UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Feb 21st 2016, 3:53 pm
#31
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Provence
Posts: 803
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
If I may make a suggestion? We know an Anglo/French bilingual accountant/ financial advisor who is clued up on all of this and hea seven taken a Master's degree to advance his company. If the OP PMs me I'll contact him and try and connect the two for advice/ support.
Feb 21st 2016, 3:55 pm
#32
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Feb 21st 2016, 4:15 pm
#33
Quien no sabe
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,989
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Ok folks. This is the OP. For the first page of responses the information you gave was either incorrect, opinions or irrelevant.
He wants to work as an accountant and his wife as a lawyer. The first thing to check out is - is it possible? Your opinions count for nothing. NOTHING!! I gave him and his wife links to the information they need to find out about professional equivalencies and EU agreements.
You can witter on all you like about healthcare, schooling, french way of life/attitudes and language. The opinions of your friends are just that - opinions. If your accountant friend had gone away, looked at figures relevant to accountancy registrations in France and come to you with " there are only 20 foreign trained accountants in France" then that is useful information. Any professional will tell you that johnny foreigner can't do their job properly - which is often absolute rubbish.
If the OP wants to work in a small town in rural france, can he do it? Possibly, will it be really hard? Yes. Can he get a job in France? Of course he bloody well can if his and his wife's specialities are relevant and it is up to them to find that out. it may mean working with an international company. Same for his wife. Dennerlymum and I both know a British trained lawyer who works at the highest level for Airbus and runs an englishlanguage school programme in her spare time.
Learning french is not hard. Learning to speak in a professional environment is scary as shit (yes, done it) but loads and loads and loads of people do it all the time.
Maybe it's my training? In my profession if people tell you what they want and in your opinion they haven't got a cat in hells chance, you still have to give them all their options because anything else is malpractice.
I just wonder what advice you'd have given to this particular friend of mine...
"30 year old dental hygienist with engineer husband living in scotland - neither speaks much french but they've been on holiday there and it seems nice. Can't stand the weather in Scotland anymore, what do you think, can we move to france and make a living?"
Maybe people, we can give facts ? And I really think we should have a wiki at the top about healthcare - benefits - schooling. Just like "Pulaski's ways of getting to the USA" which is constantly referred to when people ask about moving the USA.
He wants to work as an accountant and his wife as a lawyer. The first thing to check out is - is it possible? Your opinions count for nothing. NOTHING!! I gave him and his wife links to the information they need to find out about professional equivalencies and EU agreements.
You can witter on all you like about healthcare, schooling, french way of life/attitudes and language. The opinions of your friends are just that - opinions. If your accountant friend had gone away, looked at figures relevant to accountancy registrations in France and come to you with " there are only 20 foreign trained accountants in France" then that is useful information. Any professional will tell you that johnny foreigner can't do their job properly - which is often absolute rubbish.
If the OP wants to work in a small town in rural france, can he do it? Possibly, will it be really hard? Yes. Can he get a job in France? Of course he bloody well can if his and his wife's specialities are relevant and it is up to them to find that out. it may mean working with an international company. Same for his wife. Dennerlymum and I both know a British trained lawyer who works at the highest level for Airbus and runs an englishlanguage school programme in her spare time.
Learning french is not hard. Learning to speak in a professional environment is scary as shit (yes, done it) but loads and loads and loads of people do it all the time.
Maybe it's my training? In my profession if people tell you what they want and in your opinion they haven't got a cat in hells chance, you still have to give them all their options because anything else is malpractice.
I just wonder what advice you'd have given to this particular friend of mine...
"30 year old dental hygienist with engineer husband living in scotland - neither speaks much french but they've been on holiday there and it seems nice. Can't stand the weather in Scotland anymore, what do you think, can we move to france and make a living?"
Maybe people, we can give facts ? And I really think we should have a wiki at the top about healthcare - benefits - schooling. Just like "Pulaski's ways of getting to the USA" which is constantly referred to when people ask about moving the USA.
Feb 21st 2016, 5:23 pm
#34
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Hérault (34)
Posts: 8,889
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
You were full of praise for the FAQs which are often referred to to avoid repetition, and are updated when necessary, but now "we" should have a wiki? Please feel free to start one, particularly on "Benefits" which isn't included in the FAQs (yet), and update it whenever there's a change. For example since 1st January, the RSA/PPE is now Prime d'Activité, and the CMU is now PUMA....
Feb 21st 2016, 5:40 pm
#35
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
You were full of praise for the FAQs which are often referred to to avoid repetition, and are updated when necessary, but now "we" should have a wiki? Please feel free to start one, particularly on "Benefits" which isn't included in the FAQs (yet), and update it whenever there's a change. For example since 1st January, the RSA/PPE is now Prime d'Activité, and the CMU is now PUMA....
Maybe a pop-up that appears that says "read this first for france if you are thinking about moving"?
