We've moved to the land that never wakes

[moveonup]

Yes, when we moved to france we wanted to have a more relaxed lifestyle. Problem is though that things are a little too relaxed. Strike after strike is causing endless disruptions in our lives. I am an auto-entrepeneur and so only get paid if I work, however when all the school teachers go on strike (which is currently about once a week), I have to cancel lessons (english teaching), if it's not the teachers then it's the people I'm teaching....we have expensive electric, telephone and building material bills, how are we supposed to be pay them if we keep having to cancel days at work! Another thing, I contacted CAF for child benefit and they keep saying that the application is being processed, but NOTHINI G HAPPENS, they've conveniently not given me any contact details, so we're sat here waiting for a response, even if it is "send us another bit of paper" at least we would know that the claim was being delat with. The English auths stopped our Child benefit over a year ago and we haven't had a penny since. We've always worked, we are European citizens, so why do I feel like another unwelcome gypsy? Any advice gladly welcomed. p.s. could you imagine the teachers going on strike in England, the parents would be in uproar- here they just take it on the chin.

I clicked on this wondering what country could be 'the land that never wakes' and it's the one I live in!

I feel your pain about the joys of French bureaucracy and the strikes (although luckily for us DCs school is open as usual).

Not sure about your thread title though, the strikers are activily doing something about reforms they disagree with. It's not really passive or sleepy behaviour, is it?

Both DCs were born in France so 'allocs' were pretty much automatic but hopefully someone with experience of changing system will be along to advise.

In the meantime, I find expecting everything to take forever means sometimes you have a pleasant surprise when it is efficiently handled.

I didn't even realise you could get UK child benefit while you lived abroad. Must look into it.

I knew it was France when I read your heading - can't help but I feel your pain! The strikes are causing me numerous headaches with work and childcare. I'm AE also and it's been a quiet month for work.

You should have received an allocation number though from the CAF when you submitted your paperwork, it normally comes in the post about two weeks after it's been submitted. Give them a call and ask them for it. Then they will probably ask you for copies of all tax statements for the last million years etc, etc, more paperwork, blah, blah.

Kreecher you can only get UK child benefit while abroad if one parent is residing and working in the UK. Otherwise you need to be in the system of the country you're residing in.

sounds awful - my DH dreams of us moving the family and our business to France.
these are the kind of things he hasn't thought about

Kreecher, sorry I think my post has mis-led you, I am not expecting English child benefit whilst living in France, I actually mean that as soon as we informed England that we were living in France they stopped the benefit. We've since been applying for the same in France. OthersideoftheChannel about the strikes. I don't mean that the Country never wakes, I actually mean that the wheels of industry seem to get constantly disrupted - and the young wonder why they can't get work! Maybe it's just my own personal experience of living here, we've been here 5 years now and I have to say that if it's not strikes that arrive unexpectedly it's bank holidays and "ponts". What with this and the fact that there's no school on Wednesdays, it makes it virtually impossible for a Mother to find routine, regular work. It's because of this that I can really only be self employed - I organise my own timetable around whatever disruption presents itself next. I'm all for relaxing and stuff but it's tough if you're trying to get a new business off the ground. I've also worked in Lycee's when they've been blocked by protesting students, certainly from what I could see it was a great excuse for those who couldn't be arsed to work to disrupt the classes. I used to do a 40 minute drive, only to be told that there was no class "a cause de greve", needless to say, my childcare fees and petrol expenses were not reimbursed. Let's be sensible about our protests, and not strike every time the govenment tries to change something. Personally to me, it makes sense that if we're living longer we should work a bit longer too. Today it's been announced that there's another strike next week, so that's another 150 euros down the drain.......

Tennisfan, direct your DH to my rant!

Erm. I was brought up in the UK and my teachers were regularly on strike (1980s). (Last time the tories were in power.) Just to warn you in case you think the grass is greener and all.

I also clicked on your link to see which country it is. My FIL might join your rant...

Chaotica, yes I remember those strikes and the way we thought it was Christmas every time we were sent home at the school gate. Difference was though, the teachers were striking about THEIR direct Pay and Conditions, an issue that was directly affecting their quality if life at that moment and not 40 years into the future. I know I sound cynical but we're all gonna have to face up to the fact that with an ageing and ever increasing population, the government will not be able to cover the increasing costs without making changes. AND if I remember rightly it was the adults that were striking, NOT the kids....here, you've got kids as young as 14 taking to the streets, do they even know what retirement is at that age?

How many kids do you have? If you have two, child benefit should be automatic but if you only have one then you are not eligible.
My exp. in France is that things takes AAAAGES (and the MDPH is worse than the CAF so pray you never have to deal with them!!) but you usually do get your money after about 6 months.
I'm also surprised that there is no "garde" in your town when the teachers are on strike. Is it a very small town? Here the mairie usually lay on a garderie during the strikes - same for Wednesday: there's Centre de Loisirs or you can organise a regular babysitter. I agree the train strike is a pain and have found that we just have to manage with the skeleton service they provide.

How funny Brioche I actually found the MDHP to be really efficient to the point where I was completely surprised at how fast they pulled things together for me. It must be different departments, different speeds etc.

Our town doesn't provide a garde when the teachers are on strike, I always presumed it was because the animatrices were on strike as well. Centre de Loisirs do work out well on Wednesdays and holidays though.

