Moving to France and learning

the pleasures & pitfalls of teleworking

Have been terribly remiss...... but v busy

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:08:00 GMT

Time flies when you're having fun, and that is what life is here. We are now the proud owners of half a dozen chickens whose eggs are even better than our small flock in the UK, 2 pigmy goats both neutered males as pets and debating about whether if we took a lamb for fattening we could actually a) do the deed, b) eat the meat. We also now have probably one of the most multicoloured cats alive, but she is very sweet and for a tiny lass make a huge amount of noise she is also excellent at ctaching lizards which she promptly brings me in the office where usually lizard & tail part company and I then have to spend time in the evning when it gets cooler trying to retrieve the lizard and for release outside the next day; our walls have a motley collecting of lizards living on them with tails in various stages of re-gowth. We're also looking at a long held dream of owning a dog....... probably in the autumn sometime.

Work has been constant, although not too busy, spending alot of time getting fully up to speed on all our standard operating processes etc which has meant some evening sessions as I've joined teleconfetrencves in the states for training. But all of that is about to change with several huge projects in the horizen so I'll be chasing my tail shortly getting them off the ground - but I love the excitiment a new big project brings - all the planning and running the what-if sessions. It is wonderful to be able to check e-mail before breakfast in my jammies and if I'm expecting something important from the States to be able to log in during the evening.

The TGV & public transport in Paris is also a revelation being efficient, on time and far less expensive than I thought so I can get door to door to the Paris office in about 3 hours, which is about the mength of time I sometimes sat on the M25 when trying to commute about 50 odd miles rather than the several hundred here.

Its strange I still keep having to pinch myself to believe we're really here, life is all that we imagined. Hubby is working hard in the garden, and his, how can I politiely put it, beer belly has gone he has really rather fanciable muscle definition coming back and even though he doesn't tan well, has gone a wonderful colour and our veg patch is full of growing stuff. Unfortunately for me, sitting at the computer is not a great way to loose eight so while huuby has become svelt, I am still the slightly cuddly person I was before, so really thing that a bicycle may be the anwser so we can go on days out by bike at the weekend rather than in the car. Years back when I worked for the NHS as a midwife I did my rounds on a bike and rode miles each day rain or shine, except one memorable Christmas day when hubby offered to drive me but since he kept being invited in and being plied with drinks by the proud ne parents I ended up driving home.Still that was probably the last time I rode a bike, so I'm hoping it's a skill that will come back easily and that I can find a bike with a comfy saddle - not one of those skinny hard things so many bikes seem to have. That probably means a trip to the local Decathlon this weekend to try a few out......

We're here

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:14:00 GMT

Wow, I can't quite believe it, as I type very slowly and carefully since I'm using a french keyboard, we're actually here. The physical move went smoothly but our much loved cat survuved the move only for us to find him curled up by our bed dead just a few days later. He was only young but we knew that something wasn't quite right with him - he was a maine coon but very small and our vet seemed to think he may have had some sort of heart problem. So the first digging in our new garden was a grave for our pet.

Living close by a small town we discovered that such basic things as depositing sterling in our bank account wasn't a simple matter of turning up and handing the cash over - we bank with CA, and have found the, very helpful, but they opperate a "cashless" bank - so I had to "faire un rendevous" to make the deposit. My french has also been stretched with getting our home phone line installed, luckily work took care of my professional line, I don't think I could have explained that adequately.

Setting up the computer was a challenge - it's not a querty keyboard and so my spelling, never a strong point is now most peculiar with q's appearing where a's should be. The phone plugs are different - but we simply replaced our UK ones with french ones without to much trouble. But it's been the electric plugs that hve given us most cause for concern - and I have to confess we're using quite alot of UK adapters at the moment rather than replace sealed plugs. The UK plugs seem so much more robust.

The phone line's been busy with family & friends arranging to come & visit - but we're making it clear that I'll be working for much of the time so that they'll need a hire car as we can't spend the time entertaining.

