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I am coming off an 11-month job search and have just been offered a position at a game developer in Bordeaux, France. I'm currently in Seattle, WA. I'm 25 as of today, single, no dependencies. I love this city but need work, and I mean, gently caress, ending up in Bordeaux ain't exactly a death sentence. I can expect to make far less than I would at one of the tech behemoths here, but the studio is amazing and I'd make enough to live and have fun. I do well in solitude and have hobbies to keep busy. I have to suspend my dream of buying/living on a boat for a while, but again, loving Bordeaux. They've only told me they are moving forward with an offer, I've yet to receive it but will update the thread when I do. I need to run this revelation by some confidants, and see what the next week brings me as well (this next week is the Game Developers' Conference, so offer may further develop there), but chances are good that I will accept. What can you tell me about moving to Europe, France specifically? I will have the assistance of a relocation service, which is paid for by the studio, and they will also be paying for French lessons.
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Mar 14, 2014 15:30
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Well the hardest part about moving to France as an American is that France is pretty restrictive with immigration, but it sounds like your company is taking care of that. I'm an American and lived in Toulouse for a while and did a few random odd jobs under the table but I was young and inexperienced at the time and couldn't really get any kind of long term career-oriented work over there and eventually left. It sounds like you won't have that problem at all though. The second hardest thing is the language. I definitely recommend learning as much as you can before actually going there. French people have a reputation for being a bit snobbier about their language than other nationalities, and to a certain extent that has some truth to it, but if you make an honest effort people will be very nice. And you'll be in the south where, in my experience, people are much much friendlier than they are in Paris or other northern cities. It can definitely be intimidating to move to a foreign city entirely by yourself. But shortly after I got there I found some French people who wanted to meet native English speakers to practice their conversational skills with, and that was a good way to make friends and meet more people. Bordeaux has a big river running through it and is not far from the coast by the way so you can still fulfill your boat dream there.
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Mar 14, 2014 16:09
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I lived in Paris for about 18 months (I was 28-years-old). I loved it. My French sucked. I worked in English all day so I didn't improve my language skills too much. Anyways, just go. Do it. Go meet some hot French women. Have a hell of a time. You'll have to do a bunch of administrative paperwork for the government. It is a pain in the rear end but it all seems to work itself out. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
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Mar 14, 2014 20:51
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Have fun! Travel light. you're 25, you should be able to do 2 suitcases and hand luggage. take the TGV somewhere every few weekends, do some exploring while you're there. Flights to further parts of Europe for weekends away will be dirt cheap and only take a couple hours too - make the most of your ability to do this. Here's a list of clubs and parties in Bordeaux, france has a great music scene - http://www.residentadvisor.net/events.aspx?ai=286 Your visa paperwork may be a pain in the rear end but it sounds like you're being sponsored - so just don't make a mistake on it and you'll be fine. cubicle gangster fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Mar 14, 2014 |
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Mar 14, 2014 22:55
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The biggest difference about living in Europe is that things just aren't as convenient as they are in the States. The selection in stores just isn't as comprehensive. And stuff actually closes sometimes, particularly on Sundays. Outside of that it's pretty awesome. The food is great, travel is easy, and you'd be right in the middle of one of the most famous wine regions on the world.
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Mar 14, 2014 23:20
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cubicle gangster posted:take the TGV somewhere every few weekends, do some exploring while you're there. That reminds me I'm pretty sure SNCF offers a pretty substantial discount to everyone under 27 so definitely take advantage of that.
