Parisians are unfortunately often stereotyped as rude, arrogant and not easily impressed. While this is in many ways a gross exaggeration, event planners with their eyes set on Paris venues still want to aim high. The City of Light, after all, remains an epicenter of world culture and the European economy. Its citizens are used to the very best at their fingertips, and event planners have to be prepared to meet that expectation.

The venues you choose will determine how successful your efforts will be. While there are two main venues, there are also many other smaller settings that are impressive enough to engage the Parisians of any lifestyle. Two of the main sites that are exceptionally inspiring are Paris Porte de Versailles, totaling two million square feet, and the 350,000 square foot Le Palais des Congres de Paris. There are enough facilities in close proximity to these centers to accommodate even the most particular Parisian.

Decide on a venue based on several strategic details. Does the venue provide overnight accommodations? Do they provide catering service? What about audio/visual services, parking, and security? How is the Wifi and online event registration? Can a live engagement marketing app function effectively within the space? Are set-up and clean-up included in the fee? Are there any restrictions of which the attendees need to be aware? In addition to these obvious questions, consider the surroundings. Are they pleasing to the eye? Do they create a sense of relaxation?

To plan a conference that will impress, in addition to a delightful venue, create something that is more than they expect. Schedule experiences for the participants that are atypical, such as an “escape room.” Turn a room in the conference center into an escape room. Develop a theme and a set of clues that participants will have to solve in order to get out of the room. Make it a competition, perhaps between different departments within the company. Set a time limit for the exodus. The group that has not “escaped” within the allotted time is the loser. If you are hosting events in Paris, make it an occasion to remember.

Entice clients with your over-the-top creative genius. Help attendees build lasting relationships and enrich their educational and informational sessions by planning events that are unrelated to the conference. Tours, happy hours, and on-site luncheons are all ways to provide experiences aside from the monotony of lectures and Powerpoint demonstrations. A wonderful marketing method is to customize event hashtags so participants can link up before and after the event.

To exceed the expectations of the participants, you have to step outside the ordinary because today’s conference goers are very savvy and want to learn something they do not already know and to solicit business contacts. As the meeting planner, you will want to market the destination and the enticements so that people will be enthusiastic about coming.

Planning a conference requires a lot of organization, and thinking “on your feet” is a necessity. Successful meetings using live engagement marketing in today’s technological world is a new concept that may maximize conference outcomes. Attendees can download apps to generate interactive content which can be used to intermingle with one another. However, all the technology in the world cannot make a boring meeting into an interesting and event-filled conference. Engage keynote speakers who will deliver engrossing content for the audience. When you see conference goers engaged in other activities instead of paying attention during presentations, you can be sure they are bored or disinterested.

To keep attendees on-site during breaks, make their surroundings enticing. Comfortable seating, access to WiFi, popular beverages, scrumptious food, and ideas that promote good conversation create an inviting atmosphere. Keep the attendees informed of updates with monitors streaming information. When you have done your due diligence, you will be proud that even the French will be impressed.

The post Hosting an Event in Paris appeared first on The Good Life France.

France has been a world leader in tourism for years and the market for independent accommodation in popular tourist areas has boomed. Here are some tips specifically for Gite or B&B owners, or anyone considering this as a source of revenue.

1. Gites & meublés de tourisme (gites and furnished accommodation) benefit from advantageous tax conditions. The annual turnover threshold for the simplified tax regime is limited to 81.500€, and 71% of turnover is deducted as costs before tax is calculated (2015).

2. Rental property must be declared to your Mairie using the Cerfa 14004*02 form which you can fill in online, or print off and manually complete. This ensures your property is listed by the Mairie and Office de Tourisme and may be passed to potential clients; some Mairies offer local signposts to help guests find you easily and it’s always worth asking if this is a service that is available.

3. If you want to boast a star rating on your property then you must apply to the accredited network for your category from the list supplied by Atout France here. After an inspection of your rental property, the organisation has 1 month to supply a certificate detailing your score from 1 to 5 stars, and the elements of inspection which determined their decision. You have 15 days to appeal their rating – without response from you the rating is considered accepted. Your star rating is valid for 5 years.

4. When does your rental deposit become part of your turnover for tax purposes? A deposit remains the property of the client until they take up their residency, and therefore a deposit received in 2015 for a stay in 2016 should remain in the account without declaration as income or accruing tax, until the balance of the reservation is paid in full.

