cant decide
 

Hello new to sight so please be patient trying to figure it out .Mmm

I am in the process of deciding if I'm going to stay in Canada and just change cities . or after 34 years move home to England or move to France
(french is weak )

any insight on pros and cons would be much appreciated .
cant decide , as don't have much to base my choices on.

:)))

Re: cant decide
 

There's a lot of postings here from people wondering if to make the move to France and the same considerations always apply: what will you do for work? Non-French speakers are at the end of the queue for any work that might be available. Where will your income be from? You probably won't be eligible for healthcare so will have to pay for it, etc.

I'm more interested in what prompts your move generally ... dissatisfaction with where you live in Canada, since you're considering staying there but moving towns?

I think you will have to tell us more in order to get an informed response - are you working? Retired? Family coming with you, school age kids? The more you say, the more people can advise.

Re: cant decide
 

+1
France is still in the middle of the economic crisis in Europe and isn't likely to get out of it under the present Government. Unemployment is continuously increasing and, as mentioned, priority for any jobs going is given to (bilingual) French candidates. Not to mention the expense of taking out private healthcare insurance. Sorry to be blunt, but France isn't the place to come to if you haven't got a job lined up, and don't speak French well.
Fore-warned is fore-armed. Good luck with your decision:)

Re: cant decide
 

+ another 1
For anybody who is not fully committed to a move to France, I don't think now is the time to do it. You need either a very deep pit of savings to live off if you're an early retiree, or a strong motivation plus good language skills to get your head round all the rules and jump through all the hoops if you hope to work here.
Beyond that, frankly, without knowing anything at all about what your personal preferences or your priorities are or what you're looking to achieve, it's very hard to have any opinion on where you're most likely to achieve it.

Re: cant decide
 

Well its simple really after been here 34 years, I realize im no longer happy here just going though the motions .

I work with children with behavior/ social problems and their families.
I love what I do but im no longer satisfied with the system ,plus the unpredictability of my work , I never know from year to year if I have a job or how long the contract will be .


THE WINTERS OH GOD .are so long and so cold, I find myself going from work to home .very little social life .7 months is a long time and does not do my peace of mind any good ,its got to the point I hate it .

I am single ,unfortunately couldn't have children ,and no family in Canada

The politics here in Montreal are becoming a real issues .
when I was younger Montreal was a great city but its changed and so have I.


As for France ,well my ex whom I am good friends with is from France ,he also is thinking of returning to France.
He is a artisan in upholstery, restoration and buying selling antiques ,all of which I love .
He asked if I want to go with him and look at opening a business there .
we can both last for a while maybe 3 months or so without working but worried there is not a need ,demand for that type of business anymore.

I like the though of France, plus very close to England if it doesn't work out.
As I have an EU passport I was told I will get assistance there and could go to school for French .

Re: cant decide
 

France is not top of most people's list if job/business security is a priority.
Nor if user-friendly systems, political harmony and a strong, popular government are anywhere on their list (many people have real issues with Hollande and his desperate and crazy ideas on how to squeeze more tax revenue out of people, you can't even call them policies really)
Nor if they're looking for a buzzing year-round social life, outside of Paris and the big towns - but I guess if you're looking at starting a business you would be heading for a town.
Not sure what assistance EU passport holders can expect to get? Most Brits don't get any when we first land, you're expected to have paid in before you can start taking out.
Allowing 3 months before you find work or build up a business from scratch to make enough profit to pay the bills, sounds extremely optimistic to me.

IMHO you really need to want to be in France to start a business there. You'll end up investing a lot of money in the country by way of business charges and social security contributions, and if you don't like the place enough to invest heavily in it you risk getting bitter and disillusioned quite fast, and wondering why you're not in the UK where you'd get to keep a lot more of the profits in your own pocket. Instead of handing it over to the state to be used for the Greater Good, i.e. to pay the vast and growing army of public servants that France supports at the expense of private enterprise.

But if your husband feels French enough to be happy to do that, and you want to be with him, I guess you have to give it a go. The issues I mentioned won't matter if you know in your own mind want to be in France. They only matter if you're comparing France to other places.

