Found your dream French Property? – Ten ways to make the move a success

Advice for those people dreaming the dream. You MUST consider these ten pearls of wisdom before you commit to that move to France.

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so" – Douglas Adams

The Internet is peppered with tales of woe from people who followed their dream and moved to France in search of a better life, only to discover that things over here weren’t as advertised on ‘A Place in the Sun’. But why did they fail? And what can we learn from their experience? Here are ten things you have to consider before you take the plunge:

1 Consider the children – If they are pre-school age they will settle more easily, but older children will take longer to adapt to new friends, a new language and a different culture. They may not share your dream of a French idyll, and they could have you back on the boat quicker than you can say ‘wish we hadn’t sold our house’.

2 Choose the right place- Yes that old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere is beautiful, but what do you really want out of life? Will you miss the local boozer, the cinema, take-away meals, the gym, sports facilities and clubs? Think carefully about whether you need to be close to a city, or whether you’re happy in the country. If you’re from the  city in the UK or US , then moving to the country in France will be twice as much of a shock to the system.

3 Rent first - The only way to know if you like the area, without taking the ultimate risk would be to keep your UK property, rent it out, and find a rental property in a place you like. This way, you could try different places if you want, and you will be ideally placed to hear first about properties for sale in the area.

4 How will you earn money? - With unemployment at around 10% and stifling employment laws, you could be hard pressed to find work in France, especially if you are not a fluent French speaker. Starting a business could work, but you could be surprised at the red-tape and high social charges, and you’ll need to do your research thoroughly. Many people commute back to a job in the UK each week, but think about the effects on your health and morale over the longer term.

5 Consider your health - Yes the health service here is superb, but the French residents pay for it through hefty social charges, and top-up insurance. There are strict rules governing eligibility for the French system, and if you are retired or nearing retirement age, think about how you will cope without the support of your wider family in the event of disability or illness in your later years.

6 Choose the right kind of property - What will you do with the 30ha of land that you got with the property? Property might be cheap to buy, but there are many that need extensive work (and money) to make them habitable. It’s okay to dream, but construction and DIY materials are not cheap here, and you’ve more chance of bumping into Elvis Presley than a plumber or electrician who can accommodate you in a hurry. Do your homework and be realistic about the depth of your budget and your patience.

7 Learn the language - Basic French will get you by, but what about making friends, dealing with utility companies and integrating into the community? You could feel isolated and alone if you don’t get a reasonable command of the language, and it isn’t easy to pick-up. Try to watch French TV, talk to the locals and do a course. Don’t underestimate how long it will take you to become fluent.

8 Become part of the community - If you have children, meet the other parents and join the school committee. If not, explore the local associations and clubs, and talk to your neighbors. If you limit your social activity to the group of ex-pats you have got to know, then you will never really become part of the community. Respecting and accepting the local culture and traditions doesn’t mean losing your British roots and your own ways of doing things.

9 Give It time! - Common wisdom is that you need at least 2 years to really give it a go living in another country. In this time you will feel homesick, miss the foods, the beer, the shops, your family, and feel that you’ve done the wrong thing and worry about the effect on your family. If you don’t give it time, you’ll never know if it could have worked out.

10 Have some savings -  Moving is expensive , wherever you are going, but make sure you set enough money aside for those house renovations, or for setting up a business if that is what you plan to do.

Good advice? Or patronising rubbish? Tell us what you think, and what you have learnt from your own experience.

GUIDE2PoitouCharentes.com
One stop shop for information on Poitou Charentes, France

By Richard Stewart Published: 8/25/2008

International HR Jobs | Relocation | Global Mobility Vacancies …

HR, International Assignments Management and Relocation Jobs Vacancies Global Mobility Jobs Vacancies Recruitment in Relocation and Global Mobility Industry. … Town/City, Fra…   Read more…

Pet Relocation Blog: Dogs & Cats to France!

As with all pet relocations that our customers do themselves, we strongly suggest you research the rules and regulations needed in getting your pet into France and then look into the la…   Read more…

Is Hong Kong Any Place For Budget Travelers?

Backpacker savant and perpetually dusty photojournalist Tom Carter fails to make much of an impression in affluent Hong Kong, Asia’s wealthiest city.

Having spent over two-and-a-half straight years in the Chinese mainland without leave, it was with both anticipation and apprehension that I recently crossed the southern border into Asia’s wealthiest city.

Despite its one-stop-shopping popularity with Mainland expats needing new clothes and a new visa, I truly had no idea what to expect in the former crown colony that supposedly makes even rich men feel poor. Rather terrified of exacting reverse culture shock, I hence saved English-speaking Hong Kong and its "One Country, Two Systems" self for the tail end of my journey across the 32 Chinese provinces.

