 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Weathercam, I doubt very much if the location has any effect on the amount of work self-employed people do, they all work bloody hard! The hotel and catering business is seasonal and damned hard work wherever you are. Going freelance would be more profitable for me, but I would have to chase contracts and to put it bluntly, I really can't be @rsed. I am happy with a lower income, but more free time and paid holiday. My choice and it was an informed one. I also refuse to do any legal or patent work, again highly paid here, especially as we have the European Patent Office in Munich and there is a huge demand for independent translations. But it is a highly precise and stressful area of specialised translation I prefer not to work in. I am also a qualified teacher of English as a Foreign Language to Adults and Children, makes me some nice pocket money as does cleaning and looking after apartments for absentee landlords.
@alyefs, I have not taken any holiday in the off-ski season for a while now, although I aim to alter that this year. My company carries over any unused holiday time as we have many highly skilled Asian production workers. They like to have blocks of time off to return to Vietnam or wherever they are from, for up to 3 months at a time every couple of years, so I'm lucky to benefit from this arrangement. When we submit a new product for licensing by the FDA for example, I have to translate all the documentation from the initial design concepts right through all the developmental iterations to the assembly, testing and packaging instructions of the finished product. That means long hard hours, sometimes more or less non-stop for several days, so I accrue quite a lot of overtime. Easier to work like that as once you are in the "zone" so to speak, the work flows quite easily.
Networking and taking up opportunities as they arise, then being brutally realistic about them in terms of effort and return once you have experienced them helps as does being fluent. as you have already lived abroad and are fluent, I think you will have a ball!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Life anywhere is about your relationships. I grew up all over Africa. I loved it. But when I was in my late teens, at school here and travelling out for school holidays, I realised that for my Dad it was still work. Up early, graft and home late. He had a very different life to me and that has informed me ever since. Years ago we talked seriously about moving to Italy and I put a downer on it. It's lovely going on holiday somewhere and meeting people who've given it all up for the good life. You get a yearning to move on and do something different and your normal life seems very dull. But, unless your as lucky as some as the people above, where ever you go you'll have to work for a living. And that makes where ever you are different to a holiday. I like my life. I just wish skiing was something I could do more often. But I suspect that if I could do it when ever I wanted the joy of it would fade.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
@clarky999, not Blue Tomato ?
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No, though they are a shareholder (and I almost did an internship with them).
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Thu 1-01-15 12:52; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi @Samerberg Sue, that's really encouraging thanks!! Am pretty resourceful and a decent networker too. Am currently a BNI member in UK, plenty of business schmoozing to be done! Have me my current t ski connection, indirectly. Meeting next week to discuss direction of chalet cookery courses.....
Will see were all that takes me. If I were child free I'd be out there in a shot without a care in the world. Life as it stands, there's only the 2 of us.... and I feel I need to be financial secure (ish) to be able to make the move. Plus I'd have to prove to ex that I'm making sensible choices blah blah..... hence consideration given to location, work, money, schools etc etc
Absolutely love France, so at home there. It has to happen someday!
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Weathercam wrote: |
@clarky999, not Blue Tomato ?
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No, but they are a shareholder (and I almost did an internship with them). I work for www.luex.com |
Interesting....Finance job on your website!!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Genuine question (not waiting to pounce on posters for being job snobs)… but what defines a "proper job"? Salary?
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@miranda, I wouldn't use the word "proper", but simply "employed". I am far too cautious to give up my paid employment with benefits; I admire and salute those that have the nerve to live with the uncertainty of self-employment/contracting. MrHL is a contractor but thankfully (touch wood) has been pretty much fully engaged since he started.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@miranda, We would need to give up decent wages, my own self-employed income of a similar standard and would be unable to continue our profession if we moved to France. We could in theory register as pharmacists, but our lack of fluency in French would hinder any employment prospects. It is a bit of a closed shop situation, and last time I looked there were only 8 Uk registered pharmacists also registered and working in France. Not sure I want to give all that up for chalet work.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@holidayloverxx, @Hells Bells, ah, ok, yes I understand that - I've always thought that what made it so easy for me to move was the fact that I'd never got past the first rung on any particular career ladder, so I had no fear of falling off! Having said that, I have started doing some short term teaching this year (in combination with running the chalet), mainly because I really enjoy it but also because it can't hurt to refresh your skills/CV every now and then.
