What income would I need?

[idun]

[quote user="Russethouse"]Clairus when you and your partner have this chat, remember its your input which has a large bearing on your child, your family life and the standards you set. Yes, even kids from so called good homes go off the rails, but the chances are less where ever you live if they have a solid, loving background behind them...... Then there's the question of healthcare........[/quote]

 

Well RH, that has depressed me more than anything has for a long time. Please remember that some children no matter how good and loving and solid a background they are brought up in, get derailed well before they have any notion of going off the rail themselves!!

[Patf]

Clairus - is there any way you can keep a foothold in the UK, so that if you can't make a go of it financially, you can return.

The thing is, there are not the safety nets here for if you fall on hard times, as there are in the UK. Unless you are able to move in with your extended family, as people used to do.

[clairus]

Gee I'm awfully sorry that I appear to have actually annoyed people by not 'revealing' my Frenchness! That was certainly not my intention, although I don't see how it changes anything advice I was asking for as I have said I was brought up in the UK and only visited France, just like any other Brit, and as I've already said why I'm not asking my French relations....they're all too old and the one that isn't has enough on her plate and unfortunately the rest are dead....

I wasn't aware that having French relations or having 50% French DNA despite being raised as a Brit in the UK should mean that I can't join this forum and ask questions without being reproofed for this. Again - as I said, I've never lived in France before, filled in a French form or had a French bank account.

I just wanted to check whether the monthly income I would need in France was comparable with what I would need in the UK. I've established now that I would need roughly the same, if not slightly more due to all the taxes etc...so thank you, as I wanted to be able to forecast and budget as much as possible in order to plan as thoroughly as possible, as obviously a move would be a big life event.

By moving to France we would be seeking a better quality of life, particularly in regard to providing a better life or future for any children we had. From my financial question I have since gathered that there are apparently of lot of British people in France who are not necessarily happy that they have moved and finding their children have ended up going back to the UK, so obviously my partner and I will be talking this all over very carefully. So thanks for your replies and sorry if I appear to have annoyed some people.   

[idun]

Well I didn't comment on your 'frenchness'.

I could scream, really, when I hear 'better quality of life'. I'll never know what it means. I do know that the people I know who live in the greatest comfort, not rich people, just working people, are in the UK and not France. The closest was my french neighbour, although, his working hours were truly awful, which  counts against 'quality of life' as far as I am concerned. And when I got to France, I had never seen people live so badly, that was an eye opener........ and I had never ever lived so badly as I did when I first got to France. I was young then so it was just part of the adventure we were on.

Apart from the education system in France, our life was fine. And 'that' only affected our lives truly and horrendously after about 14 years. And if I took that out of the equation, we were perfectly fine. I would have still moved back to the UK upon retirement though. But if my husband had particularly wanted to stay and I am accommodating by nature, then we would have moved to a town or better still a city. We had lived in a city for two years when we first moved to France.

[Russethouse]

[quote user="idun"]

[quote user="Russethouse"]Clairus when you and your partner have this chat, remember its your input which has a large bearing on your child, your family life and the standards you set. Yes, even kids from so called good homes go off the rails, but the chances are less where ever you live if they have a solid, loving background behind them...... Then there's the question of healthcare........[/quote]

 

Well RH, that has depressed me more than anything has for a long time. Please remember that some children no matter how good and loving and solid a background they are brought up in, get derailed well before they have any notion of going off the rail themselves!!

[/quote]

That's why I said that even kids from good homes do go off the rails, but The chances are not so great as if they come from a family where there is no work ethic, if they are brought up without basic manners or what is quantity called 'family values'

Didn'tI read this week that most of the problems with young criminals in this country can.be attributed to something like 1500 families?

..

[YCCMB]

[quote user="clairus"]

 I've already said why I'm not asking my French relations....they're all too old and the one that isn't has enough on her plate and unfortunately the rest are dead....

  [/quote]

It's be interesting if you defined "too old". Not because I'm criticising your choice of words, but exactly how old do you think the people on here are, on average?

