Here are some things you might want to think about.
1. Do you know French?
Its may be hard to find English speakers in France, But it will be even harder to find people willing to speak English.
I am not saying that you cannot go to France if you dont speak French, I did just that.
But if your studied French before it would make your landing a LOT easier.
If you studied French before and forgot everything, you will be surprised how quickly it will come back!
2. Do you have the budget?
Moving a country can be pricy, when calculating how much you need to move dont forget to consider:
Cost of a hotel/restaurant (before you find your permanent lodging);
Costs of furniture (Outside of Paris you are lucky if you can find an apartment with a equipped kitchen);
Costs of 4-6 months rent, depending on the apartment the deposit can be 1/2 months rent, and if you are counting on the CAF to help you with the rent, bare in mind it can take some time until they actually give you the money.
Living expenses, in Marseille I manage to squeeze my food/drink/other expenses to 150€ and I always eat at home, this can vary according to your habits/city.
3. Are you flexible and open for moving?
Many things can get in your way, most are solvable but you gotta be realistic about yourself.
Are you able to make new connections and re-establish all your social life abroad? this can be quite hard if you don't speak the language or are very shy.
Some tips to how you can prepare as much as you can in advance to make the transition smooth.
- Look on the job market, maybe you can even set interviews before you move
- Start learning and practicing the language (and dont give yourself discounts, join a language group!)
- Start setting appointments for flat visits! (in Paris a flat-search can take quite some time).
- Is it really worth taking all your childhood toys and the jacket that you never wore? maybe instead of packing the entire house you could check if its cheaper to just buy new things once your in France. You might also want to check, maybe its possible to put all your old stuff on Ebay?
- vide grenier- This is French for flee markets! these usually occur at least once every 1/2 months in big cities and you can find some really cheap items to equip your flat with! you know these days where your grandma decides she doesn't want all these posh plates anymore? This is where they go! These are most often advertised in local newspapers and magazines.
On couchsurfing people offer the couch in their house to you or others, for free! All you need to do is set your profile to show people how friendly you are, and then start sending couch requests to people!
Besides saving money on hotels you will also benefit from their local experience and knowledge, they could help you in flat-searching, where to shop, and you also get to make new friends in the city! Right from the very first day!
Couchsurfing also have dozens of groups in every city which often meet regularly for language exchanges, vegetarian dinners, and many more activities.
Related posts:
Rule one before you move! Be prepared for French bureaucracy!
La CAF- Financial assistance for renting... And babies!
Get paid to study in France, Paid training in French, Cooking and more!