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@miranda, silly comment by the poster who used it - all jobs are "proper" to my mind if you have to work to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. Some manage with one, some manage with several. Then there are ski bums! Is that a proper job? 
@Hells Bells, my step-mother had the same situation when she came to the UK - a year's full-time retraining in Sunderland was all that was offered then, as she had a family of 5 kids to look after who were based in Cambridge, it wasn't an option. She had been the director of a pharmaceutical research lab in Bucharest prior to applying for permission to marry my father! She worked at local hospitals as a pharmacy assistant for while, with all her bosses admitting that she knew a lot more than they did! She used to memorise sections of the "big red book" (British Pharmacopoeia?) as part of her language learning. Is it still as hard to cross qualify these days?
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You know it makes sense.
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| miranda wrote: |
| Genuine question (not waiting to pounce on posters for being job snobs)… but what defines a "proper job"? Salary? |
Something that my Grandma thinks sounds respectable  Or something that feels sustainable long term rather than barely making it from pay day to pay day
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Wed 31-12-14 13:34; edited 2 times in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Samerberg Sue, there is a 1 year overseas pharmacist's course at Sunderland even now, which is probably very similar to the one your mother was offered for students outside the EU who wish to qualify in the UK. At the end of the course, even if already a pharmacist in their home country they will have to do a year's pre-registration training. Not sure if there are also courses elsewhere now as there are now many more universities offering pharmacy courses than there used to be.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| In the right parts of the Alps there are plenty of 'proper' jobs available in English that let you ski a lot, and some of them are pretty damn well paid (at least from my point of view)! |
There are jobs available in English in plenty of places that are close to the mountains but it is very competitive, I'm saying this as someone who has a degree and a Phd and has published in Scientific journals so has a demonstrably high level of English and has been looking unsuccessfully for work in Bavaria and Austria since spring. The problem is there are millions of Germans ,no idea about Austrians, who are also suitably qualified, have great experience, near fluent English and fluent German, why would they employ anyone with less than this? I would imagine having lived in Innsbruck you have decent connections which helped getting a "proper" job?
In my experience if you have really specialised skills that are in demand you will find a job or if you are fluent in 2 or more languages you will find something. I got a job in Munich which was very similar to what I previously did in the UK but I found it impossible to try and change fields with my crappy German skills, loads of folk told me that wouldn't matter but I have to assume it does as I am now having no problems getting interviews for similar jobs in the UK. My flatmate in Munich was Czech, had a degree, had been educated from secondary school level in German and worked summers in Austria, her English was excellent, she spoke some Russian and she was working as a waitress to improve her German so she could get a better job.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@lynseyf, oh yeah, defintiely competitive! I applied for LOADS of things without getting anywhere, though tbh most of that was probably due to a lack of experience in anything outside instructing/bar/retail work.
I didn't have any connections for the job I do now or the freelance bits and pieces that I picked up before - basically I lucked out with one freelance thing which led to another, which led to a fulltime job offer. Actually that's not quite true: I did some proofreading for research papers for the company my ex's Mum works for first.
How important English is (obviously) pretty dependent on the job role. While 95% of Austrians/Germans can speak fluent English, very very few can write consistently to a high native level (talking big documents, articles and things intended to be read or published outside the company here, not simple emails etc), which is why there are a lot of marketing jobs asking for native English speakers.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| lynseyf wrote: |
There are jobs available in English in plenty of places that are close to the mountains but it is very competitive...
