Helena McAleer decided to move to France because of the community feel – and how much cheaper it was than the UK 

Ending a long-term relationship in 2020 prompted Helena McAleer to do some soul searching on what she wanted her life to be like – and led to her new life in France.

She initially found comfort by moving back in with her mother in Omagh, Northern Ireland, after 12 years in London, and started looking up properties in France, as she had some knowledge of the language after studying it at A levels.

Ms McAleer, 42, told The i Paper: “I was looking at houses on Facebook and saw this dream home – a five-bedroom house in a little village that had a bar, which really appealed to me as I was down for living in the middle of nowhere, but I specifically needed somewhere I could go and be sociable with people.

“I fell in love with it. I bought the house in 2020, before I even got to France in 2021.

“I paid €135,000 (£117,000), which was actually too much as I didn’t know what it was worth. When I was looking just outside of London, I couldn’t see a two-bedroom house for less than £250,000.

“I just couldn’t get my head around putting myself in that much debt – it made me feel uncomfortable. So that was a big part of the decision to move to France. I always wanted my own place, and here, I could afford it.”

Five years later, Ms McAleer says she is the most financially secure she’s ever been and feels settled into her new home, a small village just outside the city of Limoges, in the south-western central part of France.

While she spent most of her first year in France renovating the house, which needed rewiring, plus new windows and heating, Ms McAleer has since converted the upstairs into a B&B accommodation, which is now steadily booked on weekends.

Life in France has also provided the foundation for Ms McAleer to launch and run her own business, while also becoming a single mother by choice, giving birth to her daughter Rose in 2022.

She received maternity payments from the French Government of €50 (£43) a day for five months, plus two years of welfare benefits. Rose, now aged three, attends nursery four days a week, at a cost of €80 (£70) per month.

While the number of Brits living in France has been steadily declining since Brexit, Ms McAleer holds an Irish passport and is eligible to receive social support in EU countries.

Thanks to all of this financial support, Ms McAleer was last year officially able to launch her business, The Gen AI Academy, which offers online AI courses.

“Having secure, affordable childcare allowed me the space and affordability to build my new business. I couldn’t have done that in the UK,” says Ms McAleer.

“I would have had to stay living with my Mum. The French authorities have been very supportive, taking into account all of my work history, and not doubting that I’d end up a productive resident.”

But it’s not just about the money. The community which Ms McAleer has built in her village has been crucial in helping her raise Rose, who starts school in September, saving a year of nursery fees compared with if she were living in the UK.

“There’s a community here that I wouldn’t have had in the UK, which is a reflection of how busy people’s lives are now. I’ve come to basically a retirement village, and about 50 per cent of people are English. The people who own the bar are English, and we’re over there all the time getting ice cream.

“They are basically like Rose’s grandparents. They’ve done our shopping when we’ve been sick. When Rose had an allergic reaction, I just rang the bar and somebody came over and drove us to the hospital, because we couldn’t wait for an ambulance,” says Ms McAleer.

“There’s such a community vibe here. We’ll often have breakfast with people in the cafe. We go to the market every Sunday and there are festivals on all the time. I also love that Rose is growing up bilingual, and that I can live this lifestyle with her.”

However, one thing that weighs on the 42-year-old’s mind is the health of her mother back in Northern Ireland. She was diagnosed with cancer last year and has since had an operation and chemotherapy.

“We have been travelling back and forth a lot, and in general, I want Rose to be good at travelling, as I want her to be open to exploring the world,” says Ms McAleer.

“I think the best education any parent can give a child is traveling and opening their minds to different experiences, people and lives. I hope that we’re lucky enough to be able to afford to travel more.”