Earning a living in France

[NPS]

If you are contemplating moving to France full time then one thing you need to consider is work.
How are you going to support your family whilst living abroad?

Make sure you do your homework before you leave home.

The main reason a lot of people return to the UK after moving abroad in because they didn't think it through properly.

Firstly French Language skills are a big issue and must be addressed before you move over, more so if you intend to work here.




One option is to run a B&B and/or Gîtes

A lot of people consider starting a B&B or gîte when moving to France and this can work. You need to make sure you do your homework and pick a good area.
When we first came to France we had a B&B for close to 3 years and it worked well. Fortunately we had the right location and we attracted both French and English clients. French locals booked rooms when they had a family get together, wedding or party in the town community centre. We also attracted workers who had short term jobs in the local town of Forges-les-Eaux and Parisians who came on weekend breaks to explore the region.

So if you are aiming to attract the French visitors then you could try and get somewhere near a Salle de fête (community hall), local transport links or the obvious Tourist attractions.

With the English customers, it is of course tourist attractions they will be mostly interested in and the local area. You will also attract people coming to look for properties in your region.

This is the same for Gîtes.

When looking to buy a property with the intention of renting it out to holiday makers, don't buy a property solely for the attractive price, be sure to choose an area that you would choose to holiday in yourself.
Try to visit the area properly before you buy, make sure it really is what you are looking for. Maybe look for something that's a little bit different to compete with the established local gîtes in the region.

If you have children, are there children living nearby and what are the schools like?

Also, Your business may take time to become established, can you manage financially until then? It may be a good idea for one of you to carry on working in the UK or locally if you can; just initially until you are confident you can manage. If this is the case, think about travelling distance/ times to your work when choosing locations for your venture.



Another option is to teach English in France

Teaching English could be an obvious choice for English speakers moving to France, it makes sense doesn't it.
Well it is quite as simple as it seems. Just because we speak English doesn't mean that we can just walk into a job.

What you need to do is get yourself a TEFL certificate. You can do this either at a school or online.




If you cannot find work abroad then sometimes the only option is for one of you to work away from home.
If there are children involved then this can be a daunting prospect. You need to sit down as a family and work out if the benefits of actually living this new life abroad out way the negatives of being apart from one another during the week.

Now don't let me put you off, this can work and you may find that you can find short term contracts that would mean you only have to do a short stint at a time and you would get more time together in between jobs.