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 […]
Hope your week was good and you’re having better weekend weather than me! We’ve had rain and thunder and lightning this week and it’s not feeling much like summer I can tell you. But, the garden is full of jewel like colours – and all the beautiful flowers and leaves are just too tempting to […]
Chez moi, we’re about to hit renovation mode and move on with a job that I’ve been longing to do – shutters! When we bought this old farm house it had rattling old windows which whilst pretty, did nothing to keep the cold wind out in the winter. They had to be replaced – all […]
I’ve been looking at houses in France, I can’t help it! I love my little farmhouse but, there are so many gorgeous properties on the market to tempt me. And some of you too it seems! I’ve had lots of emails from people asking for help not quite knowing where to start looking in their […]
This week I found a duckling that had been abandoned, it was prematurely born with hardly any feathers and couldn’t walk as it had very weak legs. You know what a sucker I am for an animal so I took it home and held it for hours, I didn’t think it would make it but […]
I learned a new French expression recently: Tenir le haut du pavé. It means to succeed in life but its literal translation is to walk on the high side of the pavement. What’s that all about I thought to myself. Well the saying dates back to the middle ages. In French towns, waste water (and […]
Gaspard de Besse robbed from the rich (who detested him) and gave to the poor (who adored him). Often compared to the British Robin Hood but whilst the latter’s roots are shrouded in mystery, there’s no doubt about the identity of the famous French outlaw. Gaspard de Besse Gaspard Bouis, later known as Gaspard de […]
When Linda Chamberlin from the UK met up with someone she met on a school exchange trip 22 years on, she little knew how much it would change her life. Living the good life in Nontron Linda Chamberlin left her home in a small fishing village in Cornwall, England, to move to France in 2010 […]
Mayenne in the Pays de la Loire is the ideal place for a gîte business say expat Brits Zara Bampton and Simon King… Running a gite in Mayenne When Zara Bampton and Simon King reached their mid-50’s they decided to it was time to follow their dreams and move to France. Simon had worked in […]