In my experience if you have really specialised skills that are in demand you will find a job or if you are fluent in 2 or more languages you will find something. |
Blimey... Glad I didn't go looking for a "proper" job!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
How important English is (obviously) pretty dependent on the job role. While 95% of Austrians/Germans can speak fluent English, very very few can write consistently to a high native level (talking big documents, articles and things intended to be read or published outside the company here, not simple emails etc), which is why there are a lot of marketing jobs asking for native English speakers. |
Agreed but not many of them seem to realise this. I got given a lot of things to "have a quick read over and check the English" which took me a whole day or longer to read and re-write. I even got asked to read a couple of complete Phd and MSc theses. In my experience just having good english language skills wasn't enough to get me a job, I even applied for one at Med-El where the only skills they asked for were good written and spoken English for proof reading but I would imagine they have enough people with good English who also have proof reading skills as well.
miranda most young people from mainland Europe with any sort of education will speak at least 2 languages fluently, the "dumb" ones in Germany only study English for 6 years I think and were mostly embarrassed about what they saw as their poor language skills.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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^^^ and for any possible recruiters my written English here is not a good indication of my professional English etc. etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@lynseyf,
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There are jobs available in English in plenty of places that are close to the mountains but it is very competitive, I'm saying this as someone who has a degree and a Phd and has published in Scientific journals so has a demonstrably high level of English and has been looking unsuccessfully for work in Bavaria and Austria since spring. The problem is there are millions of Germans ,no idea about Austrians, who are also suitably qualified, have great experience, near fluent English and fluent German, why would they employ anyone with less than this? I would imagine having lived in Innsbruck you have decent connections which helped getting a "proper" job?
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Just out of interest, what subjects are your degree and PhD in? Certainly in Electrical & Software Engineering companies hire people from GB with zero German skills. Some of the Brits I work with still have zero German after ten years in Germany!
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@Steilhang, Immunology related, I have always worked in academic research and could probably get a similar role but really want to do something different. I applied for quite a few biotech jobs which in theory only needed good English skills but didn't even get an interview, from what I've seen the smaller companies I was applying to are predominantly staffed by German speakers so a much less international environment than academia, the larger firms which are probably more international want very specific industrial experience which I don't have which is why I say you need a combination of a specific skill set or decent language skills.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
my daughter... having done three seasons thought she should come back to the UK and get a proper job… Exchanging living in Tignes for living and experiencing SW London. Only problem she's in Tignes at the moment and had her on the phone tonight saying she doesn't want to come back…
… All I'll say, take it while you can and enjoy life…. |
The reason my life has turned out the way it has so far is probably in no small part due to my dad dying when I had just done my first term of uni and me realising that life is short. When Dad did some work with a software firm in Colorado, he took up skiing, fell in love with the mountains and intended to retire there with Mum once they'd got their youngest (me) off their hands… unfortunately that never happened. So, even though I didn't go down the sensible route that was probably expected when I was younger, and haven't got a "proper" job in terms of pension, benefits etc., I think he would thoroughly approve of the fact I've ended up in the mountains. I never forget that he and Mum did all the sensible things that were expected of them (Dad really wanted to travel but instead he went to Cambridge, worked long hours in The City, made sure his kids all got a great education etc) and I have reaped the benefits.
It is the anniversary of his death today, so I'm just about to raise a little hair-of-the-dog toast to him - I hope those of you with alpine dreams at least make it a step closer this year and, either way, that you manage to make the most of each day of 2015!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@miranda, your post above really spoke to us. We took a much reduced pension to go and do what your Dad had planned to. One year on we're so glad we did. A happy new year to you and yours.
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Well, it's been all quiet here for quite some time. Update? Yes we went to La Tania for a week of work and ski. It was amazing in every way. Conditions not perfect, though high up they were outstanding. Weather was brilliant and we had a ball. We didn't get hammered by the school police, they actually encouraged us to go with blessings....stating it would be an enriching experience!
