@Lululime I agree she does seem a little lost but she comes across as quite sweet too. I hope hanging out with Stephanie et al brings her some happiness.
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Hanni Ross was just hired as a associate director by Monzo bank, a UK based digital bank which has been recently badly hit by the Corona virus crisis. It seems that she's taking one year off now. Informations from different sources on Google.@Great_Kate hello & I loved your info. I too am delighted this thread has been created. I hate to disappoint but Tomaz has his own page now where he bakes with his mother & does up his sisters flat in Portugal. Tonight he’s so desperate he’s cutting his own hair off (just popped into my news feed) He did however add a cryptic message on YouTube last week when a viewer asked why he left Lalande so suddenly as he had planned to stay much longer & he replied for the person to go & look back at his videos. He had put one on there about how he & the other Workaways had to work so hard, it’s worth a look. The Marie thing is so strange as she & Stephanie used to flutter eyes at one another & say I love you etc but it seems very frosty now. I’m totally puzzled at what Marie is doing as sometimes she buys hundreds of flowers? What happens to them as she doesn’t appear to sell any? She also stayed with some of stephanies friends in England earlier this year? Re Instagram? Michaels starting to get stick on YouTube now too due to his recent extremely expensive outfits & aftershave costing about £350 a bottle but very little content in his videos which seem to show us copious amounts of drone footage. Hanni Ross seems to be recovering from coronavirus according to her LinkedIn blog? She seems to have replaced Marie in Stephanies affections. The plot thickens. I just watched a few minutes of an old Escape to the chateau diy things were very different! I love Dan the gardener & his families videos & Chateau Mareuils cookery videos. They are a lovely couple & always respond to any questions unlike Ryan & Micheal who are men of mystery
@pettyicequeen I meant to say that if you like watching interesting lifestyle videos that are calming and gentle then a lot of Stephanie's fans on the facebook pages have recommended one called Nicki Positano. I watched it yesterday and it's lovely - she's an English make up artist who lives with her Italian husband on the Amalfi Coast and it's very good.
Plus she has the cutest dog that goes out on their mopeds with them sitting in the footwell (or whatever that thing is called on a moped).
Plus she has the cutest dog that goes out on their mopeds with them sitting in the footwell (or whatever that thing is called on a moped).
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I don’t think anyone should be surprised by the work hours. 5-6h a day, 5 days a week is actually not too bad for a work away stay. But I think people signing on after the Channel got more popular might have expected more fun and leisure than what work away normally means. With no guests for the most part of 2020, the B&B jobs were obviously spare. I hope next year this kind of content comes back.
I don’t doubt Stephanie works pretty hard. Keeping this business afloat for 15 years (yes with business partners and fall back option, but the actual work parts seem to organised by her), extending it, holding on to your own fortune (which is important and wise to not drown if it all fails), making TV and YT successfully happen is pretty great. The amount of videos she delivers is amazing and there are certainly many hours of filming, editing and now planning for content (storytelling, research) involved. But if she ever tries to sell the „not a business woman“ role to me I will scream. She might have not expected this hype but she sure as hell made conscious business decisions.
I do think she is stretching herself thin for content at the moment. Just scale it back to one video per week and maybe one extra for Patreon. If nothing happens, nothing happens. Forced content is always obvious and makes people loosing interest after some time. Her more niche content ideas are cool, but they are niche interests. They won’t bring in what they might take off from the normal content. Her YT Channel might not bring in the biggest bugs, but it is what gets people hooked. She should neglect it last in her list of projects.
I totally understand why she closed her WA profile. Apart from maybe problems with the French law, after her set up became so public (who knows it could all have been completely within the guidelines), she probably gets thousands of applications. It’s hard to distinguish the normal ones from the nur jobs. Same for future B&B guests. Just look at Hanni. The success made her vulnerable in that regard for sure. Sadly, I can see her closing the B&B for normal guests and just host workshops to be safe from the crazy fans.
Marie has talked about mental health problems some time ago, so maybe the current (world) situation and its consequences hit her hard. She sure seems strained at the moment.
I sure miss the more ordinary content. Cooking, organising and handling the B&B work, setting up the garden, renovations.
Hand writing cards to every new Patreon is a very sweet gesture and if she can she should continue. I was under the impression it’s just once a year or just one in the beginning anyway? It sets her apart and I am sure is highly appreciated.
I can, for the love of god, not understand why people subscribe to Doing it Ourselves. There is little to no content there. They seemed very eager in the beginning but the TV show dropped them (which must have been a massive shock) and it it’s nothing but a money grab now. Micheal got more boring and vain with every video. He is good looking but apart from that- why would a anyone watch his content?
