Comments on: Is it cheap to live in France

By: Boris

Boris — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 04:50:07 +0000

Hi Suzi,
California sounds like a pretty good second best! I’d fancy a couple of years there myself, and my girls would love to live in America – whatever you might hear about differences between the Americans and the French, the kids at their schools certainly think the USA is A VERY GREAT PLACE.
Our gites are in south-west France, near a small medieval town called Villereal, just south of the Dordogne department.
Hope your plan works out – it sounds like a great compromise
Cheers

By: Suzi

Suzi — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:26:07 +0000

I just discovered your site and I am SO loving it! I live in California (yes, gorgeous weather year round) but have long desired to move to France. You have cured me! I speak French, love France, and I thoroughly enjoy reading your site. You taught me something important though at just the right moment…I can love France but we can’t live there. You are so right when you suggest that a place one experiences while on vacation is not the same as a place to live and generate income and it’s critical to understand the difference.We’re planning instead to move to the East Coast so that we’ll be only six hours from France…so…where is your gite? Warmest Regards, Suzi

By: Graham Smith

Graham Smith — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:43:51 +0000

Hi Andrea, long time no speak. I guess you’ll just about remember me. It’s Graham Smith, we did Byker together years ago. I stumbled upon this website and was surprised to see you up there. I have a load of information about moving and living in France. I have a good few friends who have done just that and I’ve spent a lot of time out there grafting with them. Drop me an email and I can pass on the info. Hope you and your Mum are well.

By: Boris

Boris — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:01:39 +0000

Hi Andrea, that’s a groovy job to have!
Not trying to be negative, but there are a couple of challenges:
- I think many areas have a reasonable amount of work available for other expats maintaining properties etc, but the only way you’d know about it is to live there first and get to know the people who live there. Finding that type of work before you arrived and before anyone knew you would be hard, probably not possible
- when you do start working, either it is all cash in hand (with problems to do with breking the law, no access to the health system etc) or it’s all registered and above board…which is pretty expensive in France, and often doesn’t work out if you aren’t earning very much.
It depends a lot on your finances etc.
One possible solution for the second problem is to get paid using the cheque d’emploi system (I’m not an expert but if you search I’m sure information will turn up, it gets talked about on France type forums quite often)
It’s not easy, but it is a good experience!

By: andrea coulthard

andrea coulthard — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:31:13 +0000

I have just discoverd your website tody and have been lost in it! How exciting and so very useful, it took me away on this wet,windy day in Sunderland! My drea is to one day live in the south of france, i am taking french lessons and have been reading lots of books also taken as many holidays as possible there. I am 37 have travelled lots over the years with my job as an illusionists assistant. I still have a passion for magic and still dabble now and then but back at home now with my mam and have gone into marketing and promotions,, sadly not enough work coming in at the moment, (the calm after christmas). I have no ties and im still a bit of a free spirit, but obviously wanting the best and a nice life not just for me but my lovely mam and my dog. I was very interested in your article about the kind of jobs the expats are doing, particularly the job of maintaining peoples houses whilt they are away. Please could you give me some advice or any websites i can visit to enquire directly of any of this work or similar.eg. taking care of pets, i would be very grateful!
I really hope you can help me.

Yours sincerely
Andrea Coulthard