More updates...yes, we are still moving to France. Have decided on the foot of the alps for lots of reasons. Schools, travel, access and business. Annecy it is. Provided we can afford it! (Very well researched....I promise). Am in touch with the business network there, that I'm part of over here in the UK...and guess what? No cookery school! Why? The market is saturated (I know you knew that). Common sense has taken over and I'm leading with the most profitable aspect of business...technology. SEO and social media. Small ski companies are ideal...Franglais businesses also ideal. Plenty of that there...
What's been going on with you lot? Those who live there and those who don't, yet!
Oh, we're heading out for a couple of weeks this Aug in the campervan. Checking out the surrounds!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We are in the mountains above Annecy and would be happy to provide local advice and contacts. PM me if you are interested. Good luck.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@alyefs, Hope it works out well for you, we retired and moved to Serre Chevalier 6 weeks ago and are loving every minute of it 
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By the end of this year I will have spent a total of 20 weeks or so in L2A in 2015. Have bought an apartment there now so I estimate I'll be spending about 8 months a year there, may even make it permanent, will see after the first 12 months. I took early retirement about 18 months ago though so no work worries.
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You know it makes sense.
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@gvj, thanks that would be great, very kind of you indeed. The more connections the better for us...building relationships both personally and professionally is key to making our move run more smoothly!
@KenX, I've heard a lot about Serre Chevalier. Part of my intention to based in Annecy, is to do with the freedom to visit many resorts within an hour or 2's drive. So much to see!
@Claude B, Nice plan! How wonderful being able to pop out whenever you feel like it! No work worries either....even better. Fortunately I've launched a pretty viable business, all digital and not particularly stressful so can manage it from anywhere. Client base in UK shouldn't change, just need to build it up more in France and specifically with small holiday firms and rental property owners wishing to gain income. I've a year set aside to get things in place. All very exciting, and equally daunting!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Just been reading through this, and it sounds like working in France is a lot less fruitful and not as open to flexible working as Austria? I am considering a move to the mountains, but having just finished a sponsored degree I am in a very comfortable position at home, with the only thing I could want more to be living in the mountains. I bike, climb and kayak as well so its more for the outdoor lifestyle. Currently I get 5 weeks holiday a year all spent in the mountains but i still long to be able to bike after work in a real mountain, or gorge work in a real canyon, but looking harder into it I really want to be able to do it during daylight when I fancy and the talk of a flexible office type of job would be a perfect fit. Reasonable money to live and not just exist and time to enjoy the mountains too.
leading into a couple of questions:
Is it easier to find an IT (specializing in security) job, presumably near a larger alpine town in Austria than France?
The idea of working flexible hours during the day, so long as x amount of hours per week are met sounds perfect - are opportunities like this more common in Austria than France?
are there any job sites that show up these kinds of jobs, where complete German/french isn't an initial requirement, or even where it is just to see what is around? (I would make sure I'd be a pretty good standard of language before i move)
Are tax deductions significantly less in Austria than France, if you were to say make 40-50,000 euros a year?
Did you decide on a location to move to first, or did a job opportunity come up that put you where you stayed?
I'm early 20's but feel like I keep putting moving off until the perfect opportunity comes up, but I dot think it ever will! I guess its never too late to move if there is a better plan at the time?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Bascadeo, Munich, Vienna and Innsbruck (to a lesser degree) are the bases for IT industries near the Alps in German-speaking areas. Of course there is also Switzerland, but getting jobs there is not as easy as many think or realise.
I work in the area just outside Munich in the medical engineering field but have also worked in Munich for IT companies. Two companies I worked for had English as the company language and even the German employess used it. A snowHead called Steilhang is your best source of up-to-date info about the IT branch as that is his field. For Innsbruck a snowHead called clarky999 is your best contact and for Vienna it is DB. all of us have been based out here for a while, even clarky999 has now been out here longer than he realises! For info about relocating to Switzerland the eng_ch is your best source of information but IT is not her field (although relocation services are.
Take a look at Jobs in Munich (http://www.jobsinmunich.com/ ) as well as Stepstone.de and monster.de where the jobs are advertised. I#m sure there are similar sites for the other cities.
