The other day I interviewed an expat British couple in France. They had moved here seven years ago, took early retirement, bought a beautiful country house with a lovely garden in a pretty village in SW France. We talked about how they find life in France and it started off well. They love the food, […]
How would it be if you could go to France – anywhere in France – and live the life of a local? Go to the bars where the inhabitants go, find out what restaurants are favoured by the locals, see off the beaten track places that only those who live there know about. You can […]
These days most businesses, including international ones, are looking for ways to cut back on their costs while increasing their efficiency. Companies can easily achieve both goals by outsourcing. Outsourcing involves delegating some of a company’s duties and functions to specific service providers. These providers could either be individuals or separate organizations. With the recent […]
Fée Rêvée is a French au pair association which has been pairing students from overseas with host families for the past 9 years. The name Fée Rêvée means “dream fairy” and the association’s goal is to help au pairs to find their dream family. Based in Paris, they are a non-profit organisation which aims to […]
One way to have a free holiday almost anywhere in France… James Cave, an Irishman living in Scotland, decided that he’d like to live in France. The problem was, at that time he didn’t have the budget to give up work, to buy a house or even rent a house in France and as for […]
Janine Marsh discovers a way to have a holiday in France for free…house sitting in France It is a dilemma that many of us expats in France face – how to go on holiday when you have beloved pets that can’t come with you. For some animals there are kennels, sometimes neighbours can help but […]
If you’re looking for a chance to visit France on a limited budget and you don’t mind mucking in, then becoming a volunteer in France through Workaway may be just what you’re looking for. Workaway brings hosts together with volunteers in an extensive range of different countries and is the brain child of David Milward. […]
Seasonal work in France is a popular option for those who want to spend time in France, for adventure and cultural exchange and to earn some money at the same time. If you are an EU citizen, you are automatically entitled to work in France. If you are from outside the EU you may need […]
In challenging economic times, more and more people are looking overseas in search of lucrative or rewarding employment opportunities. In the past, securing employment would be one of the first steps on the emigration checklist and few people would move overseas without knowing they had a job waiting for them, or at least some promising […]
Even for the most qualified applicants, finding a job in France for an expat has never been harder than in these days of recession hit Europe. One American expat we know told told us that she had sent her CV out to more than 250 companies – she did not hear back from a single […]
Jon Chinn from Birkenhead in England fell in love with the French way of life when he studied French in Amiens, Picardy, north of Paris whilst at University. We talk to Jon about what life is like for expats in Lyon and why it’s a great place to live… What inspired you to move to […]
Manoir du Bolgaro at Morbeque, near Hazebrouck is an impressive, luxurious getaway, great for a get together with family or friends. A manor house dating back to 1540, which is set on a huge, beautiful, secluded swathe of land, this amazing, three storey gite, steeped in character, can sleep up to 12 people. Depending on the number […]
France has a habit of inspiring great art – from homegrown talent such as Cezanne and Monet, to visiting legends such as Van Gogh and Picasso. But in the Dordogne, this artistic heritage runs even deeper. Before impressionism, before romanticism, before Renaissance art and predating even the early religious imagery, there was the cave art of […]
The Camino de Santiago (called le Chemin de Compostela in France) has become very famous in recent years helped by the release of an American movie called The Way. With a handful of stars but not much budget to promote, the film was a success largely by word of mouth sharing. It’s the tale of […]
It was the Romans who established vineyards in Paris more than a thousand years ago. Maybe it was the starting point for the vibrant French wine industry and culture that we know and love today. A Vineyard in Paris The earliest vineyards declined gradually as urban development progressed in Paris. The last of these Roman plantations […]
Many years ago I was working as an impoverished flying instructor at a country airfield, it was a job that enabled me to use the club’s Cessna plane and I loved to fly to France as often as I could. On one trip I took my boss with me and we landed our little aircraft […]
Cave Cooperative or Independent? There is a minor revolution taking place in Champvent, situated in a valley where the vines tumble down the hillsides. Champvent is a small hamlet of Chardonnay in Southern Burgundy, the ‘birth place’ of the world’s best known grape variety. Traditionally, village families have produced grape harvests that are delivered to […]
When you think of French writer, Victor Hugo, you probably think of his classic works, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre Dame de Paris) or Les Miserable. You probably wouldn’t associate him with the Joker, that mad supervillain with the maniacal laugh who is Batman’s adversary. The Book However, it seems that Victor Hugo might […]