We're still looking for a chimney sweep ) since the chimney is bloked by a next of something or other - we think possibly a dormouse.......We're also dealing with alot of spiders - not my favourite thing.

Our neighbours have popped in and introduced themselves properly which was really great, our 70 something neighbour insisted on chopping up a fallen tree for us. Trying to explain what I actaully do has been a challenge but one I think we've just about resolved. Anyway I should be able to post more regually on actually working here now which is what I intended all along, as well as life in 79 in general.

packing up

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:49:00 GMT

Ooh err - we're suddenly in the last few weeks and what has been that talked about dream is suddenly a crashing reality – but it still all seems a bit hazy. Funny – I was chatting to my brother-in-law who moved to Australia a year or so back – and he said that the move to them didn’t actually seem real until they were actually in Australia, so perhaps what we’re felling is not so strange afterall.

We’re still working out what we really need to take and the list of things for sale on ebay keeps getting longer – still it may help us stay within our allotted cubic meterage for the removal van.

Middle sons’ vast collection of action figures still needs to find a secure home as none of his grandparents have room for boxes and boxes of the things – and we can’t take it with us – so it looks as though he’s need to invest in some storage space – which he’s not too pleased about. We have agreed that once the building work etc is done – if he’s not found another home we’ll take them – but he’s got so many they literally would almost fill a standard sized transit van – every spare chest / drawer at home at the moment + a load of storage boxes are full of them.

I start my new job on the 12^th Feb – so will need to get the electricity and phone sorted out pronto as soon as we’re out there – and I’ll need another mobile phone as my current one will be returned to the company next Friday.

We’re also looking at our clothes – will hubby need the 8 business suits of varying sizes to dig the garden – and do I really need all my business suits – especially the size 10 ones that I haven’t gotten into in years. Then there are the things like Nigel’s GB tracksuit tatty and old – but an important memory and my wedding dress – we don’t need them, they’re not useful but are far too important to leave behind.

The cat has his passport, the chickens are going to their new home in the next week – so we can see them settled, just need to work out how long we can keep eggs before setting them, as we’ll need to collect a dozen before we leave to try incubating them..

Our youngest will be staying at his Grans while the actual move takes place just outside Dover – she’s a very young almost 70 year old and has just been called for jury service – which complicates things a bit – we did suggest that she try and get out of it – but she’s quite keen to serve, so assorted aunts and uncles will also be helping us out looking after him. One of us will have to drive back or take the train back to Calais to pick him up once we’re settled. We’re leaving the choosing of a school until we’re in residence. Must double check his passport which was sent off 2 weeks before Christmas – so hopefully that will arrive OK – if not he’s still on hubby’s and we will just have to have the passport itself sent on….. but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…… Oh well back to finishing things up here ….then our new year and new life can really start

New Job

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 08:09:00 GMT

Things really are moving on fast - have confirmed our move date, finalised things with the removal company and are now tackling the "store room" - this contains boxes of stuff from the last 2 house moves and we cannot possibly have any use for them - but all boxes have to be opened, checked and contents then disposed of appropriately....... and I hate spiders. The cat has his passport - must get our sons one sorted......

Hubby is also gleefully working out how we can get through the wine we have rather than take it all back..... While I'm looking at my wardrobe of clothes, some dating back to, well a long time ago and several sizes smaller and trying to work out if I really need them or if I can bag them up for one of the charity shops.

I'm going to do a weeks training over here in London with the UK arm of the company, (at least the training will all be in English) , before the move then start my new job on 12th February - which will give us 2 weeks to settle in before I'm working again, nopt sure if this will be long enough - but it means we won't go any time without a salary. Mind you my current company haven't actually confirmed my leave date in writing, which is tough on them because my last day will be 12th January, thank goodness I got that holiday signed off before I resigned - otherwise they would have been funny over it. But the rumour mill has started with some people surprized to still see me around because often people are put on garden leave. No such luck for me - although I am being shut out of several systems I usually work on - and have told my boss that I'll not come into work to twiddle my thumbs, so if he can't fill my day - then I'll be available on line at home, sort of un-official garden leave and able to get on with the packing