Many non-French speakers need help with understanding their options when starting a new professional activity or making sure they have carried out the obligatory procedures for their new rental property. The best advice is to get reputable help if you decide not to go it alone…

By Jo-ann Howell of FrenchAdmin Solutions

The post 4 Key Tips for running a Gite Business in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Did you know that self-employed expats in France may be able to claim costs for “ongoing education” such as learning French?  Or that some town halls in France offer a sign post to help guests find your gite or rental property easily?

Jo-ann Howell has built up almost two decades of experience of working with out operators, property owners and businesses in France and has created FrenchAdmin Solutions, a company that helps expats in France – an online support program for English speakers, a place to find answers to questions on life in France, from property rental or ownership to employment or running their own business.

Jo-Ann says “I have opened, and closed, most types of company that exist in the French system for my clients”. She adds that while each area of business is generally subject to its own rules, these are her top money saving tips which apply to all:

8 Essential Tips for Starting a business in France

1. Start on 2nd January at the earliest to avoid the CFE- Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises, payable by companies in operation on January 1st of each year. Note that France pretty much shuts down for holidays in August, so it is inadvisable to start your new independent activity then if you want to get moving fast.

2. Included in the social charges bill, which is due monthly or quarterly, is a fee towards ongoing education. In the second year of activity, on condition that positive turnover has been declared in the first year, all are entitled to continue their education – from lessons to improving language skills to specific courses which improve or expand their trade. Up to €1,000 to €2,400 is available to cover the costs, depending on your activity.

The post Top Tips for starting a business in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

The other day I interviewed an expat British couple in France. They had moved here seven years ago, took early retirement, bought a beautiful country house with a lovely garden in a pretty village in SW France.

We talked about how they find life in France and it started off well. They love the food, being able to go to the market to buy fresh veg and fruit. They love the fact that they can wander down to their local bar and everyone says hello and they feel welcomed to the community. They feel they’ve integrated well, the air is fresh, roads clear, it was the right move for them…

After a little while a note of unhappiness started to creep in and they began to moan. Although retired and able to live on their pensions, they’d like to earn a bit of extra income. They thought about starting a B&B or converting one of their many outbuildings into a gite. However, they found the paperwork to register a gite too difficult and gave up that idea. I was a bit surprised at this. Yes the paperwork is in French, yes it is quite onerous but – nothing ventured nothing gained and there are plenty of people who can ease the work, professionals who can do the translating, register the business, take care of tax forms and all that bureaucratic stuff.

Intrigued I asked if there was anything else that bugs them about living in France?

“Yes – the language is hard to learn”. This is true, for many people it is difficult and most expats will never fully master the nuances and colloquialisms. But, I protested, it’s perfectly possible to get by with a bit of hard work I’ve found. Ah, that was the problem though, they didn’t want to spend time learning, they felt that by living here they would simply pick it up – presumably by osmosis.

What else, I asked.  The man piped up “when we go to restaurants, I always ask for my steak to be medium rare but it’s always too rare”. Why don’t you ask for it to be well done I asked, that way you know it will be more cooked? “Because” said the man “I have always had it medium rare”.

More bugbears? “Yes, in the summer the farmers drive their tractors late at night and its really noisy”.  Oh, says I, didn’t you know that when you live in the country, surrounded by farm land and farms that they would be working late sometimes, getting the crops in before it rains for instance? Well, yes, they said, “but we thought we’d get used to it”.

Anything else? “Yes, there is another expat couple in the village and they don’t declare that they are resident even though they live here more than 6 months of the year”.

Now this surprised me. How on earth could this be a problem for this couple? “Well”, said the lady “it’s irritating, it gives us Brits a bad reputation, we’re thinking of alerting the authorities”.

The couple confirmed that their British neighbours did not claim benefits, were not a nuisance, spent money locally on doing their house up & went back to the UK on a regular basis! I had no answer for this, far too absurd for a response.

After all this moaning I asked them “you seem so disatisfied with life here, when are you going back?” Their answer? “Oh, we’re not going back, it’s even worse back there”… I cut them off and made a hasty departure.