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Mar 14, 2014 23:45
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Earwicker posted:That reminds me I'm pretty sure SNCF offers a pretty substantial discount to everyone under 27 so definitely take advantage of that. They also iDTGV which has really cheap tickets. http://www.idtgv.com/en/
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Mar 15, 2014 00:47
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AKA Pseudonym posted:The biggest difference about living in Europe is that things just aren't as convenient as they are in the States. The selection in stores just isn't as comprehensive. And stuff actually closes sometimes, particularly on Sundays. Outside of that it's pretty awesome. The food is great, travel is easy, and you'd be right in the middle of one of the most famous wine regions on the world. The extension of this is: Europe (and France particularly) does not have the same conception of customer service. My first encounter with this was trying to buy train tickets into Paris over the internet. Having no printer, I clikced the 'pick this up from our kiosk' option. Bought the tickets Saturday afternoon, went to the kiosk Sunday, well before departure, and found that it was closed from Friday night to Monday morning. Missed the train, and when I called to get my money back I got mocked by the people on the phone. (I did not get my money back). After a few years living there, I had no issue with my second, and this time successful, trip to Paris, but resetting my ideas about what I'm entitled to from shops was a big part of acculturating. Foolie fucked around with this message at 00:28 on Mar 16, 2014 |
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Mar 16, 2014 00:25
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I'm an American and have lived in France as a student for almost 4 years now. I studied French at university back in the States so I didn't have the language issues you'll be dealing with but I have had to deal with many of the other issues you'll deal with. One of the biggest things is, as some other goon said, the fact that things close much earlier than in the States. All of the grocery stores in my city close at 9:00pm and stop selling alcohol at 8:00pm. On Sundays some places are open until 1:00pm but not all. This takes some getting used to. Another thing is the government bureaucracy. It takes a long time, but on the other hand if you're good at sweet talking people at the prefecture you can get away with poo poo you'd never get away with in the more rigid anglo-saxon countries. Something that may surprise you as an American is the relatively small housing here. It's not that the French are too poor to have bigger houses or something, they just prefer smaller houses than Americans are used to. Foolie posted:My first encounter with this was trying to buy train tickets into Paris over the internet. Having no printer, I clikced the 'pick this up from our kiosk' option. Bought the tickets Saturday afternoon, went to the kiosk Sunday, well before departure, and found that it was closed from Friday night to Monday morning. Missed the train, and when I called to get my money back I got mocked by the people on the phone. (I did not get my money back). That's why I always choose the option to get my tickets at the little yellow terminal. I did run into a similar issue back in 2007 when I going back to the States after studying in Angers and I didn't have an RER ticket to get to Orly in Paris. The guichet was closed and at the time I didn't have a French ATM card with the little chip in it. I flagged down a Parisian businessman and offered him 20€ cash for the 8€ ticket and he just bought me the ticket and gave it to me for free. I hear about how Parisians are rude to non-French speaking tourists and to non-Parisian French people but they're almost universally thrilled when a foreigner actually speaks French, which leads me to the next thing. Earwicker posted:The second hardest thing is the language. I definitely recommend learning as much as you can before actually going there. French people have a reputation for being a bit snobbier about their language than other nationalities, and to a certain extent that has some truth to it, but if you make an honest effort people will be very nice. And you'll be in the south where, in my experience, people are much much friendlier than they are in Paris or other northern cities. I wouldn't really call it snobbishness, I'd call it a deep sense of insecurity. Nearly every French person I know is extremely insecure about the level of their English, even those rare few who speak the language fairly well. I teach English part time, and I've had tons of students give me 5 minute monologues in English about how they don't speak English and fear they'll never be able to communicate in it while never seeing the irony in that. The state of language learning in this country is atrocious, which I think the main source of this perceived snobbishness. Also, we're just as friendly in Brittany as they are in the south  Earwicker posted:That reminds me I'm pretty sure SNCF offers a pretty substantial discount to everyone under 27 so definitely take advantage of that. It's under 25, although for certain other things it's under 28. Being 31 I don't get any of these fancy discounts despite being a poor rear end student 
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Mar 16, 2014 00:55
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Soviet Commubot posted:I'm an American and have lived in France as a student for almost 4 years now. I studied French at university back in the States so I didn't have the language issues you'll be dealing with but I have had to deal with many of the other issues you'll deal with. I don't remember if it's quite as bad in France, but in Geneva, the entire city shuts down for the week of Easter. This is awesome if you know it's coming, but I did have some friends that got to the start of the holiday with no food in their apartments. The shutdown is pretty complete, which includes grocery stores. Which is to say, he crashed on couches for the duration so that eating was possible.
