Real Life: 3 Top Tips on Moving to France from Expats

Most people move to France with the intention of integrating, but how easy is it to be accepted into the heart of the local community? Gillian Harvey talks to three couples who’ve done just that…

Ryan and Agnes Hesser, Aỹ-Champagne

When Ryan, a former options trader, and his wife Agnes, an interior designet, moved from Chicago in the US to Af-Champagne in the Marne department, they were keen to integrate themselves into village life. “We’d previously been living in a 250-unit, 30-storey building. Although we were surrounded by people, we never really got to know our neighbours.”

After exploring locations on a four-month sabbatical in 2019, the couple decided on France and the Grand Ch village of Ay. “Aj-Champagne has a lovely small-town feel to it, but it’s still close to Paris,” says Agnes, 45. “It’s pretty, and seemed the perfect place to open a B&B. Plus we love champagne and there are 30 local champagne houses!” Having moved to France in 2021, the couple rented before settling on their perfect property in April 2022: an 18th-century former champagne maker’s house in the heart of the small village.

Keen to integrate, the pair had enrolled in French classes at Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne for three months from September 2021. “It was full time, 30 hours a week. But we felt that we should master as much French as possible. The house needed a lot of renovation and we knew once we opened the B&B we might not have time.”

While Agnes, who is already bilingual in English and Polish, has progressed further than Ryan with her French, both have found that locals appreciate them speaking the language, even if their grammar still needs work at times. For them, the secret to their successful integration seems to have been showing an interest in the local community and showing that they’re here to stay. “I run a lot of errands, so they know me at the bakery and the mayor’s office,” says Ryan. “The village used to have. a happy hour once a month and we’d go to that. The more you show you’re a resident and committed to living here, the more people warm to you.”

And it seems this strategy has been very successful: “My husband is the village pet, popular and loved,” says Agnes. “Everyone refers to him as ‘our American.”
The pair have also spent time learning to live their life in more of a French way. “You need to adjust your speed in France – and be patient. If someone comes out of their house, you stop and have a short chat. We have respect for the culture – always say hello and thank you. It’s that kind of thing that really counts.”
What might also show the pair’s commitment to France is the small French flag outside their B&B. “I noticed the pole on the front of the house and thought why not?” Ryan says. “It makes us easier to find!”

maisonadeuxmains.com

Keith and Laura Springham

British-born baker Keith, now 59, and his wife Laura, a US native, met in Bermuda in 2008 and lived on the island until 2015, three years after the birth of their son Patrick, now 12. “The cost of living in Bermuda is really high and the pace of life is fast,” explains Laura, 47.

“We wanted to find somewhere conducive to family life where we could open a business. “Keith knew two people with holiday places in France: one in Brittany and the other in the Pyrénées. We decided to explore France – working our way between the two – and find a place to settle.” The pair eventually decided to purchase a house in Charente in 2016.

Keith and Laura initially opened a B&B, offering baking and music classes alongside holiday accommodation, but professional violinist Laura also eventually hoped to become part of the local musical community. “I enrolled Patrick at the nearby École de Musique straightaway, but knew my language would have to improve before I could teach there myself.”

To make connections, Laura began volunteering for a local orchestra, Ensemble Josquin des Près, close to Poitiers shortly after their arrival. “The orchestra has a mix of amateur and professional players, but I initially offered to play for free to improve my French.” Learning the language was a priority for the pair, both of whom had only studied it at school. They enrolled in one-to-one classes then moved to a weekly group session, putting in lots of practice. “I liken it to learning an instrument,” says Laura. “You want to pick it up and play a concerto straightaway, but it takes time and a lot of practice.”

Having spoken to the music school about her interest in teaching several times over the years, Laura was finally given an opportunity in 2019. “I was asked to fill in for a teacher on maternity leave for six months.” This led to a series of other short-term contracts, and Laura became known locally as a music teacher.

“I teach a small group of students privately, so have got to know them and their parents; and I’m known as someone who can step in when needed with the local school.” Laura also plays at weddings and other local events. Since moving to France, the couple have welcomed Béatrice, eight, to their family. Having children has also provided more inroads into local life through the parents’ associations and sports clubs.

Crucially, the pair have realised that being integrated does not necessarily mean letting go of your British identity entirely. In fact, they have learned to embrace their Britishness, closing their B&B and taking over a local “British-themed’ café in 2020. “I feel part of the community but I’ll never sound or look French, I’ve accepted that and even embrace it,” says Laura. “However, I’m hoping to get citizenship later this year, and this means that my children will have three passports. It’s the best of all worlds!”

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Andrew and Saskia Jackson, Valence-sur-Baise

When former funeral celebrant and photographer Andrew, 59, and his wife Saskia, 53, a former landscape architect, decided they wanted to run a business together, a B&B seemed the perfect choice. “My family ran self-catering accommodation when I was younger and I’d always loved hosting,” explains Saskia.
After exploring options across the UK, the couple turned to France and found everything they were looking for. “France was an affordable place and also one that people love to visit, so it seemed ideal.”

The pair chose the commune of Valence-sur-Baise in the Gers department in which to settle, purchasing a property in the heart of the village in 2018.
As making connections was a priority for Andrew and Saskia, the first thing they did was to introduce themselves: “Neither of us spoke much French-I did an A-level equivalent at school and Andrew didn’t have any French-so we decided to write a letter saying who we were and how we’d love to get to know our neighbours.”

Surprisingly, though, they only received one response, from a local English couple who popped around to say hello. “We were disappointed at first, but then when we started to talk to people a bit more they’d say, ‘Oh! You’re the couple who sent the letter!”. They’d been delighted with it, but had waited to meet us naturally,” says Saskia.

But the real inroad into community life came when a neighbour invited Saskia along to a local history club meeting in the summer of 2019. “In all honesty, I don’t have a great interest in history, but I treated it as an opportunity to get more involved in the community,” explains Saskia. “I started helping out at events they were running. Over time, Andrew and I volunteered for everything we could. For example, in 2023, local residents decided to create a fairy walk in the nearby woodland and we went along to pitch in. I offered to translate some of the history club’s information into English to broaden the impact of the group. And I helped put on the medieval fair last year.”

Saskia also discovered that giving it a go was more important than using the correct grammar when she tried to speak French. “We’re still learning, we’re by no means fluent, but it doesn’t matter. You have a go.” Though less gregarious, Andrew has also made a place for himself in the local community by pitching in. “Andrew likes to help when an extra pair of hands is needed, and he finds that many of our French neighbours welcome the chance to practice their English with him.”

Saskia has become such a part of local life that she was asked if she’d like to participate in the 2026 community elections. “I decided to stay out of political life,” she says. “I prefer to get involved in my own way. We use the local shop, local hairdresser, buy our breakfast in local bakeries. Last year we even helped with the crib to midnight mass – and it was our job to put the baby Jesus in his manger on the stroke of midnight. “My advice would be just keep showing up, pitch in and help out in any way you can and you’ll soon become like part of the furniture.”

lepetit-cochon.fr