Its strange - we have less than 2 months now until our new life starts and yet at the moment things seem strangely normal

New job - new start our plans can go ahead

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:41:00 GMT

Haven't posted for a while because I've been bogged down at work trying to work things out with my current employer - but without success. They simply haven't wanted to give me an idea of the package they're willing to provide except to tell me over and over again that I've been exceedingly well paid (!?!) her in the UK and can't expect that in France. We're now less than 2 months to the move date and still no package - so I did what I told them back in early October I would - I'd applied for another similar job with a competitir company - and this morning I've accepted their offer. It's not what Im earning in the UK - but is a fair wage and it's a permenant job with all that that entails. I'm actually quite excited by the new challenge and having met some of the people I'll be working with - know that I'll be happy. We can know forge ahead with our plans in the confident knowledge that we have a budget to work with.

Now I just have the dubious pleasure of telling HR - who will no doubt express extreme surprize at my decision and ask they we negotiiate on the 3 month notice Im meant to give. There's a pretty high chance I'll get stuck on garden leave - since they won't want me to have coninued access to all their plans etc - so may even have rather more time to pack etc than had originally planned. But just to cover everything - I got my holidays over our move all safely signed off last week - so garden leave or not we're set to go.....

Will try and post again sooner rather than later......

Trying to work things out

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 07:12:00 GMT

Well - after a mainly positive meeting we're moving ahead. We have a move date set for 25th January and the company will have sorted out my contract by mid November - hopefully to everyone’s satisfaction as I don't want to be unfair. I guess I'm lucky if that if things go pear shaped - I can easily find another PM role with someone else though - but the last thing I really want to have to do is be starting in a new country, settling our son into school and also starting a new job. Although as my hubby said - if all else fails 3 months at home on garden leave wouldn't be too awful...... but I don't want to think about that just yet.

We're struggling a it with our 10year old and his language lessons - he simply doesn't see the urgency yet and it's rather frustrating at times. We don't want him to be a complete novice when we get there but it looks as though he'll still have only VERY basic knowledge.

Other plans for the move are starting to firm up – we’ve pretty much settles on a removal company who will pack and export wrap our stuff and we’re using what they call a “part-load” removal. That is all our stuff will be packed up and collected from the house on the 25^th and taken back to the company’s depot. Then at some point within the next couple of weeks – it will be re-packed into a large lorry and will be brought over to France. This has saved us a fair amount and in fact has allowed us to opt for the export packing. Fortunately because our home is a holiday home – it’s already furnished – just about – so waiting for a week or two for the rest of our stuff to arrive won’t be a problem. But we will have to take the pot-plants ourselves though.

We’ve also learnt that we can’t take our pet chickens – we’ve a dozen and they’d need blood tests and vets inspections – and it was all hugely costly, so they’ll stay with us for the winter and will then be going to their new home – our local pub that already keeps rare breed sheep and pigs and was looking for some chickens as well. They’ll be spoilt and looked after very well. I don’t suppose they’d have liked the journey anyway…… The cat on the other hand is vaccinated, micro chipped and about to have his rabies blood test – which will be fun – he runs a mile if he sees that cat box – and trying to actually get him inside needs at least two adults because he seems to grow in size and manages to get all 4 paws on the edges of the box. I do have some pheromone calming spray to use on him that might help. He also seems to know when a visit to the vets is in order and manages to get extremely muddy and dirty in the hours before we go –so he looks thoroughly disreputable and he’ll sulk for days afterwards and make me feel like a complete rotter.