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Mar 16, 2014 02:00
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Soviet Commubot posted:One of the biggest things is, as some other goon said, the fact that things close much earlier than in the States. All of the grocery stores in my city close at 9:00pm and stop selling alcohol at 8:00pm. On Sundays some places are open until 1:00pm but not all. This takes some getting used to. On the other hand, though, getting around is much easier, as public transportation is way better than in the US. Getting a car won't be a priority when you arrive, and you can actually spend all your time here without one. It varies from city to city but IIRC Bordeaux's network is rather good. Soviet Commubot posted:
Seconding this. French bureaucracy is more flexible than it appears - most of the time, just being polite and as precise as possible as to what you want will make the day of the employee you're talking to and ensure things go smoothly. Things still take some time to do though (3 weeks to issuing a passport?!?) so anticipate on that. e: And the office hours of almost everything bureaucracy-related are downright awful. A bunch of them close at 4pm, most at 5pm. On another subject: people may seem less open than in the US where I found it more frequent to have chat with random strangers. People are overall friendly though, a lot of French would tell you that Parisian are the exception (I don't fully agree with that). Depending on the workplace, hierarchy at work may seem more formal. And... get familiar with the metric system. Will be useful not only in France, but in all Europe. (in all non-US actually) Zokalwe fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Mar 16, 2014 |
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Mar 16, 2014 14:42
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If you have a job lined up beforehand I don't think there should be any problems. I am an american applying for a residence permit for Germany and we have it easy compared to people from other countries. For example, if I was from Turkey and was applying for the exact same permit I would have to go home and work through the German consulate in Turkey in order to get my paperwork straight. I told the immigration authority that I already had an job picked out and they gave me the forms and all the info I needed.
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Mar 17, 2014 10:35
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As am American wuo lived in Paris for a while, I found that Parisians aren't nearly as unapproachable as people make them out to be. If you make an honest effort at speaking french, even if you're terrible (sometimes especially if you're terrible) people are generally pretty receptive to it, and may even practice their english. Also, although things like smiling at the opposite sex can be taken the wrong way (if you're a girl, be prepared for attention) generally being really friendly works out quite well. I had no trouble at all meeting people at clubs/shows, in elevators, at the park, etc etc. Also fourthing the "travel a lot" suggestions. It's pretty cheap, and there's loads of cool places to go. I reccomend Dublin if you find yourself missing English, people there are so friendly and it's way more fun than it has any right to be. Also, when you hit the point an Irish accent is harder to understand than French you know you're making progress.
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Apr 7, 2014 22:55
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RIP ZEEZ
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Seems a lot of you are relocated to France, but in case the thread really is about all of Europe, I moved from LA to Reykjavik (and lived in Germany for one year as well, but moved back to Iceland). As long as you have a tech job with a company that takes care of your visa, immigration is not much of a problem. Make an effort to learn the local language, as soon as you can, and get used to using your poor level of language skills as soon as possible. Nothing helps more than practice. (finally passed the language exam and am waiting for my citizenship. Would not say I am totally fluent, but I can converse with most people) Honestly the biggest differences are related to consumerism. If you prioritize the other areas of life, health, family, security, safety, I vastly prefer Europe. Ipods cost more, stores have shorter hours and less selection, but if that has a major detriment on your life, you might be a goon.
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Apr 9, 2014 15:57
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You'll probably find French work culture incredibly different to what you're used to. Companies can be very hierarchical and formal with strict procedures to follow to get anything done. My partner works for a French company, but out in Australia, and he finds that the most frustrating aspect. Something that should be simple can end up taking weeks as you nurse it through layers of company bureaucracy. That could just be his company though! Also depending on how much of the protestant work ethic and bootstraps American work culture you've absorbed you'll either be appalled by or love France's labour laws. You'll get 5 weeks paid holiday, 35 hour working week (if you work more you are given extra days holiday) and up to 10 public holidays. They've also recently passed a new labour law so that you don't respond to work calls or emails after 6pm. France takes their time off seriously. Enjoy that and take that time to explore France and Europe.
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Apr 11, 2014 01:11
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A few things as I work out the logistics of this potential move, pardon me if they're dumb: - I'm a bachelor in a studio apartment who could stand to part with a good deal of my belongings, but is there anything I should consider shipping over other than my irreplaceables (musical gear, etc)? I have some small stuff like kitchenware that I'm unsure of, but I also don't know what the price would be of replacing everything versus shipping. I'd obviously be selling all my furniture. - What about electronics? I'll be selling a lot of my electronics (TV, lamps, etc) but also have some more expensive stuff (heavy duty crock pots, laptops, music recording/live setup, dremel, etc) that would cost a lot to replace with european counterparts. Should I just get adapters for these and ship them over? - I don't get the benefit of Amazon in France, I tend to rely on it for small purchases and things like fitness supplements. Anything that it would make sense to get in the states and ship over? - Regarding vehicle ownership: I had planned on getting my class C license and a scooter in the states before the move, and that's something I'd like to do in Europe if possible. What kind of a headache would this entail? Is there a chance in hell of a yank on a work visa being able to get financed for a vehicle purchase?
