So what is it that 'you' do in France?

[Wibblywobbly]

There are numerous enquiries from people in this forum regarding earning a living in France, and lots of advice is freely provided from those who have made the move. It would be quite interesting to hear what it is that the experienced members of the forum do to earn a crust across the channel, what encouraged them to make the move, and how long it took to establish a business.

Did you do much/any research first?

Was it all plain sailing?

What were the fears?

Did you have to change your plans?

How did you overcome the problems?

Did you give up?

Would you recommend it?

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

Could you have managed it alone?

Was finance a problem?

These are all questions that many of us who would like to make the move would love to know the answers to and I would imagine that many of you have an interesting tale to tell, so please feel free to share your experiences.

Rob G

 

[Le Plombier]

If you are totally fluent in French you might have a chance to follow your chosen career

Other than that you need to evaluate your options in detail and decide if they might work, and if you are prepared to make the effort to make it work

I have seen a lot of failures because people come here with all good intention and then act like they are on holiday until the money runs out

The main criteria for my move was the fact that I had a transferable skill that would enable me to set up a business in France and specifically target the English speaking market so my lack of expertise in the French language would not provide too much of a problem

I also see a lot of problems with people who arrive with a specific skill, IT is a good example, cannot get work, and within a year they are a builder or plumber working on the black

Are you fluent in French

If not can you set up and operate a business that is not totally reliant on communication in French

If you cannot honestly answer yes to either question the stay in the UK unless you do not need to work to support yourself financially

Le plombier

[Georgina]

Okay I'll do this cos I am bored:[:)]

 

Did you do much/any research first?

Lots

Was it all plain sailing?

No

What were the fears?

No money

Did you have to change your plans?

No

How did you overcome the problems?

Learnt more French

Did you give up?

Never

Would you recommend it?

Definitely

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

With partner.

Could you have managed it alone?

Possibly not. But I will never know.

Was finance a problem?

Not really,  not yet anyhow

 

Georgina (Did I score highly??)

[Mlonghurst]

Did you do much/any research first?

About 6 months of in depth research.

Was it all plain sailing?

In reality yes, hard work and lots and lots of planning but in the end the whole process was really quite simple.

What were the fears?

The level of paperwork required for farming and the Language.

Did you have to change your plans?

No, not at all.

How did you overcome the problems?

We asked for loads of advice and assistance and got it.

Did you give up?

We are now having to give up farming due to my wife sustaining a very bad long term injury.  But otherwise we would not have given up as business was booming (will not be returning to the UK though) 

Would you recommend it?

Absolutly

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

Wife and myself.

Could you have managed it alone?

No.

Was finance a problem?

No.

[Cerise]

Did you do much/any research first?

Yes quite a lot

Was it all plain sailing?

Longwinded and tedious rather than actually difficult.

What were the fears?

Language for OH (I already spoke French) , ability to make a living.

Did you have to change your plans?

Yes.   Despite research did not realise how difficult it is to work in France.  I expected to be able to get job (in reality simply told 'too old' aged 47)  Husband managed to get job despite language skills.

How did you overcome the problems?

Flexibility, good sense of humour and sheer hard work.

Did you give up?

No

Would you recommend it?

With caution - would not like to do if a we had to have a mortgage or if we had children.

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

With partner

Could you have managed it alone?

Probably

Was finance a problem?

No - but we had planned .  Dislike earning great deal less whilst cost of living is about the same.  If we had had to borrow could not manage.

[Iceni]

 

Did you do much/any research first? No - but we found this forum and my SIL bought me a book the day we left

Was it all plain sailing? Of course, PPPPPP

What were the fears? Not finding artisans for barn conversion, my back problem would return with a vengeance and the NHS prediction that I would never walk properly again would come true

Did you have to change your plans? Of course not, PPPPPP

How did you overcome the problems? No problems, only challenges

Did you give up? Of course not, we are English

Would you recommend it? No, there are plenty of ex-pats here already

Did you do it alone, with a partner. With a wife

Could you have managed it alone? N/A - would not have done it for just me

Was finance a problem? Of course not, PPPPPP

Our experiences are irrelevant as far as others are concerned. We all have our own reasons for running away from England/moving to France or whatever and no two people have the same levels of grit/backbone/cojones etc necessary to make it successfully. Many posters are unable to leave behind family/friends/pubs and still consider the country in which they used to live as "home" - we have, we don't.

