Many people moving to France find that their move goes smoothly and they quickly settle into local life. For others, the culture shock is immense and they struggle to adjust.The majority of people fall somewhere in between the two camps; they muddle through but often find it stressful. Although delighted to be starting a new life in a beautiful country, they find the French way of life very different and need a helping hand to navigate their way through it. For many, handholding services can offer a lifeline and remove the stress that is involved in doing everything in a
foreign language.
Simone Robson of Help n France, explains that she set up her company in response to demand after she had been in France for around two years. Having helped her parents to settle in, Simone found her mother volunteering her services to an assortment of new arrivals.
Simone quickly realised that people need help with everything from arranging medical treatment to setting up in business. She also noticed that some retirees became very isolated if they did not speak enough French to integrate. Eventually Simone found that she was giving up so much time to help people that her exasperated husband suggested she do it professionally so at least she would get paid!
She now has around 200 regular clients in and around Mayenne of whom she believes 90 per cent do not speak enough French to cope with the administrative aspects of French life.To help them overcome language difficulties, she organises a regular Wednesday evening French club. Each week the club covers a variety of topics, such as buying meat at the butchers.
Simone explains that this way people learn French that will be useful to them in everyday situations. Meeting up with their fellow countrymen helps them to feel less isolated as well as expands their social network.
When I caught up with Simone she was en route to undertake various banking transactions on behalf of a client, having just spent a hectic week successfully settling eight children into local schools for the rentrée. She takes care of all the administrative requirements and acts as a liaison point between the school and non-French speaking
parents.The parents find this hugely helpful and her assistance can help avoid any teething problems.
Many of her clients are also at the other end of the age scale and Simone is currently liaising with French medical and social services on behalf of an elderly stroke victim.This has proved enormously reassuring to the client’s family. Having recently taken on a French national to help with the everincreasing workload, Simone believes that there is plenty of opportunity to expand her business further and as a result, franchises in Help n France are now available.
Relocation service
When Juliana Forte moved to the Languedoc along with family members aged from seven to 72, she encountered numerous difficulties despite already speaking fluent French. After a year of dealing with everything from getting a disability badge for her mother to finding vets and golf courses, she realised that her own experiences provided a valuable base for a relocation service.
As business began to grow she met Jo Kirk and today the two together run Allez Languedoc. I asked them about some of their less humdrum requests. ‘The nastiest thing I have ever had to deal with? That would probably be the house infested with beetles,’ shuddered Juliana.
And the nicest? One year they were asked to decorate a house for Christmas so that it would be entirely ready for the owner’s family.They had to choose, buy and put up the tree and decorations.‘That was a lot of fun,’smiled Juliana.‘We were a bit unsure about the style but we decided to go traditional and they were delighted.’
Another project, which turned out to be a huge success, was equipping a home for an absent client. With a budget of €10,000 (£6,981) the two ladies were asked to completely furnish a two-bedroom cottage, even down to cutlery and toilet paper.The client had asked that everything be thought of and the table left ready laid.The only instructions given were that ‘she quite liked red’. Luckily they chose well and Juliana said the client absolutely loved it –
especially the red sofa and carpet.
Drop-in area
Tony Martin of French Liaison began his life in France running a computer repair shop in Eymet in Dordogne. He increasingly found that he spent as much time listening to people’s problems as fixing computers. He says, ‘I knew from my own experiences how much help I needed when we first came over and as a result, I set up French Liaison.’
His office now contains a drop-in area complete with comfy settees and coffee machines so that clients can stop by for a chat whenever they like.
They have created a network of French advisers who can assist with matters such as insurance, accounts, legal advice and building issues.‘The marvellous thing is that the local French population believe in what we are doing and are often happy to give their advice and time for free,’ he explains. ‘Yes, they get the odd client as a result but they see that having Brits in the area is an overall benefit as they bring ideas and develop the local economy.’ Tony sees French Liaison as a one-stop help centre and says,‘With the network we have there is nothing that we can’t do!’
A lot of Tony’s daily workload is organising telephone, internet and television connections, all things that enable people to keep in touch with friends and family. He finds that once these are in place, new arrivals become far less stressed and are much better placed to cope with the challenges that a new life abroad can entail. He also provides his clients with lists of all the requirements that they need to comply with to affiliate to the Social Security system for example, or the documents required to register vehicles.This makes the process far less painful for all concerned.
Living abroad is a learning curve and one that at times can be quite steep and quite stressful. For most of us, anything that alleviates day-to-day stress is a good thing. Having trailed around the supermarkets in a state of panic with my incomprehensible list of fournitures – school equipment – for la rentrée, I know that next year, I for one will be calling on the services of one of these companies.