gazzauk

Hi all

I am new to this forum, and would like to ask a couple of questions.

What kind of work can britishexpats expect to get in Southern France?

Does it matter if you can't speake french very well?

I work in IT as a Project Manager and was wondering if there are many companies in France who employ British workers?

If IT is out of the question then i am open to a career change as my family and i are fed up with the rat race of our country, and would love life with a slower pace.

I also have two daughters one 11 and one 9 what are the schools like in Southern France.


Look forward to your replys

Gazzauk

pinky

Hi Gazza

Sounds like you are in the same predicament as us ...we are desperate to move out there (anywhere) and have 3 young children, but we need to work...do you hope that you find work, or hold out till you get work?? Its a nightmare and I am trying to find the answers, but not having much luck!! I have tried all the job agencies, but if you are like me you cant understand them!!!

Let me know if you get any joy!!

Kind regards

Pinky

sibsie

I went to school in France but the only advice I can give you is to learn the language and learn in fluently. You'll be limiting yourselves to quite menial work unless you can speak French.

Good luck.

gazzauk

Hi Pinky.

Nightmare isn't it ? What sort of thing would you settle for ? How old are your children.

Gazza

stlocook

I have three kids who have been/are going through the French educational system. I would agree with the point about learning fluent French; the unemployment rate here isn't going down and obviously any employer would prefer to employ someone with whom he can communicate!

sibsie

I do think the French school system is a good one, even if the hours take a little getting used to. I don't know if it's still the same as when I went to school in Montpellier, but we had to go in on Saturdays for half day and had early starts. My school was also as strict as hell. The only trouble I had was the French style of writing which I found very different. I mean the actual formation of the letters rather than the content.

The Baccalaureate seems to be the favoured system these days so your kids in France would have an advantage.

pinky

Hi Gazza,

To be honest we would settle for anything /anywhere at the moment,this place seems to be going rapidly downhill,and we want to get out!! The main thing is trying to work otherwise its a hopeless excercise! Ideally we would like to get a place near a small town but not too remote,with a few outbuildings to convert into gites for family/friend lettings ......we will have to keep on searching for that elusive english speaking job!! We have 3 daughters aged 9/7 and 3years so they should fit in okay, as the other two people have kindly stated it doesn't seem too difficualt for the kids..just us grown ups!!
How about you? What are you looking for??

Regards
Pinky

gazzauk

Well to be honest we're open to either South of France or Spain. We're looking at both options. Like you we think life here is going downhill so fast. Nobody has any time for each other - everybody seems to be caught in the trap of working their way to an early grave. It just seems like a spiral. We just want to be able to enjoy each other a little more but we are concerned that the rates of pay won't be able to let us. We'll keep searching and see.

Cheers

Gazza

pinky

Hiya Gazza

Yea know what you mean, its all keeping up with the Jones' here...you have to have a nice house/job/car, and what does it all mean? Like you say you work all hours every day and in the meantime the kids are growing up without you/without a real childhood .Thats the appeal for us,spending more time with the girls while they want to do things with us,there will come a time when it will be makeup and boyfriends!! Over here they seem to grow up so quickly!
Hey Ho...back on the relentless search of the net!!!
Need to win the lottery!!!

Good luck and keep me posted if you find a job that requires two english couples with loads of kids between them!!!!

Regards
Pinky

sibsie

Life in Spain and the South of France can be laid back, but make no mistake it's not an answer to life's problems. You'll just be swapping one set for another. There is still the keeping up with the Jones' over here. The French and the Spanish can be as snooty as the best of them.

pinky

Hi Sibsie

Thanks for that..yea i know that there is an element of it everywhere,but like you say it is more laid back ,and I do feel there is less emphasis on having to work all hours god sends,the europeans seem to value their lives more and their kids. For example over there you can take the kids out with you for an evening meal, over here its not encouraged apart from the fast food places of course!!
Nothing is ever easy!!!
Regrds
Pinky

sibsie

Best of luck with it. I know a lot of expats from here who are now selling up and moving to France. I wish I'd headed there initially. Would have made more sense as I'm fluent in French.

Good luck with whatever you decide and yes kids are treated better. I've never even seen a kids menu when I've been out. They are just treated like little people, as they should be.

mpprh

Hi

France has highish unemployment. It is higher in the South than in the North.

Having said that, there are opportunities for expats in IT. The Med has become a minor silicon valley ... IBM, Dell, Palm and many other IT companies have major operations here including software development.

Better locations are Sophia Antipolis , Nimes & Montpellier.

I think you need to visit, and talk to some employment agencies.

Feel free to contact me direct.

Peter
The Languedoc Page
http://tlp.netfirms.com