Hi everyone
I’m looking a few years down the line but I’m thinking of saving up to buy a little cottage in Normandy so I can buy outright, go mortgage free, and semi retire in my early/mid fifties. I’m learning French over here as I drive (a van at the moment but just got my Cat C/DCPC and about to go thru Cat C+E and ADR) and with written and film resources at home. I started learning French from scratch three months ago and am doing OK and I think over the next three years I think can probably become fairly proficient.
Obviously the closer you get to major towns, the more expensive the property gets, putting it out of my reach. The rock bottom cheap areas are too far away from anywhere for me to feel comfortable about finding work. Would the Vassy, Vire, Flers area be feasible? The total population within a half hour commute seems to be about 25 thousand. I’m intending to get a bus licence, FLT ticket and a decent teaching English as a foreign language qualification too. With everything paid off I’d need about £10K a year to live on.
Another option is between Argentan and Caen but it looks like that would involve pushing house prices up and Lisieux/Le Havre even more so. From what I have read online including here opinion seems divided on how realistic it is to be employed in France as a Brit, as does opinion on the question of FIMO and the other French paperwork. I suppose if the worst came to the worst I could take contracts and lodgings in UK periodically to boost funds.
The reason I’ve focused on Normandy is I want to be near England, Brittany weather sounds a bit damp and having lived in Scotland I’ve gone off being English and living in a Celtic area again, and to the east of Normandy it gets more expensive. Normandy seems a sweet spot where it’s affordable but still close enough to London and Paris to feel in touch with big cities which is important to me.
Thank you very much for any help of advice you can offer. I’m green about the realities of this plan so any input would be really appreciated.
Bonsoir!
I’ll offer what help I can, although I’m no expert as I’ve only been working here in France for the last six years.
Firstly, well done with your decision to learn French, many people think they can get by without but the harsh reality is that if you’re working here you’ll need a half-decent level in the local language.
As for the required qualifications, you’ll have no issues with a UK license and DCPC as both are valid Europe-wide.
To get a better idea of what work is available in an area that interests you have a look at the free ads:
www.leboncoin.fr
Just enter your geographical criteria and enter ‘chauffeur pl’ or ‘chauffeur spl’ in the search box and you’ll come up with a bunch of jobs, many of them either short term contracts (CDD) or agency ‘interim’ work. That’ll tell you a lot about what’s available up there in Normandie. Don’t forget that while houses are generally less costly than in the UK the rate of pay is most often lower. 1500/1800 euros net is a representative ballpark sum for a week’s work, without nights out.
Hope that helps a bit. Bon courage!
Craig
Bonjour Craig!
Thank you so much for your reply. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply - I have only just seen your message as I’d given up on logging in to see if anyone had replied! So it was a great surprise to see your message.
I will definitely check that link out and thank you very much indeed for letting me know what I should search for. Thanks also for confirming my decision to learn French as a good one. It will be a few years before I have enough HGV experience and can speak French well enough to be able to make the move so I’m still very much in the research phase.
1500 Euro is about 1150 GBP. Isn’t that a fantastic figure?? I’ve only just passed Class 2 (soon doing Class 1 and ADR) and haven’t started driving commercially yet so I’m very new to the industry but it seems to me here a typical weekly take home is not far off half that for most HGV driving jobs.
That’s good news on the UK licence and DCPC - I have read so many reports online that they expect FIMO so it’s great to hear from you that that’s not so.
Thanks again for your brilliant help! 
Glad to be of help. Sorry for misleading you, I quoted a figure which is actually for a MONTH’S work, not a week! You can see why I said that the pay is lower than in UK (apart from poor areas like Cornwall)
Bon courage
Craig
Wow that is seriously lower! I’m planning on working here for five or six years to build money to buy the cottage, learn the lingo and get plenty of driving experience. If I wait till I can go mortgage free I should be able to get by OK. It will be good for me actually if French wages stay low as it might help prevent a housing boom of the likes we’ve had here. Thanks again for your excellent help and info!