I don’t doubt Stephanie works pretty hard. Keeping this business afloat for 15 years (yes with business partners and fall back option, but the actual work parts seem to organised by her), extending it, holding on to your own fortune (which is important and wise to not drown if it all fails), making TV and YT successfully happen is pretty great. The amount of videos she delivers is amazing and there are certainly many hours of filming, editing and now planning for content (storytelling, research) involved. But if she ever tries to sell the „not a business woman“ role to me I will scream. She might have not expected this hype but she sure as hell made conscious business decisions.
I do think she is stretching herself thin for content at the moment. Just scale it back to one video per week and maybe one extra for Patreon. If nothing happens, nothing happens. Forced content is always obvious and makes people loosing interest after some time. Her more niche content ideas are cool, but they are niche interests. They won’t bring in what they might take off from the normal content. Her YT Channel might not bring in the biggest bugs, but it is what gets people hooked. She should neglect it last in her list of projects.
I totally understand why she closed her WA profile. Apart from maybe problems with the French law, after her set up became so public (who knows it could all have been completely within the guidelines), she probably gets thousands of applications. It’s hard to distinguish the normal ones from the nur jobs. Same for future B&B guests. Just look at Hanni. The success made her vulnerable in that regard for sure. Sadly, I can see her closing the B&B for normal guests and just host workshops to be safe from the crazy fans.
Marie has talked about mental health problems some time ago, so maybe the current (world) situation and its consequences hit her hard. She sure seems strained at the moment.
I sure miss the more ordinary content. Cooking, organising and handling the B&B work, setting up the garden, renovations.
Hand writing cards to every new Patreon is a very sweet gesture and if she can she should continue. I was under the impression it’s just once a year or just one in the beginning anyway? It sets her apart and I am sure is highly appreciated.
I can, for the love of god, not understand why people subscribe to Doing it Ourselves. There is little to no content there. They seemed very eager in the beginning but the TV show dropped them (which must have been a massive shock) and it it’s nothing but a money grab now. Micheal got more boring and vain with every video. He is good looking but apart from that- why would a anyone watch his content?
Escape to the Chateau DIY has more unvarnished view of Stephanie and Mummy. You see a more serious side of Stephanie, Mummy is the same, stern but hilarious.
Not surprised Michael has a boatload of LV luggage and £350 cologne. The Pethericks are not poor, in one episode Michael visits with his mum, they're driving a new, flash Mercedes coupe. I can’t believe he has a patreon account.
@Great_Kate good points, Stephanie's popularity will mean she going to have to change her business model. Interested to see how that will evolve.
She has been too accessible. Post covid I picture a long queue of frumpy, American ladies arriving to be besties with Stephanie.
Tomaz makes out like he was starring in musicals when he was more like the spear carrier. Which is why I'm a little suspect of his day in the life of a volunteer video,
5 hours a day of hard work is normal. If Stephanie was a slave driver, Natti and Marie wouldn't have returned and Selmar would have zoomed off in his camper. After Tomaz left, they did a conflict at the chateau video and I thought that was not a coincidence.
Not surprised Michael has a boatload of LV luggage and £350 cologne. The Pethericks are not poor, in one episode Michael visits with his mum, they're driving a new, flash Mercedes coupe. I can’t believe he has a patreon account.
@Great_Kate good points, Stephanie's popularity will mean she going to have to change her business model. Interested to see how that will evolve.
She has been too accessible. Post covid I picture a long queue of frumpy, American ladies arriving to be besties with Stephanie.
Tomaz makes out like he was starring in musicals when he was more like the spear carrier. Which is why I'm a little suspect of his day in the life of a volunteer video,
5 hours a day of hard work is normal. If Stephanie was a slave driver, Natti and Marie wouldn't have returned and Selmar would have zoomed off in his camper. After Tomaz left, they did a conflict at the chateau video and I thought that was not a coincidence.
What I love about this thread is that everyone is articulating so perfectly what I've been thinking for a long time. On the facebook pages and youtube comments, the things people write are so sycophantic whereas on here people are much more real. Don't get me wrong, I think Stephanie is amazing and I love the goings on at La Lande but it's so refreshing to come on here where people can call out odd or inappropriate behaviour or make funny observations without causing world war 3.
I totally agree with @SableOnBlonde about all those American ladies arriving thinking they're going to spend their whole visit drinking cocktails with Stephanie whilst playing the Peter Rabbit board game dressed as extras from Dangerous Liaisons when the reality is that Stephanie will either be too busy or hiding in her bedroom to get away from them and they'll be left making awkward conversation with the garden architect from Belgium or following Mary Poppins round whilst she mops the laundry room.
Re Tomaz, I think he's a bit spoilt which was evident from his mum sending him new clothes with name tapes in. Also he made a video called something like "why do I have no patrons yet?" which seemed massively entitled.
