I moved to Switzerland two years ago and live on the Swiss French boarder.

I hate the place so moving on in a few weeks.

bureaucratic cockbags is an understatement. Try it here, you may love it.

for me, no amount of beautiful vistas and decent riding can make up for the utter cockbaggery.

How does healthcare work? That is going to be your biggest concern.

Also if we do Brexit will you be allowed to work in Europe ?

bureaucratic cockbags is an understatement

Ha ha, know what you mean.  Mrs Natrix is French and we spend a fair bit of time over there but there’s no way I could live and work there.  A lot of things progress at a snails pace, some of their views towards women are positively medieval, at times they’re obsessed with food (which whilst expenisve isn’t necsarily all that good) and the bueaucracy!!!!!!  Not to mention that  they can take pre-ride faffing to incredible lengths.  It’s a great place to visit with fantastic scenery, mountains, coastlines etc but I couldn’t hack it full time.  Why else do you think there are lots of French people in the UK???

Give it a try by all means, but go in with your eyes open.

Yeah – it’s always worth it for a while.  You can always come back.

I know a few people who have moved to France, some came back after a few years, but the ones who stayed had one characteristic in common – they were all very patient, laid back people. I suppose that is very much a virtue when dealing with the red-tape.

God this place has changed.  Allow me to be the first to say that I hate you!  I despise your independence, your financial security and your access to this opportunity.  Frankly, if you don’t take it I shall seriously consider hunting you down and applying the bombers in the approved manner.

In the nicest possible way… Is this a troll? The answer is so blinding obvious.

Good luck! Am jealous.

Go for it and find out.

From prior experience having lived and worked in Germany and Italy in the past as well as having worked in France a bit, moving abroad always appears first to be a bigger and scarier move than it really is.

Learning a foreign language is way easier if you actually live in the country in question and need to converse. Red tape and bureaucracy is everywhere and language barriers tend to cause issues but you can get around these with patience: If in any doubt, get help from someone who is a native speaker or an experienced ex-pat.

Major and important piece of advice: Rent out your flat here, don’t fully sell up unless you are totally sure you aren’t coming back

Oh, and if you do go, make sure you don’t mind lots of sofa surfers suddenly appearing on your doorstep asking for a free local ride guide and, as its you, some free samples or your latest alcoholic creations 😉

The door wouldn’t hit my ass I’d be out of here so fast.  I’m trying to work out whether I can do that without the job or financial security.

Mange tout OP, Go for it!

Ta Ta & good luck. I wish I’d gone about 25 years ago.

Not nececelery France though. Canada mainly.

I was chatting to someone who moved out to just near Carcassonne, who said it’s amazing. But she did say that the mayor of the local village makes a big difference – if nothing else they get to set the local taxes. So maybe have a snoop around where you’re going to be living.

Other than that, I’d say do it.

Considering the same once kids are finished with uni. Property is cheap and where we live very expensive. A nice French property and a flat back in the UK. Add to this a pension and some consulting work and it is hard not to be tempted by the pull

Fabulous country. Just work on your French and they will really warm to you. Avoid expat scene and go full immersion.

au revoir

I’ve been in France eleven years now. Married locally, took nationality in 2012 and am a fonctionnaire (civil servant). So the full traitor!

i avoided Brits until I wanted my kids to have more English language exposure. Apart from that I’d say I’m 90% integrated. I think I’ll always get ribbed as the ‘anglais du coin’ but I have a list of battles in reserve. Honestly, once you are fluent most French seem no different than most English. My vtt club humour is centred on cocks and farts, very reassuring.

My mother on the other hand got it completely wrong and it is going to get very expensive. She fully sold up in the U.K. and bought a massive farmhouse in the sticks, seven hours drive from us. The ex-pats there are dreary AF and if you want to get on with the locals you better farm and hunt. Ma and husband did neither, can’t speak, and just eat. Everyone is trying to sell and the ex-pat friends are dropping like flies. Proper depressing, and all with an eye on U.K. house prices, seeing what they can no longer afford at home.

My tuppence, go for it, all the way, but do keep that flat for a while.

my Dad was not born here but on a French colonial Island

Was he a French citizen? If so, I think you’re eligible for French citizenship straight off. Worth going there and getting citizenship as Brexit proofing, even apart from the other reasons.

There are only three legitimate reasons for an Englishman to leave Blighty

– Champions League football

– To win a war

– Buy a property in France

Lucky I’m not an Englishman (and neither is my wife).

Probably explains the lack of humour.

No that’s the piles

As you have sevral different kind of assets take very good financial advice as the french tax man has very sticky fingers. I wish I did.

1) investments: you will pay on dividends intrest and so on your marginal rate and on top of that social security tax CSG which is about 17%

They claim that they deduct foreign tax already paid but that’s only partially so. Your investment might be tax exempt in UK law but the french tax man will take its part.

Partial reduction apply but often not or at a lesser rate on foreign assets

2) rental income taxed income tax and CSG again. reduction apply for furnished and so. Check what applies to foreign properties(my second one is in france as well)

3) Capital gains tax on investments and real estate. No clue what uk does but I moved to france from an exempt country. But if i sell investments they want to tax from day one so had it for ten years abroad would have paid naught.Move to france value 3(bought at one) sell at 4 french taxman will want to tax you on 3. And they are very good at finding out whatever accounts and assets you have.

4) Real estate same taxed if its not your main residence. You might be slapped with a hefty bill if you sell uk property check how much and how much time you have to sell when you move here. Exemptions apply in france dependind on period owned. Not sure for foreign property’s I never owned one outside France.

Its better and easier to move to france when you’re just poor and only have cash in your accounts.

Haute Savoie, Beautifull but most parts are very expensive prices driven up by those working in Switserland or those who used to work there and retired over the border. Check rental prices.

Annecy lovely on a postcard but traffic nightmare.

Learn to be very patient, learn french, learn french.

Oh yes lern French

Will you work under French management? They are a special breed, very top down, strick and believing they have the almighty knowledge. They are decades behind in management techniques(I live rurally which adds another decade at least).

Weather and riding is lovely though 😉

Country side is beautifull though.

or you just dont tell the french taxman you have a property in the UK . that is my plan anyway .

10 years in. Regrets? None.

We tell the tax man here that we have a property in the UK and haven’t been penalised any more than we would be in the UK. Yes there would be Capital Gains to pay here if and when we sell, but it’s not prohibitive.

We rent out our UK property and declare the income in the UK and in France, the French tax man takes it into account, but assumes we have paid tax on it in the UK. They know the UK tax allowances and can check that you are telling the truth.

They ask for all your accounts and investments, but only a/c numbers, not what’s in them.

I’d wait til I got offered the job first, Imagine the disappointment if you don’t get it!

no pressure like 😉

Alors, t’est parti déjà?

Not yet

Email reply acknowledging receipt of CV only.

Renting is expensive in town , a few Kms down the valley its much more realistic and the same as home , sans garage though

Funnily enough all everyone says to me is rent a 2 bed appartment , or ‘make sure you buy a sofa bed’

French tax rates are confusing , and a staggering percentage do not pay a bean in income tax ,somehow.