It’s clear some people look for reasons to be irritated, I suspect that where ever they live they would be unhappy and find reason to complain. However, I did think to myself that if these were the only things the couple found to irritate them about living in France – it doesn’t seem too bad does it?!

How to make friends in France
How to be a successful expat in France 
5 Things I don’t like about France
Volunteering in France – at the SPA Animal Rescue Centres

The post The Grass is always Greener for some expats appeared first on The Good Life France.

Mary and Mike Devereaux used to spend all of their holidays in France with their three children. They dreamed of a day when they might be able to spend more time in the country they had fallen in love with and in 2002 bought a holiday home in Deux Sevres.  Four years later, they decided not to wait any longer and packed up their belongings in their home town of Birmingham in the UK and moved to live permanently in France.

Their home is in a small hamlet called La Grande Tranchée in the commune of Les Alleuds in Deux Sevres.  Mary says “when we bought this house it had not been lived in for many years but fortunately it only needed a new kitchen and bathroom, the rest of the house just needed decorating”.

Most of their efforts went on sorting out the garden because Mary is a florist and loves to grow as many flowers and evergreen shrubs as she can. “We completely restocked the garden with flowers and shrubs and are lucky enough to have four rows of vines too. Each year we pick our grapes for making into wine and in 2013 our harvest was 111kg of red grapes which are now fermenting into wine and Pineau!” laughs Mary.

How hard is it to set up as a florist in France for an expat?

Mary advises “I buy most of my supplies from the flower wholesalers in Niort. It meant learning the French names for all the flowers I order but my wholesalers are very helpful as they know I am English and still learning the language”.

Mary had already completed a college course in flower arranging in Birmingham before moving to France.  Even before making the permanent move she discussed her goals with the local Mayor and as a result has been handling all the flower arrangements for village celebrations for the past 10years – even if it meant arranging holidays around fetes!

“I’ve always thought of it as a way of giving something back to the villagers who had made us so welcome when we arrived here” says Mary. She tries to use themes for her floral arrangements, from a French flag, French painters, the seaside, the opera and even the market. “The local villagers ask ‘what is your theme this year’ but I always keep it a secret until the day.” Mary’s flower arrangements have become a talking point in the village and each year the Mayor asks if he can give the flowers to the ladies in the kitchen who have cooked for the villagers.

TOP TIP for expats in France wanting to start a business – Mayors have good networks and can really help to get a  business off the ground, don’t be shy, go and see your Mayor and talk to them about your ideas and goals.

Mary and husband Mike attended a 5 day ‘stage’ training course in Limoges on starting up a new business. The course was run by the Niort Chambre de Metiers  “it was compulsory to attend a course and obtain a certificate to start up in business” advises Mary. They chose to attend the  English language course that the Chambre de Metiers runs in Limousin.

TOP TIP: Check with your Chambre de Metiers to find out if they hold English language courses if your French is not quite perfect.

Mike and Mary also visited their Chambre de Metier to discuss their plans and were assisted throughout the process and with necessary paperwork (of which, this being France, you can be sure there is plenty!). Mary gained further experience by working at the local markets with a flower stall. This allowed her to build up a good customer base of regulars “who use my floristry services to send bouquets to friends.” Mary also has clients in the UK who have family in France and they email her their orders for birthday or anniversary flowers.

Mary’s talents are proving popular in France and she has been featured in magazines and newspapers which has led to her becoming increasingly well known for her skills with wedding flowers. Mary has managed the bridal bouquets and floral displays for many French weddings, including the Mayor’s daughter in her village. Increasingly she is being sought out by overseas brides who arrange to marry or celebrate in France. “There is a difference between French bridal flowers and what a UK bride would choose” says Mary.

“French brides like bright colours and will sometimes require the (caleche) horse and trap which is used to carry them to their ceremony to be decorated with flowers. One French bride asked me to decorate her house and staircase with flowers, it looked very beautiful. The colour of the flowers for another French bride was bright orange and brown… so different from UK brides who usually ask for more subtle colours in their bouquets and will tend to follow trends such as vintage or get inspiration from programmes such as Downton Abbey.”

Mary works in the stone barn in her garden, renovated by husband Mike and where she has her workshop. Always the perfect temperature thanks to the thick walls, she designs and creates her beautiful displays, inspired by the view over the beautiful countryside of this very lush part of France.

