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1. 

   Young Zell
   

   Novice
   Joined: Jan '12
   Posts: 5

   Bonjour,

   I'm a 23 yo French student finishing my master degree (in chemical engineering).
   I come from a family with strong military background. My mom retire from the french navy at 35 yo and my father was already sick when I was born. Since I never saw my parents worked, the rat race never really make sense for me.
   In college, I played some poker to pay the bill was friend with a bunch of poker players and when they drop-out to become player pro, I chicken out (This path was too uncertain for me) and stay in college :P (2 are "living the dream" in Thailand and 3 came back completely broke)
   I'm currently living on my scholarship (~440€*10/year)and government help(~120€) and thinking about starting a phd ( because the french system sucks). Oh, and I have a loan of 10k€ :( Doesn't sound like much but education is nearly free here.
   After my PhD, I would like to work in Switzerland or in Canada, living as frugally as I can for 7-8 years and came back in France for my retirement.
   I like to run and I am a gamer since I got my NES when I was 3. :)
   Still taking my firsts steps in ER with good hope :)

   Cheers !

   Posted 1 year ago #
2. 

   YoungAndWise
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Dec '10
   Posts: 151

   Welcome to ERE forums!

   Posted 1 year ago #
3. 

   Chad
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 1,001

   Welcome. I may be wrong, but you may be the first French person on here.

   Posted 1 year ago #
4. 

   Young Zell
   

   Novice
   Joined: Jan '12
   Posts: 5

   To be honest, I would not be surprised. French have an implicit don't ask; don't tell policy about money and we love to talk about how we are a bunch of slackers (35hr/week [in theory], retirement at 62 yo...). Not really a good spirit for ER/ERE imo.
   Oh, and we are terrible with English :P

   Posted 1 year ago #
5. 

   secretwealth
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jun '11
   Posts: 1,510

   Bienvenue! I adore your avatar.

   I'd like to hear whether you think France/EU in general is an ERE-friendly spot from a financial perspective. Seeing some gorgeous houses in the French countryside for less than $100k, the fantasy of French pastoral life can be overwhelming.

   Posted 1 year ago #
6. 

   palmera
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Aug '11
   Posts: 270

   Ahhh secretwealth, I was just browsing through French countryside houses the other day, as France is a definite ERE option for me. I've lived in the French countryside for a few months, once upon a time, and I loved it. Even being obviously "not from around these parts," I found the people curious, polite, and eventually, incredibly warm.

   Young Zell, bienvenue au forums. C'est pas mal, l'idee de travailler ici au Canada ou aux E.U., puis retraiter en France apres quelques annees! Bon courage et tenez nous au courant!

   Posted 1 year ago #
7. 

   Young Zell
   

   Novice
   Joined: Jan '12
   Posts: 5

   @secretwealth : I can't speak for Europe as a whole but I know eastern europe is underrated : Hungary, for example, is a lovely country. For France, if you are looking for a slower pace, you will find happiness in Le midi. I lived for 20 years in Aude (maybe you know the fortress of Carcassonne ?) and it's not unusual to find early retirees (mainly from the UK). France is a rural country and if you don't mind living in a village, your life can be really cheap. The Universal Medical Coverage is great but I think you need to live in France for 5 years nowadays. You can live a relatively frugal life for 500€ (650$) if you don't have to pay a rent and/or grow some food. The tax system can be problematic if you don't check the tax treaties. I'm not really an expert. :P

   @palmera : Je dois avouer que j'ai toujours eu une faiblesse pour le Canada. Même si j'ai peur du froid. Your french is great btw, i'm impressed :)

   Posted 1 year ago #
8. 

   GandK
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Sep '11
   Posts: 271

   Your English is great; it's much better than my French! :-)

   Welcome, and good luck.

   Posted 1 year ago #

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