Polly B

Hi all
I`m new to the forums so I`ll quickly explain our situation.
I live in Northern Ireland with J, my hubby and our 3 girls - 10, 2 and 6 mths. J has always been keen to move to another country for a better quality of life, more opportunities and better weather. I have finally come round to the idea, my only worry is about leaving behind much loved family and friends. Australia, Canada and New Zealand appeal very much to us but they`re so far away, so I would be quite keen to explore the possibility of France - It`s so much closer and only a quick, cheap flight away.
The only problem I foresee is the language. Obviously it`s best to learn before you go, but is it necessary? How well(or badly) would we get on with only our Gammar school basic French? How hard is it to pick it up once you get there?
Thanks in advance for your opinions and advice
Polly

Celtic Princess

I would imagine that it would be very hard without the language. We moved to Sweden where English is like a second language, and sometimes it has been incredibly hard. I cannot begin to imagine how much worse that would be had we moved to somewhere like France. Saying that, if you really want something and are prepared for the hard slog, there is no reason why it wouldn't work out for you. (I hear Swindon is currently experiencing a heatwave.)

jen_andy

Hi Polly B,

I know exactly what you mean I've had my heart set on Oz for years, but its a massive move with the visa etc, plus my parents would disown me!

We've got a daughter (almost 2) and I'm 13 weeks pregnant with the second.

After discussions with my partner and my parents we all look pretty set for the south of france - altogether!

My partner has no knowledge of french, I did GCSE years ago, but am looking at studying it again at the local college. I thought at least if one of us know the language fairly well we won't do too badly.

My mums friend went to france to live without knowing a word of french. She says it was hard, but she's now fluent in it (think she was there for a couple of years).

I have been put off by everywhere in europe due to language, but I guess it will be really good to be bilingual, plus my daughter would really benefit from two languages I suppose!

Ultimately I don't think we can provide the same lifestyle for our kids here as we could over there, and the area we're living in has absolutely nothing! If it wasn't for some large industrial estates 50 years ago it would probably still be farmland (and the industry has long since left here now)!

The idea of owning a small farmhouse with maybe some gites for extra cash, having our own bit of land, chickens, maybe a little pond for ducks and solar panels!!! Would be a dream come true compared to the little semi we're renting

Where abouts in france are you thinking of?

Sorry for the rant

Jen

Polly B

Hi Jen
Not sure where exactly in France we`d like to go - prefer the South but would go where the work is.

I love your idea of the farmhouse with the chickens - a girl after my own heart!!

Work is our main problem - with none of the 2 of us speaking French surely it would be nigh impossible to find work?

I would worry too that my 10 year old would have a problem settling in a community and school where she couldn`t speak the language.

Do you really think you`d have a better quality of life in France?

Polly

jen_andy

Hi, I think there's english schools or bilingual - although I think we'd all be surprised how much french you could quickly learn (theres a thread on the french section about all the different ways of learning which might be good to read).

What do you and your partner do for work? My partner Andy and I are quite fortunate, I've been running the business for almost 2 years and he jumped on board at the start of summer. Its graphic and web design, so it can all be run through the internet as there's only a small handful of clients we ever see face to face! We've got a couple of clients in France anyhow lol.

I mean with the language side - fabio capello only took a few months to learn english! I'm sure I won't be able to afford the teachers he used but if I try to learn as much as possible in 1-2 years, I know it will still be a struggle but I guess the best approach is to treat it as a challenge.

I know I can't provide my kids with the lifestyle I would like over here, there's no way we're going to be able to afford to buy a house outright or even get on the ladder within the next 10 years. The weather isn't the best - I'd love to live somewhere a bit warmer and sunnier in summer, and gets snow and frost in winter (we just get 5 months of overcast and drizzle).

I just feel that me and my partner work really hard and don't see any return here, we earn a very good wage but it gets eaten up on god only knows what. I think if we could get abroad, buy a property and do it up over several years, get it well insulated, open fire, grow lots of vegs etc, plus get solar panels and fully modernise it on the eco front - we'd be happier and better off lol.

