It was cheaper than living in the UK and the quality of life seemed much better.
A house in France seemed just the right move.
But after 9 years of living away from my place of birth what have I learnt about having a home in France?
At Home in France you will never speak French as well as the French.
A few of you natural linguists reading this will disagree with this statement, but you are in the minority. For the rest of us it is important not to give up. Speaking a little is better than not at all.
Read whatever you can as it helps to know what the word you hear look like in the printed form. With time your confidence will grow and you will learn to speak better French. If you really persevere you will maybe even become average!
French Tradesmen will rip you off.
I have never found this to be the case. All the work that has needed to be done around my home in France has been done by local French tradesmen.
They do the work quickly and well and know the local trade and tradesmen. It is a good idea to check the local paper and ask around if you can. Before they leave your French house share a drink or a cup of coffee with them.
If you like what they do you will probably need their services again so it’s a good idea to get to know them a bit. I say coffee because once I did try offering a cup of Tea to an electrician once a job was completed but was met by a shocked look at his watch. “What, at this time”? Was his incredulous reply.
Opening a Gite or B and B will provide you with a living in France.
Well it might do? If you have experience in rentals or the holiday trade go ahead and rent your property for holidays. You could make a good living but remember this is an over saturated market.
The accommodation income from your house in France will pretty much die between October to March and even longer with bad weather. The bills will still continue to come in each month and they always cost more in the winter.
As a part time income it is probably a good way to supplement your income and if you can capitalize on it a good place to start if you have the time and money. As a full time income it is going to be a lot of work turning your home in France into a full time income.
Get to know your Country.
Buy a map of France and go and see it. The more you know about living in France the more you will get from it.
You will find out more about your local area in France by going out to find somewhere for some lunch or a beer than all the guide books can give you.
By taking part in something as simple as eating out you will gain a personal view of your new country that will lead you to a personal understanding of what living in France really means.
We were without a car at one time and had to catch the infrequent bus service into the local city.
It was 20 minutes before sunrise when we got on the bus and I got to see all the little French towns waking up as our 2 hour trip made its way through the French countryside. I learnt a lot about the French way of life from having to find a new route into town and the 4 euros cost was well worth it.
full story tips for living in France (link to this)