Lots of points to address here, so please be patient with my slow typing skills. You seem to be asking several questions at once, and Ill try to give some input on them, but am not pretending to be an expert. Property: in France property is not summat to be bought & sold. Its where you live. (except investment properties bought to rent out as pension scheme) Property prices arent on an escalator as in the UK, and due to taxes, legal fees, etc, any profits are soon eroded. Renting is more common, and cheaper than in UK, with longer and more secure, tenancy agreements. As you say country areas are cheaper to buy, because of higher unemployment. Although areas nearer cities commuter belts price rise. Some city workers live in small apartments during the week and live further off at weekends. (once a week commute not daily). Work. A UK LGV and CPC are valid for work n Fr. (remembering about residence/address regs). Distance drivers in Fr are on similar salaries to UK drivers. BUT: in FR wages are paid gross direct to employee, who then is responsible for paying own tax at years end. (no PAYE). Fr employees cost more to Fr companies because of their high contributions to Nat Ins etc. There isnt a great shortage of shortage of LGV drivers, but as in the UK, the guys on the road are an aging population, it seems.
Some Fr companies are now using Eu drivers from the ex-east bloc, and keeping pay down, but due to stronger trade unions here its not very widespread. Some UK companies employ drivers with drivers based in Fr. Ive answered a few of your points, maybe, but youll see that Ive also raised some more questions for you to research ! Anyway I`m off out for a bit but will be back on line again later if I can help further.
Wow Franglais that is so useful - thank you! That’s a post I’ll be coming back to read and reread as there’s so much useful stuff in there. Having that explanation of how the housing market works fills in a lot of blank spaces for me as I’d wondered why it was as it was. I like the sound of it and I think it will suit me well as someone who’s missed the housing ladder here and wants to go somewhere with less market madness. Your info on the HGV market, unions, immigration etc is also great to have as I really have very little idea what the industry is like out there. I didn’t know about the no PAYE thing either.
One of my biggest questions is about location. The lower prices houses in more rural areas vs higher prices house nearer the towns. Is it just a case of looking at a map of ports and motorways to work out where the industrial corridors are? On the other hand, if by that point I am mortgage/rent free I’ll be able to pick up local delivery work so long as I’m not well and truly in the middle of nowhere.
It would be interesting to hear a bit about your story and what took you there and how you fared but I recognise this is a public forum so I totally understand if you’d rather not!
What Ive written is just my personal take on things. What Ive picked up on the road talking to UK drivers working France, and talking to native French drivers in the Routiers in the evenings. For more detailed info on working/residing in France check out other ex-pat sites such as “FrenchEntree”, books such as “Live And Work In France”. (15quid on Amazon)(no Im not on commission). Do your research carefully to avoid expensive surprises! Note that in France unemployment rate is currently just over 10%. Approx double that of the UK (source: eurostat). So employers are unlikely to look for foreigners with no track record of employment, residency, etc etc, as they have a choice from local labour. That doesnt mean it wont happen, but be aware that it aint easy getting a job here. But if you do the conditions may be more secure than in the UK. I would guess youd need to get an address in France to stand any chance of finding a local employer. As I suggested maybe get on for a UK firm that will base you in France first? And to make sure youre suited, try renting a place first?? It may save or lot of problems doing it that way, or you may wanna take a more gung-ho, both feet first, attitude. Go in with both eyes open and it can work out well. Good luck.
Thank you Franglais. I will look into all of these hints and tips!! Great stuff - thanks again. Best wishes!
I used to go to evening classes in French language some years ago, which were conducted by a French lady. The one thing I had never taken into account, but which she made very clear was that just like the UK, the population does not speak BBC English/francais, there are regional dialects and accents - patois - which can be more than a little difficult to understand. Choose any audio aids to reflect this.
Thanks - that’s useful to know. I spent six months in Italy and was amazed how varied the dialects amongst the middle age are, even from one side of a village to another. My Italian girlfriend was completely incapable of understanding some of her compatriots herself! I didn’t know you got this kind of dialect thing going on in France too.
It would be worthwhile trying to read and listen to French current affairs, Paris Match news magazine I think is still going as of course is Charlie Hebdo. You may be able to get French news on the radio or Sky.
A quick look on t’internet reveals that the BBC course language Franc-Parler and another course A vous la france can still be obtained , both i recall being very good. Both worth a google.
Wow great thanks - great info! I will take a look at all those things you suggested