Expat shares 'annoying' habit people in France have -' it's unhelpful and dismissive'

Buildings on mountain in France / woman's face

One woman shared her experience in France

GETTY/YOUTUBE/Helena Woods
Sarra Gray

By Sarra Gray


Published: 15/02/2024

- 05:00

An expat who moved to France shares her gripes with the French people

France has lots to offer expats, from sunny beaches to beautiful villages in rural landscapes.

A woman who moved to the country shared her experiences and she has found some aspects of the move "frustrating".


The expat, named Helena, explained that overall she has enjoyed her time living in the country.

However, there are some things she found "annoying" and didn't understand about the French people.

Cobbled streets in France

France is a popular spot for expats to move to

GETTY

One of these was that she found many people were "dismissive" and "unhelpful".

"They're very dismissive and if something is not in their job description," Helena stated.

"They will hand it to someone else and basically make their problem someone else's. They're hard sticklers to the rules of administration.

"In terms of administration, the French are not very helpful and they're very unsympathetic."

The expat added she found it difficult to get her forms straight during the process of moving there.

"Basically they'll just make it someone else's problem which is very frustrating especially if you're here on a visa," she said on YouTube channel Helena Woods.

The expat claimed her paperwork had also been lost when waiting for her visa.

Another thing she "really struggles" with is the "inconsistencies" in when restaurants and shops open.

Buildings on mountain in France

The expat noticed differences with how the people do things

GETTY

She suggested they will often close early without warning, if they open at all.

"The French will close their stores, their restaurants - everything - and they won't advertise it," Helena said.

If restaurants are open, those in the country need to visit "between 12pm and 2pm" if they want to have lunch, as many restaurants will close after this time.

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