Sunday, September 30, 2007

A pain in the...

Well, it has been easy to praise the French health service, simply because it is so good. However, to give the promised feedback on experiences with dental care, it has to be said that there seems to be a weak spot in what is otherwise a superb system.

The local dentist here is excellent but there are others in the local towns and villages, so choice is not a problem at all. Just recently, though, in what can only be described as a rare lapse, the local guy overlooked an infection and sealed it in! The point here is not about this mistake, as we all make them, even if it did result in truly excruciating pain... no, this is about what you do on a Sunday when your toothache is so intolerable that it cannot be endured until Monday.

Well, the local dentist did not give an emergency number, and one could not be found in the telephone listings. A call to the local hospital asking if they knew someone resulted in the suggestion that the hospital in a town 45 minutes away has an emergency dentist - but checking with them also resulted in a blank! Fortunately, someone had the presence of mind to suggest that the ambulance service might keep a number and, hurray, the unfailing emergency services came up with a dentist working on Sunday morning - and he was excellent, even if he said that it would be necessary to remove the nerves!

So, a happy ending really, although is worth noting that this was not one of the local dentists, but a practice in a large town 50 kms away. Perhaps this would not surprise most people, but it was a shock to find that it was such a problem here, where every other aspect of medical care is so great. Why don't the local dentists have a rota for out-of-hours work, like pharmacies, I wonder?

The moral of this post? I guess whatever country you are in, just keep brushing...

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Retiring but not so shy...

Spending one's retirement in the sunny South of France is an attractive idea, particularly for those from cooler, damper climes, such as Brits! So, imagine the furore in the last few days as the rumour machines have generated the idea that France will no longer honour the international agreements on reciprocal healthcare! Naturally, this is a subject of keen interest for anyone, but particularly for the more senior who have been strongly voicing their concern!!

Of course there is always some truth associated with rumours and apparently there are proposals on this which have not yet been formalised but which have already been misinterpreted! Apparently what France is actually saying is that it will meet its obligations to those who have officially retired but it proposes to make a stand on the matter of those chosing to retire to France at an early age, whom it says it will no longer subsidise. I must say that I had not realised that such people had slipped through the health system net here.

Anyway, it seems that there is no need for concern if you are at official retirement age - however, if you have made your pile, and want to sit back on it, then you will probably have to part with a little for your healthcare cover for a while! As France boasts the finest health system in the world, I can only say that this would be a good investment. However, all this illustrates the point that when considering relocating to any country it is important to check not only what amenities are available but what reciprocal arrangements may be in place - and, if none, what full health cover will cost, at any age...


Photo: Roxana Gonzalez

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Bonjour, hola, buongiorno, guten tag...

To return to the subject of language, but in the context of continuing the theme of expats and citizenship, it was interesting to read earlier this month of the UK government's intention to extend the requirements for immigrant workers to the UK to provide proof a certain minimum ability in the English language; apparently only "highly skilled" workers were required to prove that they could speak English adequately but the move now is to include "skilled" workers in this - and perhaps even to go further and require this of "low-skilled" people. We have tended here to describe those living in another country as "expats" and the description "imigrant workers" does give this a rather ruthless economic context, but I suppose that not all expats actually work in their host country. I wonder if that exempts them from language requirements!

Anyway, these new initiatives are apparently supported by the new Prime Minister and it should be said that the UK is not alone in seeking a certain minimum standard in use of the language of the host country - France certainly has such intentions. Provided that this is used with the best of intentions, one can only think that this must help integration in society in the long run. For personal experience, I can demonstrate a reasonable use of French in my expat or immigrant worker status, but I am sure that I was greatly helped when first arriving by having retained a fairly decent amount of French from school days, even if it was rusty.