How long do you have to work for your sponsoring company after graduating? And do you have the right to work in German/Austria (i.e. are you a Brit/EU national)? Issuing work permits for non-EU workers has become harder recently, although in IT and Engineering there is an acute shortage of experienced workers, so the so-called Green Card (after the American one I presume) is easier for your potential employer to obtain.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Bascadeo wrote: |
The idea of working flexible hours during the day, so long as x amount of hours per week are met sounds perfect -
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Good luck with that. You will be unlikely to be able to do that in a French IT company. The environment is much stricter than in the UK - no passing the day poking your FB buddies or that kind of thing. They like to have their "assets" working hard, not breaking legs in the mountains. You can take holiday although it is rare to be able to arrange the day before to hit powder days. Oh you don't have a set number of "hours" - as many as is deemed necessary by the management to get the job done within certain legal limits.
| Bascadeo wrote: |
Are tax deductions significantly less in Austria than France, if you were to say make 40-50,000 euros a year?
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40,000 is already a very good salary in France. You'll pay quite a lot of tax and social security on that. On 50,000 for the year 2014 you would pay 9,300 in tax and about 10,000 in social security (20%) (for a single person, no kids).
Remember your degree is A Levels+3 in France, which is a pretty low level of educational achievement. You'll be competing in a market where most graduates have a masters and a significant number have doctorates. I do know at least a couple of people who have been hired straight out of UK Universities so it is not hopeless.
Locally a lot of the people who are super keen skiers but technical end up working in the fabs where they can do shifts - for example 3x12 hours s over a long weekend so they can ski during the week; expect about 1800 euros/month for that kind of job.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks both for the speedy reply, contacts and information! Austria/German border does seem like a great bet, ill keep an eye on the job sites and get researching. I have no contractual obligation to stay in my current job, and am a British national so I guess I have a good shot of legally working. I see I need to let the Austrian authorities know if I stay for more than 3 months so no doubt ill find some more things I need to know as i look deeper. I think this settles it for German speaking areas however, plus I like how clean and organised they are whenever I've been in Austria. I had considered Switzerland but it always seemed very expensive and with very complicated local rules so I never though too much about it after that.
would you say working for an international company with an office or presence in an alpine(ish) location is preferable over a French/Austrian owned company or is it mostly irrelevant?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Bascadeo, you might find Geneva fruitful. Several friends have done stints in IT for international organisations/companies. Your presumed lack of experience may not help and so a few more years in the UK gaining experience might be helpful. Security of course is always of paramount interest to the Swiss banking orgs.
One company I work with based in Bern have great trouble finding suitably qualified individuals although as @davidof mentions they are usually post-Masters and often working on their PhDs while working for the company. There are a few Swiss job sites (in fact, I believe that there is one integrated one, but I've never had to use it).
Getting in to Switzerland is not as easy as it was a few years ago, although being EU citizen makes it massively easier although shortly to be no longer automatic. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d2330148-b222-11e4-80af-00144feab7de.html
Once you are in, wages are higher than the rest of the EU, although that's partially due to exchange rate perceptions. Taxation of an employee in the round, considering medical insurance and social security as taxation is broadly similar to the UK although I would suggest we have a better standard of living.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Bascadeo, I've worked for German-owned companies both small, middle and global in size. I have no experience of working for international companies out here, although friends who do report mixed views about the advantages/disadvantages. American owned multinationals are the ones that receive the most negative reports as the American idea of "working" and the European idea often clash. Both in Germany and Austria the work/ home life balance is very important and as a result we do often get much more flexibility in how and when we work. I find that the work environment is way more focussed and productivity is quite high even if you stick to the 8 hour day minimum. I do not have much experience of working in UK-based companies as I was a teacher in the UK and even if I had, my experience may well be out of date as I've been based out here since the late 1990s.