The post A British Florist in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

How would it be if you could go to France – anywhere in France – and live the life of a local? Go to the bars where the inhabitants go, find out what restaurants are favoured by the locals, see off the beaten track places that only those who live there know about. You can join in the daily rituals of life and really get to immerse yourself in the culture of a village, town or city, experience the history and traditions and lose yourself in the excitement of really living the French way…

Well you can if you choose one of the many cultural exchange opportunities in France with a group called Workaway.

What if you live in France and you’d like to host visitors who are looking for that real quality of cultural exchange, people who want to stay with you and live the life alongside you doing all the things that you do on a daily basis. Perhaps helping you out in your vineyard, lavender farm or garden, getting to know and feed your animals, or getting involved with renovation projects for just a few hours a day in exchange for experiencing life as a local…

Well you can if you host Workawayers who are seeking to appreciate living in France, enhance their language skills and learn what life is like as a native rather than as a visitor.

Workaway is an organisation that enables travellers willing to work as volunteers to contact hosts – they may be individuals, families or groups who want to share their life with guests and in return get voluntary help with their projects or activities. Volunteers or Workawayers contribute a small amount of time per day (5 days a week) and in return receive lodging and food provided by their hosts.

We spoke to expat Briton Madeleine Clifford-Winters who lives and owns gites in the stunning medieval village of Tillac in Gascony, south west France who says that she and her husband have hosted many Workawayers, some of whom have become friends and who return year after year. With gites and a huge garden to maintain it has proved an excellent way to have help with the weeding and planting that a keen gardener needs. Madeleine says that they have hosted guests from all around the world – Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, USA and the UK included. As she and her husband, Tony, suffer from arthritis, getting help in the garden whilst making friends and learning each other’s cultures has been a very rewarding experience.

Madeleine and Tony started as hosts after a recommendation by a friend who praised the way that the exchange works – learning new language skills and really getting to know the culture of foreign countries, working alongside guests for a few hours a day.  Madeleine and her husband live in a small village with no nightlife and say that it is the perfect escape from the hassle of city life. They have hosted guests from 18 years old to 65 years old and have found that the different levels of skills and experience have worked really well.  A Scottish Workawayer who stayed with the couple “made a huge difference”, in fact enthuses Madeleine, he has become such a good friend that he has come back to stay, as a friend, several times and even joined them for Christmas and New Year.

Workaway host Donna Kerridge who lives in Nord-Pas de Calais says hosting guests who, like her, love to travel on a tight budget and really get to know the place where they visit has been a tremendous experience. She and her artist husband Nik have also stayed friends with many of their guests. Susan Arbital from Tennessee, US, wanted to experience France, not as a visitor but real France and offered to help out with Donna’s vegetable garden when she came to stay. It didn’t turn out that way as Susan is a well-known stained glass artist and instead she taught Donna and Nik some of her glass skills. Donna and Nik introduced Susan to their friends, their favourite places to visit in the gorgeous Seven Valleys where they live, places that Susan would never find without willing hosts to share. Their daughter has benefited too from the multi-cultural environment that hosting guests from around the world has provided, giving her an insight into the customs of different countries and peoples. The Kerridge family are now firm friends with Susan who has returned to stay with them – this time on a holiday round Europe.

We spoke to numerous hosts and Workawayers and discovered that the system is almost without fail, a brilliantly simple and successful way for people from different cultures to learn from each other and for hosts to benefit from getting some much needed help.

So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to host a guest who really wants to learn about where and how you live as a local, supporting you in your day to day activities – Workaway might just be your perfect solution.

The post Cultural Exchange Opportunities in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Outsourcing involves delegating some of a company’s duties and functions to specific service providers. These providers could either be individuals or separate organizations. With the recent advancements in technology, businesses can easily hire professionals from anywhere in the world.

This strategy allows an international business to take advantage of high levels of knowledge, experience and expertise from different individuals without exceeding its overhead costs. Outsourcing also enables such businesses to utilize resources that might have been previously unavailable.

All these advantages equip business owners with the tools to compete more effectively on the global stage.

When to outsource

Different companies might decide to outsource at varying times depending on their workload and growth rate. For instance, one international organization may have enough employees to handle all in-house duties but might require outside help when initiating a new project. Other entrepreneurs might opt for outsourcing when additional administrative tasks brought about by expansion become too much to deal with.

