The Dream has to become a reality. Here are what I think are the priorities and tasks to concentrate on before moving:
FINANCES: make sure you have enough to make the transition, this doesn’t just include the obvious like moving expenses and rental deposits. It also includes tying up any loose ends like the fees for canceling a lease or making sure you have a tenant in your home if you are not going to sell it, etc. Then you will surely need at LEAST 2 months rent, and that is being a serious risk taker. All of these are the most important things to think about.
*LEGAL STATUS/WORK STATUS: You need to find a way to make sure you have the right to live and work in the country, obviously. The two ways I know that most people use if you are married to a French citizen or if you are sponsored by a French company. The other option is to work for an American company here who has an office in France and will send you there. Either way, you need one of them to sponsor you.
INCOME: If you already have a steady stream of income or money in the bank, YAY! You have already one a HUGE percentage of the battle. But for the rest of us who have to find income, there are various ways. Going to school is one way. You can get funding or grants aloowing money to live or free housing through exchange programs but this is not good for those who have a family. Another way would be to start a business. I have heard it is not a good idea to do this unless you have the support of a French citizen who can partner with you, get all the documentation done from her and secure contracts or clients in advance. Otherwise, it can be a real challenge. It seems like a much better idea to start your own business after you have moved in and gotten the lay of the land.
Many people will be interested in getting a job. There are several ways to go about this for that and I will mention more on this in another post. Ultimately, income is an important item on the checklist and ideally you would budget out six months living expenses but a minimum of two is wise. Don’t worry once you have achieved these goals you have just conquered 70% of the battle. The rest gets easier from here.
HOUSING: The next most important issue to tackle after legalities and money is finding a place to live. I will also do a post on this since it will be long. but in general there will be several sources of housing, the web being one, but if you don’t mind staying in a hotel for a while, investigating in person may be more interesting to you. Just make sure you have done at least some research in advance so you are not surprised by minor details like the price.
Also, if you did not already determine which area is best for you to move to, housing prices would be one factor, as well as employment opportunities. Learn the regions and their specialties and go by that. For example, you wouldn’t want to be off in the rural countryside if your field is international affairs. So, check the sites which describe the industries in each region and go ahead and live in Provence if you have experience making perfume.
THE LANGUAGE: you can take this time to study the language (if you are not leaving in a hurry!) Rosetta Stone is a software that I discovered and my local library gives me access to it online for free with a library card. Maybe your library offers free software online, but if not most have cd’s and cassettes you can borrow. The question of how important the language factor is depends on your purpose for going to France. If you are going to be working and need to use it in your job, you may want pay, or get your company to pay a company one of the companies that give one-on-one intensive language study. If you are going to be working or studying in English (or whatever your native language is) then you would be better off just getting a few free cd’s and books from the library.
FINAL DETAILS: You need to book your flight, of course. You will also need to decide what you willl take with you and what you will buy their. French people don’t use clothes dryers! Its not like the States, they often hang their clothes to dry in the cities. So, if you feel you need to use a dryer, then consider how much it would cost to buy one, or consider using the dry cleaners. Its called pressing in France. All of your other appliances need to be either used with a converter or you have to replace them when you get there. Their plugs are different because the electrical current is different. Food is different, so prepare yourself to get used to cooking and eating more European food.
Make sure to batten down the hatches at home. If you need to break a lease make sure that is arranged advance. Sometimes companies will let you pay one month’s rent to get out, and some require that the apartment be rented before you can get out. Most of the time summer is a good time for people to rent. If you own property and need to rent it out make a wise decision as to who you want to rent it to. Ask friends about their experience with vouchers and the likes. Things may seem great at first but people can loose their voucher and if you are overseas, that can be a problem.
PREPARE FOR THE PLANE RIDE: I would suggest you get some material together for the plane ride that can help you orient yourself when you get there. Get to know the transit system and learn how get from home to work or hotel directions. Brush up on your language skills, and learn where important places are near your soon-to be-home. Places like, the nearest market, pharmacy, church, school, etc.