And it is here I report that all my preconceptions and fears about Hong Kong were… true. To quote the under-appreciated American writer Thomas A. Carter (me!) upon his brief sojourn in the legendary Chinese city, "I’ve never felt more poor than when I was in Hong Kong… I’ve never felt more ugly than when I was in Hong Kong."

DAY 1: Cross the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border at Louhu and catch the immaculate KCR railway, immediately impressed that nobody is staring, shoving or spitting. Arrive in Kowloon’s southern peninsula and emerge from the underground into the land of lights – Tsim Sha Tsui. Blinded with excitement, I have to ask a resplendent group of Indian women draped in saris where the Mirador Mansion is. They point their gold-ringed fingers straight up. A towering, rust-stained concrete block, and one of Hong Kong’s only affordable accommodations. I check in to a claustrophobic dorm room (three times the price of a Mainland dorm and three times as small), then hit Nathan Road. Peering up into the neon lights, tripping in the crush of the crowds, I feel just like a migrant worker back in Beijing.

DAY 2: Awoken at 6am by one of my bunkmates stumbling in after a long night. His name is Pat, a young American backpacker with long red hair whose introduction is immediately followed by a long-winded narrative about his two-week romps in Hong Kong, including scoring with the mythical "Asian girls who LOOOVE foreign guys." When I counter that I never had any such luck, the fast-talking but likeable Pat proffers some off-the-cuff advise ("Dude, lose the beard") before launching into more useful information. "It’s Sunday, okay, and there’s gonna be, like, 120,000 Filipino nannies and maids on their only day off – and looking for boyfriends!" I’m a little dubious of Pat’s generalizations, but sure enough his mobile rings continuously with calls from adoring cleaning ladies he met the Sunday before. An afternoon stroll around Statue Square indeed reveals a literal blanket of thousands of picnicking South Asian women (Hong Kong’s largest migrant communities) whose collective chatter sounds just like a large flock of seagulls. When I attempt to candidly photograph one attractive young Filipino, she shouts "Hey! I klick jor ass!" So much for getting a date.

DAY 3: Fieldtrip to Shek O beach on Hong Kong Island’s south side, savoring the soft sand and splashing in the subtropical South China Sea. Supposedly this place is packed out on the weekend, but that’s what weekdays are for, no? It’s one of those moments when I enjoy being unemployed. Chase my fun in the sun with a tram ride up Victoria Peak for a breathtaking evening vista of skyscrapers, which appear to be constructed entirely out of lights. Dafnit, an Israeli girl clearly in awe of the Hong Kong skyline, remarks, "We have no tall buildings in Israel. Oh wait… we have one!"

DAY 4: Spend the day traversing Kowloon, the fashion billboards of TST turning into seedy massage parlor billboards as I descend northwest down the Nathan Road side streets, the sun lost behind precipices of neon signs stretching horizontally over the streets. The markets of Mong Kok are mobbed with uniformed students on lunch break: long-haired boys with untucked white shirts and loosened ties, and made-up girls in little outfits out of a Japanese kogal/hentai fantasy: knee-high black stockings, short skirts and a Louis Vuitton bag to carry their pencils and books. They have tattoos, tongue piercings and smoke cigarettes. After commenting that they are the hippest students in China I’ve seen, one 15-year-old boy replies in perfect English, "Yes, so cool, but so young."

DAY 5: I want to see how the other half lives and spend the day in Central, Hong Kong Island’s microcosm of capitalism. Cross Victoria Harbor by the centuries-old Star Ferry through a morning miasma of pollution and follow white-collared crowds of businessmen contending with cell phones, briefcases and latts into their respective skyscrapers. Later observe as many women shopping in designer department stores – these must be the wives. I notice that they all clutch their purses as I walk by, then realize why as I catch a glimpse of myself in the reflective fa?ade of the Bank of China tower. My head cast down in self-consciousness, I almost get rolled over by a Rolls (driving on the wrong side of the road, damn Brits!), then almost again by a double-decker cable car. Everyone in Central must be against me. My insecurities are firmed up that evening in Lan Kwai Fong, a gentrified neighborhood of upscale restaurants and bars on the Island’s northern escarpment. The steep streets are congested with young, well-to-do westpats toasting yet another successful day of money -making. I can’t believe there are so many white people in China who aren’t English teachers! They are all smartly dressed and have well-groomed hair; I am wearing cutoff army pants, low-top fake Converse, an eight year old t-shirt that I bought used, nor have I shaved or cut my locks in the eight months I’ve been on the road. I want to belong, but I don’t. It’s one of those moments when I regret being unemployed.

