'I moved to France and became an estate agent for luxury homes'

Before I moved to France, I worked as a probation officer on the Isle of Wight working with around 30 offenders in the community. 

I also previously worked within the prison managing offenders and doing risk assessments for parole. 

Working in this environment could be rewarding – sometimes you’d watch people make changes for the better and know you were part of that process. 

But it also came with an awful lot of pressure – not least because we had heavy case-loads and had insufficient time to spend with each offender.

My husband Edwin, 43, is from France and works as an engineer in the wind turbine industry. 

His job took him worldwide, and we spent a year in New Orleans in 2011, with my quitting my job to travel with him. 

He then got a job in Bordeaux and we moved with our then 10-year old Isaac and one-year-old daughter Nina. 

Knowing we planned to settle, I turned my attention to seeking work – although I knew with my school level French that might be a challenge.

How I became a hat designer after retiring to France

How I improved my French

The job centre advised that it might be difficult to find me work to fit around my family life. 

But eventually I had a message telling me a new McDonald's was opening. The recruitment process was intense but after several interviews I took a job at front of house.

It was a useful experience in terms of my French, and it was nice working close to our home. But after a year, I decided to start commuting to London so that I could use my skills and earn more money. I’d fly to the UK on a Monday, stay at my father’s house. 

Then I’d work Tuesday to Thursday for a courthouse writing reports and recommending sentences for those convicted then flying back home on a Friday. 

I did this for 18 months, becoming pregnant around a year into the role. When it was no longer safe for me to fly, I decided to give my job up.

My son Leon was born in 2016. With three children, commuting away from the family home was no longer an option, although I wanted and needed to work.

Moving into real estate

I have always loved real estate. So when someone from a local agency came over to give us an estimate on our property in October 2016, I asked her about her job. 

She told me that she worked for a local agency on a commission-only basis. It was owned by her father and he invited me for a chat. 

Later he told me, ‘I didn’t have a clue what you were saying but I could tell you were motivated!’

I was given a role the following month with training on the job. The agent I worked with would correct my French all day long. 

It was exhausting, but I’d write each word or correction in a little notebook. I’m so glad I did. Although it was intense, it was a great way to learn French.

Three years on, in January 2020 I decided to move to more luxury real estate and secured an interview with Christie's International Real Estate and another local agency. 

Christie’s took me on with the hope I would develop their portfolio in the Arcachon Bay and Cap Ferret area, something that would require a lot of networking. Then Covid hit and everything shut down.

Read more: Career change in France: Lawyer to musician

The Bordeaux property market

A few months later, the French agent approached me again in October 2021 and I made the switch. 

There I really found my niche. Bordeaux is extremely popular – many Parisians spent their holidays there when younger and want to purchase there, which pushed the prices up. I sold properties worth millions of pounds. 

My only struggle was sometimes dealing with English clients, as I’d forget the technical terms such as ‘septic tank’ having only really had to describe them in French in the past!

We left Bordeaux in August 2023 – it just felt too hot for day-to-day living. Instead we have now settled in Brittany where we’re enjoying being in nature – hiking along the coast, running along the seafront and cold water plunging in the sea.

I started a job with Sotheby’s International Realty in Brittany in May 2024, looking after luxury properties on the Bretagne coast. 

I’m selling multi-million châteaux – although it is not all luxury living for me. One day I am sipping champagne with millionaires, the next I’m trudging through damp woodland on an estate.

When I think back to my work in the UK, it’s hard to miss the stress of the job. But I do miss my colleagues. When you are in a stressful position, you create strong bonds.

But now I’m joyful every day. I love my work, the pace of life is amazing, I eat well, live well, spend time with the family. It’s not stress-free, but my life here has the kind of balance I’d never have achieved back home.