cshurt64

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and I have a pleasant dilemma. In rather short order I have been given the prospect of a new position near Tours. I heard about it ~3 weeks ago and tomorrow my wife and I leave for Tours to do a preview visit to see if we are willing to go. That's all well and good, but I'm not really sure where to start. We both are excited at the prospect of moving, but I know there are many things we should consider. Can anyone offer some advice on what to look for and what we should be thinking about that perhaps isn't obvious?
We know that we will have to get our French up to snuff toot suite. Our company has a fairly good relocation package so I think it will be a viable move, but I'm sure there are hidden costs to consider. The gains to me seem fairly obvious: great area, good public transportation, good food, access to the rest of Europe.
Any comments and reflections would be appreciated.
Chris

InVinoVeritas

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I might be the first but I certainly won't be the last to tell you that you need to work out what your net income will be as the tax system in France is quite different to the US. The company should really do this for you.

Also make sure that you will be fully covered for healthcare costs.

I think you'll find the net cost of living to be pretty similar and Tours is a nice place to be based.

Good luck!

PS Your thread title sounds a little "Landmark Forum"?

cyrian

Hi
Welcome to the France section.
There are quite a number of Americans in and around Tours.
I know an American couple and he works for SKF.
There are also several at the university and at Nestle.
What questions do you have?
You can send me a pm if you don't want to put all your details on the public forum.

cshurt64

InVinoVeritas,
thanks for your response regarding net income and health care. I haven't spoken with HR about this yet, but they apparently have some formula's which they use to figure out compensation while working abroad. Apparently, I will get paid "living expenses" through a local (French) bank and then the "savings" portion of my pay will be deposited into my current American bank, perhaps that saves on French taxes, probably a good point for me to follow up on. They also offer a cost of living adjustment and a mobility incentive. Most importantly they will assist in doing my taxes! Apparently, they can be quite complicated. We will also have full medical coverage so I think that aspect of the move shouldn't be an issue.
One final thing regarding your PS, being a newbie I'm not sure I take your meaning

InVinoVeritas

Sorry to be obscure. It's just that he phrase "I don't know what I don't know" is a theme used by Landmark Education in their forums so I just wondered if you had picked up from there. Clearly not.

MillieF

Cshurt - welcome, how exciting! Do you have kids that will be coming? Pets?

Will this post be for a fixed period of time, or just for as long as you want?

Tours is a lovely vibrant city, there's lots going on and it's a great climate too; it's quite international, so has a feeling of welcome openness with a good few foreign bookshops too....and an IKEA! The Uni runs lots of summer courses for international students who want to study French, which all adds to the linguistic mix.

You can't lose, you have work, a salary and support for the bureaucracy!
Have a super time and enjoy every moment of your new adventure

Chatter Static

Newbie or Newb not to be confused with Noob, basically means new to the forum and or the section and a silliness to learn

Tweedpipe

Good news that you are being supported by your company with a relocation package.
However be a little cautious with the cost of living adjustments. I know only too well from years of experience that sometimes these adjustments are offered as an incentive, and may in no way be realistic, being put together by a human-resource team completely removed from reality. And I'm aware of some of those formulas used to figure out compensation while working abroad. Some are so complicated that they'd even fool and give Einstein severe migraine. The battles we had with our (in)human resources on Mickey-Mouse formulas, compensation and cost of living adjustments were legion.
I'm not saying that's your case, but be aware, and if possible talk with people already established in Tours, who should be able to give valid guidance. (Note that it does happen that some employees already established, are told by H.R. not to discuss their personal conditions with newer arrivals - make of that what you will.....) Regarding them doing your taxes, it's not solely to do you a favour, it's more in their own interest to avoid potential penalties.
Personally I never had a problem with mobility incentive, telephone provided and allowance to ensure 24/24 coverage, seven days a week was always in order and correct (calculated without a formula methinks)!
Good luck for the future if you accept the post.

cshurt64

Hi Cyrian,
thanks for your reply. I think the first stage of questions I have really has to do perhaps with the hidden costs and issues with expatriating, particularly to France. Several other people have already commented on some issues regarding compensation that my wife and I should keep in mind when evaluating my official offer. I'm guessing there are other things that we may not have considered yet.
I guess another set of questions relates to the Touraine region. We will have to make a decision about whether to live in the town where my company has its factory or in Tours. On one hand, I think it would be nice to live in the smaller town because I could probably walk or ride my bike to work (and see my wife at lunch). On the other hand Tours would be more diverse and have more chances to interact with other ex-pats. It turns out that there is train service directly from Tours to the smaller town so that helps mitigate issues with the commute.
Finally, in that vein we will have to decide where in Tours to live. I'm thinking right now it would be near the Tram in Chambrary Les Tours because of the proximity of the train I would need, but I really don't know anything about the area.
Thanks again for any comments. My wife and I leave today for our preview, it's really quite exciting.
Chris

cshurt64

Tweedpipe, that is just the sort of information that will help me. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any Ex Pats in our Tours office right now, that is part of the reason I may be going. But, I do know someone who has gone to our office near Paris that may be able to share some insights with me.
Chris

cyrian

Hi
Chambray and Joue les Tours aren't great areas.
Ballan Miré is a dormitory town without many facilities.
You have to be careful because some areas I would describe as transitional areas with lots of social housing.
St. Avertin; Fondettes; Luynes and Rochecorbon are nice and have a good bus service.
You are right to look at the tram; train and bus services.
I have been in the States where the bus service is not used by the majority of the population (being diplomatic). However, the bus service in Tours and the surrounding towns is not like that and is well used.
You also mentioned Loches which is quite a long way out of Tours.
I do not know where your employer is and therefore I am struggling to offer you more specific advice regards areas you should look at.
Good luck

cshurt64

That is great information. As someone living in the US I can attest to the rather dismal bus and overall public transportation infrastructure. Only in the major metro areas are they viable.
Our company does have a presence in Loches so this where I would be working. I am not liberty to say much more than that at the moment, but hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to share more.
You can see the tension we will have between being close to my work and being near Tours and access to what it has to offer. I really would like the convenience of being close to work, but I also have to account for my wife's needs as at least initially she will not be employed. I will make sure we look into some of the areas you mention while we are in the area.

MillieF

Please don't underestimate the severity of the economic crisis in France. Unemployment is dire....well qualified, 'properly' bi-lingual people cannot find work. Please understand and budget for the possibility that your wife may well not find employment.

cyrian

Hi
The areas I mentioned are not convenient for Loches.
Loches is a lovely little town.
The train appears to take around 50 minutes to Tours. [Seems a bit slow to me]
By car it is about 45 minutes.
Check this site: http://www.voyages-sncf.com/billet-train/horaires
If I were you I would have a look at Loches first and then consider the possibility of accommodation elsewhere if you choose that option.

cshurt64

Hi,
we just got back from visiting Tours and Loches. My wife and I really enjoyed our brief visit and were very impressed by the public transportation and the vibrancy of the area. It is really hard to capture that without actually visiting. I think right now we are looking more strongly at the Loches are because I think commuting to Tours over the long haul would not be practical. If anyone knows someone in the Loches area that might be willing to talk to us about the positives and negatives of living there, it would be very nice to connect.
I'm visiting with our mobility people today to find out more information on how our company assists with the move and what the compensation will look like, should be very interesting.
Thanks to everyone for their comments to date, it has all been very helpful as we contemplate this rather large change in our lives.