One way to make yourself stand out of the crowd is the skill set you have and it does not need German to be one of these but evidence of learning/acquiring the language does lift your profile. I have a fairly unique skill set so have never had a problem finding work here despite my age. I am rapidly approaching the German retirement age but my company is keen to keep me after that and is making my 40 hour week way more flexible to accommodate my wish to spend more time at home and less time travelling away from home (I actually want to ski more but need the dosh to feed my habit! ). What they have realised is that it would be more or less impossible to find another with my skill set and experience. I will go part-time in the not too distant future and work on a consultancy basis for anything over and above my agreed contracted hours.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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For IT in Geneva jobup.ch gives an idea although job descriptions are fairly generic. The Suisse Romande has several differences to the French market
i. time keeping can be much much stricter at some companies. Like arrive at 9am, leave at 6pm. French IT companies less bothered if you roll in late now and then.
ii. less overtime compared to France. French like you to spend all your time at work, the Swiss are suspicious of anyone doing overtime. So you do at least get your evenings free
iii. very particular about details, work needs to be high quality. French much more pragmatic.
iv. Swiss less bothered about academic achievement, more interested in work experience
v. You can earn about 3x what you earn in France, depending on age and experience
vi. Geneva is insanely expensive and very very busy for a tiny town
vii. Possibility to work part time much more acceptable by Swiss firms, 4 days a week is not uncommon
Big ex-pat community in Geneva which may be important.
Overall I'd say GVA is a better working experience than France despite the 42 hour standard week as long as you can fit in with their way of doing things.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Wed 29-07-15 13:45; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
Did you decide on a location to move to first, or did a job opportunity come up that put you where you stayed?
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Job opportunity came up where I knew it would take me overseas. I only moved to Holland for a 1 year temporary move, but stayed there for 4.5 years, and then to Germany under the same temporary circumstances where I managed to work on a temporary contract full time since 2003.
Bonus there is there's someone to help with the move, probably colleagues there, and they pay you a bonus to send you there, and in my case an extra bonus tapered over about 5 years to more than cover any exchange rate fluctuation 
Personally I'd prefer to live and work somewhere near the alps than in it. Munich, Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich etc. where there are hills on the doorstep for MTBing, but ski slopes a short drive away.
And Germany has 30 days annual leave as standard where a UK company might give 25, and far too many public holidays in May/June (can't they move some to the ski season?)
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@Bascadeo, Munich is a good choice. Lots of IT work and the mountains are an hour's drive away, depending on which side of town you live. I moved here in 1985 at age 25 after being offered a job at a small CMOS IC design house. Never looked back. My original intention was to stay for a few years, do lots of skiing and then move on. The skiing happened, but not the rest.
I'm not sure who is active in the security area around here. I personally work in mobile comms, mainly LTE, these days so don't have much contact with the rest of the IT world really.
Anyway, long story short, your chances of finding a job here are probably much better than in say Innsbruck or Salzburg, imo. In Austria there seems to be quite a bit of IT work centered around Klagenfurt & Villach, so might be worth trying there.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Bascadeo, I've been looking at something similar for this upcoming winter... and beyond.
I'm a .NET developer, so YMMV depending on your field, but contracting in London for 6 months actually goes pretty close to matching permanent jobs in Munich. It might be worth considering this - contract for 6-9months, spend the rest of the year in the mountains. Or trying to find a contract which allows remote working - maybe with occasional commutes to London for meetings? Potentially not the easiest thing to organise (esp with living costs etc) but possibly no more difficult than finding a job in a country where you don't speak the language
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Jeepers...all this talk of ridiculously high tax in France is making me think twice! I wonder what mileage there'd be in keeping my UK customer income right here in the UK! Then perhaps just living in Annecy as a base....near the Alps is where we want to be... being a French speaker I've a bit more going on in my favour. Will test the water me thinks. It'll be a case of where to register my company...keep it in the UK? Strictly speaking my clients group isn't location specific. I'm sure there'll be a way around it. I understand I'll need to be paying tax and SS of some description in France. Unless we stick to the Swiss side too, after all they're French speaking that side of the border anyway.
Yikes!
IT contacts are great for me too??!!
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