What we believe in
- Community: If you’re reading this, you’ve considered moving to France. Currently, there are two main categories of resources for people who want to move to France.
- “Handholders”, also sometimes known as relocation experts
- Facebook Groups
- That leaves a BIG gap and one, in particular, lacking in the solutions that are best provided by a community.
- It’s lonely doing this: Moving to France from another country is not typical; most people having come upon this notion, will not be immediately surrounded by like-minded, France-fascinated peers.
- And occasionally snarky: By nature, conversations in Facebook Groups conversations are useful but often a bit chaotic, occasionally mean, and hard to keep track of. We provide a conversation that has depth and is both facilitated and curated. By nature, hand-holders and other similar professionals may offer you real expertise, but it is one set of expertise. Communities can offer multiple.
- Facebook Groups and hand-holders can be terrific resources, we simply would like to add two missing tools
- ongoing, supportive, and facilitated community. That means no bullies or snark. That means a range of voices (but none of them uncivil).
- findable information — mostly from someone who’s directly experienced moving there
2. Affordability: If you have unlimited financial resources, you probably will have all the help you need. We will strive to offer affordable tools and solutions, i.e. reachable for the person whose means are somewhere between modest and middle-class. We’re committed to keeping costs modest. If our providers charge a fee, it is capped at a modest, but fair amount.
3. Generosity: We think that the people who have moved to France from other countries are truly remarkable — no, astonishing — for their willingness to help others who are on the same path. We want this to be the hallmark of this site. At the same time, generosity also doesn’t expect everything for nothing. Providers here can ask a reasonable fee for their time (or donate their time to a charity.) The people who keep the site working can expect a modest wage. Part of our ethical commitment to this community and this site:
- Nobody is here to get rich.
- Some people are crazy smart AND crazy generous. You may see providers who charge a fee but donate it to charity. (See the list of choices here)
- We all give each other the benefit of the doubt.
- Everybody wants to help in one way or another.
- Kindness is required in all things. No exceptions. In specific, we strive to make all of our conversations, both in text and on Zoom constructive. Here are our ground rules for online discussion