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Apr 29, 2014 09:17
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Helith posted:Also depending on how much of the protestant work ethic and bootstraps American work culture you've absorbed you'll either be appalled by or love France's labour laws. You'll get 5 weeks paid holiday, 35 hour working week (if you work more you are given extra days holiday) and up to 10 public holidays. They've also recently passed a new labour law so that you don't respond to work calls or emails after 6pm. France takes their time off seriously. Enjoy that and take that time to explore France and Europe. Holy hell... How does France even manage to attract business?
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Apr 29, 2014 10:37
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Squirrel Burger posted:- I'm a bachelor in a studio apartment who could stand to part with a good deal of my belongings, but is there anything I should consider shipping over other than my irreplaceables (musical gear, etc)? I have some small stuff like kitchenware that I'm unsure of, but I also don't know what the price would be of replacing everything versus shipping. I'd obviously be selling all my furniture. quote:- What about electronics? I'll be selling a lot of my electronics (TV, lamps, etc) but also have some more expensive stuff (heavy duty crock pots, laptops, music recording/live setup, dremel, etc) that would cost a lot to replace with european counterparts. Should I just get adapters for these and ship them over? quote:- I don't get the benefit of Amazon in France, I tend to rely on it for small purchases and things like fitness supplements. Anything that it would make sense to get in the states and ship over? Liar posted:Holy hell... How does France even manage to attract business?
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Apr 29, 2014 10:48
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RE: Amazon, the benefit for me has always been price selection. It looks like everything is way more expensive (just checking it out here, whey protein prices are over double what they are in the US). I suppose that's something I'll just have to get used to. Too early to figure out shipping logistics, I'll have to see what the relocation company will handle. But I intend to use this as an opportunity to purge a lot of the useless crap I bought in the states. I think most of my kitchenware is small enough to be packed and shipped, minus the huge pots and pans, and the glassware is cheap IKEA stuff that I can just give away with no major loss. Any resources you might suggest for learning french while I'm still in the states? I have no clue what the rage is re: effective and cheap resources these days, only that I hear Rosetta Stone is overpriced and ineffective. Squirrel Burger fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Apr 29, 2014 |
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Apr 29, 2014 11:21
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Squirrel Burger posted:- I'm a bachelor in a studio apartment who could stand to part with a good deal of my belongings, but is there anything I should consider shipping over other than my irreplaceables (musical gear, etc)? I have some small stuff like kitchenware that I'm unsure of, but I also don't know what the price would be of replacing everything versus shipping. I'd obviously be selling all my furniture. You can buy anything you would need for your apartment there and you should look at the cost of shipping it over, as it could take a long time and cost a lot of money. You might be better off with selling some things and then buying them again in France. Do you have a place (parents', friend's house) where you could leave some of your stuff for free? Squirrel Burger posted:- What about electronics? I'll be selling a lot of my electronics (TV, lamps, etc) but also have some more expensive stuff (heavy duty crock pots, laptops, music recording/live setup, dremel, etc) that would cost a lot to replace with european counterparts. Should I just get adapters for these and ship them over? If it doesn't already come with a voltage adapter (i.e. - your laptop charger), be sure that the device can handle the voltage difference. Your crock pot, music recording equipment and anything that plugs directly into the wall may not worth bringing over if you have to use a voltage converter. You'll also need to check that the difference in hertz/cycles could affect how the appliance runs. Also be sure that you're using good quality voltage adapters, which will be a bit more expensive. Squirrel Burger posted:- Regarding vehicle ownership: I had planned on getting my class C license and a scooter in the states before the move, and that's something I'd like to do in Europe if possible. What kind of a headache would this entail? Is there a chance in hell of a yank on a work visa being able to get financed for a vehicle purchase? It shouldn't be a problem to get a French driver's license, but before buying a car, look into the public transit system in Bordeaux, you may be able to take it everywhere you need to go. Keep in mind that gas is going to cost a lot more.
