curlytops

Ever since we moved to Australia 7 years ago we've been totally sat on the fence about staying here, (have tried different states)
We've often talked about a move to France, we used to go over a lot when we were living in England.
We're a middle aged couple, painter & nurse, no kids & speak very little french.
Getting a nursing job is out of the question. Many posts on here have said its difficult for trades to compete with their french equivalent. We're both very practical, and are happy to give anything a go. We consider ourselves "doers" & not "gunnas"
So, we've decided to give it a go, sold everything in Oz and given ourselves a budget to live in France for a year from this autumn. Not even sure which area to go, though the SW would probably our first option (but not the Dordogne). We could potentially buy a place and be mortgage free, although wouldn't want to commit to this until we could establish some sort of income.
Anyone out there want to share their experiences (good & bad) of how their lives in France have worked out.

EuroTrash

Er - welcome to the forum, and good luck!

dmu

+1
I'd add that you'd need to budget for private healthcare coverage as it's very unlikely you'll find "legal" work, which would get you into the System, without speaking the language (and in your research you'll have found out that there are millions of French jobseekers chasing after any jobs going).
Can't advise on areas, but bear in mind that spending holidays in France in the past is vastly different from actually living here, with all the nitty-gritty of "real" life, French Bureaucracy, ... You are doing well to arrive in the Autumn, and wherever you settle, you'll see your chosen area at its worst during the winter (unless you choose a ski-ing area!).
If you aren't bringing your furniture with you, you'll find that there's less furnished accommodation to rent than unfurnished, and you may do well to rent Gîtes and move around before finally deciding.
You've made your decision to come to France, but you should have a Plan B for later if you decide that France isn't for you, after all.
Good luck!

EuroTrash

Why have you chosen France? What are the things you hope you will find/achieve in France that weren't there for you in Oz, UK etc?
The reason for the question, really, is that normally (yes yes I know, I'm biased and wrong and it's not like that at all) I'm sceptical about people who move to Dordogneshire because they want everything France. But in your case, if you're hoping to earn a living and you don't speak French, it might be your best bet.

And I would strongly advise against buying anywhere in France until you're sure. Once bought, property here can take many many years to sell, and if in fact you're just coming for a long holiday you don't want be stuck with paying property taxes for years after the holiday is over.

jvc

Have you thought about somewhere like the Rhone Alpes or maybe a bit nearer to the Alps, or Haute Savoie, then look for seasonal work? We know some people who do this but do have to say that they live from one season to the next not knowing if they will have a job next year, which is not my idea of fun. We do know though that there are ski hotels who take on drivers to pick clients up from airports like Geneva etc, and look for solid staff for this. I know of one couple who are running their own hotel, but struggle to collect clients in their minibus, as this is very time consuming for them having to make a 90 min drive each way, sometimes daily to drop off and collect clients.
Just a thought anyway. We are the same age group as you by the sound of things, and know we would struggle to get some work, ie bar work maybe, but there are jobs working in ski schools and tourist offices but your french would have to be top notch!
We moved to France with work, but knowing the current situation we would not do it without any solid financial stability. It's dear living here!
Good luck anyway!

graham.miln

Welcome to the forum curlytops. We moved from Australia to France. We settled in Lyon, Rhône Alpes, and are slowly integrating into the French system.

The advice above is excellent. There are a few key items to focus on:

- Healthcare; consider how you will cover emergency treatment. I believe health cover is a requirement to residing legally in France.

- Accommodation; renting is difficult because your monthly income is measured and not your savings. Consider a three or more month holiday rental while you get settled. You can offer multi-month rentals to those advertising for shorter rental periods. Some will welcome the stable income you offer.

- Legal standing; if either of you is not an EU passport holder, on arrival start as soon as possible securing the obligatory carte de sejour.

Good luck.

abc1

Unless you are french speaking, France is only good for holidaying.

Chatter Static

Obviously your wind up of the day judging by the posting history, It's actually surprising how many folk I see in front of me in check out queues getting by on just English but yes it stands to reason that French helps.

EuroTrash

That's a bit harsh, I thought it was a valid point. You can get by, yes, as you do on holiday. But no matter long you stay I don't see how it can be 'living', as in 'life to the full', in a country where you don't understand most of what's going on around you. It is more like a long holiday where 'getting by' in supermarkets and shops is half the fun - not so much fun when it comes to real life stuff like health issues, earning a living, sorting out problems and disputes, understanding your bills and contracts and dealing with all the official stuff that lands in your letterbox, all the things you normally get stuck into when you go back home.

cyrian

It is possible if you do not need to work but France is not like the Costas in Spain where they accommodate the English-speaking community.
In France, by-and-large they don't.
In supermarkets, you don't need to speak to anyone and you can use the self-checkout lanes in English but that doesn't help when you need to interface with French bureaucracy or even the local plumber etc.(unless you live near Dijon )
While everything is possible, it is much, much harder when you cannot integrate with your neighbours because they don't understand you or you cannot perform basic tasks which would be simple in your native tongue.
We would have struggled coming here without my OH's fluency in French.
Best of luck to the OP

+1 For ET post

Chatter Static

Well I'm going by the posters interesting posting history and that you do come across folk that don't get a grasp of French but still get by admittedly it's more likely in the retired bracket.

EuroTrash

That's the other side of the coin isn't it, if you're reliant on other people you're vulnerable. Sometimes people will help you out and sometimes they won't and I may be doing the Costas a huge injustice here but I have heard that they have a tradition of 'accommodating' English speakers by charging them over the odds for everything. The temptation is there and I'm sure it happens in France too. Again you expect to be ripped off a bit when you're on holiday, that's what tourists are for, but it can't be much fun when it's on a permanent basis.

Novocastrian

That resonates with me. My french (while very, very far from fluent) is coming along nicely now, (ever since I managed the mental gymnastics of not thinking in German when trying to speak French ).

Now I find that I have begun to think in french when using the language, but I too was reliant on my OH at first.

curlytops

Thanks for the comments. We're not going with rose tinted specs, so are realistic that our year there maybe just that. However, if we are able to pick up a bit of seasonal work that enables us to stay a bit longer, learn some more french, then that's a massive bonus. Maybe it'll help us decide which country to call home.
Cheers

EuroTrash

That's the very best attitude IMHO. It can be done.