DAY 6: I give the Island another chance and take the night ferry across the harbor to the north end’s older and seedier nightspot, the infamous Wan Chai. Recall it is where Richard Mason penned his 1950′s tale of forbidden love, "The World Of Suzie Wong," though a lot has changed since he wrote "take a minute’s stroll from the center and you won’t see a European." The pick-up bars still line the road, yum-yum girls luring passersby into their neon-lit dens, but these are the illegitimate daughters of Suzie Wong, not of Chinese but Thai dissent, wearing not elegant silk cheongsams but cheap miniskirts raised to immodest heights. And unlike the kindly ladies of the Nam Kok Hotel, these modern-day working girls are vicious, mercenary, cold. When a group of obviously disappointed white boys emerge from one venue exclaiming, "In Thailand they take off ALL their clothes," the brown-skinned door girl in plastic go-go boots is quick to shout back, "Then go to Thailand!" Further down Lockhart I follow a couple of older Europeans primed with drink and flirting heavily with a lovely bouquet of girls looking for generous company. After making their arrangements, one of the men leans on me and confides, "Wy mife, I mean my wife, thinks I’m *HICCUP* at a conference." The remaining girls give this poor writer a cursory glance then quickly cross the street away from me.

DAY 7: I wake up feeling dejected and classless; the expatriates of Central don’t want me, nor do the waterfront girls of Wan Chai. Take a stroll around TST, passing by friendly knots of third-world hustlers hanging out in front of the Chungking Mansions, the immigrant ghetto of Kowloon that serves as temporary living quarters for Hong Kong’s financially insolvent migrs. A street corner tout from Kashmir says to me "The Mansions is where anyone not wearing pastel shorts or a suit stay." I realize this mad cauldron of multiculturalism is the only place I truly feel at home in Hong Kong. The Africans on the never-quiet front steps always high-five me, the Pakistanis all think I’m Muslim (must be the beard), and the Indians bat their eyelashes at me. The Chungking Mansions are the international haunt for anyone who is no one, and I am one of them. It is a peasant’s epiphany – in Hong Kong, I am the ‘nongmin.’

TOM CARTER is the author of ‘CHINA: Portrait of a People,’ a definitive 600-page book of photography due out winter 2007 from Hong Kong publisher Blacksmith Books.

By Tom Carter Published: 11/27/2007

Chinese New Year means giving money away « The Trailing Partner Post
Of course, “we” don’t work with seasoned Hong Kong expats and long-time locals who can give advice on this matter. No, “we” ask our partners who do to please ask at work what it is we..Read more…

How To Open A Bank Account | Hong Kong GeoExpat
The process for opening a bank account in Hong Kong banks is relatively simple. You need to go to the bank in person and fill out an application. Read more…

Call for equal partnership in phone link to London fund-raising event attended by 200

Barack Obama has called for the "special relationship" between the US and Britain to be "recalibrated" to make it a fairer, more equal partnership, the Guardian has learned.

Senator Obama, who leads the race to be the Democratic candidate for the US presidency, made the remarks in a telephone address to a fundraising event attended by American expatriates in London.

He has long been seen by British officials as the most Anglophile of the three remaining presidential candidates, but these latest comments are his first public suggestion that the relationship is unequal and ripe for change.

"We have a chance to recalibrate the relationship and for the United Kingdom to work with America as a full partner," Obama told more than 200 American expatriates gathered at the Notting Hill home of Elisabeth Murdoch, the head of Shine television production company and daughter of the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

The event, which raised more than $400,000 for the Obama campaign, was intended to be confidential, but several guests have since confirmed the senator’s remarks. A foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign said the remarks on the US-UK relationship reflected the senator’s general foreign policy approach.

"It’s no longer going to be that we are in the lead and everyone follows us. Full partners not only listen to each other, they also occasionally follow each other," the adviser said.

The general opinion among the Obama foreign policy team is that Tony Blair got very little in return for his support of the Iraq invasion, in terms of promoting his agenda for multilateral action on global issues and for a Washington-led push towards forging a settlement to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Prime minister Gordon Brown’s foreign policy team agrees with that assessment, arguing Blair put too much emphasis on Britain being a bridge between the US and Europe.

"The trouble with being a bridge is that people walk over you," one senior British official said recently. Brown has previously had close relations with the Clinton camp, but his first meeting with Obama, in Washington last month, was said by both sides to have gone very well.

The event in Notting Hill brought together some of the most prominent and wealthiest American expatriates in Britain, particularly from the arts and media, who were served miniature hot dogs and pecan pies before the telephone linkup with the candidate.

