Perhaps you should spend more time thinking and researching and less time posting here 
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Thanks!
Retraining as a nurse sounds good - but can I check whether I understand you correctly - would love a link to someplace ‘formal’ where this is stated.
So flying between UK and France as frontalier weekly is actually a good option (rather than TGV) but yours is a bit better … … but I may not be understanding you incorrectly.
As a UK citizen you have the right to live and work in the UK. If you are physically in the UK when doing so then you pay tax and NI in the UK (of course declaring this also in France). This does not have any affect on your future rights.
You can do for as long as you like, recognising that working too long in the UK can trigger complications with tax here as you would become a couple mixte, and can flip you into being UK resident for tax purposes which would mess up your health care here.
So yes, you can go and work for ALDI, but better to do 3 months I would have thought.
And from living and working in France for 20+ years all this is pretty straightforward.
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Oooooo that’s wonderful and what I thought before … … but I thought you mentioned that as a French resident albeit UK citizen - that all earnings in the UK are actually taxed in France meaning paying into cotisations and so losing S1?
That’s where the confusion arises … … so imagine a Brit resident in France works in UK for 1 month … … and pays tax, NI, pension in the UK … … I had thought you meant that this is all claimed back and France takes the money as it would as if you’ve earned it in the exact same job in France.
You know a bit like George1 was saying about the Brits taxing (the emergency code thing in the absence of us being able to self-certify), then us having to claim this all back … … and then pay tax in France though his context (the pension transfer thing) is different.
However - the way I read you know is wonderful!
So the new dream becomes to work in all (or at least a fair few) of the Aldi stores in the UK for 3 months each year for the rest of my life without any prospect of losing the S1!
The dream is alive 
That’s brilliant.
So - the French want all of this info on their tax form but they won’t want any money for me working in the UK!
My faith in French taxmen is restored. I’m sure there’s something in the bible about tax officers and Jesus.
Oooo Matthew - he’s my favourite obvs!
Matthew 6:24
I’m not too sure if the forum is ready for me to translate that section into the language that Eric Cartman uses when he’s going door to door spreading the good word but it features him taking a bundle of notes from his back pocket and well … … they don’t go very far if you know what I mean.
PS after all the effort you’ve gone to, do you want anything from Aldi?
I can recommend their nearly raw vegan nut bars!
France has evil Aldi and it’s run by the brother of good Aldi.
It’s quite the story!
One day I’m hoping to be instrumental in bringing the two brothers back together again so we can tackle Lidl which I’ve never really liked apart from their nut selection.
(too much choice is never a good thing!)
Oooo you’re a gites - what’s happening in France in the battle between hotels, airbnbs and gites?
Over here we’re getting stories of airbnbs wiping out the hotel/gite market and the government being pressured to step in.
(the point of the question is - is the passive income route through gite now dead in the water courtesy of airbnb?)
Wrong question. You are taking fragments of information and coming to a off-target conclusion.
There are many threads about the ins and outs of running tourist accomodation. Much of which changed this week with the new Loi Meur.
I don’t really have the patience to explain it.
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So, eventually, even @JaneJones’ patient camel’s back came a cropper…!
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As your wife is French why doesn’t she ring up the tax people and urssaf or whoever and get all the info? Also it may well be available online for someone who can read French. Being transparent and candid and asking a real person whose job is dealing with these questions may well be your best bet.
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But would Switzerland then be his competent state if last employment?
You can absolutely get an S1 valid for a year at a time if you live in France and have a commuting pattern to the UK. It’s renewable by your reapplication annually so long as that remains your situation.
The difference is that you apply to HMRC for the S1 as a worker in the UK resident in France in this case.
I know. I did this.
PS I also get about by Brompton here in France, as I did in London.
This keeps the UK as your competent state.
And before you ask, remote working in France counts as working in France even for a UK company, and attracts French social contributions from both you and more importantly from your employer.
(Retirement S1’s are applied to the DWP Overseas people, a small period before you reach UK retirement age from which date it will be valid.)
It’s worth doing.
Also think about buying any missing uk pension years while you can as date for that is closing soon. moneysavingexpert.com is a good source.
Though I am concerned about your lack of focus. It’s all doable - if you really want to come just come and make sure to take any lump sums in a calendar year you are not resident in France in if you can. Also open a spare bank account each ideally with HSBC, the co-op or nationwude before you move as most UKbanks will close you down as soon as you become resident in France. Also do any pension transfers before you move as most non-VHNW providers won’t touch a non resident.
If you don’t want to move are you just doing very detailed window-shopping?
Oooo that’s interesting - thanks!
Surely if a major passive income for Brits in France is through gite … … then AirBNB’s would be expected to be disruptive? We have the same story here but without the same gite culture - it’s more hotel owners vs AirBNB … … really hotting up. AirBNB are now explicitly attacking hotels in wall-to-wall TV ads here. Translating their ads into one line - ‘you’ve gotta’ be a loser to stay in a hotel when AirBNBs are available’.
The internet changes everything!
I actually woke up with that idea.
Thing is - is that I didn’t think that it was a problem returning to work for a few months here and there before @JaneJones mentioned that the >183 days rule was false.
So - I assumed that her mention that as a French resident, we’re required to pay tax on all worldwide payments received from that point on.
However! I think Jane meant that we pay tax in the country we’re working in and need to declare it rather than pay tax on worldwide income actually in France.
So - all good! Just an error in interpretation because of the idea (just before in this thread) of needing to;
[1] Pay tax in UK
[2] Claim it back
[3] Before paying the tax in France as a French resident (for pension transfers)
So - I’m just writing a message as we speak to the tax office in France - and that’s one of the questions that I’m going to pose.
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Confirmation of how long France allows me to work in England for before they object (in whatever way - Jane mentions health complications … … and I lose S1). Bizarrely though when I attended the tax office, the tax officer had never heard of S1!
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Confirmation of whether the Tax office will fill out the form that George1 mentions (as other people in the forum have said something like it’s discretionary rather than mandatory (or at least they can drag their heels) for the tax office to complete the form).
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Where on the tax form we opt out of Social charges and opt back in?
(jumping between PHI and the state system during tax transfers).
I think there’s a tick box on the tax form?? -
How to ensure that private pensions (just mentioned to Jane) and assurance view are taxed/Social Charged at the correct level - eg assurance vie / euro fonds is different to a stocks/shares assurance vie - so need to ensure that having opted out of Social charges with PHI and with low income - that the correct tax rate / Social charges are applied - since I think?? there’s a fixed rate of tax (~30% consisting of Social charges + Income tax on Assurance vie/Euro fonds) - but neither the Social Charges nor Income tax will be right based on PHI + Low income.
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Ideally to get a governmental office with an expert on Social charges - I’ve spectacularly failed to find this office thus far, but it must exist. It’s all really to have proof from them of the correct Social charges in my situation - because it’s obvious to me that the wrong rate is going to be applied across our various financial instruments - and once applied, I bet it’s going to be really difficult to reverse or get a rebate.
Blimey! quite a few questions … … but all simple for somebody who has had a tiny bit of exposure to the system, I think.
Yes - that’s what I think.