[Temperance]

Hi, does anyone know of any? Despite having no problems with the language I avoid French hairdressers as they are always siezed with urge to cut my long hair short and dye it red!

Had a really good cut by an English girl in Spain late last year but it's growing out now. I'd be really grateful for any contacts.

Thanks.

 

[Bevdeforges]

I know what you mean about French hairdressers. But even here in the Paris area, there are very few English-speaking hairdressers. Most are affiliated with the upscale (and terribly expensive) salons in Paris.

Best I can suggest is to see if you can find anyplace that takes walk-ins ("sans rendez-vous"). It means you change who you see (whoever is available when you show up) and sometimes it's easier to get them to just do what you want when they don't have an ongoing relationship with you.

Some of the "franchise salons" (the ones named after the brands of shampoo you find in the hypermarkets - Jacques Dessange, Sergio Bossi, etc.) tend to take walk-ins and might be worth a try.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Temperance]

Thanks for that. I was rather hoping there may just be someone in my area who works from home or visits clients as way of turning an euro. From what I hear though all the hairdressers are moving to Australia where they are in great demand! Bet they haven't got this snow!

Keep warm
Tempy

 

[VanessaCastle]

english hairdresser

Thanks for that. I was rather hoping there may just be someone in my area who works from home or visits clients as way of turning an euro. From what I hear though all the hairdressers are moving to Australia where they are in great demand! Bet they haven't got this snow!

Keep warm
Tempy

Hi Tempy.

i know this reply isnt much help to you, but i am training in hairdressing at the moment. I was planning to move to australia but the process is so difficult and we are now considering France.

Do you think there is a need for english hairdressers in your area? do you think i would get work there? Your advice and responses to these questions would be great and then maybe i could do your hair for you when i move there. Hopefully it will be before the end of this year!

Many thanks Vanessa

 

[Temperance]

Hey Vanessa. I finally had to give in and get my hair cut at a French salon. To be fair she almost did what I wanted so I'm quite pleased!

As to your questions; I put feelers out just about everywhere and no one knew of an English hairdresser anywhere in the Gers. Of course that doesn't mean there isn't one but she certainly is hard to find. Most of the women I know feel the same reluctance to use a French one, it's not a language thing just they seem to have very set ideas on how you should wear your hair at different ages. Obviously I can't tell you how much business you might get but do feel if you made yourself known you could build up a decent size clientelle. Again just my opinion but you would be best not to jump in by opening a salon but to work as a mobile. With the introduction of the Auto-entrepreneur scheme last year it really is much easier to run a small business here in France than it ever has been. The scheme is very easy, even I can manage it!

The Gers is a very beautiful area but it is one of the most rural and under-populated departments in France hence it does lack a little sophistication. Not somewhere to come to if you are going to miss things like nightlife, shopping etc. We have no industry, no motorway and no department stores. Of course we are close to Toulouse where a bit of excitement can be found.

Hope this is of some help and if I can answer any other questions then just ask away.

All best
Tempy

 

[VanessaCastle]

Hairdressing

Hey Vanessa. I finally had to give in and get my hair cut at a French salon. To be fair she almost did what I wanted so I'm quite pleased!

As to your questions; I put feelers out just about everywhere and no one knew of an English hairdresser anywhere in the Gers. Of course that doesn't mean there isn't one but she certainly is hard to find. Most of the women I know feel the same reluctance to use a French one, it's not a language thing just they seem to have very set ideas on how you should wear your hair at different ages. Obviously I can't tell you how much business you might get but do feel if you made yourself known you could build up a decent size clientelle. Again just my opinion but you would be best not to jump in by opening a salon but to work as a mobile. With the introduction of the Auto-entrepreneur scheme last year it really is much easier to run a small business here in France than it ever has been. The scheme is very easy, even I can manage it!

The Gers is a very beautiful area but it is one of the most rural and under-populated departments in France hence it does lack a little sophistication. Not somewhere to come to if you are going to miss things like nightlife, shopping etc. We have no industry, no motorway and no department stores. Of course we are close to Toulouse where a bit of excitement can be found.

Hope this is of some help and if I can answer any other questions then just ask away.

All best
Tempy

Hi Tempy,

Many thanks for the information. Ill have to look up the Auto-entrepreneur scheme. I am thinking about going mobile at first, but also about getting another small job so i have the paperwork i need to apply to stay longer than 3 months. I understand you are allowed to stay for 5 years at first providing you are working? I am looking at rental properties at the moment and will probably have some short breaks in france during the summer to try and secure a job and a house. Im hoping to be over there by september so the children start the new school year in a new school and not disrupt them half way through. Im not worried about nightlife and shopping, i prefer rural, we are all so excited. How do you find living in france? Ive read bad things and good things. The internet says that france is one of the most popular places for british people to live, but then i also read that the french dont like british people much?

