We're moving to Lyon area this summer and I have a few questions...can anyone help?

[Jeremyhb]

Hi there all.
My French partner and I have decided to move to France to settle down and live in the Lyon area. She has a job already sorted and I am looking for a suitable job at the moment, plus, we are also looking for an apartment to rent.
1) Can anyone advise us as to which are the better areas of Lyon in which to live and that are also close to train stations, shops etc? I've heard that the west of Lyon in nice?
2) Does anyone have any recommendations and / or contacts regarding finding employment as an Estate Agent in this area? I manage a branch of a leading UK estate agent.
3) Does anyone have any tips as to what preparation I need to do before we leave especially regarding the paperwork side of things?
And finally, as a young couple (my partner French and me English and in our late 20's and early 30's) we are looking to make contacts in the Lyon area. We are both very sporty and love socialising and the great outdoors. If you can help with any of the above or just want to get in touch then that would be great!
Many thanks,
Jez

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

I'm located a bit north of you - in the Paris area - so can't really help with the specifics of Lyon. However, I would encourage you to contact one of the AVF groups in Lyon - the website for the national association is here: AVF -- Accueil

AVF is a French association dedicated to welcoming newcomers to town. They have at least a dozen groups in Lyon, and they run activities and other functions to help you get involved in local life. They should be able to give you some information about the various sections of town, and a few AVF groups do have job hunting help - but at least the contacts should help in that regard.
Cheers,
Bev

[Jeremyhb]

I will certainly check out the website mentioned by yourself and keep a look out for groups that we could hook up with. We are very keen to make a few connections before we move to the area. If anyone out there has any ideas or can point us in the right direction, then that would be much appreciated also?
Thanks once again.
Jez

[mi-quebecoise]

Hi Jez - The AVF group suggested above is very nice and has been very welcoming but we (my husband and I) are about 20 years younger than the average for AVF... not perfect for making close attachments.

We just moved here 2 mo ago and I would be happy to talk to you about some of your other questions, but where you want to live depends on so many things!

About job hunting - I found my job (to enable me to join my husband) through a professional listserv that shares information about conferences, articles, etc and also sometimes job postings.

Hope to hear back, Siara