in the early stages...

[sparkle74]

Hi All.

My 1st post (of many I imagine!).

My husband and I have made a decision after years of thinking about it - to move to France. We have 3 kids, 7, 4 and nearly 2 and have been trying to wait for the best time to go but it seems there never is a best time - so we are putting the feelers out now with the hope of being there within 2 years (is this realistic).

I have millions of questions such as renting or buying, jobs, schools and so on. The region we want to move to is Normandy as this is where we have spent most time and being closer to the UK it would be easier for us to stay in closer contact with family. I am starting a TEFL course and am hoping to be able to use this as a career - my husband is a warehouse manager so he is worried what type of job he woudl be able to get in France.

There is so much to think about but I worry if I think too much we won't actually do it.

Did anyone feel like this???

x

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

You're right - there never is a "best time" for a big move like this, so like the ad says, "just do it." Though you're definitely right to start preparing for a big move like this well ahead of time.

Your ability to find work in France is going to be heavily reliant on your ability to speak and use French in day to day life. Having a TEFL qualification is a good start, but be advised that teaching English isn't a terribly lucrative field these days. Unfortunately you're competing with too many unqualified native speakers who will work for minimal wages either on their own or for fly-by-night schools that don't really care about teaching standards. Your best bet is going to be with language schools that cater to companies that want their executives to speak English. (And to land a job with an established school, you'll need decent conversational French yourself.)

For your husband, he needs to start working on his French speaking skills, especially terms he would need for working as a warehouse manager. He should start looking at French job listings to see what the qualifications are for his line of work and to see how to start pulling together a French CV.
Cheers,
Bev

[Deeana]

Congratulations on your decision to move to France!

Yes, there are lots of things to think about, and you're right, if you get too bogged down you'll get paralysed. But the thing to do is to say yes, we're going, and then to go into every little detail so you can to get it right first time.

I'd love to know what your goal is in moving to France. Also what your background is in the UK and what sort of resources you have. That would help myself and other posters to give you appropriate advice - there are a hundred ways to move to France, a hundred solutions to the problems, and each person is obviously going to pick and choose according to their situation. I have come across many Brits (and other nationalities) who have made unwise choices and ended up going home to the UK. That's the sad side. On the other hand there are lots who are succeeding.

I have been living part-time in Brittany for three years now, so I know something about the snags...especially the language barrier. Do you and your husband speak French? This makes a difference to the kind of work you will be able to do - I've taught TEFL in Germany and must say it isn't a good earner, and I'm worried about the fact that you have very young children - how will this fit in with them?

Also, if you are hoping to go for a rural location to live in, you need to be aware that the rural population is extremely thinly spread, and therefore there is little demand for anything. Realistically if your husband wants a job and you hope to teach English you need to be near a good-sized town.

Is two years realistic? The slow things will be selling your house, learning French, researching the areas you are interested in, finding somewhere to live over there, deciding what you are going to do in France, finding jobs if necessary or planning your own business (which is what many Brits do) - and getting your children used to the idea. I'm still part-time in France because I have a business in England which provides my entire income and I want to get it into a situation where I can run it from France, only going back to England every few weeks. We have been working on achieving this for 2 years, and are expecting to get there in the next year or two. Meanwhile keeping on top of repairs over there and in the UK is keeping us very busy!

Just some initial thoughts !

Originally Posted by sparkle74

Hi All.

My 1st post (of many I imagine!).

My husband and I have made a decision after years of thinking about it - to move to France. We have 3 kids, 7, 4 and nearly 2 and have been trying to wait for the best time to go but it seems there never is a best time - so we are putting the feelers out now with the hope of being there within 2 years (is this realistic).

I have millions of questions such as renting or buying, jobs, schools and so on. The region we want to move to is Normandy as this is where we have spent most time and being closer to the UK it would be easier for us to stay in closer contact with family. I am starting a TEFL course and am hoping to be able to use this as a career - my husband is a warehouse manager so he is worried what type of job he woudl be able to get in France.

There is so much to think about but I worry if I think too much we won't actually do it.

Did anyone feel like this???

x

[parsnips]

Originally Posted by sparkle74

Hi All.

My 1st post (of many I imagine!).

My husband and I have made a decision after years of thinking about it - to move to France. We have 3 kids, 7, 4 and nearly 2 and have been trying to wait for the best time to go but it seems there never is a best time - so we are putting the feelers out now with the hope of being there within 2 years (is this realistic).

I have millions of questions such as renting or buying, jobs, schools and so on. The region we want to move to is Normandy as this is where we have spent most time and being closer to the UK it would be easier for us to stay in closer contact with family. I am starting a TEFL course and am hoping to be able to use this as a career - my husband is a warehouse manager so he is worried what type of job he woudl be able to get in France.

There is so much to think about but I worry if I think too much we won't actually do it.

Did anyone feel like this???

x

Hi, From the ages of your children I take it that you are fairly young.
You should be aware that the job situation in France is considerably worse than in UK, even for french nationals.
Your husband might find it useful to take a part-time training course in a saleable skill like plumbing or bricklaying/gen. building during the 2 yrs before coming with the aim of setting up as an individual business( which will be much easier from next year), in Normandy he would find many British clients.
If you own your UK house it would be wise to rent it out and use some of the proceeds to rent in France,french rents are generally much lower than in UK and you should have some surplus towards living costs.
You also have a home to return to if,as often happens, you find you cannot make ends meet longterm.
There is a thing called "The french trap",where people sell their UK home to buy in France,cannot find work or a business that will support them,want to return to UK but cannot sell the french house for anything like what they need to buy in UK. Don't fall into it! Sorry to sound negative , but you need to think very carefully at your stage in life.