Re: cant decide
 

Mmmm
hes my ex , but were still good friends and both not happy with life in Montreal any more, thus looking at doing something together . The issues you mentioned are all his concerns and a big part of why he hasn't returned up to now.
we were looking at the Toulouse area thinking a small local business in upholstery restoration etc .

Re: cant decide
 

I couldn't have put it better myself:lol:

I used to be set up in business but gave up the ghost as its just so demoralizing. The business was doing well, but I had just had enough. Enough of the crazy social charges, the couldn't give a damn attitudes of civil servants/banks & chasing after money that clients wouldn't pay, which happens more than you would think and these bad payers seem to be protected in France. If you're lucky enough to get your money one day it wont be without a long haul AND lots of expense.

I now work with another guy who wanted to shut up shop too, but since I've been with him, he has seemed to have put the idea on the back burner. He's in two minds and actually wants to go to Quebec but after what you say I'm not sure he'll stay there long lol. But from what he's told me, it's a lot easier to run a business in Canada than in here in France, so don't come over with the idea that it'll be pretty much the same as over there - it isn't.

Re: cant decide
 

oh my :(
so hard to know what to do , From what you are saying its seems Quebec as all the same issues as there . the grass is not greener here .
I thought if life is not going to be easy ,at least in France you have better weather , culture , food and the rest of Europe at your doorstep .

all that being said it want help if cant get any work , how is the Antique upholstery/ restoration demand anybody know .

Re: cant decide
 

tell your friend it is no longer easy in Quebec a lot of the people from France are returning or moving to another city . What business is he in ?
Hope he like the winter, it is unbearable after a while to live with 6 plus months of winter .

Re: cant decide
 

I'm not too sure about that particular industry, but I would think that it's a pretty niche market. Doesn't mean it wouldn't work though.

I'm currently looking for another business to invest in, (don't care what, just needs to be enjoyable and make some money along the way :p), but I always end up saying to myself, "but we're in France...." and I'm quickly back to the drawing board.

If it's good weather you're after don't come to the east as winters are long and summers are sweltering. You probably need to go further down south but even then I hear winters can be quite chilly down there too.....

Re: cant decide
 

ups answered in the wrong place .
tell your friend it is no longer easy in Quebec a lot of the people from France are returning or moving to another city .were facing all the same issues . What business is he in ?
Hope he like the winter, it is unbearable after a while to live with 6 plus months of winter .

Re: cant decide
 

Going home to the uk is very much in my thought process right now ,but very expensive to live in the south and don't like the weather,especally in the north where I'm from .
Christian and I did talk about him opening a antique / upholstery store in the uk as hes from France he has the contacts . everyone keeps telling me the economy is doing very bad right now.

weather my degree work experience will be accepted , if I decide to work in my field is a concern also.

SEE why im confused now LOL

Re: cant decide
 

France really is suffering Maddie, French families in general have cut back on non essential services, the unemployment situation is dire. It isn't an ideal time to start a business, as others on here have mentioned, also, you really do need to have a reasonable standard of French if you want to start an enterprise in France. If you are living your life via the secondhand interpretation of your partner this will become frustrating for you both.

Why don't you move somewhere else in Canada? There are lots of start up incentives for small businesses, and I would think a small upholstery business would do rather well in some parts...a bit chic and different, just the sort of thing the Canadians like to support

I cannot but agree on the weather. No bad weather anywhere in Europe could ever be compared to any winter day in Eastern Canada. Until the snow banks are above your head, and you don't know where else to shovel the snow to, is not fun.

You at least have good options:thumbup: I do hope things work well for you...good luck!

Re: cant decide
 

Hi Maddie,
I had a somewhat similar situation to you, moving from Sweden to S.W.France. The climate in Sweden is similar to Canada and all I can say is this: you will be able to Count Everything by a factor of Three. Winter here is Three months shorter, the Winter Days are Three hours longer, the time when you can sit outdoors for a drink or a meal or a chat is Three months longer - paradise!
Now, my wife and I (she's Swedish and I'm English) both retired a couple of years ago, so there we differ from you and your situation, but I thought you might want some encouragement!
Go for it if you can!
Blackie

Re: cant decide
 

sorry, I wasn't being clear, I mean the Daylight during Winter Days is Three hours longer (just like in Canada, Swedish Winter Days would put most people in the Loony bin)

Re: cant decide
 

Not so. Even Montréal is fractionally further south than Angouleme for example, while Toronto is even further more so.

