Ladoix

It is to do with the fact that all government notices are on white paper - we were told it at the C de Metier course for setting up in business.  It's one of those things that all the French know automatically but we don't.

Hi Chocolatefish, I work part time in a wine cave in Burgundy, I returned to work 2 years ago when my youngest was 15months old.  I also work as a consultant for Tots to Travel, checking out holiday rental properties that are family friendly and I am secretary/admin/accounts for my husbands business.  With 2 small children I don't get out much but enjoy the forums as they give me a chance to chat in English, although this forum does seem to have a higher proportion of retirees. Most of the English speaking people I know here tend to work in tourism or for themselves, although a couple of friends work for a wine exporter.  Those of us in regular jobs have jobs that require us to communicate primarily with English clients but we also have to be fluent in French. Good luck with the job search when you start it - in Lyon you have a very good chance of finding a job primarily in English.

Top class, experienced chef needed from end of April to mid October, to cater for up to 6 American passengers and 4 crew on luxury hotel barge in Burgundy. French style menus and excellent presentation skills essential along with a flair for chocolate desserts (speciality cruises booked). Hostess also needed, with intiative and flexibility. Main duties include cleaning the cabins to an impeccable standard, serving the meals and wine, and hosting the passengers along with the owner of the barge. Both must be used to hard work and a intimate team environment as we all work together in hosting the passengers. Long hours but very rewarding. Individuals or couples are welcome to apply to [email protected] with CV and salary requirements.

Generally, anything for the government needs to be signed by both of you.

Anyone receiving money from other people in exchange for anything must be registered with a SIRET number as far as I am aware - no exceptions. With the arrival on the new autoentrepreneur system, I suspect the authorites are planning to crack down even more on people earning just small sums and not paying what the State thinks is due. Exactly how payment of expenses goes I am not sure though and would be interested to learn.

This is a constant thing in our house. I have held my licence for 26 years, have an advanced driving certificate, done a skid pan course for ice driving and worked as a prefessional coach driver inthe French Alpes for several years (doing ski transfers as well). Yet, my husband drives us all the time and has the gall to say I don't drive his VW camionette safely. Oh yes, did I forget to mention, I'm female, a petite 5ft 2" and blonde!!!! And yes, it did worry lot of clients that I used to pick up from Geneva airport in a 55 seater coach - they never believed I was the bus driver till I actually got behind the wheel and set off. Long live women drivers I say!!

The SECU reimburse very little and it is a percentage depending on the type of lenses you need. I have just bought a cheap second pair and the reimbursement for frames and lenses from the secu was 12 euros in total. My basic mutuelle reimbursed 82.50 and I paid the balance of 12.50. This was for the cheapest going as they are literally a spare pair for close work. A top tip is to find out which opticians your mutuelle works with and go there for them You get a discount and the mutuelle willpay their portion direct to the shop, so you don't have to lay out as much.

We used to have to do this and just used the same amount if it was for a full year or 1/12th x however many relevant months (as you suggest) and then include a copy of the P60 and it never seemed to be a problem. As for the exchange rate we would look up the average exchange rate for the relevant year, print off wherever we found it and include a copy. So long as you can show where you have got your figures from, you'll probably be OK.

Intermarche points are great.  Next time you go shopping, tell teh check out lady you want to reedem your points and they simply knock the amount off your total bill.  We save ours up and use them at Christmas to offset the extra for having family out. Get an extra 10% on all own brand stuff on Tuesdays, our top saving is on fresh milk - saves us a fortune!

This was also what I was told at the Hotel des Impots - the 1.80m exemption is only for rental and sales purposes - not the H1.  I might add, due to the complexity of our conversion, and several erroneous declarations since their records began, I spoke to several people who all told me the same thing.  The only way to be sure is to visit your Impots and follow their line.

IT's best with theses forms to actually go into the Hotel des Impots and ask them to clarify it. When I completed ours the lady told me I had to measure, every part of the room, including the built in wardrobes as the legal measurements are different on different forms and the 1.80m rule does not apply for the H1, that exception is only for the 'Loi Carre'. We had great fun getting them to accept our house had got smaller as we had demolished all the rooms in the grenier and it was now completely uninhabitable. Our Impots said all rooms counted and the total surface area of the house could not shrink!

