Photo: Nicola Glover
A teacher packed up her life in Britain for a fresh start in France after her career left her exhausted and a supportive new partner helped push her to prioritise her own mental wellbeing.
In a stressful job working long hours, and living in a country that rains most of the year, moving abroad felt like the best option if she wanted to create a healthier headspace to reclaim her peace of mind.
Nicola Glover, 51, originally from Cambridgeshire in England, moved to France in January 2024 with her partner, Pete, 59, who she met in a Facebook group for people also thinking of moving away to France.
Nicola worked as a teacher in a primary school, where endless marking and red tape was becoming too much, and after meeting her partner, she finally thought, “you only live once, and you only regret the things you don’t do.”
She shows why choosing your happiness and mental wellbeing over anything else is so important to create the life you want to lead.
It was 2020, when Nicola started to think of different options for her life, when her daughters were going to sixth form and then eventually university.
“I met someone online, we started chatting, and then we met in person and ended up having a relationship. We both really wanted to move to France, so we decided to look at properties in 2022 and explored it seriously in 2023.
“I think living in the UK, I felt quite constrained and it felt repetitive and both of us had always loved the idea of living in France.
“I can speak French, not fluently, but probably semi-fluent and just really wanted a different pace of life, more space, a bigger house, more land, and the chance to sort of completely start afresh with a new partner,” she says.
Looking back, she recognises the negative impact her career had on her.
“My life when I was a teacher was quite stressful, chaotic, always working. It was very sort of repetitive and mundane, lots of commuting.
“I always felt like I was doing something because I had to rather than because I wanted to, and that was a big part of why the idea of change and moving to France seemed so appealing.
“I was signed off work twice during my stint as a teacher with work-related stress. You know, it’s a thankless job really because although you get some job satisfaction from the children and seeing them progress, the behind the scenes of the admin and bureaucracy and the red tape was always quite pressurised,” she says.
“It wasn’t really a job you could switch off from.”
According to the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2025, 76% of all staff in schools are stressed, 49% of all staff consider their organisation’s culture to have a negative effect on their mental health, and 40% of all staff say their organisations do not support employees who have mental health problems.
This shows how Nicola’s story isn’t an isolated one, and many more people struggle with the same burnout-like feeling that is becoming more and more common within the teaching profession.
After making the decision to move with her partner, Pete, she emphasised the realities behind moving to a new country.
In France, along with many other countries, it isn’t as simple as packing your bags and leaving. Nicola had to create a high quality business plan that shows you have enough financial backing behind you.
There is an option for sponsored employment, which means getting a job with a French employer, but this requires the employer to sponsor your work visa.
Nicola and Pete created a business plan for a B&B service called Le Cantou, and found a property located in the Correze region of France.
“It was definitely a big learning curve, and I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but it’s definitely doable if you’ve got the right attitude and the right plan,” she says.
“We had our first visa for a year, and then after that you have to go into what the equivalent of a town hall is in the UK, to prove what you’ve earned the previous year and what your business plan is going forward.
“You also have to have a certain level of French they test you on, and attend four full civic training days where you learn all about French history, systems, politics.”
The couple were granted their residence cards that would last until 2029 and didn’t mind the long hours spent learning about French culture and felt ‘it was quite interesting’.
Nicola’s B&B opened in May 2024 and has been doing really well since.
“It needed a bit of renovation and some updating, with a website, marketing and the natural stuff that comes with promoting a business.
“But we’ve been doing really well. We’re very busy from May to October, so although we are open all year round, our major time is spring and summer,” she says.
Taking a slower approach to life, meant Nicola’s day to day routine has changed significantly compared to when she lived in the UK.
“The B&B is more practical, it’s more hands-on and varied. You know, sometimes we have to get on with doing repairs or welcoming guests, giving advice on where to go and visit, that sort of thing.
“But, it feels purposeful, my old job had purpose, but this is a different manner. It’s more chilled, I’ve only got to look after myself really, and my husband and dog, but I don’t really have to worry about anything else,” she says.
“So in my eyes, that is worth it all.”
Whilst she appreciates her new life, Nicola wanted to challenge the misconception that when you move abroad, you will always be happy, because this is not the case.
She often struggles with missing her daughters, and wider family and friends.
She says, “I think personally for me, that was the biggest, the hardest, most emotional thing was to leave them in the UK.
“I know we’re only in France, but it’s difficult sometimes. If I wanted to just drive up for the day to see them, it’s not really feasible.”
To get through these difficult moments, Nicole shared she has many phone and video calls with her family and stays in contact regularly.
“Generally in the UK, life is a bit of a blur and I was always rushing from place to place. You know, if it’s raining here in France and I miss people, it’s not all roses and sunshine.”
“But in terms of mental wellbeing, I definitely think that living here has helped me adjust and cope better with that,” she says.
Uproute asked Nicola if she had any advice for the people who are in a similar situation to her a few years ago, and are wanting to make the move abroad.
“I say go for it, because you never know what might happen, you know, you’ll only regret not doing it,” she says.
“Its less about where you live and more about how you feel.”
At Uproute, we champion the act of prioritising your mental health and holding on to your peace to improve wellbeing.
Nicola’s story shines a light on the importance of putting yourself first, and recognising your feelings to determine if it’s time for a change.
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