Briton banned from running biking holidays in France
A Briton who runs mountain biking holidays in France has been forbidden for working by the French authorities in a case that closely mirrors that of a British ski instructor who was found guilty in June of giving lessons in a French resort without the correct qualifications.
Alistair Jamieson from Essex, whose company trailAddiction is based in the Savoie region, has been told he must report to police in the resort of Les Arcs or risk imprisonment if he defies the ban, said the Telegraph.
The French prosecutor for the region said Jamieson’s top-level British diploma in mountain biking instruction was "inadmissible" and his 13 years teaching experience counts for nothing because it didn’t take place in France.
However, Jamieson, who employs 15 guides to run the £650 a week guided mountain biking breaks, said he will defy the ban because his lawyers say he is entitled under EU law to work in France.
In June, British ski instructor Simon Butler was fined £24,000 for giving lessons in the French resort Megeve after a French judge ruled that his British qualification was not good enough to teach in France. He has appealed against the ruling.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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