Have you ever dreamt of making a new life in France? Many expats have and they have often wished they hadn’t, as their dream often turns out to be a nightmare. There are ten reasons why this happens.
1. Holiday becomes home
The relaxing holiday in a rural ‘gite’ may sound like heaven. But the idea of moving to France for the long term is rather different. Life in France is not like a holiday. The idea of living in France is great, as everything seems quaint and rustic. Yet many people head to the housing market and start to make their first purchase. It is only after making that purchase and moving in that the realities of what they have just done finally hits them, as they are inundated with a large number of taxes, which often leaves many returning back to where they had come from.
2. Making Friends
Many have found that the French people as not as forthcoming as people from the US or UK. The reasons for this are the fact that the French culture is rather different. It is not as open as the Anglo Saxon way of life. A lot of French people don’t speak the English language, and so to make friends it can be virtually impossible if one doesn’t have any idea how to converse.
3. Speaking French
The reasons why expats return home is the fact they find it difficult to speak the language. They think that French people would easily adjust to the quaint Anglo-French accent, as one tries to speak ‘Franglais’, only to be left being misunderstood. This has led to many people becoming disillusioned by the reality of the situation, and thus returning home seems to be the only sensible option.
4. French Countryside
France like the UK has a very nice idyllic countryside. The idea of the tranquillity of rural life appeals to many people, as they buy up knocked-down priced farm houses. Yet in reality when moving to the idyllic country life, many find it more difficult than they ever imagined. They have to get use to different customs and habits, and this hadn’t gone down too well with many.
5. Finance
Life in France is not as cheap as one thinks it is. It has become very expensive. Some people are constantly finding it difficult to make ends meet. Many cannot afford to stay or go back home either as the economic crisis takes a grip on Europe. So for many it becomes one disaster after another.
6. Pressure from immediate family
There have been many people who have had pressure put on them from immediate family. Some families often tell their loved ones to think it through before making the permanent move across the channel. Some of the people, who have had a bad experience, hate to admit to their immediate family members the problems they are experiencing. Often, they are left on their own and living out their problems without any immediate help. This can cause a lot of distress and leave many feeling depressed.
7. Life in the Capital
People who have come to visit Paris fall in love with it. They dream of making their life in this great city. When they eventually do, they often find it very difficult as the reality hits in, and they realise that they have made the worse mistake of their lives.
8. Relationships
A new life in France can put a severe strain on relationships with their loved ones. They find it difficult to get by and some find it difficult to get a job. The financial strain also contributes to relationship breakdowns, leaving many people splitting up from their spouse or partners, and returning back to where they had come from.
9. Investment
Life in France is not always easy. If one doesn’t already have a job or funds to make it work in France, it won’t work. A lot of effort is needed in both time and money to make French life work, without this it is often better to stay at home. Some people forget to plan; they come on holiday to France and then decide to stay. This doesn’t work. One needs to properly make plans if they want to make the French way of life work for them.
10. Romance
The biggest thing that persuades people to make their life in France is the idea of romance. The romantic ideal if one is not too careful can be ruined. There are many reasons for this, all of which have already been mentioned. It is only by planning, and looking at all the options will french life work. Unless proper time and energy is put into the French life project, it will not work and will only end up in misery. It is therefore always sensible to plan the move to a foreign place, only then will one find themselves actually living out their dreams happily, instead of it turning out to be a nightmare.
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