It's better than Orleans?
Better in what way ? Orleans is a loverly very calm city.
I would rather be employed in Orleans than unemployed in Montpellier
I live in a very large non touristy town. Not the sort of place expats dream of moving to. But they are wrong!!! Down the road is a thriving English school....a friend of ours has lessons with them and by all accounts they are looking for teachers. So they must be doing well.
Coincidently, there is also a French run gîte that seems also to be thriving 'all year round' (not just the summer !!!!) as they have just bought another property and opened a second one. I bet most of their customers are not tourists. Think outside the box when opening a gîte !!!!!
So there you go. Smeg is right. Forget Montpellier, Lyon, Bordeaux etc. To much competition......and also there are too many English speaking French students give lessons for 10 euros an hour (google it) so you will be peeing in the wind trying to find business.
Plenty of places similar to where I live in France where you can set up a thriving business. They will also offer you a much better quality of life. It might not have the views, the weather, beach and the glam of Montpellier but you can earn living.