I totally agree with @SableOnBlonde about all those American ladies arriving thinking they're going to spend their whole visit drinking cocktails with Stephanie whilst playing the Peter Rabbit board game dressed as extras from Dangerous Liaisons when the reality is that Stephanie will either be too busy or hiding in her bedroom to get away from them and they'll be left making awkward conversation with the garden architect from Belgium or following Mary Poppins round whilst she mops the laundry room.
Re Tomaz, I think he's a bit spoilt which was evident from his mum sending him new clothes with name tapes in. Also he made a video called something like "why do I have no patrons yet?" which seemed massively entitled.
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Hahaha. I can see the picture. That's exactly what I've been thinking since the beginning of the lockdown when a new, mostly American, audience started to follow Stephanie. A bit scary imo.
Did anyone see last night's episode? Glad Selmar is going to get paid - that had been troubling me as I thought he deserved a wage especially as he provides his own accommodation. I thought the baked alaska incident was a bit strange!
Oh dear. Now Selmar will stay and try to make a business out of the „carpentry workshop“. So basically the Patreons paid for his business venture. I know they actually voted for it but I would be so annoyed if my money went more or less into his private pocket. Or is he renting the workshop and tools? I mean I like him. He is very talented and capable and a real handy mean. And he seems to be real chill. But if I were Stephanie, with big business income losses due to COVID, I definitely would make sure the money really goes into the Chateau.
I wonder though how long till all those extra business ventures put real stress on the relationships. I am pretty sure Stephanie doesn’t give her rooms, electricity, water, food for free. That would be crazy. And I think even if they do provide work for the Chateau, Selmar and Marie might not earn their keep completely. Stephanie might not be able to employ him forever at the price he wants. So they will have to run profitable at one point. Oliver seems rich so his painting workshop are probably for fun and he can just rent space no matter if he sells his art or not. Iirc he has a high paying job and painting is more a balancing out hobby.
I wish Stephanie would either invest in a clip on micro or a camera mit a good micro. Her carrying around that thing looks stupid. She was always very hands on and it looked ridiculous when she tried to juggle the microphone and the chainsaw package.
I wonder though how long till all those extra business ventures put real stress on the relationships. I am pretty sure Stephanie doesn’t give her rooms, electricity, water, food for free. That would be crazy. And I think even if they do provide work for the Chateau, Selmar and Marie might not earn their keep completely. Stephanie might not be able to employ him forever at the price he wants. So they will have to run profitable at one point. Oliver seems rich so his painting workshop are probably for fun and he can just rent space no matter if he sells his art or not. Iirc he has a high paying job and painting is more a balancing out hobby.
I wish Stephanie would either invest in a clip on micro or a camera mit a good micro. Her carrying around that thing looks stupid. She was always very hands on and it looked ridiculous when she tried to juggle the microphone and the chainsaw package.
I agree, I don't see how Stephanie will be able to afford to pay Selmar 5 days a week, unless the idea of him becoming self employed is that he can work for other people in the area.
I am glad he's being paid as he has done 6 months work as a volunteer, and a skilled carpenter doesn't come cheap. It would take many hours and €€€ for him to restore e.g. just one antique chair.
Also interesting point about the workshop tools, I guess it's fine if they're just used for the La Lande projects (like the lawnmower is only used there) but what if he needs to use them for work for other clients?
Not sure if anyone knows much about French employment law but in the UK it's against the law for employers to make employees register to be self employed if they're not truly self employed i.e. if they can't specify their own hours, rates, holidays etc. I guess Stephanie is pretty chilled about that so perhaps Selmar would be classified as self employed (and of course the rules might be totally different there).
I am glad he's being paid as he has done 6 months work as a volunteer, and a skilled carpenter doesn't come cheap. It would take many hours and €€€ for him to restore e.g. just one antique chair.
Also interesting point about the workshop tools, I guess it's fine if they're just used for the La Lande projects (like the lawnmower is only used there) but what if he needs to use them for work for other clients?
Not sure if anyone knows much about French employment law but in the UK it's against the law for employers to make employees register to be self employed if they're not truly self employed i.e. if they can't specify their own hours, rates, holidays etc. I guess Stephanie is pretty chilled about that so perhaps Selmar would be classified as self employed (and of course the rules might be totally different there).
In France, employment laws are extremely stricts too. Being self employed can be a nightmare. And you pay big social charges for your Health Sécurité sociale. As Selmar is single with no dependent children, his revenue taxes will be big too. Some members of my family are self employed in France. And you're right, they have to prove all what you've said.