Alternatively, business owners can decide to outsource some functions from the onset. Individuals who want to build their own strong team of subcontractors from the beginning often select this route. The chosen freelancers can then grow with the business.

In such situations, it makes sense to hand over some of the company’s duties to external contractors. This frees up valuable time and resources that can be better spent building the business and meeting new goals and targets. Once certain time-consuming tasks are out of the way, entrepreneurs can focus on increasing their company’s productivity.

What duties to outsource

A variety of duties can be outsourced to external subcontractors. The most common outsourced functions include:

• Tasks that require specialized knowledge or skills. This includes outsourcing duties such as bookkeeping, web design or financial advice to other individuals without employing them on a full time basis. The business owner should also consider contracting an umbrella company to take the strain of administrative tasks and to handle the employees’ payroll. Umbrella companies can help manage the subcontractors and usually deal with their salary, insurance and tax issues.
• Highly repetitive tasks that may include data entry or keeping inventory. These often mundane or time-consuming duties can be remotely performed without the business owner’s constant supervision.

Finding the right service providers

Entrepreneurs who wish to outsource some of their administrative duties need to spend adequate time searching for the right service providers. These subcontractors should have the requisite expertise and experience to efficiently carry out the duties.

Business owners can get suitable workers to hire from virtual marketplaces, personalized matchmaking consultants or referrals from their networks. Once the appropriate individuals have been selected, it is important for entrepreneurs to give specific instructions on the output they expect.

Furthermore, they should strive to build good rapport with contractors who are an excellent fit in order to avoid constantly hiring new ones.

The post Guide to outsourcing your international business appeared first on The Good Life France.

Fée Rêvée is a French au pair association which has been pairing students from overseas with host families for the past 9 years. The name Fée Rêvée means “dream fairy” and the association’s goal is to help au pairs to find their dream family.

Based in Paris, they are a non-profit organisation which aims to promote students into social, friendly, familial positions which offer a cultural experience that can only be achieved by “living the life”. They place overseas students with families in France and French students with families overseas. For those who want to au pair in France, the majority of the association’s host families are based in Paris and surrounding areas – the most sought after area for all overseas students.

Students come from all over the world – from the USA, China, UK, Europe, Mexico, Colombia and many other counties and settle in Paris to live the life of a Parisian for a short while. More than 600 families and 1,400 students have put their trust in Fée Rêvée.

The association offers opportunities for au pairs (aged 18-27) or tutors (aged 18-75) in France. Nathalie Chevallier at Fée Rêvée says “it’s very important that applicants enjoy family life and working with children and they need to have very good childcare experience”.  Becoming a tutor requires you to give 15 hours learning a week to your host family or in a school. You don’t have to be a qualified teacher but you do need to enjoy teaching!

Why be an au pair in France?

Becoming an au pair in France is an excellent way to spend a gap year, learn the language, travel, enjoy the French culture and totally immerse yourself into the ways and days of France. It offers the opportunity to earn an income, enjoy full board and lodging and you’ll be considered part of the family. Fée Rêvée au pairs commit up to 30 hours per week, have at least one day a week off and the majority of weekends free whilst earning 80 to 100 Euros a week.

Why not go with a friend?  It’s a great way for students to share the joy and fun of being in Paris and experiencing everything that the city has to offer.

Arriving in Paris to be an au pair with Fée Rêvée you’ll be able to meet with staff from the association, receive an orientation programme, maps, help and advice about the transport system, French classes etc. Throughout your stay you’ll be offered regular help, catch up meetings and advice making your stay more fun and more productive.

Fée Rêvée keeps in touch with their au pairs whilst on placement and encourages them to update the association on their experiences. Their blog pages are full of updates posted by au pairs from around the world – a great way to get a flavour of what is expected of an au pair and what life entails.

Five Top Tips for being an au pair in France

1. If you’re looking for a busy town, night life – do your homework before you go to make sure your host family’s home isn’t in a rural town with no public transport.  Fée Rêvée specialise in au pair placings in Paris and surrounding areas where you can take advantage of the superb Metro underground train system.