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Apr 29, 2014 12:19
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Shipping can take so long that you end up buying poo poo you shipped just because you need it sooner. Also, your apartment will be A LOT smaller than what you're probably used to so really try to pare everything down to the absolute minimum. Try and stash your poo poo with family or friends somewhere because storage ends up costing a lot and we threw pretty much everything out when we went back to our storage space. For learning French, you can probably find Michel Thomas CDs on a torrent site and they're all right if you're an absolute beginner. Just hearing how things sound is a good first step because it takes some time before you will be able to pronounce written French reasonably well. Eventually you will want to take a class or get a tutor to work with, Michel Thomas will just let you kind of fake it, you won't actually learn that much about the grammar or learn the tools to teach yourself.
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Apr 29, 2014 13:40
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The best way to learn French is to listen to IAM, in my opinion. Start with Ombre Est Lumière.
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Apr 29, 2014 13:44
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Helith posted:Also depending on how much of the protestant work ethic and bootstraps American work culture you've absorbed you'll either be appalled by or love France's labour laws. You'll get 5 weeks paid holiday, 35 hour working week (if you work more you are given extra days holiday) and up to 10 public holidays. They've also recently passed a new labour law so that you don't respond to work calls or emails after 6pm. France takes their time off seriously. Enjoy that and take that time to explore France and Europe. This has by far been the best part of living here but also the most difficult to really internalize. Even part-time workers like myself get the full 5 weeks after the first year. I'm leaving this company to start another degree in another town (  ) so I'm taking all 5 weeks all at once when I leave. That makes it easier for me because I would have a really hard time asking for time off even though I know that I'm legally entitled to it. After my next degree I'll be a school teacher so my vacations are pretty much set for me, meaning I'll probably never have to actually deal with that particular mental complex.Gold and a Pager posted:It shouldn't be a problem to get a French driver's license, but before buying a car, look into the public transit system in Bordeaux, you may be able to take it everywhere you need to go. Keep in mind that gas is going to cost a lot more. This depends on your state, some states have reciprocal agreements with France, some don't. If the OP has Washington license it may be a bit more difficult. http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article376 quote:Driver’s licenses from the following states are eligible for exchange: Arkansas (limited to Class B), Colorado (limited to Class B), Connecticut (limited to Classes A and B), Delaware (limited to Class B), Florida (limited to Classes A and B), Illinois, Iowa (limited to Class B), Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio (limited to Class B), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (limited to Classes A and B), South Carolina, Texas (limited to Class B), Virginia (limited to Class B), West Virginia.
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Apr 29, 2014 14:01
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Bear in mind that most voltage convertors aren't frequency convertors, so anything with an AC motor designed to work at 60Hz isn't going to run properly. However, many DC power supplies are universal these days, so check the label before buying a transformer. You might just need a plug adapter or new cord for things like laptops or battery chargers. I hope you learned how to drive stick at some point because you won't find many cars with automatic transmissions in Europe, and if you have to get a license the long way you don't want to end up with the automatic-only license of shame.
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Apr 29, 2014 14:43
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Soviet Commubot posted:This depends on your state, some states have reciprocal agreements with France, some don't. If the OP has Washington license it may be a bit more difficult. Yeah, Washington license. I've wanted to pick up an electric scooter/motorcycle here in WA for a while, but it looks like I'll shelve that plan for now. Apparently Bordeaux has great public transit so I won't need it. Also, if I got one here, there's some insane duty (like 20%) for importing it to France if you've owned it for less than 6 months (not to mention the power issue). My bicycle should do just fine. If I end up staying in France for a while (getting my contract renewed), maybe I'll look into investing in something to allow for quick local travel. The_Franz posted:Bear in mind that most voltage convertors aren't frequency convertors, so anything with an AC motor designed to work at 60Hz isn't going to run properly. However, many DC power supplies are universal these days, so check the label before buying a transformer. You might just need a plug adapter or new cord for things like laptops or battery chargers. Yeah, I think this is on an appliance-to-appliance basis. I may bring some small stuff like my ironman blender or Zojirushi rice cooker, but the rest of it I'll chuck and re-purchase in France. greazeball posted:For learning French, you can probably find Michel Thomas CDs on a torrent site and they're all right if you're an absolute beginner. Just hearing how things sound is a good first step because it takes some time before you will be able to pronounce written French reasonably well. Eventually you will want to take a class or get a tutor to work with, Michel Thomas will just let you kind of fake it, you won't actually learn that much about the grammar or learn the tools to teach yourself. Thanks for the recommendation. The company will be paying for relocation and French lessons, so I just need enough to get around for starters.
