Bonjour! :)

[bigbillybagel]

Just joined the forum, looks very interesting and helpful!

The family and I have just accepted an offer on our place and are hoping to move to France in the start of October.

We have already purchased land in Baladou (LOT), where we will eventually build a timber-frame house, but in the mean-time will stay in my wifes family chateau near Loupiac (also LOT).

My wife is French and very much looking forward to the move back, but to say I am scared is an understatement!!! Biggest step in my life in a lot of ways, but I am actually looking forward to it.


I'll have a browse through the forum to pick up hints and tips, but if there's anything people think I should bear in mind I'm all ears!

Cheers

[bigbillybagel]

Does anyone live in the Lot region?

What is the job situation like there?

I know nearby where we will be living there is a "Foret de singe" where I might see about possible employment, but aside from that presumably I'll be limited to estate agents or the tourist trade?

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Afraid I don't live in the Lot so can't give you much help from first hand experience. But the Lot area in general is pretty rural, and without any major cities, it could be difficult to find a job. Many rural areas in France have problems with all the young people leaving for the big cities to pursue their careers.

Much will depend on what your qualifications are, and how good your French is. To a certain extent, French employers are more interested in your formal qualification than in your experience - if you're trained as a butcher/baker/candlestick maker, then that actually is considered part of your identity in some sectors.

Whatever qualification you do have, it will be important to "translate" it as closely as possible to something comparable within the French system. Do a web search on "Emploi Lot" and you should turn up some job listing sites. Don't get discouraged if there isn't much listed right now. France really does shut down for the months of July and August. In September things will pick up again.
Cheers,
Bev

[jenny and charlie]

Bonjour ! We have retired early - myself at 50 and my husband at 54 and we have sold-up lock, stock and barrel and on 20th/21st August we move to France for good - no turning back ! Everybody is asking - are you both scared - No, we are very excited by the prospect ! Luckily we won't need to work - just potter around with our two rescue greyhounds and we want some chickens. We are looking to buy a rural property in the Dordogne, around Montignac.
Could you be self-employed ? as long as you keep on the straight and narrow paying tax etc. you will be ok. Good on you for taking the "leap"
Jenny and Charlie.

[Alex S.]

I moved to France 18 months ago in similar circumstances, ei. French girlfriend wanting to move back and be closer to home.
Everything has worked out very well indeed and when I look back now, I find it difficult to remeber exactly what I was nervous about.
As usual it seems that my girlfriend knew best and that my objections were completely unfounded.

[bigbillybagel]

Ok, here's the break-down of what's what with regards to us moving to the Lot.

After selling my house (I have taken a huge hit to sell) I'll have very little equity indeed, perhaps only around 10-15k

On the plus side, we have my wifes family chateau to move into. It's been empty for 3 years so will need sprucing up somewhat, but only plaster and paint thankfully.

My car - now originally I was thinking of selling ours here and buying a LHD when we get to France, but after looking at the prices I'm not so sure. To be frank we cannot pay extra for a LHD after selling ours here, and down-grading age wise and car wise wouldn't be a great idea in my eyes. So we're seriously considering keeping the car and doing the hellish task of getting the carte gris etc. How much money would we be looking at all told for this?

We also have land near Baladou in the Lot that is paid for and waiting for us to build (we have until April 2010 to submit plans for our house we wish to build).

My wife is French, so she has a good shout with a job (Brive isn't too far away), my French is just below OK but I will be busy with the chateau and when we have a mortgage (when/if? my wife gets a job) will build the timber-frame house on the land in Baladou. When I'm ready I'll do anything, grape picking, picking up horse dung if it's a job and pays! Ha ha!

Initially I think we have to be reasonable and assume she will not find work until the Spring (although she will still look), so what can we claim for until then? I know it sounds awful moving to a country and then claiming, but this is how it will be until we get set up.

The good thing is we won't have a mortgage/rent to pay while in the chateau, so at least that's one weight off our minds!


Any advice/info etc very much appreciated as ever.

[bigbillybagel]

Oh, and we already have a French bank account - set this up just before buying our land.

[Bevdeforges]

You can get the RHD car registered - I've seen a number of them around here with French plates - but practically speaking, you're letting yourself in for alot of headaches: parking lots, toll booths, etc.

I'm also very curious what you mean by "so what can we claim for until then?" You have no claim on French unemployment unless you are on the dole in the UK, and then I believe you may be able to "transfer" it to France for 3 months, provided you are actively looking for work during that time.

Other than that, with no contributions in the last few years, you're not entitled to much of anything from the French. Don't forget to bring the E form to make sure you can get health care coverage. (But remember that in France you pay up front for most treatment and are then reimbursed.)

Living in the chateau you will have to pay taxe d'habitation - which can be signficant depending on the size of the chateau. It's based on where you're living on January 1st, but isn't assessed around October or so.

Your wife's luck on the job market will depend on what her background is. Brive isn't exactly a major employment center, and jobs can be difficult to find, especially in rural areas. The "I'll do anything" sort of job tends to be very poorly paid, and often you're competing with illegals for the work. The French tend to be very suspicious of those looking for work in anything other than the area in which they have their qualifications.
Cheers,
Bev

[minesthechevy]

This one's for Jenny and Charlie

Be advised that _real_ greyhound food is unobtainable here IME, your hounds will need to be 'weaned off' whatever you have been giving them over a period of weeks onto whatever you can find locally.

My ex-racer did not find any of the local alternatives palatable, in fact one made him quite ill; we're lucky insofar as my wife 'commutes' from the UK and is able to bring 3-4 big sacks over at a time.

There is a massive petfood shop in Dover town centre which do greyhound muesli, its become a last-minute shopping stop for her on each voyage.