Valerie Valcourt has lived throughout the U.S. in Seattle, New York Metropolis and Washington, D.C. However she made her largest transfer but final yr when she give up her six-figure Huge Tech job to go to pastry faculty in France.
Valcourt, 34, tells CNBC Make It she began the method in 2020 when, whereas incomes simply over $100,000 for a significant firm in Seattle, she was feeling “at a very low place” and questioning: “What would I need to be doing that will deliver me pleasure?”
She’d at all times needed to stay overseas and go to culinary faculty, so she started researching her choices. She saved $20,000 by shifting residence with household in Connecticut and, by mid-2022, was accepted right into a culinary program within the south of France.
Valcourt formally moved to France in January 2023 and started her accelerated three-month program of intensive pastry programs and French classes, adopted by a four-month internship.
All in, she paid about 10,000 euros ($10,850) for tuition and one other 1,800 euros ($1,953) for housing.
Valerie Valcourt give up her job as an government assistant and moved to France for culinary faculty in her 30s.
Courtesy of Valerie Valcourt
High quality residing for much less cash
Valcourt now works full time as a pastry assistant on the restaurant Maison Chabran in Pont-de-l’Isere, France.
She earns roughly 20,000 euros ($21,705) a yr, lower than 1 / 4 of her earlier American wage.
Even so, Valcourt lives comfortably on so much much less cash in France.
I am not making tons of cash, however I can afford to stay right here.
Valerie Valcourt
American who moved to France for pastry faculty
To begin, her employer covers her seasonal housing, at the least till April when a brand new intern class begins. When she ultimately finds her personal condo, Valcourt expects to pay roughly 300 euros ($326) per 30 days for a studio or 500 euros ($543) per 30 days for a 1-bedroom condo. Some items even come furnished.
In her time residing in a number of the largest and most costly U.S. cities, Valcourt says she by no means spent much less than $800 per 30 days on lease even when residing with roommates.
Most of her meals come from her restaurant job, so she not often spends cash on groceries. She’ll begin budgeting for her personal meals starting in April and estimates it’s going to price 30 euros ($33) per journey each two weeks, or as much as 50 euros ($55) “if I am feeling fancy and need additional snacks and issues.” She says she’s constantly shocked at how recent and high-quality the produce is, even at an inexpensive worth.
Valcourt says having her residing and meals prices coated by her employer was “an enormous issue” in taking the job, particularly simply beginning out in her culinary profession.
“I am not making tons of cash, however I can afford to stay right here,” she says. “I can have this pastry job, construct up my resume and construct up myself to get to the extent I need to and never have to fret about the place I will put my head at night time.”
Transportation is “tremendous straightforward” since Valcourt lives inside strolling distance of labor. She will be able to take the bus to get to an even bigger metropolis for about 1 euro ($1.09), and touring Europe may be very inexpensive by prepare or airplane. Valcourt not too long ago took a visit to Switzerland and spent 40 euros ($44) for round-trip prepare tickets. She noticed one other deal to journey from Paris to London by prepare for simply 29 euros ($32).
Because of her low bills, Valcourt has been in a position to save between 1,300 to 1,500 euros ($1,421 to $1,640) every month. She says she has “greater than sufficient” to purchase a automobile to discover much more of France, and to start out paying for an condo within the coming months.
Cultural variations at work and in life
Valcourt has observed an enormous distinction in how the French method their work and private lives, in comparison with the norms of American work tradition.
She works on the restaurant for round 42 to 46 hours per week, and it varies if there is a vacation or the restaurant is slammed. Employees get two paid trip days per 30 days, or roughly 5 weeks off yearly — beneficiant by U.S. requirements.
Valcourt and her colleagues work exhausting, however they’re additionally protecting of their breaks.
“The French are very adamant about not working additional time,” she says. “When it is time to cease, it is time to cease, go residence and relaxation.”
She and her colleagues additionally help leaving work on the office and never letting stress construct up at residence.
Valcourt has additionally realized from co-workers that not all stereotypes are true. The French get a foul rap for being chilly, she says, however she finds they’re very pleasant and love small speak. It helps that she is conversational in French, too.
Lastly, she enjoys how the French method celebrating issues huge and small. “There’s at all times a fete taking place on a nationwide degree or within the village,” she says. Fortunate for her and her ardour for meals, they typically revolve round sharing meals collectively, and “the reverence for meals and pastry right here is tremendous cool.”
Valcourt feels lucky her faculty and employers have helped her with the required visas to remain within the nation, and he or she at the moment has a everlasting employment contract together with her firm, which employs many overseas and seasonal staff.
She says she does not have a five-year plan however typically needs to be taught as many cooking and pastry strategies as doable, and see as a lot of France whereas she will be able to. She’ll ultimately return to the U.S. to be nearer to household and has even talked together with her dad about opening up a bakery collectively.
Conversions from euros to USD had been executed utilizing the OANDA conversion charge of 1 euro to 1.09 USD on March 12, 2024. All quantities are rounded to the closest greenback.
Need to land your dream job in 2024? Take CNBC’s new on-line course Tips on how to Ace Your Job Interview to be taught what hiring managers are actually in search of, physique language strategies, what to say and to not say, and one of the simplest ways to speak about pay.