I would imagine most H & S regs are European legislation now so if you stick to the UK ones you wont go far wrong. With regards to employment, French legislation is much tougher than English legislation interms of conges, rights etc. For a definitive answer, I would try the Chambre des Metiers or look at http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr or http://www.service-public.fr

Does anyone have a gite available in southern Burgundy, preferable within a 40 km radius of Chagny. The main criteria are that it is preferably on one floor, will allow a small pampered dog, modern as opposed to authentic! and has a 160cm double bed. It is for just 2 people in either June or September and would prefer something not part of a complex! Family eh! Please PM if you have anything available. On a professional basis I am also interested in larger, family friendly gites, with a swimming pool, anywhere in Burgundy and it's environs, if anyone is looking to extend their bookings outside of high season. Just thought I would add that I like this regional grouping as it is exactly the area I cover! The east of France!

Does anyone have a gite available in southern Burgundy, preferable within a 40 km radius of Chagny. The main criteria are that it is preferably on one floor, will allow a small pampered dog, modern as opposed to authentic! and has a 160cm double bed. It is for just 2 people in either June or September and would prefer something not part of a complex! Family eh! Please PM if you have anything available. On a professional basis I am also interested in larger, family friendly gites, with a swimming pool, anywhere in Burgundy and it's environs, if anyone is looking to extend their bookings outside of high season.

I've got a full time job on a CDI, have a young family and a mortgage. My husband is self employed as a carpenter now but that is our choice, as he has spent many years employed as a carpenter in France and now we share the childcare. We have been here well over 10 years and would never ever go and live in the UK. However, we both speak pretty good French, despite not having the language when we started out.

"I think Pickles has it exactly right. I use Ryanair even though I find it an increasingly unpleasant experience. The moment a reasonable alternative comes along I will use it. I find it interesting that I felt differently about Speedferries who I really wanted to succeed. Hoddy" Having used RA and SpeedFerries, the difference is that RA are not very polite and friendly (my experience) and the crew of SpeedFerries were exceptionally polite and helpful. No matter how little or much a service costs, we are still a customer, paying for the service, paying their wages and should be treated as such, courtesy costs nothing.

We haven't received ours yet but a quick peek at the bank account on Saturday morning showed we have received a rather nice sum from the very nice people at the Tresor Public. Unfortunately I paid it straight back to them yesterday to pay the Taxe Fonciere! But still no Avis yet!

Confused, You use ordinary cream then add some 'chantilly fixe' that you find in the baking section of the supermarkets - whips beautifully in about 3 mins.

Just another vote for keep on writing Dave.  I've worked in tourism for nearly 15 years and can relate to so much of what you write.[:D]

Our children went back to Maternelle yesterday and we have all been asked to bring in a pack of disposable cups for each child so they don't share cups in the clockrooms. They have also, finally, changed the yeuchy hand towel to paper towel dispensers and provided all the staff with hand gels, along with many extra precautions gainst the spread of flu. I'm impressed they seem to being pro-active instead of 'lets just wait and see'.

Hi Sweet 17, thanks for the welcome you gave me by the way! Re the lessons/hairdressing - technically no - but why not, a freebie is a freebie, not a swap! With CESU, you don't have to have the chequebook, the employer can also register on line, you just fill in the details of the employee and the amount and the charges are taken direct from your bank account. Unfortunately the charges necessary are prohibitive. I registered to pay a babysitter and after paying him the SMIC plus 10%congée payé, it cost about 30 euros direct to the babysitter, then 19 euros for charges - 50euros for 4 hrs babysitting. Bearing in mind, I earn the SMIC, it was an expensive start to a rare meal out. Made even rarer by the costs of legally paying a babysitter!

Back to school tommorrow for the kids Serious wine buyers around in Burgundy Still nice and warm in the day but cool enough to sleep at night Finish work at 6 instead of 7pm Tax rebates I love this time of year! Ladoix PS - the vendange isn't scheduled for another week here

My husband is a registered artisan and we have also considered the pros and cons of publishing the SIRET no, due to the same concerns as yourself. Our concern however, as someone primarily selling our services to the ex-pat market, is that if we don't publish the SIRET no, people would assume we are not registered. This would then work against us as people would hesitate to make contact, due to the fear of inadvertently using unregistered artisans. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts, as when I have raised this elsewhere, it was considered that I was being paranoid about identity/SIRET theft! Regards

Thanks for that Pickles, I will get on the case.

Hi Pop09, Congratulations on the impending arrival and the move.  We need a bit more information to be able to advise you, will you be employed, starting a business, looking for work? Overall, infant health care is brilliant.  I had both my children here - they are now 5yrs and 2 yrs so I have recent first hand knowledge of it, although nothing to compare it with in the UK.  My youngest has had a health issue since birth (pre birth to be precise) and we have had excellent follow up care, even though it now appears all is well. Give us a few more details and I am sure we can be more helpful regarding your specific situation. Regards Ladoix