If I want to do something that involves a different country - I first look to see if it is legally possible, then the requirements to do it and then try to find out how others have done it before me, then you look into the details of healthcare etc. Each is a box to be ticked off.... I am a list/process person otherwise I get overloaded and don't do anything.
At the moment, my project is getting my son to study physics in english in Europe at a good university. We're working down the list....
Feb 22nd 2016, 2:26 pm
#36
Hostage Negotiator
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 5,173
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
The OP is intelligent and can trawl through all the factual-based stuff on the internet without too much assistance from us. What he won't find is opinion.
My opinion (based on quite a lot of relevant experience) is that a UK Chartered Accountant and a French Expert Comptable have far less in common than a butcher, a baker and a candle-stick maker.
Feb 22nd 2016, 6:07 pm
#37
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Joined: Jan 2012
Location: Noord Holland
Posts: 568
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Nobody mentioned the children yet.
A 10 year old, moving to France - will he/she have time to prepare for the French SAT equivalents? 10 isn't the optimal age to be dropped into any foreign school system. Unless it's the OPs intention to pay for private international schooling, in which case, ignore me
A 10 year old, moving to France - will he/she have time to prepare for the French SAT equivalents? 10 isn't the optimal age to be dropped into any foreign school system. Unless it's the OPs intention to pay for private international schooling, in which case, ignore me
Feb 22nd 2016, 7:40 pm
#38
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Nobody mentioned the children yet.
A 10 year old, moving to France - will he/she have time to prepare for the French SAT equivalents? 10 isn't the optimal age to be dropped into any foreign school system. Unless it's the OPs intention to pay for private international schooling, in which case, ignore me
A 10 year old, moving to France - will he/she have time to prepare for the French SAT equivalents? 10 isn't the optimal age to be dropped into any foreign school system. Unless it's the OPs intention to pay for private international schooling, in which case, ignore me
page 1 post 15
10 yrs old is a bit of an awkward age. Last year of primaire probably.
SATs?
do you mean the brevet?
Feb 22nd 2016, 7:50 pm
#40
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Actually, I wasn't I was being lazy and didn't put quotes around it, it's from the original post.
JJMB keeps telling me how lucky I am...
if you ask me, any age from learning to speak to leaving home is an "awkward" one.
Feb 22nd 2016, 8:59 pm
#41
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Hérault (34)
Posts: 8,889
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Nobody mentioned the children yet.
A 10 year old, moving to France - will he/she have time to prepare for the French SAT equivalents? 10 isn't the optimal age to be dropped into any foreign school system. Unless it's the OPs intention to pay for private international schooling, in which case, ignore me
A 10 year old, moving to France - will he/she have time to prepare for the French SAT equivalents? 10 isn't the optimal age to be dropped into any foreign school system. Unless it's the OPs intention to pay for private international schooling, in which case, ignore me
Never heard of the SAT, either!
Feb 22nd 2016, 10:31 pm
#42
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
SAT = standard attainment tests Just a way of "measuring" schools, teachers and kids. Otherwise known as teaching to pass tests........
Not quite sure at what age they do them in the UK but France doesn't do them.
Giving opinions based on little knowledge has raised my eyebrows, giving an opinion about something that they clearly know nothing about and haven't even read the thread.
Well.
Not quite sure at what age they do them in the UK but France doesn't do them.
Giving opinions based on little knowledge has raised my eyebrows, giving an opinion about something that they clearly know nothing about and haven't even read the thread.
Well.
Feb 23rd 2016, 4:47 am
#43
Hostage Negotiator
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 5,173
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
There's me extolling the virtues of informed opinions only to have my post followed by an uninformed opinion. C'est la vie, I suppose!
Last edited by InVinoVeritas; Feb 23rd 2016 at 4:50 am.
Feb 23rd 2016, 6:39 am
#44
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 365
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
I had dinner last night with a french accountant and I asked him about the OP's situation.
He said that it was possible and he had come across English and German accountants in France.
However, the problem was the language.
While it is easier for a foreigner in spoken French, written errors jump out at the reader and this accountant told me that the German accountant had taken a full day just to write a letter to a client in French.
You could start with the commute to England and if you choose an area in France with multi-national companies then you may be able to find employment - after improving your French.
He said that it was possible and he had come across English and German accountants in France.
However, the problem was the language.
While it is easier for a foreigner in spoken French, written errors jump out at the reader and this accountant told me that the German accountant had taken a full day just to write a letter to a client in French.
You could start with the commute to England and if you choose an area in France with multi-national companies then you may be able to find employment - after improving your French.
Feb 23rd 2016, 6:48 am
#45
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Scotland & Touraine [37]
Posts: 3,019
Re: UK qualified accountant looking to move to France
Paris would work as would Sophia Antipolis or Toulouse or Lyon.
The OP hasn't been on for 5 days now so perhaps he has had enough food for thought and is doing his research.
