What’s it like to have your home in France but work in the UK? Gillian Harvey talks to British expats who do this to find out how they divide their lives between work and play
“I SPEND LONG WEEKENDS AT HOME IN FRANCE”
Like many British Francophiles, Alan Davey and his wife Jane had long planned to move to France for retirement. However, changes in legislation due to Brexit meant they made the leap a little earlier than they had planned. “We’d bought the house five years ago and finally moved in 2022, after Brexit pushed us into a situation where we had to make a decision,” Alan explains.
Not yet ready for retirement, Alan continues to work as chief operating officer for a bathroom supplier in the UK and commutes each week from his home in the Alps to London via plane – arriving on a Monday morning and returning on a Thursday.
“The commute takes around six hours, including travel to and from airports,” says Alan. “The flight takes an hour and 15 minutes, so it’s not too bad.” He'd already had experience of travelling for work when he moved to France, so is used to long commutes. “When my children were at home, my family always stayed in the same house in the UK and I’d travel to work,” he explains. “It was a way of giving them a stable childhood and consistent schooling. I used to spend lots of time living in hotels, so it’s not so different.”
Alan pays tax in the UK and France, and most of his work is carried out in the UK. “I operate under an A1 as I’m an employee rather than being a contractor,” he explains. “I have private healthcare to cover me in France.”
While commuting is working well, Alan is looking forward to retiring fully to France in around five years’ time. “Living in France is great,” he says. “The natural pace of life here creates a real break when I’m home. I enjoy my job, but I’d happily retire tomorrow to live here full time!”
“WORKING ONE WEEK IN THREE GIVES MY LIFE BALANCE”
When Donna McDougall first moved to France in 2012, she gave up her job as a specialist veterinary surgeon and had no intention of commuting for work. However, she has since returned to practice and found commuting gives her a great way of life. “I was working about two days a week until 2012 when I left the UK with Brian, my then partner,” she says. “We settled on the border of Normandy and Pays de la Loire and were very happy, but sadly in 2016 he died.
“I knew I wanted to stay in France, but began to miss the intellec
