Mmazevet

My husband has the opportunity to work for an oil and gas company in Cassis and we are currently trying to decide if we should go or not. He is French, i am British and we have previously lived in Aberdeen and Kuala Lumpur. I am currently pregnant with my second child and have a three year old. I was wondering if anyone knew if there is an English speaking expat community in Cassis? I won't be able to work for a while so I need to have a way to meet people. I have been to Cassis before and found it beautiful so I don't have any worries about the location or weather.
Thanks for your help.

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
As having a baby in France is "regimental", in the sense of the future mother being subject to "strict control and rigid order" (I speak from experience), it would be advisable to have your baby in the UK, and not arrive here in the middle of the prescribed French "programme"! Apart from that, presumably you'd have family support at home to be present for the elder child when the time comes, whereas here you'd only have your husband, who'd accompany you to the Maternité, unless his family is nearby?
Your 3-year-old would go to the local Maternelle, make friends and speak French in no time. You in turn will meet all the other mums at the school gate and make friends. But since you're asking about an expat community in Cassis, I guess that you don't speak French?
For the baby, there's probably a municipal "halte-garderie" where you can leave him/her for a couple of hours from time to time to do your own thing, but from experience, this would be for your or your elder one's medical appointments, not to socialize! There are obviously municipal all-day crêches for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old, but priority is given to working and/or low-income parents.
Hope this helps with your decision, I'd go for it, but if possible after your baby's birth. But if you come beforehand, having a French OH will help cope with the bureaucratic hurdles!!