Co-hosting the event alongside Murdoch were Kay Saatchi, an art collector and former wife of Charles Saatchi, and Josh Berger, the head of Warner Bros in the UK and Ireland. Among the guests was David Schwimmer, the former Friends sitcom star. Gwyneth Paltrow was due to attend but opted instead to appear on a New York television talk show.

She sent a message that was read out at the event explaining that one of the main reasons she was supporting Obama was that he had a multiracial background, "a name like Barack Obama", and had lived outside the US. He therefore had "experience of other cultures" and was aware that the US could not operate as a lone global policeman, Paltrow said, according to guests at the event.

Obama drew on the same theme in his remarks, saying: "I was brought up by an expatriate [his mother and him lived in Indonesia when he was a boy] and I know what it’s like to look at the world differently."

"He has created an enormous amount of interest among Americans here, because he represents real change," said Berger. "I have not organized one of these events before, but I took it upon myself to get involved because I feel strongly about change and about Barack."

He said Obama had far more support among US expatriates in Britain than Hillary Clinton. "He is someone who is going to be much more mindful about the rest of the world – certainly more than the current administration, which is not hard."

© Guardian News & Media 2008 Published: 5/26/2008   WaPo Finds Expats Happy to Be American Again Since Obama’s … WaPo Finds Expats Happy to Be American Again Since Obama’s Election. Photo of Ken Shepherd. By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive) January 16, 2009 – 15:02 ET. Read more… Expat in Bulgaria – online community for expats and foreigners … Please join members of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria and representatives of American businesses to celebrate Barack Obama’s historic inauguration and the 35th anniversary of the first F-16 flyover.   Read more…

 Mail this post]]> http://expatinfos.com/expats-chat-with-president-obama/feed 0 http://expatinfos.com/health-care-for-the-spanish-expats-community http://expatinfos.com/health-care-for-the-spanish-expats-community#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:25:00 +0000 whatever http://expatinfos.com/health-care-for-the-spanish-expats-community Health Care in Spain

The health care service in Spain is excellent for both Spanish nationals and ex-pats alike. Find out how you can be sure you can receive treatment if necessary whilst visiting Spain.

Health care in Spain is of a very high standard with good local health centres or Centros de Salud and here on the Costa del Sol we have an excellent central hospital, the "Costa del Sol", at Marbella. In addition to which there are of course many other hospitals both private and public but most ex-pats tend to gravitate towards the "Costa del Sol" and you hear very good reports of the treatment people have received there.

Certainly my own experiences through attending the A & E, or "Urgencias" when the children were little were very positive. On one occasion my son broke his foot and we were in and out within and hour having had the offending foot, x-rayed and plastered.

The staff there are kind and caring and there are translators on hand if your Spanish is limited. They have a very positive attitude to relatives and in fact are quite happy for one to be present at the hospital 24 hours a day.

When my other son of 15 was in with a broken leg he shared a room with a younger boy and they pushed the beds together so that the boys father could sleep there. A bit unorthodox by some standards perhaps but the Spanish are extremely family oriented and they made every effort to include my son in their visits.

Your E111, or European Health Card as it is now called, will suffice for many of your needs in relation to your health care in Spain and in fact both the incidents sited above were taken care of by my E111 even though the latter involved quite a complex operation with my son’s leg being pinned. Follow up treatment needs to be paid for however so private health insurance is advisable if you are living in Spain or travel insurance if you are just visiting. You can apply for this new card online here.

If you are living and working in Spain and therefore paying social security then you will be entitled to the same health care in Spain as Spanish nationals. If you are in receipt of a U.K. pension and intend to live in Spain then you need to get a form E121 and this should be taken to your nearest Instituto Nacional de Seguridad Social (INSS) office for registration. You will then be issued with a medical card which you must produce if you require treatment anywhere and you will then receive this free of charge.

Spanish chemists, or Farmacias, are a great part of health care in Spain and are a good port of call if your symptoms are not serious enough to worry your doctor or take you to the A&E department of the hospital. You will always receive good advice there and probably be recommended something for whatever ails you. If you are receiving prescription drugs at home then bring the packet with you and you will probably find that you will be able to buy your medicines over the counter without the need of a further prescription. I must say however that I think their rather free practice of dishing out antibiotics to anyone who asks is not really to be condoned.

In conclusion the level of health care in Spain for both residents and non-residents is of the highest standard and waiting lists are probably shorter than in the U.K. Accident and emergency treatment is provided free for anyone with a European Health card and the full medical services are available for pensioners who have registered with the appropriate authority and for anyone paying into the social security system.