John

not

 

[Bastet]

We've been here nearly 5+half years now, after renovating the house, the OH started his business in January.  He's booked up till at least next summer through word of mouth.  The test will be in a couple more years when we have a better idea of how much reward he's actually been able to reap for his labours, and how much is going to the powers that be.  Then he may decide to jack it in and look for a job with someone else, as an employee.

Did you do much/any research first?  Loads, especially about where to live, health cover etc. Not enough about the restrictive employment practises.

Was it all plain sailing?  So far so good, although after the first year we decided we didn't want to live in the property we'd bought...and I can't find a job.

What were the fears?  Runing out of money, not making any friends, falling foul of "the system" through lack of language skills.

Did you have to change your plans? Slightly - gave up idea of having a gîte in favour of a long term rental property.

How did you overcome the problems?  No real problems manifested (touche bois)

Did you give up?   No - the pros far outweigh the cons..

Would you recommend it?  Not necessarily - wouldn't suit everyone...

Did you do it alone, with a partner.  With partner

Could you have managed it alone?  No - on a practical level alone, my earning capacity is virtually nil over here, my OH is the breadwinner.

Was finance a problem?   Not so far, but we have a smaller house than we had in London & invested a chunk to help give us income.

You could also ask, would you do it again knowing what you know now?   I'm not sure I would have been so eager to come over had I realised that it would be the end of my working life.  Having worked in a stressful but I have to say it, stimulating job, it took a while to accept that I wouldn't be able to find employment here, in any capacity, despite the help of ANPE and various other agencies. It's what I dreamed of at times, on the stinky, overcrowded train going into the City at 7am, but be careful what you wish for....

 

[Patf]

We're retired so don't do much. But I did some "research" on british friends here and their efforts to make a living. The main occupations are:

selling - 2 families have market stalls; one runs an english grocery. All 3 seem to cope financially, but struggling.

building etc - 8 businesses either the full works or specialist artisans. As far as I know none have given up

farming - 2. One has sheep, other geese and ducks(foie gras) The sheep farmer has a big family and his wife works in property development.

gites - 3   one couple gave up and moved to Spain

working away - 2 . away from home 4to6 weeks at a time.

teaching - 4 including one family man who teaches in Paris and commutes.   

car repair, self employed - 1

estate agent - 1

aeroplanes (Toulouse) - 1 The wife runs kennels.

internet business - 1

driving and property cleaning etc - 3

I would say that most people are struggling to make ends meet (except for one of those who works away) but enjoy life here.

 

 

 

[shimble]

thought ide add my quinze centimes worth

Did you do much/any research first?

been coming here for 17 years lived full time 7 years initially no research

Was it all plain sailing?

of course not

What were the fears?

no money no job being lonely not having any fun

Did you have to change your plans?

yes the plans changed but i did end up doing what i wanted

How did you overcome the problems

sheer pig headedness luck and also the ability to walk away from the problem and try something else

Did you give up?

i never gave up my desire to bein france but yes i had to give up some things to acheive others

Would you recommend it?

i dont think ide recommend running your own businesss to struggle and fail if you are able to live here with no real overheads and are willing to potter along and not be rich then ok i would seriously recommend full intergration with the french

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

the move was made alone i now have a french partner

Could you have managed it alone?

yes although having a french partner has made things much easier but it has entailed certain lmitations that i would not have had, had i rested single

Was finance a problem?

yes it has been a problem presently finance is reasonable but that could all change

[LesFlamands]

Installed as a building entreprise in 1994, various up and downs since, haven't given up but got fairly close to it on a few occassions. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Finance is always an issue and cashflow is a nightmare. Speaking French is essential and being able to communicate on the phone on complex issues in French is important. High anxiety threshold helps but I've found this reduces as age inceases. Bear in mind that almost all parts of France are now overrun with expat tradesmen trying tgo scratch a living (many on the black) so unless you are well established you be hard pressed to find work.

[Ian]

I don't work here in France (though my wife and I do rent out some apartments over in Nice ... that is a (very)Micro-Bic!), instead I own a training consultancy business back in the UK (I'm a Brit). This involves me flying back for a day or two once or twice a month.

