3 month stay in France?

[Ofallthebarsinalltheworld]

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post. Basically we are thinking of staying in France for 3 months over the winter (all being well covid wise)

We have our own business so can work from anywhere. We have a supervisor who can run the on the ground bits.

Dd is homeschooled so that would continue in France.

I have itchy feet and after covid feel like I/we need an adventure. It would be a fabulous opportunity and life experience.

We would cut or cloth and save like mad to cover the 3 months and rent out our home as a holiday home to cover our Bill's here.

Am I mad? Is this possible?

All opinions/thoughts welcome 😊

What are the new rules under brexit ?(I presume you have British passports ). I think 90 days so you might be OK but you can't return to EU for so long (I believe )

You can stay 90 days. I'd go for it!

What are the new rules under brexit ?(I presume you have British passports ). I think 90 days so you might be OK but you can't return to EU for so long (I believe )

Yeah we have British passports. You are allowed to stay for 3 months then you can't return for 3 months.

Well go for it then .

Go for it OP!

Not sure what sort of an experience it will be for you DD in regards to being home-schooled anyway - as in they won't really get a taste of being a "child" and will not really integrate unless you have plans to engage with other children

That said - any adventure is fun - best wishes

That should be "a child/student" in France" - I'm sure your DD knows what it's like to be a child OP!

I'd check the legalities of home schooling in France

Sounds lovely - but will it be difficult to rent out your house as a holiday home in the UK in winter?

I think you should talk with your supervisor about this, to agree some ground rules as it were for the on the ground bits. The other practicality is if anyone would actually want to rent your house over the winter, even if for weeks at a time. Don't bank on the income I suggest.

As to whether or not I would want to spend three months in the winter in France, a lot would depend on where it was. I speak enough French to be able to be there without speaking English- how good is your French and your DH?DD?

Fine on the French side ,just get long stay travel insurance.

The plan to rent out your house needs care. Your mortgage and insurance won't be happy and you need to be very careful not to create an assured tenancy. All things are possible but needs work.

Thanks very much everyone much appreciated. hunneylove dd doesn't follow the national curriculum so not homeschooled in the 6 hours a day at home. (I feel homeschooling is misunderstood which is a whole different thread 😂) she mixes lots with others and would hopefully do so in France. Thanks very much for your best wishes 😊

What would you do with all your stuff when renting out the house? It will need to go somewhere.

Have you got someone who will handle the changeover days?

Will your mortgage allow you to use it as a holiday let?

Do you live somewhere that is likely to be desirable as a winter let?

If you can sort out the logistics, it sounds great (so long as it's South France to benifit from the weather!)

You can't stay longer than 90 days out of a rolling 180 in the Schengan zone- but as long as you don't overstay you will be ok.
Make sure you have enough time left on your passports - I think you need 6 months, not including any "extra months " added if your passport was renewed early.

You will probably need health insurance as the ghic card only covers emergencies.

You should be able to find a long let over the winter-many gîte owners do this in the quieter periods.

Remember though that France in winter can be every bit as rainy and cold as the U.K. (we live in central France and this winter has been long,cold and at time very wet!) and that most of the tourist attractions will be shut.

Where were you thinking of going?

Aren't there tax liabilities if working from abroad? Both in the UK and France? Not sure if it's changed due to Brexit.

Thank you all so much for great thoughts definitely great replies to take account of.

I think we should be fine homeschooling in France as we are only in France on a long holiday and not citizens.

My business is in holiday home management and the area we are in, is extremely busy all year round.

Yes I would definitely have a chat with my supervisor and put in a terms and conditions etc.

Yes the 3 of us can speak French.

Good point on insurance will look more into that and the Global health card.

Yeah after 30 days you may run into tax problems.i guess depending on how you are set up.

But other than that life if short I full support mini adventures! Assuming of course legal and safe 😁

@Ofallthebarsinalltheworld - you're welcome

I'm not unfamiliar with home-schooling as you suggest.

Nor am I unfamiliar with France having lived there for 20 years either.

French kids do not mix as much as you may hope - for starters they are mostly in school 8+ hours a day and any extra-curricular activities are via school, college or lycee. On the days they are not at school they mix with school friends and most importantly family - they do not have as many activities outside of this (beyond fetes, etc) that are not linked with other ties.

Where you choose to go will depend on what experience your DD has basically. Three months is not an adequate time to learn anything from DC perspective, make friends or learn French.

It is a great opportunity to get a feel for live in France but don't expect more beyond that.

We would put our personal bits in a spare room and lock it off.

Yes my business can do the changeovers and laundry.

We live in a desirable area which my business is full of tourists all year round. Yes I've looked into it and we can rent out as a holiday home.

If you are going to be working here, then you might need a work permit- so perhaps just call it a "holiday "?

france-visas.gouv.fr/en_US/web/france-visas/brexit

It sounds like a plan to me- I would try a choose a busy community, not a tiny village or tourist place full of empty second homes.
Bonne chance!

I’m wondering what the point is, as someone who lives in France. What are you expecting to get from the experience? How do you expect your DD to mix with others when they are at school and she isn’t? That’s even before the language barrier. Most French kids spend a large part of their time in organized activities - after school clubs etc. Outsiders are not accepted quickly in most places; French society is less mobile than in the UK. You don’t have any obvious way to integrate and it could be quite an isolating experience.
Let me warn you, too, that you are not allowed to rock up on a tourist visa and work for a UK company, unless you pay the relevant social contributions (form of taxes) here.

Thanks a very long time ago fab feedback. We are open to all areas of France.

PurBal thank you, I will look into Tax.

hunneylove apologies I didn't mean to come over that way. I took dd out of school last Feb when I seen what was coming and society hasn't been kind in terms of my choice. My emotions to homeschooling are sensitive and I am truly sorry if my reply to you came over as sharp.

Many thanks for your great insight its very much appreciated.

1: You won’t be allowed to work in France. You can go as a holiday.

2: Many British companies won’t let staff do this due to complicated tax reasons.

The terms of your mortgage mean you must inform them if you want to rent it out. You may need to change your mortgage to btl which has a higher interest rate. Check out home insurance also as possibly invalidated if you absent from home for more than 28 days.

I would do this in a heartbeat, it sounds amazing! And it sounds like your work arrangements are perfectly set up to do it.

As for what you'd all get out of it, especially your dc, well just being somewhere new, different food, weather, lots of new places to explore etc. I wouldn't give too much thought to whether or not dc has opportunities to meet with French kids, just being there is enough, they will absorb it all. (Speaking as an ex home ed parent who went on lots of travels with our dc, and they loved it all). X

@Ofallthebarsinalltheworld - no apologies needed - we are all in this together!

France is a wonderful, welcoming, complex and marvellous country - but you don't come out the other side without bruises either.

You get out what you put in and if you want your DD to experience life here then that's to be applauded; just be careful not to build it up to be something you (or the French) can't give you in the limited time you have.

I wish you and your family well - 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years - it's all worth something!