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Apr 29, 2014 15:57
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Helith posted:They've also recently passed a new labour law so that you don't respond to work calls or emails after 6pm. quote:In fact, there was no new piece of French legislation, but a labour agreement signed on April 1st by unions and employers in the high-tech and consulting field. It covers an estimated 250,000 “autonomous employees”, whose contracts are based on days worked, not hours, and so the 35-hour working week limit does not apply. The agreement does refer to an “obligation to disconnect communications tools”, but only after an employee has worked a 13-hour day. Such workers may work into the weekends too, but must be allowed to have one day off in every seven (24 hours + 11 hours). Nowhere does the agreement refer to a 6pm cut-off. By the standards of most French labour contracts, which have to apply the 35-hour working week, it is unusually liberal, and was designed to help global companies that deal across different time zones.
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Apr 29, 2014 19:21
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Slightly different perspective since I moved from the UK to France so less of a culture shock, but hopefully this is still good advice. If you can swing the time and money, I would HIGHLY recommend spending a period of time in a language school before you start. I spent a month in an intensive language program (9-5 classes), living with a French host, and it dragged me from "high school French" to semi-fluent. The home stay meant I was speaking a lot of French, meeting my French hosts' friends and family, and not just hanging out with fellow expats. It'll also give you some time to sort out accommodation, figure out what you need to ship over, sort out a bank account etc before you start working. Re: electronics. Don't bother bringing anything that isn't dual voltage (so: yes to laptops, cameras etc; no to irons, hairdryers, etc) Voltage converters are expensive and noisy (and don't generally convert frequency, which can mess things up if used long-term), and shipping stuff is expensive.
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Apr 29, 2014 20:33
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Cicero posted:No they didn't: http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne/2014/04/frances-6pm-e-mail-ban But you're under no legal obligation to pick up your phone, just let that poo poo go to voicemail and drink more wine.
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Apr 29, 2014 20:41
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Squirrel Burger posted:Yeah, Washington license. I've wanted to pick up an electric scooter/motorcycle here in WA for a while, but it looks like I'll shelve that plan for now. Apparently Bordeaux has great public transit so I won't need it. Also, if I got one here, there's some insane duty (like 20%) for importing it to France if you've owned it for less than 6 months (not to mention the power issue). My bicycle should do just fine. If I end up staying in France for a while (getting my contract renewed), maybe I'll look into investing in something to allow for quick local travel. Once you get a license you can pick up a scooter pretty cheap. Here's the French Craigslist equivalent listing for scooters and motorcycles in one of the 5 postal codes of Bordeaux. http://www.leboncoin.fr/motos/offres/aquitaine/?f=a&th=1&location=Bordeaux%2033000 As for public transit, I've been to Bordeaux a few times and it seemed like a pretty standard French transit system, that's to say much better than in the States. The only time you absolutely need a vehicle is when you live or want to go out in the middle of nowhere, and even then you might be able to do it by bus. I was working with a client in a little village near my city for several months last year and driving the company car. Coming back home the traffic was absolutely horrendous on the outer ring highway but one time I happened to notice a little bus stop near my client's facility and was able to take the bus to and from every time. I'm moving to this town in the near future, and even though the bus system only serves around 80k people it's pretty extensive. http://www.qub.fr/fileadmin/Sites/QUB/documents/Plans/Quimper-poche2013.pdf
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Apr 29, 2014 20:56
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Yeah, wow. I can get a decent 125cc scooter for dirt cheap. Very useful links, thanks. I'll probably pass on the electric options then, since A. they're five times as expensive and B. I may want a nice scooter or motorcycle to occasionally gently caress around western Europe or visit friends in the UK without being limited by range. What's the secondhand goods market like? Are there more popular Craigslist analogs? I kinda doubt I'd be able to pick up a barbell set or anything, but it would be good to know how to get some cheap furnishings if I need them.
