In my 7.5ton truck, missed the ferry (Hull-Zeebrugge) -- they put us on the next one out, that went to Rotterdam! So we ended up travelling through an extra country on the way here!!!
I am also keeping my American bank accounts!
I am in the process of moving from the U.S. and all of this is very helpful. I have been trying to learn French and this site is also very useful. I've visited many times and I am a travel writer, so I know a lot about the idiosyncrasies of the French. I am a bit lucky because we will be caretakers for a family who also live near the property and they are from Australia, so they speak English and French!
Having lived in Lyon, Toulouse and Paris for a year each, done seasons in the Alps and on the Med and have now lived in Bordeaux for the last two years with a French wife, had about 20 different jobs in various French companies, am currently the only Englishman in a 100% French company and speak more or less fluent French... I have to say I have no idea whatsoever what mistakes to avoid as the French surprise and shock me almost every day with completely unexpected and unpredicatable behaviour (both men and women of all ages). GOOD LUCK TO ANYONE PLANNING TO MOVE HERE!!!! For me France has one of the highest standards of living of any country in the world if you consider the health care, welfare state, chilled attitude to working hours, weather and general gluttony (I've also lived in Japan, New Zealand, Thailand and Hong Kong and am from London) but WTF is going on in people's heads????
My top tip is to not take advice from anyone who starts their answer with "I think that..." or "My mate did such & such..." or "It says on Anglo Info..."
The best advice I got was " Ask at the Marie..."
Appreciate that if you need something to happen tomorrow, it will take a few weeks / months and several cartridges of ink YET, on the bright side, if you'd rather not think about a worrying health issue, you'll know within a day!
Yes, the Tracy's have it, as well as Christine. I love it here and after nearly 10 years of trying (we both now at last have a Carte Vitale each) we're selling up and leaving.
I never thought I would and really don't want to go. Christophe, loved your comment. I take it you've lived in UK and will understand why I don't want to go back. It's just that it costs too much here; everything is a fight. If you've enough money and perhaps an OH who has succeeded in learning the language (tries hard) then no problem. Being self employed is very tough, in UK as a voice over artist I could claim my expenses, here on AE I cannot and have to pay up nearly a quarter of my poor earnings to a state that won't allow me pension benefits because I've not been here long enough.
Now, I have to go to the tax office yet again (3rd time) to explain that I sold my prefab 2 years ago and I really don't owe Taxe d'Habitation for 2012 neither do I merit the fines and threats of a bailiff. This is just one of many obstacles to stressless health that come at me.
Yet I love it still and would stay in a heartbeat. And SFN is a must, judging by comments from my French friends, they could do with one themselves!
Only one comment learn the language. I am a brit but born outside of UK, but even as a child I remember being horrified that brits could live in a country for 40 years or more and still not speak the language. Look at it the other way round ie a French person living in the Uk.
Oh yes Cristophe, have a care as Andrew says. I do NOT have a French family, but they are also not 'British' and our friends are mainly French to boot.
Too true, Andrew…too true!
@Christophe, steady on now, some of us have French OHs, French kids and French family :-O et de toute façon, où qu'on aille i'y a des cons !
Totally agree with both Tracies - speaking French IS necessary, because (contrary to what most English people believe) NOT everybody speaks English. We have a friend who doesn't speak the language and every year I have to translate for him the information about the test to identify bowel cancer. Not very pleasant for me, and probably rather embarrassing for him. We really had to get used to the shop opening (and lunch closing) times, especially when we were doing building work and wanted to do a day of serious shopping. Bring a lot of patience!
As a person who is in the middle of it all - and who has gone through the opening of a bank account, insuring the house, engaged a french plumber who doesn't speak any english, I have to tell you it's all very scary. I have tried to learn french, bought tapes and had one to one lessons and although my french is slightly better than it was I would still classify myself as a beginner - as I just cannot keep up with the speed of the language... so trying to learn as much as i can before we move there - is very difficult. I think if you have been there a long time, or can speak french or have a partner that speaks french - the trip may not be as 'troublesome' and I say that tounge in cheek as I've ready all of the posts about how difficult dealing with the authorities can be.....
I would say learn as much as you can about french taxes and read the threads on how to get a medical card etc...
My top tip is to be completely aware that the French are exactly as we're told they there are, arrogant, aloof, insular, smelly, rude, odd, unpredictable, pigheaded and they possess a total inability to think outside the box, they are untravelled and reluctant to change! That aside, bien sûr, ils sont tous absolument parfait.
There are exceptions of course but it's pretty much true for 99% of them. IMO.
So, come and have a go if you think you're hard enough, et bon courage, si vous faites.
I agree with the previous comments completely. Learn as much French as possible pre-move. Also, if you’re American, make sure you have a drivers license from one of the seven accepted states before beginning your visa process. My Oregon license isn’t transferable and it’s too late for me to get a license from a state that is transferable. It’s going to cost me an arm and a leg for a driving license here. The most important tip is to move with an open mind. Roll with the punches. It’s a new culture and a new life; don’t expect your old way of living to continue.
Dan, if you're over here working etc or plan to live here long term then there's no choice, when in Rome...! ;-)
so well said, Tracy, I taught here whilst doing my degree, did a masters degree at a French uni but still found myself outside the "comfort zone" at times. The language really is the key, and it's often far easier to get the basics sorted before coming to France ;-)
If you have good, affordable travel insurance, and have no good reason to get on the French "books" (pay taxes, get a Carte Vitatle etc.) - then stay off their books. Do so for as long as it makes sense 'cause once you're on them it's complicated as hell and expensive (taxes and social charges).
My top tip would be to make sure your spoken French is as good as possible, I think it is the one most under-estimated part of moving - 'my French isn't great but it'll improve once I get there' is something so many people say. To imagine what it is like, try going about your daily stuff at home, with your mouth zipped shut, only able to say, hello, goodbye, counting to 10, ordering a glass of wine/coffee in the cafe - you know the stuff that you learn on the basic language courses.
What it doesn't equip you to do is - fill in your tax form, get your telephone/internet installed, call out the plumber, take your cat to the vet and so on. Unless you move to areas heavily populated by tourists or foreigners, no one will speak English, not even professionals - have a quick count up how many of your everyday contacts where you live, speak French. That is about the same number of people who will speak English in France.