How often do we hear the warning that living permanently in France is very different to enjoying a holiday there? Well, there is a way, without breaking your ties with England, to thoroughly immerse yourself in French life, have a great time, brush up on your French and get paid for it into the bargain, and it’s ‘doing a season’ with a holiday company.
Companies running tourist operations in France always need capable people to work for the summer or winter seasons. Seasonal work is often seen as an opportunity for younger people, before they settle down and start a career, but there are many more mature people doing the work as well. In fact, many companies consider mature candidates more likely to take their responsibilities seriously.

Headwater Holidays is a good example. They now operate worldwide, but they started in France and it’s still a major destination for them, with 36 walking, cycling and canoeing holidays based there in 2007. They employ representatives who are allocated a region from around May to September or October (it varies according to region) who meet customers, brief them for their holiday, and make sure that all the arrangements are in hand.

Many Headwater holidays are circular self-paced tours, so it’s your job to move customers’ bags when they transfer to a different hotel, usually every other day, using the French minibus provided for you. Other duties include pick-ups and drop-off at the railway station and cleaning and maintaining bicycles and equipment.

You do need to go into it with your eyes open. As Mike Wheeler, Headwater’s operations manager, says: ‘Working for Headwater can be fun, but it does also involve a great deal of hard work, requiring both brain and in some cases muscle power. It demands a high level of adaptability, tolerance, common sense and organisational skills.’

Touring holidays

Headwater isn’t the only company offering work abroad (see list) and it is important to find out exactly what each position entails. For example, if you enjoy being with people, you might look for a guiding position, where you may actually be accompanying customers through much of the day. Some people have found that they are not confident with driving customers around in a left-hand drive minibus, and have had to change, or even leave, their position.
If a job with more day-to-day contact with customers is preferred, working on a campsite or caravan park might be a better option. Holiday park operator, siblu, have parks in a number of locations in France, mostly coastal, and welcome candidates of all ages. Many of their British employees already live in France and use seasonal work for income in the summer, then relax through the winter. The job options are wider in complexes such as theirs, with positions in areas such as childcare, maintenance, catering and customer care. A side effect of this is that the chances of couples getting work for both partners are increased. Although there may be less emphasis on fitness than with touring holidays, you would still have to be generally fit and healthy.

Whatever type of holiday you choose to work on, this is a great opportunity to brush up on French language skills, with the level of French required depending on the region and the type of work. Workers on the larger, more commercial campsites in Brittany, for example, may spend 99 per cent of the time speaking English because it is so widely spoken, and within the campsite the majority of holidaymakers and employees may be English.

This might be more attractive if you’re not so fluent as you can be confident that you can perform your work duties efficiently and language can be practised, with less pressure, during time off.

In more rural areas, and on a tour based holiday rather than a site-based one, you should be able to speak and understand to a point where you can deal with day-to-day situations that might arise.

It is worth pointing out that the tourist industry is not known for high salary levels. The good thing is that accommodation is often provided, which means salaries only need to be spent on food and entertainment. Transport and petrol, or other perks, may be thrown in as well, depending on the job.

So what will you need to bear in mind before taking on an adventure of this nature?

Type of work:
This is the most important aspect as there is no point considering this if you’re not going to enjoy it. Do you need any special skills or leisure knowledge, and can you meet the fitness level required? Find out how much customer contact there is and make sure you’re comfortable with it.

Remuneration:

You need to be sure you understand the pay levels, how frequently you are paid and whether it is paid into a French or UK bank account, or both. If you are a couple, will you both require jobs, or can you rely on just one salary? Look at what’s included in the package, such as accommodation, perhaps petrol or food as well, and do your sums carefully to ensure you will be able to support yourself. If you will be maintaining a home back in England, consider renting your house out for the duration.

Region:

It is important to know where you want to work and try and find opportunities that suit. If the perfect location isn’t available, consider whether or not you will still get enough out of it.