Still plugging away

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 07:32:00 GMT

Well have had my meeting with the boss - and have explained my view point and reminded HR about their initial offer when I joined the company as I referenced it in my acceptance letter etc. They agreed that my skills are needed and that being home based in France is no barrier - but explained that living in rural France will be so much cheaper than the UK that I can't possibly expect my current terms and conditions...... but my response was that a 25% pay cut and removal of my car allowance was outrageous. I also pointed out that just because we didn’t have a huge mortgage to pay – didn’t mean that everything else was going to be cheaper – taxes, health top-up etc will all be more than in the UK and I don’t suppose our food bill or utilities will be any cheaper

Anyway - HR have gone away to draw up a proper binding offer, rather than the "of course we’ll transfer you type of response" - and I've made it clear that if it's not good enough I'll look else ware and possibly look at "constructive dismissel". Thank goodness I work in a job where there are other possibilities out there and that will be something “they” won’t want to happen – mind you if I was to leave I’d probably get put on “gardening leave” instead of serving out my notice and the thought of several weeks at home on full pay is not too unpleasant.

So hopefully having made my position clear and them knowing that the last thing they want is my going to one of their competitors we can all sort this out amicably. They have been a great company to work for up and till now - and the people I work with are really wonderful - so I'd rather not have to make another change.

On a more positive note – we now have some good quotes in for moving – including a full pack and export wrapping of out stuff – which is important to us as on top of around 4500 books we have around 30 paintings – none of them particularly valuable – many of them painted by my grandmother – but very precious to us and the thought of them being damaged during the move doesn’t bear thinking about. We also don’t want to have to move our dining room table – it’s made out of railways sleepers and is huge and very heavy.

Our next trip over in a few weeks time we will be measuring up to see where everything we’re brining with us will go. Because we’re planning to make what is currently a partially converted attached barn into a kitchen / family room – some of the furniture we’re bringing with us is a bit big for the space we have now – so we may need to do a bit of juggling to fit it all in.

Anyway the cat’s had all his jabs and has his passport – so he at least is all set – mind you he howls on his trips to the vets 10 minutes down the road – lord knows what he’ll be like on the trip over to France – but we will have some pheromone stuff that should help keep him calm – and he’ll be in my hubbies car….

Things were going far too smoothly - company machinations

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 07:17:00 GMT

Thought everything was going way too smoothly……. Noticed this week that on my department organogram my job title had changed – it was now at least 2 grades lower than it should be and this had not been discussed with me before hand……. Interestingly it is now the grade that removes the need for a company car and will result in a 25% pay cut in France. Needless to say I’m not a happy bunny and will not agree to this imposition. My job requires me to travel from time to time and we’ve done all our sums on my retaining my salary / benefits and a cut of this size drives a coach and horses through our plans. Feeling very stressed out by this. Its all politics - I guess the company think that I'll agree to this or something close and they'll get a better deal out of me - but I value what I do and the benefits I bring, so two can play at this game.

Am trying at the moment to get my manager to a meeting – but all of a sudden he’s too busy to take my calls – and he hasn’t even acknowledged my e-mails. Have arranged to see the director of HR later today about this as I need to work in France to pay our bills – but there’s no way I’ll carry on doing the same job for 25% less and no car…… I’d like to see what chaos ensued if I worked “to rule” within the grade they’re trying to impose.

Why can’t people just be honest and when they enter an agreement see it though. Signing off very frustratedly……

The letter...

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 07:30:00 GMT

HR have come back to me and asked for a formal letter with our move date - so they can set up a meeting for me in France - so we've spent the last couple of days trying to decide exactly what date we want to move. The lease is up on our rented house at the end of January - so we've set the date as the 25th January - I'll have a couple of weeks holiday to carry over - so will actually start work in France around Feb 12th. Gosh setting the date was actually a bit scary - kind of like finally stepping off the top board at the swiiming pool after standing up there for a while because it suddenly looked much higher than you thought.

We're in the process of arranging to visit some schools to see about where our son will feel most at home on the Monday / Tuesday of half-term as the UK and French one are slightly adrift - so we can spend that week in France and get a few things sorted.