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Apr 29, 2014 21:10
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Leboncoin is definitely the best second hand goods site around. I've bought all kinds of poo poo, almost every bit of furniture in my apartment. I even bought a car 4 years ago when I lived in the middle of nowhere for about 1,000 EUR. There are some weight sets for sale in Bordeaux right now. http://www.leboncoin.fr/annonces/offres/aquitaine/?f=a&th=1&q=halt%C3%A8re&location=Bordeaux%2033000
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Apr 29, 2014 21:21
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Can I ask what any of your experiences are regarding take-home pay? I have my salary information in hand and want to get a rough idea for what my take-home and expenses are going to be. Google research says that I could expect to have about 20-25% of my gross withheld for cotisations, on top of who knows how much in income tax. I'm also not sure of what the situation will be re: paying American taxes as well. This job doesn't pay very handsomely, and I'd want to get an idea of what I can afford in terms of housing and savings.
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May 17, 2014 02:57
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My current employer told me what my net pay right from the beginning, you may just want to ask them. As for US taxes, you do need to file them but you'll have an exemption up to some ridiculous amount of money, like $90k or something like that.
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May 17, 2014 12:40
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Squirrel Burger posted:Can I ask what any of your experiences are regarding take-home pay? I have my salary information in hand and want to get a rough idea for what my take-home and expenses are going to be. Google research says that I could expect to have about 20-25% of my gross withheld for cotisations, on top of who knows how much in income tax. I'm also not sure of what the situation will be re: paying American taxes as well. You will file a federal return. 1040 and a 2555 (?) for the foreign earned income exclusion which excludes something like the first us$90k from your gross income. If your foreign earned income is above this you still have your other deductions and you may also get credit for French tax if there is a tax treaty. You must still file even if you have no taxable income after the feic, unless you want to be jacked by the irs . Assuming you own no property in yourstate, have no state sourced income and your employer is foreign (french company or probably also french subsidiary of widgetco), you probably are not a state resident anywhere and don't need to file at state level. Ask an accountant if you're unsure though. You vote in the state you were last domiciled in, just FYI, even if you don't pay tax or have an address there. E: suggest picking up road bike (bicycle) for transport. The French are better than the Americans at not running people over. Just. Also seconding the actually start lessons in WA if physically possible. It will make life much easier. Saga fucked around with this message at 15:46 on May 17, 2014 |
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May 17, 2014 15:35
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Saga posted:Assuming you own no property in yourstate, have no state sourced income and your employer is foreign (french company or probably also french subsidiary of widgetco), you probably are not a state resident anywhere and don't need to file at state level. Ask an accountant if you're unsure though. You can also use tax credits from the beginning if you want to do stuff like contribute to an IRA. Also, it may not apply in your case, but some states will still consider you a tax resident if you still vote, have a driver's license or a bank account in/from that state.
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May 19, 2014 20:38
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Squirrel Burger posted:What's the secondhand goods market like? Are there more popular Craigslist analogs? I kinda doubt I'd be able to pick up a barbell set or anything, but it would be good to know how to get some cheap furnishings if I need them. eBay is a pretty big thing in most of Europe.
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May 19, 2014 20:50
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Squirrel Burger posted:What's the secondhand goods market like? Are there more popular Craigslist analogs? I kinda doubt I'd be able to pick up a barbell set or anything, but it would be good to know how to get some cheap furnishings if I need them. Why wouldn't you be able to pick up a barbell set or anything else? It's Western Europe, not the third world. All things considered, most of Europe shares some rather striking similarities with North America, like the wide availability of both new and used consumer goods.
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May 19, 2014 22:54
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The French are basically the Americans of Europe in that nobody likes them because they are seen as being jingoistic jerks who won't learn any other languages and see France as a unique bastion of freedom surrounded by barbarians. Like the Americans they have a bit of a thing for loving with the third world like that affair in Rwanda in the 90's or that whole mess they started in Vietnam. They do make good films though and one can't help but admire how they riot over pretty much anything worth rioting over.
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May 20, 2014 00:20
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A barbell along with weights is one of the first things that comes to mind when considering things that might not be worth transatlantic shipping. A barbell is like €20 at decathlon, i doubt you can have one shipped for that.
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May 20, 2014 13:53
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FreudianSlippers posted:The French are basically the Americans of Europe in that nobody likes them because they are seen as being jingoistic jerks who won't learn any other languages and see France as a unique bastion of freedom surrounded by barbarians. Like the Americans they have a bit of a thing for loving with the third world like that affair in Rwanda in the 90's or that whole mess they started in Vietnam. Literally all of these things are true of Britain as well.
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May 20, 2014 16:36
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