Accommodation:

Ask about the accommodation, if it’s provided, and make sure it will suit your needs. For couples, will your partner be allowed to stay if they aren’t working for the company? Make sure you know what is provided, for example, will there be a telephone line for you to make calls or use the internet, and who pays for it?

Language:

What level of French is required and is your level good enough? And if it isn’t, is there time to get lessons or study to improve before you leave?

You really can have a lot of fun with seasonal working. One of the great benefits is that the work itself is the opportunity to gain an insight into the tourism industry, which is fantastic if you are considering running gîtes or a B&B when you make your permanent move to France. If you can satisfy yourself that you’ll have a good time, this is an excellent way to put a toe in the water of true French living.

Alan and Linda Hughes’ first season in France was a summer in Burgundy with an active holidays’ company; they followed that up with a second season in the Lot in 2006. Their children had by now finished university and that freed them from having to earn two teachers’ salaries.

‘We had said we may move to France and we felt that it would be a good way of having a look at actually living in France. We really enjoyed the experience, both in Burgundy and the southwest, and we think it would be lovely to live here.’

As language teachers they were already fluent in French and although that was an advantage, it isn’t a prerequisite for the job. In fact they were asked to fill in for three weeks in Italy during their second stint and, armed with only rudimentary Italian, they still managed to cope. They did feel that being a couple made it easier to talk to each other in English rather than reach out as much as they might have.

In the Lot the accommodation provided was a cottage in a delightful village of only 210 people and, as Alan said: ‘We think we may possibly have brought the average age of the village down considerably!’

‘After Burgundy,’ Linda added, ‘I was worried that the Lot would be too hot, being so far south, but I was pleasantly surprised. It convinced me that the climate in France is ideal, much better than living in Britain. And Alan, as the driver is always moaning about the traffic in England and saying it’ll be much better when we live in France!’

Chris Hogan worked for a summer season in Creuse and then in Brittany the following year with a company offering cycling holidays. At 44 and a keen cyclist, he was looking for a change but wary of making a jump into the unknown.

‘I searched on the web for work in France with an active element and saw an opportunity to work as an overseas representative in France for a company offering cycling and walking holidays. After an interview at the head office I attended a residential induction course in Cheshire which covered all the essentials and, crucially, it was taught by people who had actually done the job themselves. I went out to France in May 2004 to run the tours in Creuse.

‘It worked brilliantly for me,’ said Chris. ‘I was really concerned that I might not like living in France full-time but this experience reassured me that it’s the right move. And I lost a stone in weight without realising it!’

He loved being involved with French business owners, particularly in Creuse as they didn’t speak English, so he had to speak French. ‘I also learnt a lot about customers’ likes and dislikes, which will be invaluable as I will almost certainly have a small hotel or gîte business in tandem with my consultancy work in the future. I enjoyed the work so much I went back the next year to Brittany, and although I liked the region I am now actively looking for a place in beautiful Creuse.’

A short list of companies you could contact

Cycling and other activity holidays in France
Headwater Holidays
http://www.headwater.com/all/work/index.htm
Tel: 01606 720006

Cycling for Softies
http://www.cycling-for-softies.co.uk/work.htm
Tel: 0161 248 8282

PGL
http://www.pglonline.co.uk/online/workingwithpgl/
Tel: 0870 401 4411

Ramblers Holidays
http://www.ramblersholidays.co.uk/Default.asp?pageID=80
Tel: 01707 331 133

Camping, Caravan and Mobile Home Parks
Siblu (the new name for Haven in Europe)
http://www.siblu.com/contact_us/recruitment/
Tel: 01442 293231 / 293230

Holidaybreak plc (Recruiting for Keycamp & Eurocamp)
www.holidaybreakjobs.com
Tel: 01606 787525

GVN (Canvas Holidays and Camping Life)
http://www.gvnrecruitment.com/
Tel: 01383 629012

Acorn Adventure
http://www.jobs-acorn.co.uk/home.html
Tel: 0800 074 9791