Its great to have someone to talk to that is living the experience already, these sites are great and thank you for responding

Many thanks Vanessa

 

[Temperance]

Vanessa, before I attempt to answer any of your questions I need to know if you hold an EU country passport. The regs are very different if you do or do not.

One thing I would say is that your chances of finding a job, in this area, anyway are practically nil. Many newcomers have fallen down at this hurdle; thinking they will just be able to pick up a nice little part-time job. Unemployment is very high in France at the moment and they, quite rightly in my opinion, give their own citizens preference when recruiting. You would also need to be fluent in French to be considered. Perhaps you are, but it's something to bear in mind. Likewise your children will find it hard going at school if they don't have at least a grounding in French; it is quite usual for English kids to be put back at least a year unless they are very young when they seem to pick it up extremely quickly.

We have lived here for nearly ten years and are very happy but we didn't arrive needing to earn a living from a local job. We are both self-employed in computer based work which could be done from anywhere in the world.

Tempy

 

[VanessaCastle]

passports

Vanessa, before I attempt to answer any of your questions I need to know if you hold an EU country passport. The regs are very different if you do or do not.

One thing I would say is that your chances of finding a job, in this area, anyway are practically nil. Many newcomers have fallen down at this hurdle; thinking they will just be able to pick up a nice little part-time job. Unemployment is very high in France at the moment and they, quite rightly in my opinion, give their own citizens preference when recruiting. You would also need to be fluent in French to be considered. Perhaps you are, but it's something to bear in mind. Likewise your children will find it hard going at school if they don't have at least a grounding in French; it is quite usual for English kids to be put back at least a year unless they are very young when they seem to pick it up extremely quickly.

We have lived here for nearly ten years and are very happy but we didn't arrive needing to earn a living from a local job. We are both self-employed in computer based work which could be done from anywhere in the world.

Tempy

Hi Tempy,

We are applying for passports for all 6 of us at the end of this month as i have never had a passport before and neither has my husband. We are both british born and bred if that helps.

So providing i set up a mobile hairdressing business within a few weeks of moving and have enough money to see us through for a while, then hopefully i should be okay. I would love to do a computer based self employed job, but i wouldnt know where to start.

Many thanks Vanessa

 

[Temperance]

Vanessa, by virtue of you or your husband never having held a passport I assume you have never visited France or any other foreign country. I would urge you to get to know France before deciding to uproot your family and move here. You will find it very different from the UK. Many of these differences are wonderful, some perplexing or irratating and others downright difficult. I appreciate that these differences maybe what you are looking for in planning a new life; I know a lot of people are currently keen to leave the UK with its many problem but France is not paradise. Some people are suited to living abroad and some are not; try to establish you fall into the first category before making such a big decision. I offer this advice because over the years I have seen too many families fail to make the transition; financial difficulties, problems with the language, failing to grasp what you can and cannot achieve here or simply missing their family and friends too much.

As an EU citizen you are entitled to take up permanent residence here. If you or your husband have regularly paid NI contributions over the last two years you will be entitled to health cover for the family for a period calculated from this - anything upto two years. After that time -unless you are over retirement age which I'm guessing you are not! - you have to have been here five years or one of you be working to be in the 'system'.

For me France is a great place to live but it's not perfect; nowhere is. It will really pay you to get to know it first.

Tempy

 

[VanessaCastle]

Vanessa, by virtue of you or your husband never having held a passport I assume you have never visited France or any other foreign country. I would urge you to get to know France before deciding to uproot your family and move here. You will find it very different from the UK. Many of these differences are wonderful, some perplexing or irratating and others downright difficult. I appreciate that these differences maybe what you are looking for in planning a new life; I know a lot of people are currently keen to leave the UK with its many problem but France is not paradise. Some people are suited to living abroad and some are not; try to establish you fall into the first category before making such a big decision. I offer this advice because over the years I have seen too many families fail to make the transition; financial difficulties, problems with the language, failing to grasp what you can and cannot achieve here or simply missing their family and friends too much.

As an EU citizen you are entitled to take up permanent residence here. If you or your husband have regularly paid NI contributions over the last two years you will be entitled to health cover for the family for a period calculated from this - anything upto two years. After that time -unless you are over retirement age which I'm guessing you are not! - you have to have been here five years or one of you be working to be in the 'system'.

For me France is a great place to live but it's not perfect; nowhere is. It will really pay you to get to know it first.

Tempy

Hi Tempy.

Once again, thank you for your helpful advice.

I understand from the internet that we are allowed to live in france but i presume i will still need to apply for a residence permit, and do i need to be working to get this? Obviously i will be working anyway but it will take time to build up clientelle.

My husband has never visited france before, i have but on a group passport with school and college. I loved it everytime.

As for family and friends its not really a problem, i gave up trusting people around where i live a long time ago. Family wise, i dont have a big family, its really just my mum and step dad and my husbands dad. I do take into account what you are saying though and i understand about visiting first. we have actually planned to visit during all the school holidays between now and august, as soon as we have our passports anyway.

