A 34-year-old woman from the United States, who worked at Google and Amazon quit her job in her 30s to move to France and go to a pastry school. Valerie Valcourt now works as a pastry assistant at Maison Chabran and lives in Tournon-sur-Rhone, a village in eastern France. Before moving to France, Ms Valcourt earned more than $100,000 (approximately Rs 83 lakh) per year as an administrative business partner in Seattle, as per a report in CNBC Make It.
However, she said that "the paycheck wasn't worth the detriment to my mental health." The woman always wanted to work in the culinary industry and her determination became stronger after she was completely burnt out at her corporate job in 2020. She did some research and subsequently applied to a pastry school in Paris, got accepted and quit her job. However, instead of feeling happy, she was constantly worried about the expenses. She left Seattle and moved with her family to Connecticut. She worked another corporate job to save money.
She wanted to try for pastry school again in January 2022. In addition to being more reasonably priced, the intense three-month programme called Gastronomico, included lodging, language instruction, and a four-month internship at a Michelin-level restaurant. "It was some of the most fun I've ever had" - and quickly made friends from around the world," she said.
Her initial aim was to spend a total of seven months in France. However, her internship was extended, and in November 2023 she was hired on as a full-time employee. Ms Valcourt moved to France around 18 months ago and intends to stay there for the foreseeable future.
She told the outlet, "I'm happier here than in the US. It's been lovely. I love being able to travel, the accessibility to nature, discovering new parts of the country. It's been so much fun. And of course, all of the pastries."
She added that she wishes to continue working in the field and learning as much as she can. "While being a pastry chef is not necessarily the goal itself, I do still want to work in the industry for as long as I can," she said. The 34-year-old said that she sees herself moving back to the US in the future. "My family and friends are there, and I miss them more than I can say," Ms Valcourt continued. "And it feels important to one day go back to my roots and bring what I've learned from France to the US."
