Employment Issues when moving to France

It is fair to say that many of us dream of an idyllic French property on the edge of a village in rural France. And there is no doubt that this is a wonderful image, but the reality is that France has a seriously high unemployment rate and many of the younger and more ambitious local population move from rural France into the towns or even to the UK seeking work. They also prefer to buy new homes on lotissements, and are happy to leave the rural properties in need of renovation to the British.
So how do we overcome the problem of balancing the French dream with the need of a reasonable income?

Property and Garden Maintenance Work

If you're thinking of property maintenance for all those holiday homes we're buying up do your research, how many other people are already doing this in the area you are moving to? If they mainly work for British people with holiday homes are there enough in the area for you to win business from? Also bear in mind France is much bigger than Britain, if you are travelling from home to home working you will be covering a much bigger area so you need to take your time and travel costs in to account.

Full time or Part time employment

You need to take a long hard look at the qualifications you have to offer. If you have a skill in short supply and speak fluent French then there is a chance you might find employment. Otherwise you may find some serious problems between the language barrier and the high unemployment rate. If you are seeking employment you will often find the wages are lower in comparison to the UK and this can make any kind of finance application difficult. And it is almost unheard of to find a British person working on a supermarket checkout or other low-skilled jobs. You may of course be able to find work with say an estate agent who would like an English speaker but again you may find that if your French is limited even this may not be an option.

Running your own Business

If you are planning on setting up your own business, don’t treat it any differently to how you would in the UK, research and planning are key. If you are a fairly localised business, is there the market for it? Just because no-one else is doing it do not assume that will leave the field wide open for you, there may simply just be no call for it.

Making money from a B&B or gites has become increasingly more difficult as this particular market has become flooded with like-minded Brits, or from not researching how much demand there is for it in the area. Also in the UK the average price of a B&B room per person per night is £55 (roughly 156 euros a room) where as in France on average it is about €55 per room per night. To make even 20000 euros you would have to fill that room every single day of the year, and we all know that B&B's are often affected seasonally. You really need to look at how many rooms you have on offer, how much can you realistically charge and how many nights in reality would those rooms be booked out a year. Also bear in mind there are a wealth of budget priced hotels like Ibis that also take trade away from B&B's where people can get a room for 59 euros a night often conveniently positioned with a restaurant on site and a reasonable price.

Self employment

Generally the only people managing to make a decent living are software or IT specialists who can work remotely. Broadband has not made it in to much of rural France and there is a fair chance it never will, and if you require this for your business you may want to look long and hard at the area you buy your property from. Also if you are dealing with English clients consider how you will be able to arrange and keep meetings and how often you will have to return to the UK to keep the work flowing. If you are a freelance worker sat at a computer all day you might find the lack of interaction an isolating experience.

Commuting

Surprisingly enough this has actually become a far more feasible option. With more local airports that have budget airlines flying in to them it has become much easier to spend the week working in the UK and then returning to your family and French home for the weekend. Also with the Eurotunnel and the moving of the Eurostar terminal the commute from the Northern region of France has become a serious contender. If you can negotiate with your office that you can work three or four days in the office and the rest of the time from France you may just be able to get that happy combination of a life in France with a decent income.

Finally...

Life in France is good and well worth the effort but you do need to be realistic about how you will fund your new life. But with the face of employment changing even in the UK there are still plenty of opportunities that you may have never considered before that may work. Also many people move to France to downshift and enjoy the less materialistic side of life and of course if you feel you no longer need the newest car or gadget this also helps reduce outgoings. Moving to France could just be the opportunity you need to change your view on your working and personal life!