The Final Move!!

[karen]

Can anyone offer guidance? We have definately decided to move (to France) probably in the next 12 months together with our 3 kids (12, 8, 6) ,2 parents (77, 74) 4 dogs and a cat!! The problem is where to start!!. If anyone could give advice on how they coped with schools, pensions, healthcare etc we would be most grateful. We hope to run a fishery or gite enterprise and my husband is a qualified electrician. Depts 53 Mayenne and round Vitre/Laval look nice!

Thanks to all

[Unknown]

Karen

You have asked so many questions, it may be better if you read through many of the posts already made uner the relevant sections, then if there is something specific you wish to know then ask that question.

Welcome by the way.

[Meg]

Hi Karen,

Have you got a good book on moving to France? I liked Living and Working in France - David Hampshire Survival books.  (in the Living France shop) and also by the same author 'Buying a home in France.' Both are updated  annually with a new edition, so they aren't going to have out of date info. (hopefully!) There are loads of others, some which may be better, but i found these ones really useful.

You sound like you have a bit of a tribe to organise before the move!

Good luck, and welcome to the roller coaster of moving to France! (Bit scary at the time but with hindsight it wasn't all that bad.....maybe even enjoyable!?)

Louise

[Tresco]

Good advice, Louise. We bought maybe 8 of the type of books you recommended, and trawled all the French interest forums for information.

Karen, I think I read just about every post made here, and gleaned so much information, or pointers as to where to find information elsewhere, that I never needed to ask a question! 

Of course, questions like yours (and the responses to them) are one of the things that keep the forum vibrant, and up to date, but I think Dotty is right.  You have questions which could be placed in the Education, Health, Finance, Earning a Living (and probably other) sections. Multiple questions can be a bit daunting, but if you read previous posts and then ask separate questions in the different sections of the forum you will get a response.

I'm only sorry that I have no direct experience of any of the questions you raise...but honestly, you'll get to 'know' people by going through previous posts. Also, try the little 'search' facility on the top right hand side of the page. It's not brilliant but it's a start.

Good luck.

[Monika]

 

Great decision, you only live once and any new experience together as a family is worth more than anything in the world.  

I can't give you any direct advice but you are in good hands here on the Forum (you are never alone). Do I dare mention another Forum which I think is very informative and especially for Normandy: www.normandy.angloinfo.com

If I would make this decision I would want to keep a foothold in England, be it only a small flat or house.

[cooperlola]

Sell your house in the UK first and get going on the rest once you have a firm offer, doing all your research in the meantime.  So many headaches can be caused if you end up with a commitment to owning 2 properties.  If you are pretty sure of where you want to move, rent first and have a really good look round.  We moved over here at the same time as a couple of friends (2 years ago) and they are still trying to sell their UK home with the result that they are constantly having to go back to the UK to work (they are lucky in that their profession makes this possible for them) to top up their dwindling coffers.

Open a French bank account too.

  The rest of it, as said here, will come - don't panic!  - that's the important thing.  A lot of us have done it so it probably isn't rocket science, is it? 

Best of luck.