Stone mason moving from uk

[prospect]

Hello, I am thinking about starting a new life in France, with my small family. Not really sure where to start. I am in the stone masonry trade, repairing period properties using lime mortar for repointing etc. My son is only 6 and im not sure how young children cope with the transition to a French school. We do not have a mortgage at home in England, as we can not afford to get on the property ladder, hence the move to France with it's value for money property market. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My father currently lives in Mayenne, so we would be able to get a roof over our heads in the first instance.Would be much work for a stone mason repairing walls and repointing etc,i also make stone staddle stone that i sale as these are very expensive other here would there be much demand for these.

[minesthechevy]

Your kid would probably do better than you would - I'd hazard a guess and say that the only chance of work that you have is amongst the ex-pats themselves.

Im not sure if masons are subject to licencing like (f'rexample) roofers, if so then the only chance you'd have is to work on the black - which is not a good idea long-term or short.

I'm not being negative - just realistic.

[prospect]

Originally Posted by minesthechevy

Your kid would probably do better than you would - I'd hazard a guess and say that the only chance of work that you have is amongst the ex-pats themselves.

Im not sure if masons are subject to licencing like (f'rexample) roofers, if so then the only chance you'd have is to work on the black - which is not a good idea long-term or short.

I'm not being negative - just realistic.

so you think there is not much work for a french speaking mason.

[frogblogger]

French-speaking, as in fluent French? Getting work as an employee of a maçon might be difficult in these depressed economic times, the housing market is hardly buoyant right now. Setting up as a self-employed artisan is subject to all manner of constraints and costs, again not easy when there's little work about. The local expat community is rarely big enough to be a source of regular income, and the French locals will have a multitude of French maçons to choose between.

But if you have fluent French, are good at your trade, have a free roof over your head to start out, are good are promoting yourself, then it's not impossible. Usually though would-be expats need a bit of capital behind them, or your father will end up providing considerably more than shelter from the rain until some work comes your way!

Not sure what you mean by the French value for money property market? Costs, especially with the current sterling euro exchange rate, aren't that cheap in France, and long-term rental leases are hard to get without proof of permanent employment, regular income, etc.

[prospect]

Originally Posted by minesthechevy

Your kid would probably do better than you would - I'd hazard a guess and say that the only chance of work that you have is amongst the ex-pats themselves.

Im not sure if masons are subject to licencing like (f'rexample) roofers, if so then the only chance you'd have is to work on the black - which is not a good idea long-term or short.

I'm not being negative - just realistic.

Thats funny because the feed back i have been getting for the last month or so from a french living forum is of the opinion that there would be a good amount of work.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by prospect

Thats funny because the feed back i have been getting for the last month or so from a french living forum is of the opinion that there would be a good amount of work.

What you should do if you have available accomodation in France is gice it a 6 month trial. If it works stay there, if it doesnt go back to the UK. Just dont burn bridges !!!

Jo xxx

[frogblogger]

Originally Posted by prospect

Thats funny because the feed back i have been getting for the last month or so from a french living forum is of the opinion that there would be a good amount of work.

Work for registered masons, or work on the black? Once established there's work to be found, but wherever you go in France there are French maçons galore. Beware working on the black, your French competitors would be delighted to shop you to the authorities; understandable really, given how much they pay in employers' NI contributions and other social charges, all of which combines to make a big hole in income.

[minesthechevy]

Originally Posted by prospect

so you think there is not much work for a french speaking mason.

No, because A) You're not french B) You're not qualified in France C) There won't be a lot of building going on until late 2010 D) If you spend 4 hours a day chasing up work, that leaves 4 hours a day to do whatever work comes in - not a good ratio.

...and as frogblogger says, forget the notion of 'cheap housing'. Oh, there's still bargains to be had, but if you find a house for €50k you'll throw another €100K at it to make it sellable, which will price it out of the loocals market, which means that youll be looking to sell to a brit, and they're not buying at the moment.

<<<< Thats funny because the feed back i have been getting for the last month or so from a french living forum is of the opinion that there would be a good amount of work.>>>

Oh, there may well be 'enough' work to keep the economy going, just don't expect it to be coming your way.

[Kaiser]

A start would be going down to the region around Nimes and checking the situation out for yourself before making a move, that seems to be the pottery/stonemasons capital of france.

[frogblogger]

Originally Posted by Kaiser

A start would be going down to the region around Nimes and checking the situation out for yourself before making a move, that seems to be the pottery/stonemasons capital of france.

Before the OP trustingly jumps on a Ryanair flight to Nimes, I would be very interested to know why you think Nimes is different to anywhere else in France in that respect. Potters and stonemasons can be found absolutely everywhere around the Hexagon, and I can't say I've noticed a major concentration in the Gard?