RedMonsk

Hi all

Below is a link from the Mail on Saturday, which I thought some of you might find interesting!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...come-home.html

I'd be interested to hear opinions from people already living in France, as we are determined not give up on our dream!

Ka Ora!

Big Deal people move back all the time, Since the Grand British Exodus started people have been Coming and Going not everyone makes it when separated from their comfort zone. Back to the UK they maybe going but bear in mind it's still costs more to live in the UK and Good jobs are harder to find these days as well.

criodain

well, it's worth noting the person in the article went to France without a job, and others suffering are pensioners (due to the exchange rate).
So word of advice could be, don't go to France, or anywhere else for that matter, without a job....?

treskillard

The articles about people leaving are as much use as those about people arriving in France. They always miss the point and are usually built around the handful of friends of the journalist in question which is always a questionable point of departure. Who on this forum has been contacted by the press in one form or another I wonder? I was approached by a Swedish journalist last year who wanted to know 'things' about the Brits in my village. I wouldn't talk. Not even being held down by blue eyes and blonde hair and tied up with limbs and sinews would break me. No I said. No and No again.

G-J-B

A lot of people who move to France return after 3 years anyway - not just for financial reasons. I dare say it is having an impact on a few people, but I think quite a few of those probably moved on impulse anyway, without a real backup plan. Chances are if they went back to the UK they'd have more expenses and debt to contend with, not to mention the same problems in finding work.
I believe the euro will take a bit of a pounding this year which ought to prop up the pound a bit - it's not all bad news.

Le Chant

Stories like this are common. It's not 'news', it's trading on fear, supposition and anxieties in uncertain econmic climates. Believe what you want to believe, but there are those of us over here, while not making profits, are still able to live, and enjoy a better way of life than we perhaps would be in the UK.

The gites business is ok. We're not in the 'average' bracket for our properties anyway. We know folks here who haven't even had a telephone call for a rental this year, while we've managed 18 weeks so far! Our campsite's full for July & August too. Why? 'Cos we work bloody hard at it! This is our job now, and our hands are like those of a labourers too. No shame in that, it's honest graft.

Bloody stupid 'journalists' need to get their heads from out of their arses and do some real reporting for a change. Once people get a whiff of good news, they may start to realise it's not all doom and gloom!

:curse:

RedMonsk

Thanks for all the replies!

I can't understand why pensioners are returning? Do they honestly think their pound is going to go any further over here?!

We are still determined to make the move, otherwise we will kick ourselves for years to come for not trying! I don't think there is ever a perfect time to take the leap, but our son is nearly 9 and we don't want to make the transition any harder for him than necessary.

dennerlymum

I agree with all of the previous comments; the article is based on those people who had their heads in the clouds when leaving the uk; thinking that here they could live on thin air and joie de vivre and who now are chasing another dream by returning to the uk, hoping it will somehow be different... we have moved many times in the last few years and know that life is generally the same wherever you are; we have suffered by the falling pound as hubby is paid in the uk but we are still better off than we were in the uk and going back would solve nothing. Anyway we love our life here and would not return for any reason

RedMonsk

Great to hear!

Whereabouts did you settle? How did your kid/s settle?

dennerlymum

Wr settled on the outskirts of toulouse as we are lucky enough to have hubby employed by airbus as a contractor (reasonable security - if necesssary will seek work in rest of europe to keep us here)
I work as a PT tefl teacher - very pt since jan when the new financial yr saw my hours plummet
My kids 9 and 11 now settled very quickly - daughter eldest due to a super bilingual scheme in place in a primary sc=hool and college nearby. Son in local primary. Both state they do not wish to return to uk
We have built our house on a lotissement and adore it; having moved 5times in 8 years I am now happy to settle at last

Chris'nJulie

We're pensioners (just!) and moved here on early retirement a couple of years ago. The reasons we left the UK are the same, and worsening by the day if all we hear is to be believed.

We never made the move with return in mind, and the current economical climate hasn't changed that view. As many others have said, we'd rather be skint here than in the UK - the quality of life is so much better, and far less stressful. There is a storm to be ridden everywhere in Europe at present, it seems, so we might as well ride it out here. I can see absolutely nothing to be gained from moving back - apart from the self-admission of defeat, the costs would be phenomenal and really not worth the bother. There's nothing I really miss, nowhere I'd particularly call home, so little point really.

No, we'll stick it out here and enjoy the life we came for.

Chris

jenny and charlie

We agree with Chris'n'Julie totally, we have retired early here and returning to england was NOT part of our "package". We adore our life in france and would not have anything different, there is nothing about living here that we dislike and we could never have retirement in england like this.

RedMonsk

My mum lives in France having taken early retirement and her partner is younger still! I know they would never move back to England even though they have a lovely place in Windemere, but agree with you that quality of life is much better. She lives near Monsegur - I wonder if that is near you Jenny?

We are hoping to move to the Lot-et-Garonne and no we don't have jobs to go to, but we are hoping that by the time we renovate our new home, matters will have improved somewhat?! My OH is a very good carpenter and I'm sure that with time he will gain some customers (touch wood!).

jenny and charlie

Bonjour RedMonsk,
We are quite near your Mum, only 30 kilometers away (in rural France that's nothing) we haven't been down to Monsegur yet, the nearest we have been is Sauveterre de Guyenne which is a stunningly beautiful village, especially at night when the town square is all lit up by the pretty restaurants. It's intoxicatingly romantic
Silly old romantics Jenny and Charlie xx

RedMonsk

Ah yes, I like Sauveterre - can't speak about the romance side of things as I went to a Medieval festival there with my children!!!

Bear us in mind if you hear of anyone needing carpentry done in say a year's time (fingers crossed!)