Relocating to France..pro's and con's?

[Jacqueslemac]

Depends how old your children are. Some friends of mine threw theirs (14 and 12) in at the deep end. They hated it for three months and were fluent by six months.

Healthcare in France is far, far superior to the UK. You qualify for French healthcare straight away if you're a UK tax payer. However, it's not all free. You get about 80 per cent (from memory) paid for, so will need top-up insurance for the rest. There are several companies who sell this type of insurance for ex-pats.

I was in France on a motorbike trip in November when a friend had a small stroke (at 49!). I accompanied him to the hospital and acted as translator (don't know why, all the doctors and nurses spoke better English than I do French!) and witnessed it all first hand. The NHS looks like a third world operation by comparison.

 

[cchris2lou]

kids mught struggle at first , but french primary schools are the best in the world .

healthcare is better , but you have to pay first and then get your money back ( as said above not all of it unless you have a ' mutuelle ' .

 

[KeepItSteel]

the French

+1

+2 Yes the French are a horrible race of people. When the Brits descend on them with their beer guts sweating away in their plastic football shirts, insisting on speaking English loudly and slowly whilst flapping their arms up and down adding io to make things sound foreign rather than bothering to learn the language, it is completely unreasonable for the French to be anything other than welcoming. Likewise, the cultural exchange that goes on when the Brits drink too much cheap lager should be welcomed by all and sundry with open arms.

:roll:
[/i]

Cliche?

There are also millions of decent English people, and alot of them travel through and around France, and make a decent effort to speak the lingo whilst spending their hard earned.

The resorts you sort of refer to are created purely to entice and welcome just the kind of revenue makers you mention...be it costa del beer or wherever.
I've also come across some very unsavoury French & Russian holiday makers on beaches around Europe, and they were displaying behaviour worse than pretty much any brit ive come across abroad.

 

[drcarlos]

Spent plenty of time over there and I like it and the people are good too and appreciate the fact I try a few phrases on them and can understand them as well.
I'd certainly consider it myself, if I could find a job there.

Whoever mentioned Lidls, well when we were there last year we actually shopped in lidls in Combourg a fair bit, but I haven't seen an Aldi yet .

Carl.

 

[David B]

I spent eighteen months there full-time (until my money ran out) and I found I missed
Beer (Belgian bière is a resonable subsititute!)

In my experience, good beer's to be had in the northern parts of France that are close to Belgium (either local brews with a Belgian influence or the real thing from over the border). Sadly, despite the Channel Tunnel bringing Kent rather closer to that bit of the Continent, it appears that Shepherd Neame has yet to catch on over there though.

Not sure if it's indicative of how things are away from the capital, but in Paris itself it seems possible to eat out to a good standard on an absurdly small amount of cash compared to UK restaurants. Which is nice.

David

 

[David B]

Other plus points I've just thought of bike-wise:

Stronglight and TA stuff cheaper than in the UK.

Potentially superior opportunities for acquiring NOS parts by the likes of Sachs-Huret.

Hmm. Now where did I put my passport.....

David

 

[Bikebandit]

First you got to want to go more than anything...so you can take the negatives if you hit any while your there.Language is the key,learn it..a job,get one before you move..have a big reserve in your bank...always have plan B.. I moved to sweden 7 years ago,had a job to go to and at the same time enrolled in a language course..after I felt safe enough I bought a house now I'm here for good...moving to any new country is a challenge..good luck