I could be completely off my trolley and living in fairy land - but for the last 7 years I've strongly felt that the UK isn't for me anymore, certainly the area I live in. At least with France it's not too far to come back or for visiters to go to, and I know the language would be a hurdle - but once you're over it you never have to learn it again! and the paperwork for everything will be a challenge, but its got to offer more than we can have here.

Fingers crossed

We're looking at possibly aveyron
I've seen some potential looking properties on rightmove.com - we're not ready to buy yet but it gives us an idea of what we could possibly look at in the future.
I'd just like to be a short drive to the med, and a short drive to the mountains for snowboarding, so possibly need to research the area a bit more as I'm not sure how far aveyron is from everything.

look - ranting again

Jen

Polly B

Jen,
I don`t think you`re off your trolley at all - I think you`re taking a very brave step for the benefit of your family.

We want to move away from UK for the same reasons. I think we could do it but my hubby isn`t so sure. He works in Michelin, and I wonder if he could get a transfer to France. I work in childcare and have experience as a pre school coordinator as well as in the Health Service - although I don`t know how easy it would be to get a job in that area. The fact that you have an established business is a great advantage to you.

I know that we could easily afford a decent poperty and a decent lifestyle - but we also need to think about childcare etc..

We have bought the Rosetta Stone French language CDs so maybe we should make a start on those and see how we get on.!!

Polly

jen_andy

If you want me to pm my email address you're more than welcome to be my "french buddy"

Have you not thought about maybe setting up as an au pair over there? Maybe running an "english" day care where you could get the kids into speaking both languages or something?

I'd ask about the transfer for your husband - you never know what could come up?

Setting up self employed sounds like a massive complicated headache over there - but it could be worth looking into?

I've got my first french lesson since 2001 in the morning - EEK!

Oh well, I'm sure it will be worth the headache lol. I've always found reading and writing easier than speaking and listening so it will be good on the job front but not on the everyday communication!

When did you last do any french?

Jen

Polly B

When did I last do Fench? emmmmmm....... that would have been about 18 years ago in fifth year. So I`m just a tad rusty.

I wouldn`t have a clue how to set up a business in this country, let alone in a foreign country!! Would be a great option though.

Have you given yourselves a time frame for moving? We have a house to sell and with the way things are in the housing market that could take a long time

Hope all goes well in your French class tomorrow.
Polly

jen_andy

Well the french lesson went well. . . imperfect tense or something . . . cant remember now its been a long day!

It was very strange - just seemed to start exactly where I left off although obviously 7 years ago! Its going to be a tough few months remembering a lot of it, but its going to be fun

Been told to get the BBC French book which looks quite good, picked up a dictionary this afternoon. And now have homework

Setting up a business over here's quite easy - you do it over the phone lol. Its the accounts that can be a headache!

We're only renting so can go in a month if we wanted . . . although I'm 13 weeks pregnant and owe money everywhere! My parents want to go, but they have to sell up first, so we will probably wait til they've sold the house. Although I'm thinking Spring/Summer 2010, that way new baby will be about 12-18months so more manageable!

Hoping to go down end of next summer for a reccie, then maybe again in jan/feb for an idea of "the miserable" time of year! Although I think its got to be better than jan/feb here!

The ideal scenario is my parents sell, they buy a property with converted barn for us to live in. Then when we're settled in we can buy a shack of a farm and slowly do it up over 2-3 years or so (or quicker if I get my own way and pester my brothers enough as they're tradesmen).

Do you have a timescale in mind? Have you decided if its right for you or you still umming and arring?

Polly B

Glad the lesson went well.

Still very much umming, ahhing and umming again!!

You have it all worked out - sounds like a good plan. It will be great to have your parents with you. What a great support that will be to have close family nearby.

I spent last night looking online at various jobs in France. There are quite a lot of families looking for nannies and au pairs - unfortunatey I `m older than a lot of them are looking for

Did a lot of the French you learned in school all come flooding back today?

Homework eh? Bet you never thought you`d have to do that again
Better get stuck in!!

