I hope someone has a good reference for you...from my experiences, a relocation specialist might very well be worth the money!

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Hi Antifreeze,

Relocation agencies typically work for companies who transfer their employees internationally. When my American company sent me to Paris in 2000, they paid a relocation agent to handle the paperwork for my Carte de Séjour and to help me find an apartment. This last part was extremely helpful because she took down my criteria, performed a first troll through the available places, and set up NINE visits for us to see them all in one day. Afterward she may have assisted a bit in signing the lease but pretty much disappeared. Fortunately my French wasn't too bad, so I was able to do the entrance inventory, get my utilities set up, and figure out how to furnish the place. The agency may have coordinated the international shipping/moving company as well, but I had to do all liaison work with them once in France (like finding out where my stuff was, setting up the delivery with an exterior elevator, etc.) I also handled the OFII and prefecture visits, setting up the bank account, getting a mobile phone, figuring out transportation to work, finding a doctor and other essential "settling in" tasks on my own. I had never lived in Paris, was on my own and knew nobody.
As you know, Antifreeze, I have set up a company in the Languedoc to assist English-speakers settling into life in France who don't have relocation services paid by their employer. Seeing how challenging it was for me, and I spoke French!, I would have gladly paid my own money for more assistance in those early months. And while most relocation companies focus on the housing search and the stay visa, I believe a successful integration depends on feeling comfortable with all aspects of your new life, from getting the lay of the land and venturing out a bit, to understanding daily life and customs, being able to get around in French, pursuing your passions, and creating a social circle. We call our offering "re-nesting services." :-)
Best of luck finding the services you need.

Dennelle
www.renestance.com

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Hi Antifreeze,

I run such a relocation company called pleasehelp.fr and we help individuals relocate to France, advise and guide through a multitude of tasks. all the time. Its not only about the language, its about the process and the knock on effect if you get it wrong. We're here to make sure it doesn't go wrong.

go to our site, maybe we can help.

thanks

John

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If you are going to arrive and go to work on Monday morning, then it's probably not a bad idea.

If you are retired, it may not be as big a deal if you are reasonably comfortable figuring things out for yourself.

I have relocated half a dozen times to various countries over the last 26 years. I arrive, find a place to rent and then go about arranging the things I need to arrange that a relocation service would help someone do.

I've never found anything I was unable to do for myself although some have been more frustrating than others thanks to the highly developed ability to make things complicated that some petty bureaucrats manage to make them.

One coping skill I have learned is to NEVER expect to complete anything on any given visit to a government office. Always expect to be told you now need to do some other thing and then come back yet again. If you adopt this attitude, one day you will be surprised to be told, it's done. That's a good excuse to go out and have a celebratory drink.

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Antifreeze,

is there any help we can give you? I run a relocation company nationwide in France!

pleasehelp.fr is our site please check us out.

I'd love to help

Thanks

John

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OldPro is right (once again), relocation services are mostly about saving you time, hassle, and possibly money. If you have time and patience, and aren't distraught at the thought of paying for something that wasn't necessary, you might as well learn by doing. Even when our retired clients take a turn-key VIP service (where we do everything on their behalf), we still welcome them to come down to administrative office with us to see how things work. And OldPro is right again about rarely getting anything done in the first go!

Dennelle
www.renestance.com

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Hi I might just add that with relocation companies make sure they are a real company, with a SIRET number and of course they have an ORIAS number (the law as from the 4th July 2016). Those numbers make them legal to help you and give advice, take your documents and so on.

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As an example, I once had to get a Greek Residency document. What is required is that you go to a local municipal office to get a form to fill out; fill it out; affix a stamp to it and hand it in. Sounds simple.

Step 1: Get the form, this may take 5 minutes or a couple of hours if there is a lineup. One line for ALL people there to do anything at all. Some people may spend half an hour with the clerk you are standing in line waiting to just ask for a form.

Step 2: Return with the form filled out and wait to see the same clerk. When you get to the clerk, then and only then does s/he tell you that you need to affix a stamp to it. The stamps are sold at any street cigarette kiosk.
http://greece.greekreporter.com/files/periptero23-600x450.jpg

Step 3: So off you go to get a stamp.