Here's why it's relevant: I'd venture to suggest that the majority of those responding here are, if not of UK retirement age, are early retirees. A fair percentage are going to be old enough to be your parents. Their world view and life experience will be quite different from yours. That's not a good or bad thing, but it's different. As are their aspirations and requirements. Most of those who venture an opinion about living costs/benefits/differences in France talk about supplementing their income by growing their own produce, keeping chickens and so on...but they've got the time, the land and the freedom to do so, because they don't have to earn a living. Some (not all) of the people who run Gites etc. do so to supplement their incomes, rather than this being their primary source of revenue.

Getting a job in France is difficult, but not impossible. Getting a permanent job (CDI) in France is becoming increasingly more difficult, even if you're 100% French.

Saying "you will need at least x Euros per month" is arbitrary when you're talking about people in different circumstances. No-one can tell you how much rent you're going to be paying, or the size of your mortgage, nor can they tell you how much it will cost you to heat your home to a temperature you feel comfortable with in winter.

[Val_2]

Well I am not retirement age, I do seasonal work,an elected councillor of 11 years so far and I have brought up two children here from young and one has returned to live and work in the UK because there are no jobs for the university grads here in this part and recently lost my husband and closed the business down so I think I have had a great deal of experience of french living compared to those who just come for holidays or are completely retired with no such worries of putting food on the table and paying the bills nor dealing with death and being left behind.

[NormanH]

[quote user="Val_2"]Well I am not retirement age, I do seasonal work,an elected councillor of 11 years so far and I have brought up two children here from young and one has returned to live and work in the UK because there are no jobs for the university grads here in this part and recently lost my husband and closed the business down so I think I have had a great deal of experience of french living compared to those who just come for holidays or are completely retired with no such worries of putting food on the table and paying the bills nor dealing with death and being left behind.[/quote]

Oh dear that doesn't sound like a 'fun life' in France. I thought coming to live here  sorted out all those problems, and gave you a 'better way of life' ....[6]

[Val_2]

Didn't come here for fun Norman, mostly to get out of a drug/crime riddled hometown where you could not even leave a decent car onyour own drive without it being vandalised or broken into and we had the house here with more freedom for the children plus the sea five mins away, the business was transferrable and sucessful and the rest is no different from anyone else wherever they choose to live - education,work and death excludes no one. My children have done very well here,grown into wonderful adults and supported me unconditionally so I am not complaining but just pointing out that not everyone who comes on this forum is retired or a second home owner so we have to survive .

[YCCMB]

If this is a reference to my previous posting, Val, you might like to read it again and indicate where I said that everyone was? I made a specific point of saying "most people" and not "everyone", as I am fully aware that not everyone is retired. However, even you must accept that the majority of those who post here appear to fall into the categories I described, which have little in common with a 28-year-old.....

[Val_2]

Yes you are right, appologies for reading wrong way up. I could do with a beaver-free zone at the moment!

[YCCMB]

You're very welcome to share mine...[:D]

[idun]

I was 28 when I moved to France. I don't understand the 'better life' thing. I never will. I do understand an adventure....... but, I would never move to another country without having a job to go to. Cautious aventuriere moi!!

[HoneySuckleDreams]

a lot of this has got off post...so I'll give my ha'penny worth.

OP : I understand your reluctance to ask your aging French relatives, even one generation different wouldn't have the answers you need.

We've been here 7 years now, and arrived when No1 son was 11, so we have 7 years of the English education and about "7" years of french (although with all the strikes they have had over the years probably about 6), so we can make a reasonable comparison especially on education.

1. Running a business is difficult. Not just the doing-your-thing thing, but coping with the multi-layers of bureaucracy, and it's going to get a whole lot worse. Hollande will create 000's more functionaries. You will have one person looking at the computer screen and one working the keyboard. And you will be expected to pay for it
2. Employing an extra 60,000 teachers doesn't mean a better education system
3. drugs are endemic - countryside as well as inner city
4. people nicking your stuff still happens
5. french pikeys exist
6. cr4p driving is endemic
7. our french friends fear for the future for their kids just as much as you would - jobs, housing, tax, drugs, family etc...no different to the UK
8. most french kids we have known have left france for better opportunities  (this isn't a huge number I admit, but you get the gist)
9. they "teach" philosophy starting at 17?? the English system teaches (or it used to)  kids to think for themselves from the age of 5. Philosophy is for the pub IMHO
10. would we do it all again as a life changing and learning experience -- Yes (probably!)