While certainly frozen, the inhabited bits of Canada are not very far north.

Re: cant decide
 

Hi

It strikes me that in these parts you might do ok with the sort of enterprise you are considering. There is a very strong history of antique dealers, brocanters and loads of ex-pats of all nationalities who have bought older houses and are occupied in restoring and furnishing them - yes even in today's tougher times.

Downside would be finding and affording premises.

There is an antiques/brocante event every weekend in this area and regular ones in certain towns every week. Look up Isle sur la Sourgue for example.

We had 6 antique chairs that needed restoring last year and it took us ages to find someone who was able to do it in the time scale in which we needed them.

Good luck anyway. If you do go for it nearby get in touch. I would be a potential customer.

Re: cant decide
 

Novo, mate, are impugning my geographical nouseness? I was amazed to discover indeed that you are right. And here was me spending 40-odd years in the chasm of doom and thinking, ´well, at least the Canucks have got it just as bad as we have´. But where I lived, in Southern Sweden mark you, around Christmas Time the sun rose balefully at about 9.30 and sank heavily out of sight at around 4 pm - 6 and a half hours of Daylight. Foller that.
Blackie

Re: cant decide
 

A bit like Newcastle, but not Montréal or Toronto (or for that matter Calvados).

:thumbup:

It's all to do with the distance from the ocean in a west-east sense (in the northern hemisphere) in terms of temperature extremes in both winter and summer, but the length of winter days only depends on latitude.

Re: cant decide
 

That is fantastic news , if I do end up there you will get great service you have my word :))

Re: cant decide
 

Thank you for you're input , I'm starting to think I need to go home to England or move to Toronto , but I am sooooooooooooo sick of winters here ,its doing my head in .

Re: cant decide
 

I've only been here two years, but I won't be able to stick the winters for the amount of time you have woman, give yourself a pat on the back you're a marvel:thumbup: as soon as or son finishes secondary school (8 years:eek:) we will move further West, probably near Victoria, where my husband is from.

We were in France permanently for 15 years, and I loved many aspects of it, particularly the winters!

Toronto's weather isn't great is it Maddie? I may be slightly more clement than where you are but no great shakes.

Do you still have family or anyone in the UK?

Re: cant decide
 

Toronto's weather most certainly isn't great, but it has (generally speaking) considerably less snow accumulation and slightly fewer terrifying cold spells than Montréal. That said, the latter is true of almost any other inhabited place in the world.

Re: cant decide
 

As the person below said Toronto is still cold :(( ut much less snow I think .

As for England my mum , brother and niece are in or around Hull .
But the weather in the north is crap .

I would be interested in the south but as it is expensive to live ,I'm worried about getting a job in my field that pays enough to live there . Especially as i did my collage and work experiences in Canada .
Looking to see if I can find an house sit assignment which would give me time to figure out were I want to live .

Re: cant decide
 

Hi Maddie,

Thanks for starting this thread. I am also thinking about exploring France as well as Spain or Italy. I lasted less than 6 months in Toronto when I immigrated.

Re: cant decide
 

:))

Were are you now ?

Re: cant decide
 

Hi maddie,
I am back in London now, I have explained my situation in another thread.
I am kind of leaning towards the warmer parts of Southern France as the destination to move to now but need to explore much more.

Re: cant decide
 

I was in Newcastle upon Tyne in May and I was shocked at how good the weather was.

The climate is changing for sure.

Re: cant decide
 

Hi, I live in the north of England and we are shocked at the weather this year too, its not normal and won't last. We seem to have 1-2 decent summers out of 10 and you got lucky with the 2nd one! Its already gone cooler and showery :(

Just wanted to add to maddie, my husband and I are moving to SW France later this year and I want to buy traditional French furniture so will be looking around for the kind of business you want to start. Not sure how much demand there is but I'd say Brits love decorating and any form of retail therapy. Maybe in a region that is popular with British expats would be good? Just a thought...

Regards,

Re: cant decide
 

No, I don't think it's just being lucky, the weather is changing everywhere because of the greenhouse effect.

