'Best decision I made in my life': Woman outlines benefits of living and working abroad in France

When thinking of France, the first thing most people would think of typically would be its capital Paris. 

However, it would be an injustice not to experience the rest of the culture-rich country too. 

For Lemon8 user Sg.girlinfrance, she moved to France from Singapore with the desire to immerse herself in the French culture. 

Choosing to continue working in the tech industry after moving to France, Sg.girlinfrance now earns five times less than what she was earning in Singapore. 

Despite only earning $1,000 a month currently, she is happy with her life: "Now I earn 1k but I'm contented - life is good [sic]."

Having lived her new life for a year now, Sg.girlinfrance shares the benefits of living and working abroad in France in a Lemon8 post. 

The simple things in life

Away from the hustle and bustle of city life in Singapore, she now lives in a little town outside of Montpellier, in the south of France, leading to her newfound appreciation for the simple things in life. 

In the south, you'll be surrounded by nature with easy access to clear blue water lakes for kayaking, ski trips, and views of "amazing mountains". 

With many opportunities available to embrace nature, it sure beats the usual weekend shopping plans.

Other than being able to enjoy more nature, in France, you would also no longer feel the pressure of the daily rat race. 

There is no pressure to earn more money to accomplish unnecessary things like purchasing an extravagant house or luxury goods. 

Despite earning a decent amount of money back in Singapore, Sg.girlinfrance mentions how she wasn't happy.

But because she has since learned to appreciate "the simple things in life", she is satisfied in France despite earning less. 

The four seasons

Spring, summer, autumn, winter – you'll get to experience all the four seasons in France. 

While the fact that it has twice the number of seasons in Singapore is a good enough point to live in France, the four seasons also provides seasonal fresh produce. 

Imagine the anticipation knowing that you'll be having different fruits and vegetables at different times of the year.

Besides the variety of food, Sg.girlinfrance also says that the four seasons does deliver a boost to her daily productivity.

She cites the fact that there are longer days in the summer in France where the sun only sets at 8.30pm or 9pm.

For air travel that's easy on the pockets 

Want to travel around Europe but on a budget? Fret not, as living in France means cheap flights are readily available.

For Sg.girlinfrance, she shares her personal example of spending just "$50 [for a] flight to Rome" where she got "to eat all the pasta".

Imagine visiting Greece and having a direct flight to Santorini. With cheap air travel, you can explore beautiful countries while on a budget. 

Not a flying person? Take a road trip instead. Drive up to Spain, Italy and even Switzerland.

Work-life balance

With a minimum of 25 days of leave and the practice of switching devices off at the end of shifts, the work culture in France screams work-life balance. 

Don't expect late-night work emails on weekends and after work hours as the French take their time off seriously. 

Here in France, summer is the peak holiday season where employees can be seen going away for as long as three consecutive weeks. 

Being independent

In Singapore, it's not uncommon for people to live with their parents even as adults, so living abroad in France gives you the opportunity to be independent.

Having your own personal space, taking care of yourself and your home, getting used to a whole new culture, and the freedom of course. 

Moving abroad and being on your own may sound scary, but it's possible to embrace your new-found independence and find fulfilment in living solo. 

Sharing with AsiaOne, she encourages people to give it a go: "Go for it! Living abroad gives you the opportunity to have a more global perspective both in life and career wise, experiencing different cultures and also appreciating what you have in Singapore."

Experiencing culture shock 

In a TikTok video posted by Muhammad Fadhil Abdul Latiff, 34, a registered nurse who moved to Melbourne and received a shock upon learning the work culture there.

While working five days a week is normal here in Singapore, Fadhil was teased and called a "unicorn" by his colleagues as "nobody works five days a week" at his workplace. 

With a flexible work schedule, supervisors would even ask employees about their comfort with working night shifts. Hence, he noticed a huge difference in work culture between Singapore and Melbourne.

ALSO READ: 'I take pleasure in the little things here': Singaporean teacher is loving life in rural Japan

crystal.tan@asiaone.com