Working in France

[amd250]

I'm interested in moving to France in the future. Which areas/regions are worth looking at for tree and forestry work? I'm

Qualified with 5 years of chainsaw experience

[Ty Korrigan]

Hello,

This 'may' be of some help and interest.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/international-arborist-forum/52669-working-france-advice-thread.html

 

Regards

Ty

[john the saw]

Hi,

I've just relocated back to england having spent the last 20 years or so in my place in southern brittany. I'm selling my place cheap - nice farmhouse and 20 acres of land with lots of standing oak and ash. Get my number from our website silverclaw.eu and ring me if your interested or to have a chat about living in france. I wouldn't go too far south as it gets a bit hot and trees don't like it. You should be fine mid-north as farmers consider trees in hedgerows a pest for their tractor runs so you should find work ok. There is always a call for firewood as most of france is rural running on wood burners.

All the best

john - silveclaw.

[amd250]

Thanks for your replies...it was all very useful. Would it be easier to be self employed in France, rather than working as a employee for someone else. We looked at properties in Limousin and Franche Conte a few years ago. Does the local governments maintain and run the forests or are most privately owened?. Thanks

[Ty Korrigan]

Ah...back to that old chestnut.

LANGUAGE.

Simply, the chances of a Brit getting a job with a French company without a fairly fluent level of French are slim to none.

Unemployment is high, reaching 33% in some rural areas amongst 18-30 year olds.

Most Brits go down the self employed route as frankly they have few options in terms of employment but there again, you really will need to learn the language of the natives as Brits are few and far between whilst the French number in their hundreds of thousands within the same catchment zone.

I can go weeks without an expat client then half a dozen come along at the same time.

I really ought to look again at the statistics but I estimate an 80%+ French client base.

As a forester, you'd be on or around the minimum wage of around 1200euros net per month

As a self employed tree surgeon, you'd be on less than that for a long time until your established so allow at least 3 years living money.

Feel free to contact me if you require any advice about working in France.

Regards

Ty

[NFG]

Ah...back to that old chestnut.

LANGUAGE.

Simply, the chances of a Brit getting a job with a French company without a fairly fluent level of French are slim to none.

Unemployment is high, reaching 33% in some rural areas amongst 18-30 year olds.

Most Brits go down the self employed route as frankly they have few options in terms of employment but there again, you really will need to learn the language of the natives as Brits are few and far between whilst the French number in their hundreds of thousands within the same catchment zone.

I can go weeks without an expat client then half a dozen come along at the same time.

I really ought to look again at the statistics but I estimate an 80%+ French client base.

As a forester, you'd be on or around the minimum wage of around 1200euros net per month

As a self employed tree surgeon, you'd be on less than that for a long time until your established so allow at least 3 years living money.

Feel free to contact me if you require any advice about working in France.

Regards

Ty

 

Agreed, good post

 

I dont work in the industry but a good command of the French language is essential to gain any type of employment. There are a lot of on-line resources but nothing compares to speaking it every day.

 

The French are fickle, not easily parted from their money & will happily cut down their own trees or wait till they fall down.

 

You could, perhaps identify businesses such as holiday companies who often have extensive camp sites in woodland & thus require management and contact them in advance as they probably have an English speaking receptionist. That said, employment is not good here at the moment what ever the figures state.

 

Or it may be an idea to try woofing - thats: working on organic farms where you work in exchange for food an accommodation, to see if you like it, no point discovering France is not for you, some aspects can be a tad frustrating; paperwork for example - the French love it.

 

We had been visiting the Vendee area for around 30 years on holiday, bought a house a few years ago with a plan to retire to after five years, but shortly afterwards we diddnt want to go back & have no regrets.

 

Bon chance et bon courage

 

N

Edited February 13, 2014 by NFG