Most expats agree that living in France is great, croissants, baguettes, markets and all the wonderful things that make daily life so special. But if your French isn’t entirely up to speed yet, or you’re not au fait with all the administration requirements, life here can be a bit daunting. And there are times when, even if you’ve lived here a while, you’ll come across a bit of bureaucracy that you’ve not encountered before – and that’s when you need French Admin Assistance, a team that helps you sort things out quickly.
Red tape and paperwork, conversations with officials, making sure you’ve understood exactly what you need to do in the tax office, at the bank, registering or buying a car, sorting out your health care, dealing with online registrations for this, that and the other – the list goes on. France has a reputation for its red tape and bureaucracy. Making yourself understood, while also making sure you have understood the detail – and got all the boxes ticked, well, that’s not always easy.
Cue French Admin Assistance – admin support for expats in France
As you get to grips with the language (and you will, it just takes time), and even when you do, you’ll find something will crop up you’ve never dealt with and have no idea which forms to fill in or which system to use. It can make expat life an awful lot easier if you get a little help.
French Admin Assistance is run by Andy and Gemma, who have lived and worked in France for some 25 years in a variety of different careers. Fully bilingual, they have considerable experience of all the many nuances and niggles of expat life and the French system, whether that’s work, health or home. They operate all over France and are quick to deal with your requests and follow up with results so that you don’t have to worry. They deal with a simple ‘can you make a phone call for me’, to helping you renew your carte de sejour, and every aspect of expat life from tax, to property, business registration and more.
If you’re an expat already, you’ll know how much there is to deal with from sorting out healthcare and your finances (think banks, insurance, etc.) to organising schools. And whether you’re buying or renting a property, there are always things to sort out with your home, from dealing with your mortgage, organisng utilities or getting that emergency call out sorted quickly when something goes wrong.
French Admin Assistance can assist with all these tasks over the phone or via a video call. Additionally, they can accompany you to appointments or meetings if needed. You’ll find they provide a really personal service, and Andy and Gemma are respond, super-efficient, respond swiftly, and are always happy to help.
What’s different about French Admin Assistance?
They offer a package that covers everything on a monthly basis. They also have prepaid 4-hour packages that cover all sorts of admin assistance, with no expiry date. So like a prepaid credit system, they log time worked, and deduct from the hours that have been prepaid. “We suggest this package to clients that have several admin tasks, or would just prefer us to handle their everyday admin needs” says Andy. And they have a service that deals with just one thing or a few things that might only take an hour – maybe helping you set up a bank account or insurance, perhaps going with you to a meeting at the notaire and making sure you understand what’s being said, finding the best deal for your utilities – they cover every aspect of life in France.
Being able to pick and choose what you want help with makes this a really affordable option, as you’re not paying for something you don’t use. And you’ll sometimes be amazed at how quickly they can resolve an issue that has taken you hours.
Here’s an example
Living in northern France, British expat Jane bought her first French car from a dealership in Arras. She trusted that, as a big-name dealership, they would provide the correct paperwork. She didn’t realise she had been sold a car without a contrôle technique, the French equivalent of an MOT. To be fair to Janine, though she should probably have checked, it’s actually illegal for the dealership to have done this, which meant the car could not be driven until one was issued. To her shock, the dealership insisted she drive 140 miles to their preferred garage, and when she refused, they persistently failed to respond to her attempts to sort it out. They refused to send emails, would only correspond by phone text and ignored her requests for information. Jane’s French language skills are reasonable but proved no match for difficult dealers. At her wits’ end, Jane got in touch with French Admin Assistance, who, within 25 minutes, had managed to get a written agreement for the dealership to pay for the contrôle technique at a local garage.
“Andy and Gemma were so helpful, and I felt like they really wanted to help. I had spent hours trying to resolve things, and it was such a relief to get it sorted. They not only got this issue sorted, but my blood pressure lowered!” Jane says.
Get it right and enjoy French life
It can be tempting to try to do it all yourself. After all, you’re keen to embrace a new culture and lifestyle. But it can also be very stressful and lead to costly or worrying mistakes if you get it wrong or misunderstand. When you get help, and as an added benefit, you may even find that you learn quicker because the experts are advising you.
Rather than find yourself staring blankly at the bank clerk or wrestling with Google Translate to make sense of a form, get a little French Admin Assistance – and get on with enjoying French life, red tape and all.
To find out more or book a consultation, visit: frenchadminassistance.com
