Jacwood Estates - Gite Courses      

What they said about the course...      Course Manual now available by mail order

Our next 1 day course on

"How to buy & manage a gite complex in SW France"

will be be held on...

(future course dates to be announced)

at

The Falstaff Hotel, 16-20 Warwick New Rd, Leamington Spa,

Warwickshire, CV32 5JQ

Course Manual available to order (click here)

Places are limited

on a first come first served basis.

See reservation form to register your interest for future courses.

Cost:

£175 sterling per head, £320 sterling per couple, for the day in UK

£155 sterling per head, £280 sterling per couple, for the day in France

Including morning coffee, buffet lunch & afternoon tea, course materials etc.

Course fee refundable on completion of purchase of gite property through Jacwood Estates (no obligation!)

Look forward to seeing you there…………….

"I wish someone had offered me a course before I bought my gite complex in France a few years ago – it would have saved me much more than the course fee" Mr. M.R. (Charente, France)

1 day course on "How to buy and manage a gite complex in SW France"

New & improved!

Co-written, organised and presented by...

Margarete Isherwood B.A. (Hons) P.G.C.E.

10 year French teaching career in UK/France followed by 18 year French property career, owner/manager of Jacwood Estates French Properties (est. 1989).

...and...

Tim Williams B.A. (Hons)

An experienced, successful gite complex owner and operator who gave up a life of running his own marketing business in the UK to experience life in SW France.

Between us we have experience in every aspect both of the finding and buying process, dealing with French bureaucracy, the teething problems of French properties (drains, plumbing, and laws surrounding pool operation amongst other things), learning how to get started, what works and what does not, how and where to advertise, how much to charge, how extra money may be earned and so much more.

COURSE CONTENT (includes  90 page course manual & lots of hand-outs, to take away)

The workshop topics will cover items such as:

- Being clear about your motivations.

- Do you have the right skills? (not just speaking French!).

- Do you have the right level of commitment?

- The French tourist market and where gites fit in. What is a gite?

- Aspects of life in France, including education, healthcare, tax and bureaucracy.

- Choosing and buying a property – what are your aims? Where to buy. What to look for. To renovate or not. We have a tried and tested property selection process which ensures that you are not distracted by property “features” you don’t need!

- The day-to-day practicalities of running a gite, including:

- Buildings – what to expect

- Refurb, fosses septiques, plumbing, electricity, phones etc

- Occupancy

- Gite standards – checklists

- Equipment

- The competition

- Welcome packs

- What actually happens on a changeover day (even at 40 degrees centigrade!)

- First impressions etc.

- The process, rhythm

- Setting and maintaining standards

- Running a pool – the law.

- Introduction and welcome

- Departure

- Money making opportunities and additional services – what you can and cannot do.

- Cleaning, washing and ironing

- Linen, towels

- Fridges and food

- Dealing with complaints

- Management companies

- Pitfalls and how to avoid them

- Sales and promotion – you may have the most delightful gite, but how do you fill it?

- Keeping control of your business

- And the culmination of the workshop will be:

- The production of your own bespoke Business Plan, which will allow you to evaluate whether or not your dreams are likely to be fulfilled by running a gite!

Course Venue   Courses take place in England & occasionally in SW France.   In England, we run the courses at: The Falstaff Hotel 16-20 Warwick New Rd Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5JQ   In France, courses are held in the Charente.

Costs of each 1 day course

to include lunch, refreshments & 96 page course manual, packed with info, statistics & real life examples of gite income & outgoings, plus useful addresses and websites, as well as a business planning section to ensure that your plans are well thought through and structured.

a) England.  The cost of each workshop is £175 per person, or £320 per couple.

b) France.  The cost of each workshop is £155 per person, or £280 per couple.

Dates / Locations

The next 1 day course will be held as follows:-

 However, please enquire about other dates if these dates do not suit you.

Travel to, and accommodation in France

By air

Ryan Air flies to Bergerac (1 hour away), Poitiers (1 ¾ hours).

BA flies from Birmingham and Gatwick to Bordeaux (1 ¾ hours away).

FlyBe flies to Bergerac

By car

Driving time is 5-6 hours from St. Malo, 6-7 hours from Caen and Le Havre, 8 hours from Calais.

Directions will be provided.

Accommodation in France

There is a choice of accommodation locally

Hostellerie du Perigord in Aubeterre (5 km)

Hotel de la Paix in St Severin (3 km).

Subject to availability, cost £30 per room per night, B&B.

We can reserve accommodation on your behalf at the above locations.

Contact us for further information, or if you just want to buy the Course Manual...