Having spent the last week talking about all the things that wind me up about life in France (and yes, there are a few…), I thought it was time to redress the balance.

Because the reality is, people don’t move to France by accident. There are some very specific reasons they choose it, and stick with it.

In this episode, I’m sharing five of the real reasons people come to France, whether that’s for a holiday… or a permanent move.

Meanwhile, the sun is out, the raspberry and gooseberry bushes are in, and the bulbs are starting to show! So life in deepest, darkest La Manche isn’t looking too bad at all.

If you’re already here, or thinking about it, I’d be interested to hear your top reasons too.

And yes—one of them may well involve the exhilaration of trying to get to Lidl before the cut-price plants disappear.

Enjoy,

Cat x

Every year thousands of people make the decision to move abroad and start a new life - hopefully in the sun! Although if you are actively looking to move somewhere wet and windy, that’s cool too😉And nine times out of ten that move involves a property purchase too.So how do you go about buying abroad?There are numerous ways to do this but one of the easiest and best is to visit an overseas property exhibition. You won’t just be looking at houses for sale. There’ll be a plethora of expert advice available from everything to currency transfer, legal requirements and removal firms.In this episode I’m explaining why you should consider attending one and chatting you through how to go about getting the most out of the visit.Enjoy!

Finding a job in France is never simple.

You can have qualifications up the ying yang, speak fluent French and still get passed over time and time again. Even the French find it tricky so chuck in being an “étrangère” and you’ve got a perfect storm.

As a result huge numbers of expats decide to start their own business. But this isn’t for everyone.

There’s another option though. How about if you could continue to work for your existing employer but be based in France? Sounds good right?!

And of course, this is France so there will be numerous bits of paperwork to be completed but it is doable. If you know how…

Listen in to this episode and find out if this might be an option for you.

Enjoy!

Cat x

One of the things that comes up over and over again is people sharing their experiences of working with agents or realtors when they are buying a property in France.

And as you can imagine, there’s no general consensus…

People seem to either have really great or really bad experiences!

In this episode I’m running through all the stuff you can do to ensure that you have a really good working relationship with your agent.

Working on the premise that if you put some effort in they will too, I explain what you can do to help them to help you!

I hope this is useful and please let me know how you got on, whether good or bad?!

In this episode I’m talking about daily life in France and revealing what it is really like. Is it one long round of sipping glasses of crisp white wine by the pool? Or is it one long battle with French administrative demands? Listen in and find out!

Doctor Lib : https://www.doctolib.fr/

You can support me here : buymeacoffee.com/francemadesimple

In this episode I’m chatting to Olivia who is a musician and Gestalt therapist. What’s really interesting here is that she is both French and English and thus, not only totally bilingual but has a unique ‘foot in both camps’ perspective. Moving to and living in, another country isn’t always easy and very often these type of life changes throw up issues that we need to address. Olivia works both online and in person and her background means that she is uniquely placed to help the Anglophone community. Enjoy!You can get in touch with Olivia by email : [email protected] or Olivia gestalt.com

There’s an urban myth that the French are a nation of hypochondriacs and compared to us ‘stiff upper lip’ British, there’s certainly an element of truth in that.But is it them? Or is it having a system that actively encourages you to run to the doctor at the first sign of a snotty nose?Having been ill for the last week (and no, I haven’t been to the doctor!), I thought it was time to take a look at the differences between the French and the AngloSaxon world when it comes to being under the weather. And the things that (allegedly) prevent you from getting ill in the first place. Enjoy! And don’t forget to tell me what you’ve found to be different about life in France.

In this episode I’m catching up with my favourite estate agent, Sheelagh co-owner of Agence Newton, an estate agency that specialises in Brittany, Normandy, the Limousin and the Corrèze. Sheelagh covers the Normandy area and luckily she lives close enough for me to pop round and snaffle her chocolate biscuits. Listen in and find out what she’s been up to since we last spoke and what the French property market is up to too!

In this episode I’m looking at all the ways to get rid of your clutter. Whether you have stuff to donate, sell or just recycle, we’ve got the low down on how to go about decluttering in France. And here are some of the useful sites I mention in the podcast :Interencheres - https://www.interencheres.com/ (Be careful - it’s addictive!)Donnons - https://donnons.org/ (Ditto!)Vide greniers etc - https://vide-greniers.org/ Brocantes solidaires - https://www.secourspopulaire.fr/les-braderies-du-secours-populaire-pres-de-chez-vous/

And here’s part two ! I’m continuing the conversation with superstar chef Lucy about the challenge of cooking French recipes for a French clientele. I loved recording this episode and hope you enjoy it as much as I did! You can get in touch with Lucy via her website http://www.simperskitchen.co.uk/ and follow her on instagram - @simperskitchen