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Everything you always wanted to know about France - from France |
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French disconnectionMany Britons are returning home, tired of Gallic officialdom, reports Chris Wilson THEY do things differently in France and we like most of it — from the food to the TGV to the climate; which is why many of us dream of moving there. But many who did relocate are returning. Their gripe with France can be summed up in one word, l’administration, which the French usually talk of with an exasperated throwing-up of hands in much the same way that we might blame the traffic or the weather. The word encompasses everything from arcane legal contracts to mind-boggling tax demands. For Britons unversed in Gallic perversity, the French way of doing things can be doubly wearing. The leading foreign currency exchange company Caxton FX says record numbers of Britons are moving money back after selling their French properties. In the first quarter of this year the number of its clients repatriating money from the sale of their home in France rose from 24 per cent of its business to 36 per cent. Debbie Brett, of the removals company AngloFrench, has also witnessed an exodus. “For the first time ever, we are moving more people back to the UK than we are taking out to France,” she says. In the past, retired people accounted for most of those adopting France as their new home. For many people France had become a passion that had started with school holidays and had continued through their adult life. Recent relocators have tended to be in their thirties or forties, often with children, and perhaps not as well attuned to French life as their elders. For this generation, making money is a high priority. Sooner or later they are obliged to start earning and get involved with the French way of doing things. That is where the problems can start. One who returned is Robert Knight. He and his wife moved to the Pyrenees only a year ago to run a B&B. “It’s more difficult than we had expected,” he says. “Anyone can let rooms here in July and August. But we had this unrealistic idea that the season was longer. The market for B&Bs is saturated and you still have to pay the taxes if you’re earning or not.” Caroline White had difficulties with the French tax authorities. “As soon as I registered my translation business I got a very large bill for what they call social charges; I hadn’t invoiced anyone for a single centime,” she says. “And for the rest of that year, my various tax bills comfortably outstripped my income until I was forced to stop working.” These are stories that Bill Blevins, of the UK-based tax planning consultancy Belvins Franks, has often heard. “Doing business in France can be prohibitively expensive,” he says. John Gardner, of Make The Big Move, which gives seminars that help people who want to live in France to plan financially, agrees. “Of course, it is possible and lots of people do it, but you can’t just waltz into an income. There’s a different attitude as regards setting up a business or working down here to what there is in the UK.” Most of the obvious occupations are full to capacity: there are few vacancies for English teaching; too many translators; and the gîte market is oversupplied. There is help at hand, however. Some town halls have a list of relocation experts, and others can be found in the Yellow Pages www.pagesjaunes.fr. Spencer Leaver, of the Comité pour L’Insertion des Britanniques en Aveyron (CIBA), says: “We can help our clients in every aspect of moving to France. From rebuilding their house to accompanying them to the doctors, we do it all.” His services cost from €200 (£140) a year. Fortunately, some hitches can be put right. Anne Dyson decided to start a cookery school, Greedy Goose (www.greedygoose.net), in France but ran into problems with the authorities. She discovered on a Make The Big Move course that in France “school” refers to a specific legal entity, raising administrative difficulties. She changed the name to Greedy Goose Cooking Holidays and everyone was happy. FACTFILE Luke Warn, of Trip in France magazine, advises those who want to move: Learn as much French as you can. Talk to people who have moved. Take extra care if you are doing something you have not done before. Spend as much time as you can in your chosen location. Get expert help in France before you set up. Make sure you can always return to Britain if things go wrong. There are over 2,000 features and articles on this site about French life and living in France. You can search from the search box above. Do browse through our website and please use the advertising links, they help pay for the site. I do try to reply to all mail - Contact Me - most is about property or living in France. I publish comments in this newsletter which I believe are of interest and may help find answers for people wanting to come to France. I hope readers will go to the adverts which help support our overheads. |
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