Views on life in France

TWO very interesting views on French life here, the first is a collection of articles written by Gareth Cartman giving his reasons behind why he is leaving the country.

The second piece is by Mike Consentino who gives his impressions of France, and Paris, a year after his arrival.

Gareth has spent ten years in Paris and has created the popular Paris Link website, but he writes that while so many things still intrigue him, the world of work and the administrative burden placed on business is suffocating and counter-productive.

So don’t believe that the French worker is work-shy and lazy - although a walk down the corridor to my right will reveal one man who spends his entire day playing solitaire, thus offering proof to the contrary - they are in fact some of the highest educated and some of the most technically skilled workers you will find across Europe. The dynamism of French companies abroad testifies to that - the lack of dynamism within French borders testifies to the arcane system that aims to protect and ends up causing more harm than it intends to. All of this will sound horribly liberal (in the French sense), and horribly pro-Sarkozy, but it is one of the many reasons why I am joining the exodus. The system is squeezing every last drop out of its workers and making them unhappy and in many cases, quite poor. The expatriate population is dropping; the population of Paris dropped by 2% in 2005, and it should not be a surprise.

As for Mike while the "novelty of living in Paris has worn off" he enjoys sitting down to moules frites with a couple of beers and passes on this advice.

When typing in French, do make an effort to use the right accents, etc., because it does actually matter.

Comments

[Mike Elliott]

I quite agree with the stated comments. As a gite owner and previous owner of a building firm in the UK I have attempted to form an enterprise in France, in a region short of macon pierres (stone masons). The red tape and upfront charges have all but killed my enthusiasm to get "stuck in".

[Craig McGinty]

Hi Mike, many thanks for your comment and the pain of the paperwork seems to be the problem most people highlight.
All the best, Craig