I am not sure if freelance laws and regulations are the same as here in Germany, but with Selmar being a freelancer/self-employed, Stephanie probably saves herself the money to pay for social welfare costs such as unemployment insurance, retirement funds and health insurance. Here in Germany, you pay for that yourself as a self-employed person (as an employee, the cost is split 50/50 between employer and employee). So, I just found that quite interesting how he's still not a full-time employee, even though he basically does work there full-time. We also have that same law here in Germany not permitting "sham self-employment", and you can actually get hefty fines for it I believe as a an employer trying to pull that trick. But maybe you are right, he may be able to proof that he's still free to work his own hours etc. In Germany you also aren't allowed to receive more than, I think, 1/3 of your self-employed income from one source alone though, but again not sure how that works in France.
Interesting how people are basically applauding Stephanie for the bare minimum of actually paying him SOMETHING. She bloody well should, given that he's been behind most of the renovations since he moved in, and he's a genius when it comes to woodwork.
I am as puzzled by Selmar's "workshop" as I am about Marie's floristry studio. Are all those American women supposed to learn how to build wooden beds there?!
Man, if the German government had to put money into restoring every old castle or stately home here in Germany, we'd be broke pronto. You do get tax benefits when you restore heritage buildings, I am certain it's the same in France.
Interesting how people are basically applauding Stephanie for the bare minimum of actually paying him SOMETHING. She bloody well should, given that he's been behind most of the renovations since he moved in, and he's a genius when it comes to woodwork.
I am as puzzled by Selmar's "workshop" as I am about Marie's floristry studio. Are all those American women supposed to learn how to build wooden beds there?!
Americans think they have France, or "Europe", totally figured out because they visited Paris 20 years ago. It's absurd. I remember seeing comments from Europeans trying to explain the tax laws when Stephanie erroneously said she pays 50% taxes, and how Americans just didn't get it. "The French state is committing robbery! They should be paying HER for saving a historic building!" They don't understand how not every old building needs to or even can be "saved" with tax money, especially not if it's a for-profit, private business.
Man, if the German government had to put money into restoring every old castle or stately home here in Germany, we'd be broke pronto. You do get tax benefits when you restore heritage buildings, I am certain it's the same in France.
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It's exactly the same in France about social charges etc. Sorry I'm not an English native speaker and my brain is still not awake this morning haha.
It is absolutely the same in France. I don't understand why Stephanie is depicting such a poor image of France and the French people.
Thanks @Calvignac that is really good to know.
@pettyicequeen yeah the sham self employment is a classic way for employers to try to avoid all the extra costs you mentioned. In the UK there was a lot of media reporting on it recently as many people were trying to claim their nannies and cleaners were self employed and still only paying them a fairly low wage. A nanny can't decide she wants to take the next week off as holiday or delegate her work to someone else!
That is a really interesting point about how you can't receive more than 1/3 of your wage from a single employer in Germany. I suppose EU law has made these things fairly standard across all countries. Will be interesting to see how this plays out with Selmar!
@pettyicequeen yeah the sham self employment is a classic way for employers to try to avoid all the extra costs you mentioned. In the UK there was a lot of media reporting on it recently as many people were trying to claim their nannies and cleaners were self employed and still only paying them a fairly low wage. A nanny can't decide she wants to take the next week off as holiday or delegate her work to someone else!
That is a really interesting point about how you can't receive more than 1/3 of your wage from a single employer in Germany. I suppose EU law has made these things fairly standard across all countries. Will be interesting to see how this plays out with Selmar!
I know Stephanie is very keen to have everything done legally/properly/transparently. Also this gives Selmar chance to do his dancing etc too. I think by giving the work to Selmar she will save a lot of money as to get in a skilled craftsman on a per job basis is so expensive.
Personally I was more intrigued by the baked alaska than Selmar's employment status
Personally I was more intrigued by the baked alaska than Selmar's employment status
I know Stephanie is very keen to have everything done legally/properly/transparently. Also this gives Selmar chance to do his dancing etc too. I think by giving the work to Selmar she will save a lot of money as to get in a skilled craftsman on a per job basis is so expensive.
Personally I was more intrigued by the baked alaska than Selmar's employment status
...me too......it was really odd......and up close Hanni looked older than her body language, clothing etc had previously suggested to me....perhaps it was just me? Is it none U to eat Baked Alaska then? My ex mother in law - who I suspect they based the character of Hyacinth Bucket on - always classified people’s social status by whether they ate scampi or not.....is this similar? LolVacherin is a dessert made with meringue, ice cream and Chantilly cream. Don't know what is a Baked Alaska. Is it the same ?
PS I noticed the people behind were not very happy with the filming. I know my country fellow's body language hahaha.
Pretty similar, Baked Alaska has some sponge cake in as well and double cream rather than Chantilly ....
Oh didn’t notice that.....understandable though....
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