Redundancy has struck so we might have a family holiday

OPINION: The summer heat baking the French Alps that surround us is in sharp contrast to our cool economic situation, writes Cherie Sivignon in this week's L'expat.

My husband, Franck, was made redundant last week. It's the first time I've experienced redundancy in my family; which is not bad going in this day and age, I suppose.

The hotel where we worked has been taken over and the new boss is going to run it with his wife, so Franck, as a fulltime assistant manager, is no longer needed. I worked only during the winter and summer seasons so it has less effect on me. Seasonal work is relatively easy to come by.

C'est la vie.

Neither of us wants to be in a situation of having to sell our home and move away from this mountain spot, so the hunt is on for work.

Like many resorts, dependent on seasonal attractions (mainly the copious amounts of snow in the winter), there are few good, year-round jobs in this mountain valley.

However, employment looks promising for Franck. There is a strong possibility he could find himself in a challenging new post come autumn.

That may even mean we get a wee summer holiday together as a family, which would be fabulous.

Our previous work in the hospitality industry meant we never had holidays at the same time as the kids' school breaks. We worked to create a comfortable holiday for everyone else.

This summer is different and maybe the redundancy will work out to be a blessing, resulting in a better job for Franck and a family holiday in the sun.

And, blimey, we have plenty of that. The temperature is reaching about 30 degrees celsius every day. As is normal for this alpine pocket, the heat is accompanied by violent thunderstorms that usually strike late afternoon.

There shouldn't be as many thunderstorms if we head to the south of France but the temperatures will be higher. Just as well there are plenty of beaches and pools where we can cool off.

And the kids deserve a nice break. Our boys Hugo, 11, and Tom, 6, worked hard during the academic year that finished last week.

Hugo's first year at high school was a great success. He finished third overall in class, including first place in English (as expected) and second in French. Wow!

I think that's fantastic. After just three years in France, Hugo is near the top of his class in French.

Tom moves up to primary school in September, after three years in maternelle (like a cross between kindergarten and new entrants). He's only ever known school in French so the language has been less of an issue for him.

Meanwhile, there's the French social welfare system to fall back on if we find ourselves in dire straits. It's a system we've paid plenty of taxes towards and there isn't a stigma attached to accepting a benefit in France. Well, not much of a stigma for those finding themselves in a tight spot between jobs.

» Cherie Sivignon is a former Southland Times journalist who has moved to France with her French-born husband and their family.

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