We also have finally managed to get a quote for moving - pretty much everyone simply told me I was looking too far ahead and they'd contact me "nearer the time". But as I kept explaining - we were trying to decide what to sell and what to keep - so I'll be busy on ebay for a while and probably by Christmas our clothes will be on racks and we'll be sleeping on mattresses on the floor as the bedsteads and wardrobes will be going. We'll also have to take a tape measure with us in October because we have a huge dining room table - that will look fabulous in the barn kitchen - when it's done - but won't fit in our current kitchen - so if that goes in the living room - then my big bookcase won't have a home - so we'll be looking to seewhere else in the house a 12 foot long and 9 foot high book case can go, it does split in 2 a bit like a dresses - but as it holds my 4500ish books - it will be coming with us, no matter what. Still wondering about the electric cooker though - it's nearly new and we bought it before we had finally decided that we were going NOW rather than in about 7 years time - and although there isn't an oven in France we do have a bottled gas hob - and were going to put in a gas oven - and I know that electric stoves are expensive to run in France and we'd also need to make some changes to the kitchen, but part of me is very loathe to consider selling it.... but that may be the sensible thing to do. Or maybe one of our older sons will be able to use it. So may decisions - and suddenly January 25th seems so close

August ramblings

e.j.clark@talk21.com — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 11:43:00 GMT

Where to start…….I guess an introduction would probably work as well as anything else.

I’m one of hundreds of 40 something working Mum’s out there who’ve been wondering whether we’re really all that liberated with long working weeks, mortages and trying to have some sort of life between work and home demands

Here in the UK – I hold down a very enjoyable job – at the end of a 45 minute commute each way. I have an office and a title –which I guess is meant to make me feel good – but I work in a fast growing international company and am really a project manager. Most of “my” team sit either in their home offices or at desks and computer screens literally all over the world – we talk on the phone and internet and share files and very, very occasionally meet up face to face. I could be anywhere it makes no difference to how I do my job.

I’ve been married for nearly 25 years now and we have 3 sons – 2 have already left home and gone down the university / job route and the house is very empty without them – but when I look at the way they manage and are such confident happy young men – I know that we did a good job bringing them up, somehow.

We have our youngest at home – our little surprise package – usually the happiest natured chap you could ever hope to meet – he loves French food and wine – we give him a sherry glass full with Sunday dinner each week – which he carefully looks at, sniffs and then tastes – he already has very adult preferences and loves a good robust red. His brothers say he’s already half French in his food tastes – so may as well go the whole hog.

Then there’s my other half – we were the couple that no-one thought would make it – we fell in love at first site – literally, were engaged within weeks and married inside a year –and no I didn’t have the proverbial bun in the oven….We’re best friends and enjoy each others company – he’s very outgoing and sociable –good at all the things I’m not.

We’ve dreamt about living abroad since we first got together – we seriously looked at Spain back in the 80’s but never actually did anything about it. France has always been a country I loved – and gradually over the past 15 years or so –Nigel has come to share that love – we’ve spent a great deal of time down in the Vendee / Deux Sevres region – we’re not the type that like “ye olde englishe pubbe” on holiday – we’re more often to be found in some small bistro checking out whatever the local dish is – but we won’t be eating andouilette’s again. We first started considering a permanent move about 5 years ago –agreed on where we wanted to go and started half heartedly looking while we were on holiday…..and needless to say didn’t find anything.

So we sat down – did our sums and realized that we could afford to live on one salary if we sold up in the UK and moved to France. My HR department – human resources agreed in principal…. So we started looking.

We went about it all wrong at first – thinking our house in the UK would sell very quickly, it didn’t – it took a year – but we finally sold it last year and found and completed on la Fernandiere in Deux Sevres…. It’s not a big house – it’s a mostly renovated 3 bed farmhouse – with 2 attached barns that have “potential”….. I love that word – I’ve been creating kitchen / family rooms in this barn in my imagination ever since.

So that about brings me up to date – work have agreed that I can make the move and we’re hammering out the final details – I’ll be moving to the French headcount – so insurance etc won’t be too much of a problem –and will go into that in more detail later

The BIG move date is set for sometime in January for us, our pets including 16 chickens and my collection of a little over 4000 books……I’d like to share where we’re going and how we get there and hopefully how things pan out with you – hopefully some of what I write maybe of interest……please join me

Moving to France and learningthe pleasures & pitfalls of teleworking