Many thanks Vanessa

 

[Bevdeforges]

I understand from the internet that we are allowed to live in france but i presume i will still need to apply for a residence permit, and do i need to be working to get this? Obviously i will be working anyway but it will take time to build up clientelle.

If you're British, you don't need a passport to come to France, though it's probably not a bad idea to have one - especially since there is not yet any national i.d. card for the UK.

And no, you won't need to apply for a residence permit, either. In fact, my British friends living here report that they will not even give you a carte de séjour (French version of a residence permit) if you are an EU national.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[VanessaCastle]

passports

If you're British, you don't need a passport to come to France, though it's probably not a bad idea to have one - especially since there is not yet any national i.d. card for the UK.

And no, you won't need to apply for a residence permit, either. In fact, my British friends living here report that they will not even give you a carte de séjour (French version of a residence permit) if you are an EU national.
Cheers,
Bev

Hi Bev,

Many thanks for the information.

So are you saying we are free to move to france and work. with no need for legal documentation?

Many thanks vanessa

 

[Bevdeforges]

Hi Bev,

Many thanks for the information.

So are you saying we are free to move to france and work. with no need for legal documentation?

Many thanks vanessa

No need for immigration papers. To work in France, you need all the French documentation (i.e. that you're registered with the social insurance agencies, etc.) but that's normally up to your employer to set into motion. If you're going to work for yourselves (say, under that auto-entrepreneur statute someone mentioned), you need to do the paperwork (in French) yourself and that can get tricky.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Temperance]

Portail Officiel des Auto-Entrepreneurs

This tells you everything you need to know about this scheme and there is an English translation if you need it. Just clink on it; it's a link.

 

[VanessaCastle]

link

Portail Officiel des Auto-Entrepreneurs

This tells you everything you need to know about this scheme and there is an English translation if you need it. Just clink on it; it's a link.

Hi, i just checked out this link but couldnt find the english translation?

Many thanks

Vanessa

 

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, i just checked out this link but couldnt find the english translation?

Many thanks

Vanessa

It's pretty rare that French government sites have English translations these days - other than perhaps the consulate sites and a couple departments that deal specifically with foreigners (OFII, for instance).

I couldn't find a link for an English translation of any of the site. Maybe Temperance will come back and point out the translation link we both seem to have missed.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Temperance]

Did someone call? Lol

Sorry it is the site for URSSAF - the Autoentrepreneur scheme comes under their umbrella - which has an English translation Urssaf.fr - Accueil. You click on the union jack in the top right corner.

If you want a translation of the other site I gave you - it does have all the details of the scheme including a very extensive FAQ section - I suggest you use the Googgle web translation tool.

Hope that helps
Tempy

 

[VanessaCastle]

link

Did someone call? Lol

Sorry it is the site for URSSAF - the Autoentrepreneur scheme comes under their umbrella - which has an English translation Urssaf.fr - Accueil. You click on the union jack in the top right corner.

If you want a translation of the other site I gave you - it does have all the details of the scheme including a very extensive FAQ section - I suggest you use the Googgle web translation tool.

Hope that helps
Tempy

Thank you Tempy, i will check that out later. xx

 

[newlifeforus]

Toni and Guy qualified

I know what you mean about French hairdressers. But even here in the Paris area, there are very few English-speaking hairdressers. Most are affiliated with the upscale (and terribly expensive) salons in Paris.

Best I can suggest is to see if you can find anyplace that takes walk-ins ("sans rendez-vous"). It means you change who you see (whoever is available when you show up) and sometimes it's easier to get them to just do what you want when they don't have an ongoing relationship with you.

Some of the "franchise salons" (the ones named after the brands of shampoo you find in the hypermarkets - Jacques Dessange, Sergio Bossi, etc.) tend to take walk-ins and might be worth a try.
Cheers,
Bev

Dear Bev,
I recently graduated from Toni and Guy Hairdressing Academy in Santa Monica, California. My father and I are planning on moving to France in about 2 years. I am licensed by the state of California with a 1600 hour cosmetology license. My goal is to build my resume in the best salons and take French lessons for the next 2 years. Do you know if I will have a problem with my credentials and whom would I contact in order to find out? Thank you for your time.

 

[Bevdeforges]

Dear Bev,
I recently graduated from Toni and Guy Hairdressing Academy in Santa Monica, California. My father and I are planning on moving to France in about 2 years. I am licensed by the state of California with a 1600 hour cosmetology license. My goal is to build my resume in the best salons and take French lessons for the next 2 years. Do you know if I will have a problem with my credentials and whom would I contact in order to find out? Thank you for your time.

This is the page from ONISEP about the training and qualifications necessary to become a hairdresser in France: ONISEP - coiffeur(euse)

You might also want to look at this one: ONISEP - esthéticien(ne)-cosméticien(ne) for estethticien-cosmeticien.
Cheers,
Bev