Article submitted by Ruth Polak the owner of www.costadelsol-vacationrentals.com A web site specializing in holiday villas and apartments on the Costa del Sol and in Rural Andalucia. You will also find lots of information about Spain and Andalucia, in particular.

By Ruth Polak Published: 11/29/2006   Classics of British Comedy In our country Spain, we always emphasize on having a good diet and better health care system is also good. I would lik… – Spain guy on Healthcare battle: Canada vs USA. Read more… 4th Annual Healthcare Expansion Congress Middle East As announced in early 2009, expatriates new to the country must provide evidence of a health insurance registration before applying for a work or visit visa. Read more…

 Mail this post]]> http://expatinfos.com/health-care-for-the-spanish-expats-community/feed 0 http://expatinfos.com/top-expats-relocation-guide http://expatinfos.com/top-expats-relocation-guide#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:40:00 +0000 whatever http://expatinfos.com/top-expats-relocation-guide The Secret To Moving Internationally

The biggest secret I have found to moving is to stay calm, my stomach always used to churn every time we would say: ‘Let’s look at moving to London, Perth, Colorado….’ I would have this rush in the pit of my stomach and wonder how we were going to cope with the challenge.

Now, I take it one step at a time. What do we do first, what do we need to know before we make the decision, how does the family feel about a new culture, different schools, a new home and most importantly new friends.

So, where do we start? Usually with the most important questions, why are we moving and do we really want to change from our comfort zone, once you have been able to answer these questions and you have more positives about leaving than staying (and the answer to this could be as simple as being offered a job in a new country), then you need to start researching the place you are moving to.

Questions start surfacing such as will we fit in and be happy in a new country, what is the education like, medical facilities, culture, politics, housing, work conditions, transport and entertainment? How many expats like ourselves will be living there, will our life be normal or will we have to adjust too extremely, and are we happy to do this?

This is where I start searching the internet. Wikipedia is a great site to get an overall overview on any country in the world and it will cover all the basic factual information for you, including geographical location, population, historical background, religion, culture, education, economic situation and political info.

On getting a basic understanding of a country, I would then start looking at government sites and gathering information about the ease of moving to this country. What is required from a governmental legal perspective, including visa’s, whether a spouse can work on entry, how long a spouse needs to wait before starting to work, what legal rights do you have in the country, can you take your pets with and how does this work, what furniture can you take with (some countries do not allow wooden furniture into a country if it has not been treated) these government sites will cover any and all questions of this nature for you.

Finally and probably more importantly are the forums and blogs you can find, where expats can inform you of what to expect and you can ask any question and expect an honest answer. These sites can come across with mixed emotions from people who are enjoying the move and loving the country to those who hate every minute of their stay. The relevant question to ask here is why….why are they enjoying or hating it and then make your own decision?

The above would be the questions that the spouse that stays at home and cares for the children, however the bread winner wants a different question answered. They want to know what they should be earning in the new country and this is where an international cost of living salary calculator like xpatulator can be relevant to you.
Xpatulator gives you the answers you are looking for dependant on the questions you answer in the Cost of Living Calculator. It will determine what your salary in the new country should be to maintain your standard of living.

Why, you may ask? Because $100 000 may sound like a fabulous salary, however if your cost of living in the country you are moving to is extremely high, it may not cover your costs on a monthly basis. With the calculator, you can determine whether or not you will be able to afford to live in the new country. The calculator will work out the salary you should be earning if you have to cover all costs, or if your company will cover some of those costs for you. They also cover the Negative Cost of Living and Negative Hardship. What are these you ask with horror? Negative Cost of Living refers to a location that has a lower cost of living than the country you are living in and selecting to use this will result in a proportional decrease in the salary required e.g. if you had to move from London to Zimbabwe you will find the cost of living will be lower (negative difference). Negative Hardship refers to less hardship in the new location e.g. if you had to move from Zimbabwe to London you will find that your quality of living will be easier (negative difference).

So before you disregard the importance of what you need to earn when moving to a new country, take all aspects into account. At the end of the day what you will earn, will determine the school, home, medical facilities and entertainment you will be able to afford. So the secret to moving from one country to another, may be your emotional stability and happiness in the new location, however this is often determined by how much money is sitting in your bank account.

By: Steven Coleman

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Steven Coleman runs the most comprehensive international relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for international assignments, which can be found at www.xpatulator.com

Real Estate Blog – Top 5 Tips for International Relocation

Moving Back to the United States After a Few Years Abroad or Relocating to a Foreign Country? There are plenty of guides that focus on less complicated local moves. Here are a couple good ones:…   Read more…