oppotunity to move to callac

[trina]

hi,i wondered if anyone could help us, we have been given a brilliant chance to come and live in callac whilst doing up a property,we have 2 kids(6 and 7) 2 dogs and no ties in England.What we want to know is basically what the area is like and what the job prospects for property maintainance is(my husband is a very long time served painter/decorator) what schools are like and so forth,if anybody can help we would be really pleased,hoping to hear from you soon.Trina

[kaz101]

Hi Trina,

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry to appear dense but since you've put this in the introduction forum in which country is Callac? This post could be moved to that forum and you may get a better response.

Regards,
Karen

[Bevdeforges]

Hi Trina,
Well, according to the Wikipedia, Callac is in Bretagne in France. One thing you'll learn once you get over to France is that there are more than 30,000 towns in France, many of them with the same name. Most folks refer to their town and the departement in which it's located. It just keeps things simpler.

I'll move this over to the France section so maybe we can find someone who knows Callac or Bretagne.
Cheers,
Bev

[Bevdeforges]

OK, now we're "settled" in the French part of the forum....

I don't have much experience with Bretagne, but my limited experience was very positive. For job opportunities of any sort, it is necessary to speak French reasonably well. Not sure about the property maintenance side of things. I think the landlord-tenant relationship is a bit different in France than in the UK, so you may want to look into commercial rental properties rather than residential rentals.

For some information about the schools (in English!) you may want to take a look at the European Union website on schools in the various countries. Start here EuryCountry to find a pdf file that gives you a detailed description of the French school system.
Cheers,
Bev

[HelenJW]

Hi Trina

We are building a house in Calanhel, a lotissement just outside Callac. Unfortunately it will be a holiday home for the time being as we have ties here in Jersey. Our children are 6 and 9 and they love the area. It's central location means that we get to places without the children moaning about the long drive. Coming from Jersey they aren't used to much more than 20 mins in the car! They also enjoy more freedom in France than they do here and would in the UK.

There is quite a sizeable English community in the area and I would think, once your husband registered to trade in France, there would be plenty of opportunities.

Would be interested to hear how you get on.

Helen

[giantpanda]

Originally Posted by trina

hi,i wondered if anyone could help us, we have been given a brilliant chance to come and live in callac whilst doing up a property,we have 2 kids(6 and 7) 2 dogs and no ties in England.What we want to know is basically what the area is like and what the job prospects for property maintainance is(my husband is a very long time served painter/decorator) what schools are like and so forth,if anybody can help we would be really pleased,hoping to hear from you soon.Trina

Hi!

Sorry if I have to brake a little your enthouiasm.

Decent jobs are difficult to get in France.

And now there is definetly a Health Insurance problem.

You can be protected 2 years on a recent E 106, but if you are no employed permanently after that, you will need to contract a private insurance ( which will depend on the number of persons, and can cost for your family some Euro 7000 a year or more).

So really to cover the risk element, you need to have a CDI ( contrat à durée déterminée ) and get over the 3 month trial period before you consider relocating.

It is not than people with your husband's qualification are not needed. In fact there is a shortage. However small firms in France will hardly employ new people, because of the risk - if he turns out out as not suited and getting rid of somebody is very costly.

And France does not manage to change that law.

Yours,

giantpanda