I too have done a 30 min drive to teach at school only to be told no classes today because of strikes - to be fair I quite liked that because I got paid for reading my book.

musn't use the preview button too often, I've just lost about 10 pages of ranting - oh well, looks like you won't have the pleasure of being subjected to that then! It's bloody freezing here today, Mistral's kicked in, so it's down to about 7 with wind chill factor!! And they say it gets cold in England....mmm I sometimes feel that we've been given a bit of a false image of "le Sud de la France".....it should have been called, "A Place in the (scorching heat, followed by the freezing cold) - Sun".

What's MDHP?

The good thing about being in the North is that we don't have high expectations about the weather .

Can I join you in your 10-page rant, move... here in Italy it's the same story with school strikes. Only here they like the surprise factor... they announce the possibility of a strike about a week in advance, so you ask them on the Friday "is there school on Monday" and they go "Boh!" (Italian for don't know and don't really care). V. hard to take them seriously. If you ask them why, they say "well if everyone knew about the strike, it wouldn't cause disruption would it". FFS.
And don't get me started on "ponte" and other random useless mid-week holidays.

As for the political side of the strike thing.. I for one would fully support them in their actions if only they would strike properly. Like the lorry drivers blocking the ports, that kind of thing. Instead of these occasional one-day walkouts that smack of "can't be arsed going in today, let's use the cuts as an excuse". Get out there and protest, blockade, write banners. I don't know about the French school system but in Italy they're dismantling it piece by piece. It's an absolute disgrace, the teachers have every right to be angry.

OP you need a back-up system: babysitter or something. Even if it's an additional expense at first, eventually it will pay for itself and preserve your sanity. Bonne chance!

MDPH - Maison Departementale des Personnes Handicapes. (Sorry, missing accents I'm on the wrong laptop).

Ah, see there is an advantage to living over the border in Switzerland. Everything costs a bomb but it is all very well organised, even the French speaking part.

Although I have noticed that they are slightly more lax on the child safety front that I am.

Oh I agree it takes forever for anything to get done in France and they're forever on strike. I was actually coming over here to see whether anyone had started a thread about the current strike yet!

yes, well things seem to be going from bad to worse - you see, I am a Mum of two trying to keep "independent". I want a bit of a life outside my family. Problem is though, it's becoming harder to achieve, and now with the impending worry of a petrol crisis, how can I justify a 80 minute round trip using petrol, just to do one English lesson as all others have been cancelled due to the strike. What am I actually achieving here? Dunno really, other than I need to do something other than bake cakes, wash pots, feed people and talk to myself any longer. So, yes I will do the round trip and will earn the 40 Euros just to stop myself going mad!!! Please France get back to normal soon, I've already started looking at The Guardian jobs pages again - just don't tell my kids.....

moveonup
Just saw in the news that some areas of France are suffering from petrol shortages already. Don't blame you for being upset.

I sympathise Gloomy (I'm in Italy too and suffering for the bloody school reform), but it is their right not to tell if they are striking or not. It is a pita though, I know.

Petrol shortage seems to be really bad here, they'd only sell me 20 euros worth today. Have to take DS1 to hospital tomorrow as well as school runs so well over 100 miles of driving, I reckon I have about 2 days worth of fuel.

All the pumps have been fixed to only dispense 20 euros worth, they've got attendants walking round them to make sure no-one fills up jerricans, or drives out and straight back in again. Only one petrol station in town!

Why do you think the wine is so cheap??

Seriously I know what you mean - very frustrating place.

I run my own business and this latest strike is a nightmare. (Don't even get me started on the nightmare of setting up a business with French bureaucracy to deal with). I started out as an English teacher and well remember lack of work due to strikes/huge numbers of public holidays.

My local CAF are actually not too bad but URSSAF and the bank more than make up for it by being very slow and very incompetent.

Got to keep cheery though - will be raclette skiing season soon.

can I just butt in a bit
dd on gap yr and hostelling aroung france on a months euro rail card
stuck atm cos of rail strike
can you give me any onfo on it as she has no credit to text me
she is in Nice , how long will it last

Ggirl
Oh, what a nightmare for your DD. No idea, I am in Switzerland.

Is she staying in a hostel?

Nice isn't far from the Italian border, could she get back through Italy?

Kreecherlivesupstairs, if you are your partner are paying into the Social Security system in Belgium, you can apply for Child Benefit in Belgium, called "kinderbijslag" or "allocations familiales", paperwork goes through your employer.

Moveonup, similar experience here in Belgium with Belgian Child Benefit, ours took 18 months to be processed and finally received several kkkks worth. The Frencgh CAF will contact UK Child Benefit in Washington who I found completely inept. Only when the UK side has sent on the forms to France will your French claim be processed. It took me 12 months of phoning the UK helpline and loads of emails, finally some helpful employee gave me the ex-directory number for UK Child Benefit in Washington, after a few phone calls where I absolutely refused to hand over the identity of the sympathetic colleague of theirs who gave me the telephone number, I finally made contact with the caseworker who had done sod all to send on the paperwork to Belgium, it took a further 6 months to get him to do this without making simple spelling mistakes in the paperwork and mathematical errors, finally the Belgian office received the paperwork and paid me 18 months of child benefit.

Don't give up OP, but do check if it is Child Benefit Washington who are holding up your application.

The Senate is going to vote on the reform on Wednesday so the strikes might stop then. I doubt the protester's will give up before then.