Family season in Morzine.

[Tessa Rowland]

Just come across this site which is fantastic!  We are a family of 6 wanting to, rather madly, do a ski season probably in Morzine.  My husband and I are both seasoned skiers and now want to take our girls and little boy to do the same thing.  We have been to France on holiday many times but have no idea really about living there on a short term basis.  We would take the children out of school for the spring term and enrol them into a local primary school and would really like some advice on what to expect.  The children will be 9, 8, 7 and 5 by then as we are looking to go for the 2010/2011 season.  Has anyone done this before? Any tips would be grately appreciated!  Tess

[Mikep]

Hi Tessa, a great idea (in principle!). I live just over the hill in Abondance all the year round, and am just warming up mentally for my fourteenth full season's skiing in the Portes du Soleil. It's snowing on and off at the moment. It's a great way of spending a winter, but being parachuted in to the local schools will be tough on your kids - at least they can support each other, but they will just be getting the hang of it when it's time to move back. There are quite a few english kids resident now - I remember an ill-informed article in the local paper a couple of years ago complaining that they make up 20% of school attendance in St Jean d'Aulps, just down the valley from Morzine. In fact, if they weren't there the school would be struggling for numbers. We moved here when I retired (early!), so have not had the problems of children at school, or of finding employment. Would you run a chalet or similar?

I would recommend trying out the idea in the coming season for as long as you can manage, but without the school complications. I know of a chalet in Abondance where the lady who runs it has two kids in local schools - she might be able to give you some pointers. It's: http://www.alpineabondance.com/        (no connection to me).

[Tessa Rowland]

Thanks Mikep, That's really helpful.  I shall look at your friend's website and try to contact her.  I know what you mean about the children.  This is why we want to research it in good time.  Funnily enough My husband Roly (Paul) and I were talking about coming out during this season to find out as much as we can.  We have skied in PDS a few times as well as many other places and just think it has a really nice family feel to it.  We would definitely do some sort of work but are unsure as to how much - we want to have some fun too!  Roly who's having a slight mid life crisis at 40 would be taking a sabbatical from work here and I wouldn't mind taking a sabbatical from looking after the kids full time!  I'm only 34 and feel like I have been doing it forever! We both love skiing and have done it from an early age - it's too expensive to take our lot for a week at a time so how brilliant it would be to get them skiing like little demons in one go - they might learn a bit of French whilst they're at it!  I'm waffling now but I have to say we are really quite serious.  It might even become either a regular or permanent thing!  Any advise on perhaps buying property and prices?  One of the villages near Morzine would be great but not sure even if those are out of our reach. Tess

[Mikep]

Sorry Tessa, but I'm going to be a wet blanket now. At your (tender) ages and with young children, you need to be realistic about your chances of earning a living here. It's a great place for holidays (or even retirement with a decent pension), but permanent employment is very hard to find. Even the locals with good contacts end up doing two or three half-jobs - tourism-related in the winter (bar, shop or hotel work), farming or forestry in summer, that sort of thing - but there are virtually no large enterprises for office-type employment. If you're running a chalet or gites, you tend to get bookings only for 8-10 weeks a year, so it's very difficult to make the sums add up. I really do wish you all the best, but tread carefully!

Property is reasonable by English standards provided you're a couple of miles from the ski lifts - if the property is on the ski-bus route, you can add 50% to 100% to the price. However, prices are probably double those elsewhere in rural France. For example, you could get a simple chalet for yourselves at around 250,000 euros, but it wouldn't be big enough for commercial letting. There's quite a lot of demand for something which is a commercial proposition - for a chalet on the ski-bus route with 4-5 letting bedrooms, for example, you might have to pay 600k up to a million euros.

The girl who runs the chalet I sent you the details of (Rosie Wranek) has been through exactly your thought process and has been running her chalet for three years or so (and with a struggle). It could be very valuable for you to pick her brains before reaching a decision.

On the brighter side, if you can get here during the coming season, I would be happy to meet up and chat over a beer. Abondance is a great place for kids to learn to ski (or board if they must!). I'll try to e-mail you directly so you have my details.

[Tessa Rowland]

Thanks for taking so much time to help us on this and I understand your point - All we were really going to try to do is rent somewhere, bring a nanny/au pair with us and pick up some seasonal work.  We are not really seeking to gain enormous profit from it, just have a bit of time and fun from our busy lives at home.  We are hoping to perhaps drive out over Easter next year to sus it out and it would be great to meet you for a beer - Perhaps we can pick your brains further then!  I'll let you know if we are definitely coming.  Tess

[Panda]

Hello

Not wishing to be another wet blanket but.... I did this last year, my son was already fluent in French having been in french school for the previous 5 years.  We had a great time BUT the my son hated school in the Alps with such a passion that it finally convinced me to return to the UK after 6 years in France.  It was great from a ski-ing perspective, he is now an expert skier having gone through all of the stages that would take years in just holidays but it came at a price.  I would do what you are doing avoing school if there is any way of doing that, perhaps home school or private tuition?  Work was available but if you work for a UK tour operator the pay is pathetic, to get work for a french compnay you need to speak french.

Panda