Did you do much/any research first? Yes I was employed in consultancy for a year immediately prior to going-it-alone. And previously had worked in sales and training.

Was it all plain sailing? Pretty much - though actually getting paid from my first few clients took a while

What were the fears? Very minimal - took some getting used to budgeting. Being employed, I had got used to salary being paid in 12 equal chunks. In my first few years of self-employment (before incorporation), there were peaks and troughs that were a bit scary.

Did you have to change your plans? Yes - we were more successful more quickly than I had imagined, so moved to France[:)]

How did you overcome the problems? Made sure we saved when we had a "good month"

Did you give up? No

Would you recommend it? Yes - but get some sales experience/training/knowledge/recruit a great sales team, whatever you plan to do.  Most business problems can be overcome with a full order book.

Did you do it alone, with a partner. I feel it is essential to have the backing of your partner ... for the sake of your relationship and probably your business.

Could you have managed it alone? Yes- I had no investors ... but a BIG thank you to my customers of course!

Was finance a problem? Not really - but see above.

[Mackyfrance]

[quote user="Wibblywobbly"]

Did you do much/any research first?

Loads but it still wasn't enough.

Was it all plain sailing?

Only if you call losing the house you'd been planning to buy the night before you signed and the day after you exchanged on your UK house plain sailing, having to move in with parents, losing two further houses, children out of school for 6 months and eventually buying a house in desperation that you don't like!!

What were the fears?

None, but in retrospect I should have had some!

Did you have to change your plans?

No

How did you overcome the problems?

I don't think I have.

Did you give up?

No but can't guarantee we'll still be here in 12 months

Would you recommend it?

Not for families or anyone needing to work

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

With family and children aged 7 and 9 at the time of moving

Could you have managed it alone?

Wouldn't have been interested in doing it alone. Already got that T shirt in my 20s

Was finance a problem?

No but has become one.

[/quote]

[Val_2]

[quote user="Wibblywobbly"]

There are numerous enquiries from people in this forum regarding earning a living in France, and lots of advice is freely provided from those who have made the move. It would be quite interesting to hear what it is that the experienced members of the forum do to earn a crust across the channel, what encouraged them to make the move, and how long it took to establish a business.

Did you do much/any research first?

Yes, about five years worth until the time and finances were right.

Was it all plain sailing?

Not back then when there was no internet,no other english around and the language was still a bit limited plus all the bureaucracy that did not exist in the UK

What were the fears?

Not getting the work, but the opposite happened and we got no holidays or time off instead

Did you have to change your plans?

No.

How did you overcome the problems?

Did you give up?

No, still at it some thirteen years later

Would you recommend it?

Only with enough savings, a home established and plenty of research carried out first. Too many have made the mistake of locating before realising what they were going to do for a living etc. If you are confident you can survive, you will.

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

Husband and two young children.

Could you have managed it alone?

No, but then I would never have considered coming in the first place.

Was finance a problem?

Not in the beginning,but the savings soon run out and then the cotisations hit hard,hence the need for the homework and pot to survive on for a while.

These are all questions that many of us who would like to make the move would love to know the answers to and I would imagine that many of you have an interesting tale to tell, so please feel free to share your experiences.

Rob G

 

[/quote]

[Rose]

Hi Wibblywobbly... we've only been here since last August so we're maybe still in the honeymoon period... but...

Did you do much/any research first?

Oh yes... not sure it was all relevant and there has been loads we didn't learn in advance

Was it all plain sailing?

It was surprisingly easier than we imagined

What were the fears?

Our son settling, being lonely, homesickness

Did you have to change your plans?

Yes... we planned to rent for a year but the house was sold a few months before we moved... so we bought instead... no regrets about that though

How did you overcome the problems?

just tackle things as they arise and try to be calm about it all... just accept that things will not go as planned and enjoy the journey!

Did you give up?

no... but maybe we're too new to answer that... right now can't even consider that... having too much fun!

Would you recommend it?

YES... often in life it's the things you don't do you regret!

Did you do it alone, with a partner.

Husband and son (aged 8)

Could you have managed it alone?

Actually I think so... I think that singles, couples and families can do it if they want to

Was finance a problem?

No... I guess that helps a lot and we're lucky...

[:)]