2. Skype with the family before you go. It’s free to Skype and you all get a chance to see each other and talk before hand. It’s a great way to break the ice and when you land in France – you’ll know who to look out for at the airport/train station or where ever you’re  being met. If not Skype, at least a phone interview.

3. Study the language beforehand. If you speak a little French it is still better than no French. Sign up to classes and start practicing!

4. Know what your goals are – travel, to see France/Europe, to learn French, to integrate into French culture etc . Then work to make them come true. Accept that not every day will be brilliant but knowing what you want from the experience will help you to achieve your goals.

5. Agree with your host family what they expect, everyone will be different. Some may want the kids looked after and some housework, others may wish for babysitting help one night a week. Knowing what’s expected will help both the au pair and the family.

Find out  more about how to get that perfect au pair job in Paris and France from Fée Rêvée on their website: www.feerevee .com

Fée Rêvée is a member of the UFAAP (Union Française des Agences Au pair) et IAPA (International Au Pair Association)

The post How to be an au pair in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

One way to have a free holiday almost anywhere in France…

James Cave, an Irishman living in Scotland, decided that he’d like to live in France. The problem was, at that time he didn’t have the budget to give up work, to buy a house or even rent a house in France and as for getting a job – he knew it would be nigh on impossible to stay doing what he loves – writing.

But, James found a way to make the dream come true – live in France, carry on writing and not pay for accommodation – he became a house sitter.

He says that “For as long as I can remember France has always been a place I’ve always wanted to live. The lure of cheese, baguettes and wine eventually became too much and I convinced my girlfriend Jemma it was time to go travelling…”

We asked James to tell us more about how you can have your cake and eat it!

We wanted to continue working in our respective careers, but getting a job in France didn’t look like it was going to be very easy. I work with websites doing a variety of work from technical recommendations to copywriting and before moving to France I worked for a tech agency doing all of those things for companies like British Airways, Sky TV and a few less exciting clients like those that specialised in things like home insurance and pensions.

What made you decide to travel round France house sitting?

We stumbled across the idea of house sitting. We initially set up a website advertising ourselves as free house sitters and that brought in a few visitors, but not a lot for the amount of work we put in. We then came across a website with house sits available so we signed up.

Can you tell us pros and cons of travelling and living in France this way?

First of all the biggest pro has to be that it’s free accommodation. France isn’t a cheap place to live if you don’t have a job and so every house sit saves us a fortune in accommodation. We managed to line up nine months of house sits, back-to-back. Admittedly, one was for five months but we came across plenty of other house sits that were several months long.

With regards to cons, it can different for everyone.  For me one of the cons is that a lot of the house sits are in very remote locations. This has its advantages in that it’s very peaceful and tranquil, but in terms of learning French and meeting people, it’s going to be more challenging than living in a city.

Pets can be seen as either a pro or a con. This job involves a lot of pet sitting and we loved it. Sometimes it was hard to give up the pets at the end, but that’s just what you’ve got to do. If you’re not a pet lover, this might not be right for you. There’s a lot of pet interaction (read: very friendly dogs who lick your face first thing in the morning).

How do you find working remotely?

Personally I think working remotely is the way forward. It reduces overheads for businesses, gives employees greater freedom and if the work is outsourced to freelancers like us, companies pay by work completed rather than just giving someone a salary to sit on their derrières for eight hours a day.

It has its challenges as a freelancer though; if you don’t work, you don’t get paid so no going on Facebook unless you want to eat bread and water for the rest of the month! Of course if you’re living in France at least the bread is a little better!

For Jemma and I, the majority of our work is writing-based. There are plenty of sites out there that allow you to sign up as a freelancer and find work e.g. people per hour and elance. It’s competitive of course, but without the living costs of rent and utilities, it’s much easier to make ends meet.

Would you recommend this as a great way to visit France on a budget but also to get a real feel for the culture and French living?

Absolutely, especially if you’re thinking of living in France at any point. We were able to get an experience not just of living in France, but of living in different parts of France (we had house sits in the Charente, Midi-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques.) We also looked after a variety of different houses all at different stages in their renovations, so it gave us a good indication of whether we would like to follow the British tradition of doing up ruins in France.

