Seriously considering move to Bordeaux ... can I pick brains please?!

[lacarete]

We are considering moving to Bordeaux and I know a few people are in that area so thought I'd ask your advice ... some a bit specific!

First general French stuff - what is the work situation really like? (we both speak fluent French). Is it really as tough as it seems to find work and is Bordeaux any different to the rest of France?

How does cost of living compare these days?

Which area of Bordeaux should we think about for a family with young children?

How about school and childcare - ds is 3 soon so I guess he'd be old enough to start in Sept - how do you find it? dd is 9 months - are childcare options good/ reasonable?

For job hunting have a look at Sud-Ouest Job - the version local to us is quite good. And Monster.fr

As for freelancing, there is lots of info on this site. And as ggg says the forums for expats are pretty helpful.

lacarete - hmm, everyone I know who looks for jobs goes through headhunters or personal networks... I really don't know about looking for jobs on the open market, other than by directly targeting the companies that interest you by sending a CV and covering letter.

Maybe look in the press?

ah - I was under the impression that the contacts, contacts thing didn't work as well in France as it does in the UK! Don't know why.

Do you (or anyone else!) know which papers are the best (eg equivalent to Guardian jobs sections)?

Also, as a freelancer, never planning to employ anyone or have a business as such, does anyone know if I would be a microentreprise?

Your company structure will depend on your line of work. Try to have a preliminary meeting with an accountant for sole traders - you will get loads of free advice.

anna - in UK or in France? sorry if it's a stupid question!

I was thinking in France. Probably in Paris, since you are more likely to find an accoutant for sole traders au fait with international issues. For example, there are accountants who have models (not necessarily mega earning supermodels ) as clients who know all about earning and living as a sole trader in different countries. You are less likely to find someone like that in the provinces.

thanks - may try calling one to discuss over the phone

They might not tell you much over the phone. The point of having a meeting is for them to sell you their services (hence all the free preliminary advice) and they do that by meeting with you and giving you the once over .

I suspect that you and your DH ought to plan out a trip to France with lots of meetings etc so that you get a feel for your (net) earning potential and the cost of living...

yep - we're doing that soon!

ANPE Web site is for non management positions. APEC is the state agency for recruitment in management level positions.
Advice I was given on a job seeking course when I first moved to France was that a lot of recruitment takes place through contacts or on spec applications.

The micro-entreprise status is for businesses that don't (plan to) generate a turnover of more than a certain amount (27,000 euros for service providers, 76,300 if you're selling goods, in a nutshell). It's "simplified" but gets quite complicated if you exceed the stated figure.

There's lots of info on the APCE website I linked to (not to be confused with the APEC, which as Otherside says is the job centre for management types).

it was the apce one that confused me - I couldn't work out which category I would fit into

on another point - if we were to rent for six months, initially, would we be accepted by landlords without a job, do you think?

Normally rental contracts are for one year (furnished) or three years (unfurnished). If you wanted a six months rental and you had no job, any sane landlord would ask you to pay the full six months rent upfront plus a three month deposit. You might be looking at a holiday rental in the winter months.

In that case I'd take Anna's advice to consult an accountant. They will know which régime would suit your activity the best.