking at that area of teaching in the UK but assumed my qualifications and experience would be of no use in France, and luckily we aren't currently seriously considering working anyway.  However, its nice to think that if I concentrate on learning the language there may be a market for my skills if I do fancy working!  At what level do you teach IT skills?

[Melrob]

So far just basics, but the classes are only now restarting and the levels will alter in time. I am keeping in hand the idea of offering private lessons, have got all the details if I decide to go down that road as well, but I'm seeing how this goes first. I would try with your teaching if you decide to work in France, you've got nothing to lose.

Mel

[Debra]

[quote]So far just basics, but the classes are only now restarting and the levels will alter in time. I am keeping in hand the idea of offering private lessons, have got all the details if I decide to go dow...[/quote]

I'll bear it in mind - at least I now now its not a no-goer!  Thanks for the info and good luck to you.

[Tourangelle]

Well that is great, Mel. I must admit what you wrote about the skills they were interested in doesn't surprise me one bit, that is typical of the chambre de commerce and indeed many language schools that target the business market. They are after native speakers and really are not that bothered about teaching experience. A person who has experience of a business environment is valued way above somebody who has teaching experience. There is a simple reason for this: it sells courses! The language school may or may not do their own teacher training, which in any case is on negliable value, sometimes. But companies who pay for English training are happy with this, if their employee can have lessons with somebody who at some stage has been on the other side of the negotiating table or the other end of the phone, then as far as they are concerned, that is what counts. They are often not interested in TEFL Celta and so on. I have worked for more than one company that had it as policy not to employ non native speakers. Frankly a British person with experience in business moving to a French city would have no problem picking up work in this area, although it can mean evening work and does not necessarily mean a full time job straight off, although there are some out there!

[Lorribee]

Sandie, Good Luck love, the advice you have is all valuable, although everyone is an expert here, changing a life at any time is difficult but we have done it and came with no French, very little money and lots of rose coloured dreams, but we did keep a property in Britain as a bolt hole, it is a one bedroom flat we currently rent out, so if you do join us, consider if you can do the same, and enjoy! life is to short to stuff mushrooms as Shirley Conran once said we have no regrets, no long term plans just living a life.