It's time to buy a house in the north of England, in 20 years it will feel like the Caribbean up here :lol:

Re: cant decide
 

have been looking at Dordogne Midi Pyrénées,,for that reason .But now really second guessing France, as people saying its a bad time for France.:confused:

Re: cant decide
 

The weather is changing for sure, I think wetter parts have become wetter and warmer and hot/dry parts hotter and dryer, both worrying trends for obvious reasons. The floods this Christmas just terrible :(

Re: cant decide
 

For what it's worth, here in the SW (not too far from Toulouse) it's been one of the most miserable 'summers' I can recall for many years. In fact we haven't had what I would call a real summer. I even put on a sweater over my shirt this morning. :(
Again today we've had very heavy showers, and a few brief glimpses of blue sky. Yesterday the weatherman announced there may be some 'spring' weather on the way this weekend!
Never have I had lush green lawns front and back in August, at this time of year they're normally straw-coloured.
Two or three days ago there were hail-stones like golf-balls in Ariege with heavy floods elsewhere, and snow falls reported in the Pyrenees.
And the winters here can be damn chilly too.
Just as well there's no shortage of excellent bread rolls and superb Marie Harel Camembert AOP. Without that I'd probably emigrate.....

Re: cant decide
 

Wow! We watch the weather everyday in France (St Etienne as we have a friend there and Lot et Garonne) and only said earlier how rainy its been. We are buying a dairy farm and my husband is wondering if he should factor in an irrigation system for the long term future going by previous years. We were over mid July and thought it looked so green, beautiful in fact, lots of colour. Hopefully an Indian summer is on its way, there is the El Niño effect this yr, maybe that explains it...?! The blackberries are out and apple/plum trees are sagging under the weight of fruit, at least a month early here in the UK.

Re: cant decide
 

The El Nino has very little influence on European climate.

Re: cant decide
 

[QUOTE=Novocastrian;11369439]The El Nino has very little influence on European climate.[/

Yes, just looked it up, nowhere near....

Re: cant decide
 

Here on the south coast of England the summer has been a long and hot one - the last few days have been cooler with some showers which have been a welcome relief - I was fed up with watering the lawn every day!
:thumbup:

Re: cant decide
 

I'm pleased for you, and wish it had been that way here. And it's not only the weather that is disheartening.
This time last year some of the press media and many economists were concerned that France was like a boat adrift in stormy seas with nobody at the helm.
The news headlines yesterday from TF2 tv (who normally tend to be left-wing orientated) reported France en panne - France has broken-down. Official figures yesterday indicate that the country remains entrenched in zero growth for the second quarter, forcing the government to urgently make forecast corrections for 2014. The countries GDP stagnated in 2Q, as it had in the first, indicating that almost all of the growth engines had failed. And equally worrying is a further decline in business investments. The government here frequently blame the euro, and indeed the euro zone remains troubled, but those French politicians advocating an eventual withdrawal of the euro and replacement by a new FFranc, would imho be madness.
When I see growth recovery of a steady nature apparent in the UK, I ask myself, "Why not here?" I've always tried to maintain an optimistic outlook, but now have more and more doubts, and alas real concerns for the future here. In all honesty to the OP who "cant decide", if I had a family member or friend seriously planning a move to France either for self-employed work or retirement, I'd say in a heartbeat, "Stay put."
Please someone tell me if I've got it all wrong.

Re: cant decide
 

Yes I think that is very worrying but in my opinion France is not in quite as dire a mess as Spain and Italy. Youth unemployment in Europe worries me - when young people have no reason to be good citizens then the risk of riots and terrorism grow.

However the growth in the economy in UK is at a huge price - everywhere is getting so crowded and when I go shopping in my local area all I hear are Polish voices. They have come here to work hard but it does feel like a foreign country at times. My daughter lives and works in London and rents there are horrendous - she pays £600 a month to share a flat and doesn't feel she will ever be able to buy a property.

As much as I adore France I would not consider moving to France full time as I feel that it is very difficult to move back in the future if that becomes necessary. Luckily I was able to buy a holiday home in France where I plan to spend 6 months a year in future and can keep a UK base.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to move to Europe at the moment unless they had good employment prospects there.
Caroline :(