Subtracting the ads...

Controversial as always, it seems that President Sarkozy intends to press ahead with plans designed to remove advertising gradually from French public television. Similar to the UK, there is a television licence in France, the income from which goes part-way to funding the several public channels, but this is currently supplemented by advertising revenues. In order to make good the inevitable shortfall created by banning advertising, it seems the intention is to increase taxes on other media, including private television (whose advertising revenues are sure to increase) as well as internet and telecoms companies.

Of course, as there are so many vested interests at stake, there has been the inevitable uproar on all sides - and, apart from financial interests, there are those who believe that this will eventually lead to public television being pushed to the sidelines in France. Well, we will see, but if one makes a comparison with the UK's BBC, then perhaps one could see the potential for greater independence in programme making, editorial content, etc.

Here at 245 and Counting, sweltering in the South of France as temperatures hit 30°C and everyone heads for the Mediterranean, it is perfect timing to point out that you will usually find on this blog a few links to associates and affiliate advertisers, which can include hotel booking service, holiday rental accommodation, French house hunting services, commercial currency exchange, etc.

These limited links do make a small contribution to running the blog and hopefully do not prejudice our content - but then, of course, we are not able to do away with advertising and simply raise a few taxes here and there...

Photo: fito

A friend for life... style...

An amazing story is approaching its conclusion today - earlier this year an expat Brit in Australia announced that, following parting with his wife, he would be selling up in order to make a fresh start and perhaps enjoy a life-changing adventure. OK, so what is so unusual about someone selling up in such circumstances?

Well, this is unusual in that what is being sold is not just his house and some possessions - Ian Usher came up with the unique idea of putting up for auction his entire expat lifestyle - this is to include not only his Perth home but also its entire contents and the trappings of his life, such as jet ski, motor bike, parachuting equipment. Not content to leave it at the purely material, he has also included the chance to take over his job (his employers have agreed to offer the buyer a trial with a view to full-time employment) as well as introductions to his circle of friends. Yes, to enable him to offer the complete lifestyle package, his friends agreed to meet the highest bidder. Great friends indeed!

Bidding is under way today and of course we wish him all the luck in raising the funds for his new adventure!

This does add a fascinating dimension to the expat experience, though. We see many expats here making key decisions about their home in terms of an investment for the future - particularly thinking that there may be a time when they will want to sell up and move on or return "home". So, people will often consider their property type and location as much for later reselling as for their own pleasure - and many will renovate and develop properties purely for the investment potential. Quite normal, of course.

However, whereas Mr Usher had this great idea when he needed to make a change, what if people considered building from the outset a complete expat experience, with a view to its future value? Might that also influence the type of work we find, what pastimes we enjoy and possessions we acquire... and even where we like to be seen and the friends we make? Imagine becoming a friend for your investment value!

Well, enhancing a property is one thing but the idea of developing a lifestyle for its later value is a fascinating thought - now did I mention my good friend the ambassador...



BBC News: Bidding begins on 'entire life'

Announcing new services in the Languedoc...

A slight aside from our usual expat observations now... to announce our new sister enterprise offering business support services in the Languedoc region of the South of France.

D'OC Management specifically aims to help English speaking expats with a business in the region with a range of services including... web design, marketing and advertising services, copywriting, etc... interior design for home or business... admin. and bookkeeping / secretariat services... and relocation support for those making the move to the region...

D'OC Management

If you are an existing or new expat in the Languedoc these services may help with various aspects of your new life, particularly if you have a business - but we hope you will also continue to visit 245 and Counting from time-to-time...

Expat? Well, almost...

An aspect we have not touched on much, but which is perhaps a significant phenomenon, is the "part-time" expat!

Is such a thing really possible? Well, there are those who want to enjoy the pleasures of one or more other countries without making the full commitment and that is quite possible simply by way of regular extended holidays, especially if you have the free time, such as in retirement. Here we certainly see many Brits in this situation who want to maintain the security of a base in the UK but enjoy as much time as they can in France, for the pleasures of the culture, climate, cuisine, etc. - just the same as any expats really.

However, a recent conversation brought home how careful one needs to be as a part-timer in this context. In any foreign country one should be sure of one's rights of part-time residency and what the implications may be in breaking the rules, even inadvertently. In this particular case, this part-time expat said that she loved life in France and that, although she is maintaining tax residency in the UK for access to the health service there, she is now spending "most of her time" in France.

On hearing that if one spends 183 days per annum in France then one automatically becomes tax resident here, this friend said that she is never here for that long at a stretch and regularly returns to the UK for a few days. This emphasises the need to know exactly how you stand in any country because in the case of France it is purely a matter of how many days you spend here in a year, rather than the length of any visit, and that friend should probably be declaring herself tax resident in France - and making contributions to the French health system!

So, if you are enjoying the part-time expat life, get proper advice - or hope you don't break a leg enjoying your alternative lifestyle...

No rest...

Continuing the theme of public holidays, since the May Day celebrations and demonstrations (on the first of the month), we have had VE Day last Thursday (Victory in Europe 1945) and the coming Monday is another holiday, being Pentecost. Now none of these are UK holidays but during this month the Brits enjoy their Early May holiday (5th) and Spring bank holiday (26th).

What is the point of listing all these holidays? Well, as usual, it is a matter of the expat's perspective and what is the most appropriate course given a choice about holidays. For example, in the day job we have British clients and some expect us to be working on French holidays, as we specialise in services for English speakers. So, should we observe the British holidays instead? Well, our French associates certainly expect us to be working when they are, so that does not work either.

Of course, many expats who are employed in their host countries have no say in the matter and have to observe the local practices. Personally I am not too worried about these holidays but there is a danger in our situation that we end up taking no days at all! Having tried to compromise between the two we have found that is no solution, so perhaps the best approach as an expat should be to observe the traditions and holidays of our hosts, in the interests of goodwill and integration - and ask our British clients to understand that.

OK, that seems like a good decision... apart from Boxing Day, of course - now, even if our French friends and colleagues are back to work that day, the Christmas period would not be the same if we did not enjoy that extra holiday, of uniquely British origin! Well, I wonder if we can do it this year...

Expat resources...

Following the last post about expats needing to get it right when they move to their host country, one can of course find a lot of information sources on the web for expats, particularly for specific countries. However, a great point of reference must be the expat section of the web site of The Telegraph newspaper - as well as providing a wealth of resources for specific information, the extensive pages here give a broader view of living and working abroad including feature articles and a "Useful Links and Contacts" section - all presented in an easy-to-use magazine format...

Expat - Telegraph

May protest too much...

May is a popular month in France with a few public holidays to enjoy. However, most holidays have a meaning and this week we had May Day, on the first day of the month, with a double significance - as mentioned before, it was both Labour Day and Ascension Day.

There are many holidays with religious origins but here we saw some May Day demonstrations linked to the work and employment theme - how unusual for France! One side of the protests involved an on-going battle between the government and unions on pension rights; another might have appeared a little ironic, but we saw illegal workers protesting for the first time about how they are exploited - apparently a major problem throughout Europe, where in fact the growing illegal work forces actually make a significant contribution to the economies.

Of course, one can see that one being hotly debated but it brought to mind the personal experience of registering fully in France to work legally, register to pay contributions, and have the associated rights in terms of healthcare, etc. However, as an expat it is very easy to make incorrect assumptions about how things might work in your host country, especially when only moving within European countries, and to get things drastically wrong.

So, it is important that all expats should take advice from official sources, or professional advisers, to ensure that they do not accidentally end up working illegally - otherwise, when the authorities point the finger, you may not find a handy May Day protest to join...