At one of the house sits we made really good friend with some of the locals and one of my favourite memories is attending the repas de chasse, which was an eight course meal that included tasty things like venison stew and cuts of wild boar. The food had been caught by the Chasse, a society of hunters in France, and prepared by local volunteers. There was plenty of wine, bread and cheese – it was absolutely fantastic! I ‘m fairly sure we are probably the only foreigners to have attended a chasse dinner like this – it’s a wonderful opportunity that we wouldn’t have got had we stayed in a hotel or other normal form of accommodation.

It was fun as well. At one point we ended up looking after a farm of 18 alpacas and that’s certainly a memory that won’t be forgotten.

Will you carry on doing this for years?!

We’re still on the lookout as to where we would like to live. I’d like to take on a few city house sits in France as it would be nice to get an idea of what living in a French city would be like. I’ve never been to Marseille or Montpellier so if a house sit comes up there, I’ll be applying straight away.

Where is the best place you’ve stayed and why?

Pyrénées-Atlantiques for me has to be the best spot in France, the landscape is so rugged and beautiful. You also have beaches nearby, Spain in as little as half an hour away (if you drive like a Frenchman you might get there quicker) and of course you’re not too far from Bordeaux, which is good for wine lovers like myself.

I really liked what I saw of Toulouse. Paris gets all the attention as France’s romantic city, but I think Toulouse has a lot more to offer and it’s certainly less crowded.

Top Tip

If I could give one tip it would be to take on a house sit or two locally first. Sure, a house sit in your own city isn’t as exciting as one in France but it’ll give you plenty of experience and a reference as well. People are more likely to take on a newbie initially if they can meet with them first.

Summer Jobs in France

The post House sitter in France appeared first on The Good Life France.

Janine Marsh discovers a way to have a holiday in France for free…house sitting in France

It is a dilemma that many of us expats in France face – how to go on holiday when you have beloved pets that can’t come with you.

For some animals there are kennels, sometimes neighbours can help but that’s not always possible.

Take me – I have ducks, geese, chickens, dogs and cats. Now while I could put the dogs and cats in kennels and catteries it would double the cost of my holiday but, there’s no chicken hotel that I know of – and if you do, please let me know!

It’s not just expats with animals either – some expats just don’t feel happy going away and leaving their home empty. They worry about things going wrong in the house, burglary – and the grass and garden growing out of control while they’re away.

Andy Peck, a screenwriter from the UK looked into this problem when some years ago he stayed in Spain looking after the home of a lady who had animals and needed someone to care for them in her absence. He loved the experience and discovered that the lady wasn’t alone in wanting someone to house sit. He came up with a solution and house sitting was it.

And it’s a win-win.

Those with homes and pets to be looked after are happy.

Those looking for free accommodation in France are also happy – it’s like a free holiday except that you treat it like you own home and if something needs doing it’s your responsibility to do it – walk the dog, cut the grass, collect the post etc.

How to become a house sitter in France

To become a house sitter you need to join a house sitting agency online, create an online profile listing any previous pet care experience (from having owned your own pet to volunteering in animal centres etc), explaining what qualities make you the ideal sitter, why you want to house sit, references (such as character / employer etc) and photos.

How to become a home owner looking for a house sitter …

If you are looking for a house sitter then you can create a listing online, detailing a little about your home and where you are based, what your needs are, and information about the pets you need care for (if you have them). Including photos of your home and / or pets also helps. This listing is then securely emailed out to all registered sitters who have expressed an interest in house and pet sitting in your area. House sitters can then contact homeowners via our messaging system. A homeowner can view the profiles of the responders and their messages and reply. Browse house sitting profiles and contact those they are interested in directly to see if they would be interested in the opportunity.

Recommended Dos and Don’ts for both parties…

Communication is key for both parties. Using Skype (free phone/video calls) is popular and allows both parties to virtually beforehand. As a homeowner the onus is on you to carry out due diligence such as checking references and requesting a copy of their passport etc.

You may find that some companies offer a house sitting contract which can be downloaded and used to give guidelines on what each party should expect.

Ask questions – and check the match feels right.

Many homeowners also become house sitters – so they can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Insurance companies views on house sitters…

Statistically a home is much safer when using a house sitter than it is when left empty. [Editor’s note: check with your insurance company to be sure].

So, if you thought that a holiday in France or a holiday away from France was out of the question – or you’re looking for a practically free holiday in France – then house sitting in France just might be what you both need!

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