Step 4: Then return to the office and wait in line once again. When you get back to the clerk, the clerk looks it over and then tells you to take it to room 216 (example).

Step 5: You locate room 216 and wait in line again. When you get to this clerk, s/he looks over the form and rubber stamps it. S/he then tells you to return with it to the first clerk again.

Step 6: You line up again and when you get to the clerk, hand over your stamped (lick and stick) and rubber stamped form. S/he looks it over once again, puts it on top of a pile and tells you to come back in a couple of weeks to ask if your Residency document is available for pickup.

The above steps may all happen in one day but are more likely to take you a couple of days to accomplish since coffee breaks; lunch breaks and closing times all affect the amount of time a clerk is actually at his/her desk working.

I once arrived at an office at 4.30pm only to find it closed. Closing time was 5.00pm. When I asked another worker why, I was told that the clerk's wife was sick and so the clerk had to go pick up his kids from the daycare. Obviously, he can't be in 2 places at one time. So that office is closed.

Step 7: After a couple of weeks you return, wait in line and ask if your Residency document is there for pick-up. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Rinse and repeat.

That might sound like I am making a good case to use a relocation service. LOL But on the other hand, it sure helps you to understand how things work for everything.

My favourite was when I was waiting for a relatively important letter to arrive. After looking for it in my mailbox every day for a week or so, I noticed that no mail at all was arriving for any apartment. So I asked my landlord if there was a Postal Service strike or something.

His reply was, 'This is August, the mailman takes his vacation in August.' That was it, one simple sentence which to him explained the situation completely.

If the mailman is on vacation, obviously he isn't there to deliver the mail. Logical, Greeks are very logical.

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Hello.
I hired please help.fr in February when I was still in the US.
I can't say enough good things about this company.
They helped me through the very tedious process of acquiring all the documentation I needed for my long sejour visa, including the French translations.
I arrived in June.
The company had my temporary rental waiting for me, accompanied me to a bank to successfully set up an account, handled rental cars, train tickets, a B&B along the way.
They have arranged both health and rental insurance, assisted me with property purchase information and expertise, bought me a new cell phone, arranged delivery of Internet, tv, landline hardware, arranged cell phone provider.
It would take another 100 lines to list everything they have done for me in the past nine months.
I bought a one year package with please help.fr.
They have been unfailingly prompt, professional and amazingly efficient in helping me with every single thing I have needed.
It is without a doubt, the best value for a service for which I have ever contracted.
The owner, John Dislins, has even rescued me when I have been lost
by googling my location and phoning me with directions.
I have given them the ringtone of the theme of Star Wars, because every time they respond, it is as if something magical is about to happen.
As an older women in Sète, I was hesitant to engage a company based in Bordeaux, but help is only a phone call away, and I have often handed the phone to French officials or company representatives, and everything has always worked out perfectly.
I certainly plan to engage them for another year, as I wade through upcoming visa renewal, taxes, and who knows what else lies ahead in this adventure of immigrating to France.
Good luck to you.

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I only wish I had found John earlier! I spoke to him on the phone but I was almost done with the long and arduous process by then. Since I was buying a vacation home, moving to France first and renting while getting bank accounts set up, buying a house, etc., didn't work for me. And since I'm not in the U.K. or in any EU country I couldn't just drive down every other weekend. John would have saved me an enormous amount of stress, and I can at least suggest to Americans who are in my situation that they utilize his (or a similar) company. Worth it!

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I believe you, but it's a bit hard to judge without having a n y idea what the specialist fees could be. Any kind of ballpark idea would be so helpful....
Merci!

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I believe you, but it's a bit hard to judge without having a n y idea what the specialist fees could be. Any kind of ballpark idea would be so helpful....
Merci!

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It's very easy to get a fee quote from a relocation specialist. You can look up their website and read about service costs or phone them. Fees vary, depending on whether or not you are buying a one-time event service or a group of services, and sometimes for how long you would like assistance. I checked out three companies, speaking with an agent and reading online, before I made a decision.

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It's very easy to get a fee quote from a relocation specialist. You can look up their website and read about service costs or phone them. Fees vary, depending on whether or not you are buying a one-time event service or a group of services, and sometimes for how long you would like assistance. I checked out three companies, speaking with an agent and reading online, before I made a decision.

Post a Reply

00abuse