I'm thinking about moving to France, but can't speak french

It just so happens my good man. That I worked in a warehouse with Polish, Romainian, Greek,Portugese, Iraqi and indians…and socialised with them all the time…now will you get off my back?
oh. and if you phone Morrisons supermarket distribution centre in Northwich, Cheshire they will verify this

Don’t worry about being slagged off, John. There are a few people who seem to deliberately interpret others posts incorrectly. I think being obtuse must kind of give them a superiority complex. You ought to see some of the replies to my posts! Rest assured, there are plenty of members who know exactly what you meant.
Despite the wishes of those who think otherwise, there are events which are by their very nature have an anglophile slant (The Phoenix Book Fair, for example) but it is good to see that our french neighbours are happy to host & support them despite also struggling a bit with our language. In fact, my neighbours are very supportive & far more tolerant of the odd english ways than some of the english dickheads who contribute here!
Our local War Veterans Association includes the british in the Rememberence Day ceremonies, including a poppy wreath & the National Anthem. It was not requested but is an acknowledgement of a british presence in the heart of France.
I would like to think that the french who live in the UK are also given similar respect.

As for some of the “holier than thou” comments about brits in France perhaps a quick look at a few french ex-pat sites in the UK will redress the balance - Internations website has this

"Meet Fellow French in London at Our Events

Our community in London is also very active offline. Our InterNations Ambassadors organize regular events and various expat activities, e.g. a dinner in London’s hippest restaurant or an outing with other French expats to explore the outstanding beauty of the Cotswolds, “the Heart of England”. These activities are a casual way to get to know expats from France in your local community as well as French in the UK nationwide. Interested? Simply become a member and we’ll be happy to welcome you among our French living in London! "
Maybe “some brits” attend!

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Nice…

Cheers Mark. I think I see what you mean, on reading a few comments I notice a few replies that look to have deliberately misconstrued a simple post that a five year old could interpret. Nice to have a bit of support.

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Dear John, France is a marvelous country and I would not wish to dicourage you from coming. BUT>>>> LEARN FRENCH! You already speak English, which is a far more difficult language (ask any French person!). It requires persistance and application, but it’s worth it. My wife and I know a number of Brits in our area who have lived in France for years and never bothered to learn the language and they are isolated and unable to participate fully in the culture and activities of the area. They also have much greater difficulty in their dealings with authorities and the medical world.

Hi John I have just (Feb 2106) bought a house in France and although I speak 4 languages my French was very poor (O level C in 1981)

I used an english speaking advisor who walked us through the whole process, I was very happy with him he checked out the property, negotiated a price, ran me through all the paperwork (technical report,contract etc), talked to the sellers, real estate people and the Notary for me and was on speed dial when I signed the contract.

One thing I missed out on is if we had contacted the owners directly and not through the real estate agent we would have saved about 7000 euros in their fees. The advisor would have spoken to them direct (about 50% of houses in France are sold direct even though a real estate agent is engaged by the owners), but we were shown the house by the real estate agent so we were too late for that. He was I must say very helpful even allowing me to stay in his house as I flew down to finally agree the price etc.

Our advisor charged a fee and then charged another fee depending how much below the asking price he could agree with the owners (10% of the reduction), we bought the house at a 15% reduction on the asking price, gained another 300m2 of land, and had the owner remove 7 trees.

All in all I was delighted and he took all the mystery and stress out of the process

I am now busy learning french and have joined our local French conversation club, plus practice each day via Babbel and Duolingo on my phone going to work on the train.

France and its people are great, the language will come, but you have to put the effort in and be bold.

We plan to retire there in 5 years and will holiday there till then as we rennovate the house

regards

Andy

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Hi Andy and Chris,
Thanks very much for the input, I will try to learn french meantime as I look for someplace.

Cheers
John

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We have also used the Michel Thomas learning method, really great because it’s proper conversations and grammar rather than school French. We haven’t moved to France yet but hopefully will this year. One thing that is helping is that we had French tv installed (we live in Scotland), that’s what helps you to learn to keep up with the speed I suppose, we’re not there yet but our French is improving.

Thanks Katie, I don’t have a TV but I do watch a lot of french films, I’ll try to increase the amount a watch.
What part of Scotland are you from?

You could always get a tv! It really helps to learn the culture and current affairs and also speed of speech. If you are going to retire to France presumably you could rent until you are sure where you want to be (or a motor home!)
We live near Lockerbie. Hope it works out for you.

We do not/cannot receive TV programmes… but use our computer to watch/listen to French News BFM via FilmOn TV (free).

Highly recommended as a way of improving/learning… This chunters away in the background while I am working on whatever… … the music of the French language is important… in the beginning, I understood very little… nowadays, I could not tell whether the broadcasts are made in French or English…it is all the same to me…:wink:

iPad may well do the same thing.

Hi Andy, if you buy a property through www.immobilier.notaires.fr I understand you don’t pay commission.

Thanks girls, I’m going in early May to have a look around, hopefully I wiil have learned a wee bit french by then,

I am a little surprised you have not considered Brexit. If and/or when this goes through you will have no right to live in France. I think you need to do some research before you go any further.

Carol… not intending to start a lengthy to and fro… but I do not really think that UK folk will be denied the possibility to live in France… any more than folk from elsewhere… each on his/her merits… :wink:

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Although for non-EU citizens, the make-or-break “merit” is, cash in the bank. If you’re wealthy you don’t have much trouble getting a visa. If you’re not wealthy, your chances of getting any kind of long-term visa for France are pretty slim.

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Surely it is a matter of being able to pay your way… ?

Pay your way, yes but as a non-EU citizen you need to prove a lot higher income to get a long stay visitor visa, than you do to meet the minimum income criteria for residence as an EU citizen. As a non-EU citizen you can’t come here with the intention of working and earning money unless you can find an employer to sponsor you which is a bit like finding unicorn droppings; on a visitor visa you can’t apply for jobs or set up a business.
Being an EU citizen with freedom of movement and the right to reside throughout the EU, and being a non EU citizen without those things, really does make a difference. People from China, America, Australia etc who desperately want to come to France but don’t have a lot of savings, sometimes spend years planning and scheming how to get a visa, it turns into a some kind of holy grail.
Hopefully there will be some kind of deal for Brits but who knows.

Fair comment Anna… :slight_smile:

I think I was reacting to. the vague notion that we have to be wealthy to live here… :wink: