How do I, an American, manage the practicalities of moving to France?
October 12, 2016 9:01 AM Subscribe
I am moving to France in two weeks - I speak French, I have a visa, I'm enrolled in a doctoral program, my money is more or less straight. . . but I'm starting to flip out. What do I do?
When I was 20 I lived in France for a year and a half sort of illegally and everything was fine. Now I'm 36 and I'll be gone for 4 years and I'm trying to figure out how to do. . . stuff. . . and I'm not getting much done. My main priorities are:
1) How do I get a place to live? I know about things like leboncoin and my university's online portal has some classified ads but what do I need in terms of legal documents and so on? And how do I line up a place to live while I am still in the USA?
2) How do I get a bank account and what is the best way to move money between my account here and the one I would like to have there?
3) How do I calm down about leaving my friends, family, and home and go to a new place where I don't really know anyone and make it so I can buckle down and work, and then eventually enjoy the life I've chosen for myself?
Any other hints, tips, or comments about packing it all in at 36 and just sort of 'going for it'? Thank you all!
When I was 20 I lived in France for a year and a half sort of illegally and everything was fine. Now I'm 36 and I'll be gone for 4 years and I'm trying to figure out how to do. . . stuff. . . and I'm not getting much done. My main priorities are:
1) How do I get a place to live? I know about things like leboncoin and my university's online portal has some classified ads but what do I need in terms of legal documents and so on? And how do I line up a place to live while I am still in the USA?
2) How do I get a bank account and what is the best way to move money between my account here and the one I would like to have there?
3) How do I calm down about leaving my friends, family, and home and go to a new place where I don't really know anyone and make it so I can buckle down and work, and then eventually enjoy the life I've chosen for myself?
Any other hints, tips, or comments about packing it all in at 36 and just sort of 'going for it'? Thank you all!
Can't help you with French issues, but when I got a one-way ticket to New Zealand kind of on a whim at 32 I spent a fair bit of the first few weeks doing things I would never usually have time for. Lived for a short time in a cool central-city apartment (would never want or be able to do that usually, as I have far too much stuff). Lived for a couple of weeks in a tiny beachside town far from anywhere. Bought a car and did some road trips staying at random motels. Now that I'm settled and have kids those things would be pretty much impossible.
So, assuming the other posters on here can help you out with the practical stuff don't forget to enjoy the freedom of the new while you have it, and before you get bogged down working all day.
posted by tillsbury at 9:23 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
So, assuming the other posters on here can help you out with the practical stuff don't forget to enjoy the freedom of the new while you have it, and before you get bogged down working all day.
posted by tillsbury at 9:23 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
SeLoger is another good site, a lot wider choice than Le Bon Coin generally.
Opening a bank account: generally best done here. Bring some cash with you as a first deposit. I would recommend La Poste. Other banks have gone all-out on being fee-hungry arseholes; La Poste remains quite all right (even if not perfect).
How to transfer money from the US: yeeeeaaah you're best off not. Do you have an international debit card? It'll be easier to use it to pay for stuff straight out. Anything you lose in exchange rate (which will be minimal because debit cards get the best ones) will largely be recouped in what you'd pay in transfer fees. Have money you earn in France put into your French bank account.
As for 3) sounds like you'll be in an educational program, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet new people! And there are a few of us MeFites around :) Re: anxiety what helps most is, paradoxically, to recognize that it's perfectly normal and this, too, shall pass. Don't be surprised if/when 1-3 months into your stay you want to say "wtf am I doing here?! I'm going back home!!!" btw, it's the period when the initial honeymoon wears off and is the worst crash, being the first. If/when it happens, give yourself another three or so months, you'll come out to a more balanced place.
posted by fraula at 9:55 AM on October 12, 2016 [4 favorites]
Opening a bank account: generally best done here. Bring some cash with you as a first deposit. I would recommend La Poste. Other banks have gone all-out on being fee-hungry arseholes; La Poste remains quite all right (even if not perfect).
How to transfer money from the US: yeeeeaaah you're best off not. Do you have an international debit card? It'll be easier to use it to pay for stuff straight out. Anything you lose in exchange rate (which will be minimal because debit cards get the best ones) will largely be recouped in what you'd pay in transfer fees. Have money you earn in France put into your French bank account.
As for 3) sounds like you'll be in an educational program, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet new people! And there are a few of us MeFites around :) Re: anxiety what helps most is, paradoxically, to recognize that it's perfectly normal and this, too, shall pass. Don't be surprised if/when 1-3 months into your stay you want to say "wtf am I doing here?! I'm going back home!!!" btw, it's the period when the initial honeymoon wears off and is the worst crash, being the first. If/when it happens, give yourself another three or so months, you'll come out to a more balanced place.
posted by fraula at 9:55 AM on October 12, 2016 [4 favorites]
I don't know if this is still so, but if you open an American account with an international bank like HSBC or Barclay that have branches in your French location, it'll be easier to open the French account when when you get to France. You can switch money between accounts, or use a currency trader, which often offers more favorable exchange rates and can transfer money. The catch 22 used to be the requirement that you have a utility bill in your name to open a French account.
This site is invaluable:http://www.americansinfrance.net for getting started. Then scroll through the community board, post your questions, and so forth. Just ask your question there today on the French board.
Check out https://www.sabbaticalhomes.com for long-term academic rentals.
Are you going to Paris? If so, this online classified site may help you with rentals. http://ads.fusac.fr/ad-category/housing/ You might want to consider getting a short-term rental for a couple months as you get your sea legs.
Look for French/English conversational groups and expat groups when you get there just to get started with a social group. Bon courage!
posted by Elsie at 10:27 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
This site is invaluable:http://www.americansinfrance.net for getting started. Then scroll through the community board, post your questions, and so forth. Just ask your question there today on the French board.
Check out https://www.sabbaticalhomes.com for long-term academic rentals.
Are you going to Paris? If so, this online classified site may help you with rentals. http://ads.fusac.fr/ad-category/housing/ You might want to consider getting a short-term rental for a couple months as you get your sea legs.
Look for French/English conversational groups and expat groups when you get there just to get started with a social group. Bon courage!
posted by Elsie at 10:27 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
Being a student often gets you a free bank account in France. My old community college ID that I had for a Spanish class I took did the trick and saved me a bunch of cash.
posted by raccoon409 at 10:33 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by raccoon409 at 10:33 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
Get a book on French culture and read it carefully. People will be nicer to you and you'll have a much better four years if you learn how to interact with them without accidentally offending them. You might even make friends :) Cultural differences are real and important, and the book will give you something positive to focus on.
posted by amtho at 11:19 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 11:19 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
1. I've found month-long to year-long rentals in France through SabbaticalHomes.com. You might want to set up something through them, at least for the short term.
However, one of the most common ways to prove residence in France (which you'll need for getting your permis de séjour, library card, opening a bank account, etc.) is a bill in your name from EDF or GDF. You're unlikely to find a short-term rental whose landlord will do that. However, your landlord can prepare an attestation d'hébergement sur l'honneur, which will need to be accompanied by a photocopy of his or her ID and a few recent bills in his or her name for the address in question. I was able to do my business after my landlord prepared one. An experienced landlord should know how to do all this.
2. My wife opened a Crédit Agricole account back in 1989 when she was a student, and kept it, so we set up a bank transfer to that account from our US savings bank. The fee was $15 for a transfer, but we just did a few occasional transfers. For small amounts, we would just take out cash in Euros and then deposit it in the account. Note that for a lot of banking transactions these days, you'll need a mobile phone that can receive an SMS with an authorization code. France is used to dealing with students; your university might have suggestions on where to open an account.
3. I'd look for clubs or other organized activities around my interests, as a way to meet new people. It's easy these days with social media to maintain contact with people back home, but try to get out and meet new people, too. And go to academic meetings in your discipline, to begin to network with French colleagues.
Do you have someone in the US who will be receiving your mail and letting you know about anything important? The last time I lived abroad for more than a couple months, I was gone for 15 months and had my mail forwarded to a reliable person who recycled junk mail and informed me of anything important. That was easier than changing my address to France and then dealing with the vagaries of international mail.
Good luck with the move, and have fun! I've lived in many places over the years, but I return to Paris often enough that when I arrive there, it feels like I'm coming home.
posted by brianogilvie at 12:26 PM on October 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
However, one of the most common ways to prove residence in France (which you'll need for getting your permis de séjour, library card, opening a bank account, etc.) is a bill in your name from EDF or GDF. You're unlikely to find a short-term rental whose landlord will do that. However, your landlord can prepare an attestation d'hébergement sur l'honneur, which will need to be accompanied by a photocopy of his or her ID and a few recent bills in his or her name for the address in question. I was able to do my business after my landlord prepared one. An experienced landlord should know how to do all this.
2. My wife opened a Crédit Agricole account back in 1989 when she was a student, and kept it, so we set up a bank transfer to that account from our US savings bank. The fee was $15 for a transfer, but we just did a few occasional transfers. For small amounts, we would just take out cash in Euros and then deposit it in the account. Note that for a lot of banking transactions these days, you'll need a mobile phone that can receive an SMS with an authorization code. France is used to dealing with students; your university might have suggestions on where to open an account.
3. I'd look for clubs or other organized activities around my interests, as a way to meet new people. It's easy these days with social media to maintain contact with people back home, but try to get out and meet new people, too. And go to academic meetings in your discipline, to begin to network with French colleagues.
Do you have someone in the US who will be receiving your mail and letting you know about anything important? The last time I lived abroad for more than a couple months, I was gone for 15 months and had my mail forwarded to a reliable person who recycled junk mail and informed me of anything important. That was easier than changing my address to France and then dealing with the vagaries of international mail.
Good luck with the move, and have fun! I've lived in many places over the years, but I return to Paris often enough that when I arrive there, it feels like I'm coming home.
posted by brianogilvie at 12:26 PM on October 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all so much for your kind words and help! I was pumped about SabbaticalHomes.com but man those prices are wild. I am glad to find out about seloger though I fear I won't be able to line anything up before I get there and will be scrambling and homeless for a while. I think that as a homeowner, and at my age, that seems like the worst part.
Good to know about the student ID/bank account connection.
I will also write to someone at the university and see if they don't have someone who can help me with at least the most mundane of these things.
Good point about the mail, I'm taken care of in regards to that. Anything else on THIS side of the world I should think about? If I tell my bank I'll be gone for four years will they remember?
I will not be in Paris, but in Nice. Thank you again for all of your thoughts!
posted by os tuberoes at 2:40 PM on October 12, 2016
Good to know about the student ID/bank account connection.
I will also write to someone at the university and see if they don't have someone who can help me with at least the most mundane of these things.
Good point about the mail, I'm taken care of in regards to that. Anything else on THIS side of the world I should think about? If I tell my bank I'll be gone for four years will they remember?
I will not be in Paris, but in Nice. Thank you again for all of your thoughts!
posted by os tuberoes at 2:40 PM on October 12, 2016
Oops, I forgot to add the link to the expat newsletter that's so helpful with community boards and other intel for France and beyond. Here it is:
posted by Elsie at 2:49 PM on October 12, 2016
posted by Elsie at 2:49 PM on October 12, 2016
The number 1 thing I did to manage the paper work inferno was 1. About 5 notarized "originals" of my birth certificate and a notarized translation of my birth certificate. Do this before you leave America. It made signing up for health care and pretty much everything so much easier. 2. Get (in France so it fits A4 not letter size) a sheet music book. They sell them in any school supplies place, but you want a simple folder book, preferably with the plastic sleeves, and put all your documents in there (and copies of said documents behind them including passport, visa, etc as you get them). It's so nice to tote the book along rather than figure out which papers you need this time.
posted by raccoon409 at 9:12 AM on October 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by raccoon409 at 9:12 AM on October 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
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2. You have to go in person to a bank to open an account. Some banks may not want to open an account for you due to reporting rules to the IRS but you should be able to find one without too much difficulty. You'll have to schedule a rendez-vous to meet with the bank officer and they'll ask you questions about your situation. You'll need proof of income to open an account. I think we needed an address in France so I'm not sure how it would work without one. Transferwise is what we have been using for transfers.
3. I'm the same age and it's been a fairly easy adjustment but we had been planning to move for a while. You'll eventually meet new people and build a new network.. just accept it will take a while and keep doing things you like in your free time.
Fell free to memail me for more info. Where city are you moving to? I love living in France :)
posted by newsomz at 9:23 AM on October 12, 2016 [3 favorites]