French
affair | French
living is attractive to many southerners |
Inside Out visits
France - land of bistros, vineyards, fine cheese and wine聟 and incredibly
cheap houses. With bargain basement prices in France, it's a big surprise
to discover that many French people are moving to Kent and East Sussex. Until
recently, removal vans used to head to France full, and come back empty. Now
they're coming back loaded, bringing English people back from France and bringing
French people here to start a new life in England. The price is right First
Inside Out looks at what sort of property the pound will buy you in Northern France. Less
the 30 minutes drive from the port of Cherbourg, a typical country cottage will
set you back in the region of 拢32,000, but it needs a lot of work. We
also looked at a beach house with two bedrooms and a garage. The asking price
was 拢65,000. Finally, a four bedroom rustic farmhouse with central
heating - the price tag: 拢82,000. For the price of a two bedroom flat
in say, Maidstone for example, you could buy six country cottages in Normandy.
French leave But if property is so much cheaper in France,
why are so many French people hopping across the channel to live in Sussex and
Kent? It seems to be because it's a lot easier to earn a living. Anne
Cecile is a good example of the current trend: | High
speed train links have helped the Entente Cordiale |
"I
arrived in London about three years ago and then I came down to Kent where I had
a few friends already, so it was quite a good opportunity for me to set up a business
in Kent - and with my friends around it was even easier." Based in
Canterbury, Anne's business, Jumping Frogs, supplies entertainers and magicians
for parties and functions. Since leaving France, her life has been transformed:
"It's
much easier in England to set up your own company as a young person. If you have
a good idea, if you like the challenge, you just go ahead and you do it. People
will give you the chance to do what you want to do." Business abroad So
how tricky is it to start up your own business in France? According to many
of the French people we spoke to the economy is quite difficult at present: "Everyone
is looking for a job. There is a high rate of unemployment. And I guess for an
English person it might be even more difficult and longer," says Anne Cecile.
To make a new life in France, you've also got to be prepared to work hard.
David Brewer used to live in a semi in Hoo, near Rochester. Now he lives
in a farmhouse in Brittany. Since 2001, Dave, his wife Kerry, and their
three children, have lived in the tiny village of Guilliers - halfway between
Maniac and Moron: "It is a good life here, but there are
negatives that go with the positives." Dave Brewer.
It
may look a cosy life, but France has its downside - paperwork and bureaucracy
for a start. For six months Dave wasn't legally allowed to work:
"It took six months just to get registered to work. Various
meetings, appointments, it was just unbelievable," | David
Brewer |
"On the final, final, interview... I had
to sign... must have been two dozen bits of paper, and I don't know to this day
what I was signing." Anne Cecile says that this is all-too-common in
France: "This is typically French. And it's a good example
of how difficult it is for an English person or even for French people to set
up your business in France. "All these forms to fill and you never
speak to the right person, they send you to a different department and it could
take months and months before you have an answer. It's almost as if they don't
want you to succeed there."
Gallic goldmine? Earning
a good living in France is a challenge. The rate of unemployment is three times
higher than the UK, and salaries are significantly lower. But surely if
you've got qualifications and you can speak French, you can find work somewhere?
Sandiey Blackburn moved to Brittany from Ashford, 9 months ago, after the
break-up of a relationship. She's been looking for work ever since: "Sometimes
it feels like you're having doors slammed in your face, constantly. I've been
to the unemployment office, job agencies. Going into local bars, local hotels.
You name it, I've tried it.
"I even applied to work in the packing
hall of an egg factory. I've said I'd be happy to muck out pigs if I had to. Just
to earn a living, like everybody else does."
Sandie is
seriously thinking of packing it in and going back to the UK unless a job materialises
soon. Frenchmen abroad Joel Grosse is a Frenchman who now owns
a traditional Kent pub. He had a business in France before which he says
was a nightmare. Last time Joel advertised for a chef, he got more than
600 replies from all over France. So what kind of difficulties would an
English person face if they tried to set up a bar or a restaurant in France? "It's
not going to be easy you know. He has to apply to all the bureaucracy, all different
departments. It's going to take a long time you know," he says. Another
Frenchman who's moved to Kent is Marc Anger. He runs a French market stall, something
he'd never attempt back in France. So what advice
would he give to an Englishman going over to France? "Go
there to retire. To enjoy the climate. Don't go there to work".
It
seems that the French invasion of Britain is likely to continue, but Brits might
just be thinking twice about moving to the other side of the Channel. Links
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