No one could tell you how much income you would need as it's comparing apples to pears. Unless you have a job to come to, you will turn a large amount of money into a small amount very quickly...unless you live off the grid/below the radar, and that would be difficult not having a bank account.

Why not just give it a go for a couple of years? I don't think you will get an answer you are looking for from this forum. That's not to say that people can't offer valuable advice, but just that so many people have had different experiences. You will just have to try it for yourself

 

[HoneySuckleDreams]

11. the health service is not free

[mint]

[quote user="HoneySuckleDreams"]11. the health service is not free[/quote]

Oh yes, but you have left the most important till last?[:P]

[Rabbie]

[quote user="HoneySuckleDreams"]11. the health service is not free[/quote]I would say that is a plus for France. Having a completely free health service leads to unnecessary visits to doctors etc.

[mint]

Hm, not sure that that works in practice, Rabbie.

Certainly, I know many here, French and Brits, who are off to see the doctor, off to the laboratoire for tests, for x-rays, etc. etc.  I wouldn't dare point the finger and say that they are going for no good reason.

I suppose we all have different degrees of "need" and also, I suggest, of hypochondriac-y?

 

[YCCMB]

I think there's a sort of view in France that if you go to the toubib you expect to get your money's worth, hence if people don't come out with a bag of drugs they feel disappointed. I also think, from experience, that there's more overprescribing in France. If anyone wants a share of my industrial-sized bottle of Betadeine or my lifetime's supply of Doliprane, you're very welcome. It was only a scratch.[:D]

[mint]

Betty, I wish you hadn't mentioned Doliprane.  When OH broke his knee-cap, they prescribed him so many that we could have kept the whole village in painkillers for several weeks.

In the end, we just took what we thought he'd need and gave the rest back to the pharmacien.

And I might have posted here before about how I had to practically hold a gun to the toubib's head to make my prescription à renouveler deux fois  as I had no wish to visit him every month in his surgery for a chat, even if that was clearly what he would have preferred.

[YCCMB]

Drifting madly, Sweets.... My one dental appointment (I had a temp filling fall out and an infection developed) scored me a goody bag consisting of: Mouthwash, anti-inflammtories, antibiotics, painkillers.

Mr Betty's major incident with a bicycle and a Very Strong Gust of Wind was responsible for the Doliprane and Betadeine, and a selection of x-rays of every part of his head and neck. Unfortunately, the main injury he sustained was to his hand, and by the time he got home and went to see a doctor, the resultant long-term injury was inoperable. Hey ho.

I have no gripes with the healthcare in either country.... I don't even know who my doctor IS!

[Patf]

I have to go to see the Doc. every 3 months for a prescription and have learnt to say as little as possible, or he or his assistant jumps in and arranges a whole lot of tests.

So when they ask, any problems, I say no, everything's fine thanks [:)].

I don't know why they do this, is it part of their training? Or do they get a commission for referrals?

[NormanH]

They are only paid each time that you show up

[idun]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]Drifting madly, Sweets.... My one dental appointment (I had a temp filling fall out and an infection developed) scored me a goody bag consisting of: Mouthwash, anti-inflammtories, antibiotics, painkillers.
Mr Betty's major incident with a bicycle and a Very Strong Gust of Wind was responsible for the Doliprane and Betadeine, and a selection of x-rays of every part of his head and neck. Unfortunately, the main injury he sustained was to his hand, and by the time he got home and went to see a doctor, the resultant long-term injury was inoperable. Hey ho.
I have no gripes with the healthcare in either country.... I don't even know who my doctor IS!
[/quote]

 

Haven't you missed something from that list Betty? Ultra levure or some such thing to be taken when given antibiotics? I must say that the first time I was given anti biotics in the UK when I got back.  I took them with some trepidation, as the GP would not give me that safety net I was so used to, against diarrhea. Amazingly I didn't get diarrhea. I have no idea if I ever needed such things as pansement intestinal and ultra levure, all those years. [:D]

 

 

 

[YCCMB]

For the sake of brevity, Idun, I omitted to mention that I'm actually allergic to antibiotics, so he gave me whatever they give you when you can't have them. I've no idea what that is......