In this vein, one cannot help wondering if those who support these recent moves were also advocates, in 2004, of changes in teaching policy for English secondary schools; according to a recent BBC article, the teaching of foreign languages became optional then! Well, it seems to have long been thought that the British are not keen to use other languages but it is not surprising to learn now that the numbers studying German have declined by 40% in the last six years - and there is also a drop of 37% in the case of those learning French.

Now if this policy were to be extended to schools internationally, perhaps eventually no country would have immigrant workers! And this blog will become redundant...

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Fellow citizens...

Having survived the recent dental work I return with another major consideration for the expat. Does one take on citizenship in the host country? And, if so, how is that regarded within that country and by outsiders?

For temporary overseas postings, contract work, etc., there have long been agreements between countries for granting visas for living and working for a comparatively short period and systems for extending those permits. However, everything needs to be considered differently for a permanent move and one's rights within a country can depend on your country of origin. I have already recounted how obtaining a Carte de Sejour (the permit to live and work in France) used to be more straightforward than trying to register overseas cars in the country! Nevertheless, the residency permits were a fairly time consuming task, requiring you to provide endless personal documents, including proof that you had the means to support yourself - and one had to go through a renewal process every few years, the duration depending on one's circumstances.

Of course, the way around this requirement was eventually to apply for citizenship of the country, to obtain all the full rights of any French person. For many going to another country this is actually the only way to obtain security in another country, assuming that the application is accepted.

Well, Brits in France have not needed a Carte de Sejour for a few years now, following European agreements passing into French law and giving people from certain other European countries the automatic right to live and work in France. Despite this, there are those who still consider taking on citizenship - perhaps for added security or even just out of affection for their adopted country. Perhaps also another level of commitment to their "no going back" decision.

It is obviously understood if people need to apply for citizenship in order to live and work in a country and that was probably the reason for which most did it. However, how is that regarded when it is purely optional. Would some outsiders condemn it as "going native"? Do nationals of the host country truly accept you as one of them after you have passed through this process? Perhaps that depends on the individual but my feeling in the case of Brits in France is that one needs to ask the question is it appropriate personally to take this step - will one feel French and be accepted as such? Perhaps if there are children this might influence the decision, especially if they are born in the country.

However, perhaps rather than trying to adopt a specific nationality we should actually embrace the notion of being Europeans, as that is where the initiatives originated to abandon all the permits and start to break down some national boundaries. If we have children born in the new country then they will have the option to make their own choice later, rather than having the adopted nationality thrust upon them. Perhaps this approach will gradually help us all to feel citizens of the world rather than trying to maintain nationalist barriers. But then perhaps we need to consider if unique cultures may gradually be eroded...


Photo: Chance Agrella



Monday, September 3, 2007

Lessons not yet learnt...

This time it has been raging toothache that has kept me away for a few days - and coping with the cocktail of painkillers and other medications that are to prepare the way for the work to be done! I think I have learned a little about the French dental service already in this process but will save any comments on that until the worst is over!

What I have been reflecting on, in the odd lucid moment, is another big subject for many expats which we are certain to come back to regularly - EDUCATION - particularly in the context of another major consideration - a second language. This combination can impact significantly on decisions about relocating as is illustrated by the family whose circumstances prompted these thoughts. All other important aspects of their considering moving to France point towards going ahead but what do you do about schooling for young teenagers? Is it realistic to ask them to learn the language adequately enough in situ to be able to be taught their other subjects in that language - or should they learn the language before making the move, thereby postponing everything?

Of course international schools can be an option but their availability can be limited - however, perhaps it is feasible to plan the relocation based on access to such a school. It is hard to say though how suitable an international school may be when the family is making a permanent move as there is inevitably a segregation from the local community and the kids may find it harder to enjoy a normal life and make local friends when they are separated in this way. It may be easy to underestimate the adaptability of children but most people will realise that the wrong decision on this can be a gamble with the education of their children. Perhaps there is an age threshold up to which the risk is slight. It would be interesting to hear any first hand experiences that can be passed on to others contemplating such a move...