Moving young family to the South of France

[BA9822]

Hi all,

My husband & I have always spoken about moving to the South of France and are now finally starting to look into it seriously. Has anybody got experience of this and can give any advice of moving with a young family?! We have a young baby as well as 3&4 year olds.

We know that it won’t be easy and will need to find jobs etc but are willing to work to make it happen! We are both teachers so hoping to possibly look for work in an international school.

Thank you!!

One word, Brexit. It was not easy before, it is VERY VERY difficult now.

If you got jobs in an international school you could probably get a visa through them but I’m not sure how that would work re establishing more permanent residency.

What nationality passports do you hold?

Done it yes and it's not easy.
Try and secure work before you move, there's competition for international school teaching roles. It's a good age for the children, they'll adapt easily if you put them in a local school with english support.

Brexit changed everything. Even with an EU husband, it took me ages to sort all my paperwork out.

There's no 'possibly' about looking for work in an international school. Assuming you don't have an EU passport, getting a visa via working in an international school is your only hope.

Do you speak French? I can't see any school getting a visa sorted otherwise. The visa also won't give you residency rights post the duration of the visa. Many of the people I know in France are with their families on a visa; after 3 years they're often moved on.

Your kids could go straight into French school and pick the language up fairly quickly, but they'd lose it again if you moved away unless you continue to reinforce it.

I have several friends who did it (pre brexit). A couple had professional jobs lined up and had very good French. Others set up holiday business/building work.

They all love it and wouldn’t come back. It’s a great lifestyle, especially if you make the effort to learn French and integrate.

We are moving to S of France with a teen for sixth form at an international school. Can only do this because I’m married to an EU national. And can work remotely. Yes I will be paying a bit more tax in France but totally worth it imo.

“Possibly look for work in an international school”? You sound a bit vague. As pp have said, do you both have EU passports? International schools in the south of France won’t be crying out for teachers. What do you teach? Are you aiming for your children to go through the French state system or through the international school?

@Sourisblanche you may think you’re paying additional taxes, but we get large tax rebates due to having a child; when son and I joined DH, his tax refund kicked in. Services such as health and dental are excellent; if your teen hasn’t yet got braces, get them booked into dentist and they’ll be sorted pronto. My 11 yo son was booked straight in for braces on his first visit to the dentist (they do them young in France). We pay a bit on top of the healthcare system, but nowhere near as much as UK would have cost.

Thanks all for your replies!

I do speak French - I am actually a French teacher but have also taught other subjects in my years as a teacher. But we don’t have EU passports sadly!

@Sourisblanche that sounds amazing! When are you off? How very exciting for you all.

So, what are your plans for getting a visa?
I know someone (British) who taught in an international school, but this was before Brexit. They also taught EFL - they had a diploma in it, not the general certificate - which is useful in an international school because it allows non-English speakers to access the curriculum. Their American friend taught geography in the same school, but she was married to a national.