Maxxy

Hello

We are a 26 year old couple, with a dog (Maxxy) and are hoping to move to France in the next year or so, but not sure where to choose.

We would like to be within 2 hours of west coast (for surfing) and an hour form a main airport with flights to UK. Ideally on outskirts of town or city. Want to live the country life but not too far form the action! Obviously looking for warm weather

We are a fun loving, hard working young couple, hoping to start a new life and meet new people and make new friends.

Looking for recommendations of places to start looking at that fit the above description, any advice would be appreciated.

dmu

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
If you're keen on surfing, I would have though the Aquitaine would be best.
But a more important factor when deciding where to settle would be how you intend to earn a living. Without jobs lined up, you'd need to take out private healthcare insurance while job-seeking and, unless the economic situation improves by the time you come over, you won't find it easy to get "legal" work (if you'll be renting, you'll need payslips to justify to potential landlords that your regular income is 3-4 times the rent or find a Guarantor).
Do your homework carefully, as surfing shouldn't be the main factor in your venture!

Maxxy

Hello dmu, and thanks for the reply.
In honesty this is an idea we've had for a couple of years, that has become a lot more serious after a particularly stressful few months has pushed us over the edge (Or Channel), and we are admittedly at a very early stage of planning!

We wanted to start learning about locations so that we can start to figure out budgets and feasibility. We don't plan to make the move for at least 12 months.

I have a home automation company and am a fully qualified electrician by trade, so would like to continue with this ideally? From what I've read it's difficult to be self employed in France with high taxes though, is this true?

Thank you for your suggestion, I will start to look at the Aquitaine and maybe towards Bordeaux. We're planning a trip in September to go and have a look at some places.

cardi

At your age you will survive and fit in to French life if you want to. Self employment can be done but is not really well supported by the system. You will need some savings to get through the early days.
We have a house near Ruffec which is 40 miles from Poitiers airport and 1.5 hours from the surfing coast. We have just decided to sell due to our age and family. We expect to sell to French buyers but you can come and look in (late) September when we will be there. If nothing else we can give you the benefit of our 20 years experience in France.

dmu

You'll have to retrain in order to be able to work here, as French norms are different from UK ones. For this you'd have to speak adequate French and master French technical terms in order to pass.
Once you're "qualified", it's not difficult to set up an Auto-Entrepreneur business and you'd pay into the System and get the minimum healthcare insurance. Some one in the know will come along to say how income tax works for A-Es. But you'd have the usual professional taxes, Insurance, etc.... to pay (and the health insurance contributions), whatever your turnover is.
You don't say whether you're married - this may make a difference regarding your OH's healthcare insurance. There again, some one in the know will come along with advice.
As suggested, you should bring over enough savings to tide you over for at least a year.

EuroTrash

I brought my self-employment with me from the UK to France so feel free to ask if there's anything I might be able to help with. Can't offer much advice off the top of my head because I don't really have a clue what a 'home automation company' does!

I believe Brittany has good surf beaches too. It claims to have some of the top surfspots in France, not being a surfer myself I don't know if this is true but whilst travelling in my campervan I have come across beaches in Brittany where the car parks are absolutely stuffed with surfer vans, literally hundreds of them.

InVinoVeritas

It is called "domotique" in French - everything from IP cameras to remote control of your heating.

Unfortunately English electricians don't have a very good reputation in France, possibly due to ignoring les Normes Francaises, and there is no lack of French electricians either.

A tough one especially as an auto-entrepreneur.

Bonnet

Biarritz is a well loved surfing area but expensive to live in or near...full of retired Parisians.

Other places along the western coast:

Surfing in France: A Guide to the Best Surf Spots and Regional Highlights

Years ago we came across a couple of young Bits who did the same thing...came down to Aquitaine to surf but supported themselves by living in a caravan and picking up home decorating jobs. Eventually went to Brittany and I lost touch.

The west coast of France is more expensive simply because of the water sports and beaches. we also offer winter sports in the Pyrenees. OTOH this offers opportunities to work in hôtels and restos all year round. But you should speak good French to get a job in hospitality.

EuroTrash

WOW! If I can press a button and get logs to roll from the garage into my living room and put themselves onto the stove as required - I'm IN
Seriously, I suspect the fact that so many French homes, and expat-in-France homes, have solid fuel heating might make this a slower business than in the UK.
On the other hand I guess it's a fairly exclusive market in the UK too, unless home technology in general has moved on apace since I lived there?
Either way it doesn't sound like a business that would work on AE. I can't see that the type of client who invests in this is going to be prepared to mess around for your sake, paying for the equipment separate to installation costs. You'd be looking at a réel business régime.

bigglesworth

Soorts Hossegor is surfers paradise I believe. (Okay for us oldies out of season, but packed now)

Personally I disagree (quite strongly) that such a business would not work in France. Perhaps better still in the parts where there are a lot of British - and an awful lot of holiday homes, which are empty half the year or more. A lot of people would appreciate a greater degree of control and information about their property whilst they are away.

On the work side there are, as we all know, large numbers of British people out here living and working with at most rudimentary French. Sure some go back after a few years, but I think that is common to many areas of business. There are certainly plenty around here who have survived happily for twenty years and more. And quite a few are registerede artisans and have presumably met the required standards despite French that hardly exceeds Bonhour and Au revoir.
You are young enough to have a shot. Good luck.

EuroTrash

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as saying that it wouldn't work as a business. Just that it wouldn't work on AE. You'd need to operate as a SARL or some such.
I agree that it's potentially something that holiday owners, both non-French and French as well, would be interested in. I do find it hard to see it finding as many takers as in the UK, but that's not to say I don't think it would work.

InVinoVeritas

I installed some IP cameras to keep an eye on my place while I'm away. My background is IT but it still took me months to get them working on a Livebox. I say this simply because I have the impression nobody in France had done this before so I tend to agree with ET, it's not a big market opportunity, at least not yet.