Hi everyone,
If love can move mountains, it also makes people move abroad, in countries such as France.
Following your life partner in a country with different customs and rules is an act of absolute trust and may require a period of adaptation.
This is why we would like to have your opinion to answer these questions and thus help future expats who are preparing to follow the same track by moving in France.
What preparation do you have, or do you advise, to do before your departure in order to make the best of this experience?
What challenges have you faced? In what areas (finding a job, socialization, well-being)? How did you overcome them?
What is the outcome of this experience for you? Would you do it again if the opportunity arose?
Has your relationship with your beloved changed since your expatriation in France? Do you have any advice on this subject?
If your expatriation involved children, how did you manage to maintain a family balance in the face of this life change?
Thanks for your contribution!
Loïc
Following your life partner in France
We are back to France after many years in the US. We are bilingual but for non French speakers making the move I recommend taking French classes at an Alliance Française near you or remotely with me (I am a passionate and experienced educator. I will get you learn this new language while having fun). Getting acquainted with the language and the culture makes navigating this new country easier.
We had to deal with a lot of paperwork, now it's all good. Try networking with Expat.com and other circles to help you find job opportunities. For our part we arrived in Paris in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic so finding a job is tricky. I volunteer instead and it's always a good way to meet new people.
Take care and feel free to ask me questions!
I moved to France to be with husband. We had been in a long distance the entire relationship before getting married. I moved to be with him a few months after we got married in France.
I, personally, regret ever moving. It's mostly my fault because I was too optimistic and hopeful. I didn't think fully about the consequences and hoped I'd magically like French after moving there.
I don't like the language and have tried learning it with no great results. I gave up on French. Finding a job, naturally, has been difficult. There are few opportunities in English and they're very competitive. People are not the friendliest here, I feel. You must know French for anything and everything.
My relationship has had a very rough time since I've moved here. I don't have any friends here, my family isn't here. I have to rely on my husband for almost everything. Things are more expensive here and I have no income so, it's eating away at my savings.
I plan on moving back home (after flights go back to normal) until my husband can move out of France. Then, I will be with him again. It's been a very negative experience for me and I will never do it again, for anyone.
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