Polly

jen_andy

Lol, I always hated homework . . .

It was just a strange lesson, a lot came sort of flooding back. It was very much a case of looking in the dictionary and trying to remember how to string the words together. I think once I get the hang of the grammer again it won't be so bad.

We listened to tapes and read stuff in books and you'd just hear or read a couple of words that you know and it sort of clicks what the conversation is about (except I couldn't really give any detailed answers lol).

I've checked all my dvds and Ive found out that quite a few disney ones have the option of listening to it dubbed in french; toy story, ladyand the tramp, fox and hounds, the wild, cant remember the rest.
So got my daughter watching lady and the tramp in french before - she was quite impressed for a 2 year old lol.

I've been plotting and scheming to leave england for about 6 years now lol, and have a habit of changing myplans. . . but this is the quickest route out! I've got to stick with it. Even if in 5 or 6 years time we look at aus again, at least we could always look at canada with us all in theory being fluent in french. But I don't want Tia to grow up here, there's nothing for kids.

Fingers crossed!

what does the rest of your family think?

Jen

Polly B

I know what you mean about stringing the words together. I remember lots of French words but would have serious problems putting them together in a sentence - it`s all the grammer that I`ve forgotten too. Unfortunately that`s the stuff that conversations are made of!!

When you say the rest of my family I assume you mean my parents and in-laws. We haven`t told anyone yet - I suppose we`re waiting until we make some definite decisions. I know they`ll not be too happy. Our kids are the only grandchildren on both sides and we do see them very regularly so the news of our move to far off lands will go down like a big lead balloon

We still haven`t ruled out Canada. We`re looking at the Nova Scotia area there and considering the pros and cons of such a huge step.
We have a house to sell here so with the state of the housing market we`re not anticipating a sale in the very near future. We definitely wouldn`t or couldn`t go without first selling our house and getting plenty of cash in our pockets - if it was just the 2 of us we`d probably take the risk, but not with 3 kids to support, feed and clothe!!

Somtimes I think we`re just talking ourselves round in circles and it`s time to DO something - I`m just scared that it will all go wrong and we`ll hate it.

My hubby says I`m the most indecisive person he`s ever met - think he`s right.

jen_andy

Lol I know that feeling.

I keep thinking about canada, maybe after being in france for a few years we might go. You could always tell everyone in your family you're going australia and then "change your mind" and say france/canada is closer - might go down better lol.

I've been feeling a bit stuck lately, I always envisioned my farm in the countryside but its looking less likely now if we want to get over there in the next 2 years.

I dreamt last night that we were living in a ski resort, so I'm thinking thats probably the best route (logical way of deciding hey). If we try and rent a smallish 3 bedroom chalet just outside of a ski resort, hopefully it won't cost much more than what we're paying now and allow us to save up for the farm!

Or maybe just rent and then go canada eventually. . . I dunno anymore!

Jen

Polly B

I love the idea of the farmhouse in the country. Work towards that one

I suppose you`re right though - it`s whatever option`s most financially viable for you.

dmu

Sorry to butt in your conversation but I discovered it quite by chance when zapping in the Europe section. I've been following the thread you started in the French section, which went off into a variety of tangents...
Hasn't your OH asked Michelin NI about a transfer yet? That seems to be the most important thing to do before you make a decision about France. I'm sorry to continue being a wet blanket, but it won't be as easy as that to work in child care here. Check first that your diploma is accepted in France and be aware that child care training is a very popular career choice here and a fluent French speaker would take priority on the employment front. Meanwhile, before even starting to look for a job, you'd have to organize care for your two youngest and you can't realistically expect your local crêche to have room for them the minute you arrive. Likewise you can't set up private child-care at home in France, just like that. There are strict rules and regulations to follow...
If you've got Satellite TV, watch the French news to see all the discontent that there is in France, or failing that, buy a Figaro or Le Monde. Life isn't at all rosy over here....
P.S. I've been here since 1970 and so long out of the UK except for short visits, that I can't really appreciate what it's like to live there.