Wendy

Maybe it is time for France to reconsider it's workplace practices. Namely, keeping shops and supermarkets open from 8.30am until 9/10pm seven days a week, and yes, including their 'sacred' Sunday. And in doing this utilise the under-21's and college/lycee students to work the after-hours and weekend shifts. As is done in other countries. No wonder there is so much youth unemployment when businesses here can only operate for a certain amount of time per week. The sooner they scrap this ridiculous 35 hour week thing the better and it wouldn't kill them to work on a Sunday. Many of us do!.    

However, this topic should not become an 'underwear' thing. My son was 16, and 6ft 2, when we took him to the local college in 2004 for enrolment. Their argument against his enrolment was not only that he could speak very little French, but that he was 'too tall, had red hair and would not really fit in with the local Catalan teens'. These last words, in quotes, came from a male from the local MLI who came to the college especially to see our son that day. Yep, an Aussie kid, well nourished and raised by the equator. But too mature looking for local French standards.  If it wasn't all so stupid I would laugh. Maybe one day I will[:-))] But not so far.

Yes, just like the massive tsunami that was supposed to have hit the south of England a few weeks back[;-)].

Bones, for gods sake, I never used the words 'for the record' in quotes, you did. I never used those words at all. Whats-her-name (Tourangelle?) simply stated earlier that her husband was 'experienced' and could tell if a girl was 14 or not. Personally, as a female I can not guess the correct age of many young females these days!.  My ex-husband, and the father of my three elder sons, is from an African country. I can tell you now that his sisters were all capable of producing babies before the age of eleven. When I first met them they were in their mid-teens but two could have passed for young women over 20. Just do a bit of research; the closer to the equator you are, the earlier puberty strikes. African females are well documented for reaching puberty at an early age. This is not racist at all, it is simple biology. This also applies to young females from the South American countries. If you prefer, I can outline the 'salient features' identifying a pubescant female...but are you really that ignorant?. Hmmm[Www].    

They don't check passports on enrolling in schools here. And for the record, girls from African countries can be twelve and yet look 18. Its the equatorial climate you see; they mature at a very young age with many being married off and having babies before they are 15. It's the same with indigenous Australian females. What experience does your husband have to know that a young girl is not 14?. While school here is not obligatory after the age of 16, that also means that schools are not obliged to accept you after that age. Regardless of what you want. While the UN recognises the rights of all children to an education up until the age of 18, the French do not. This is one more thing you would not have known until you moved here. Like us. Yep...still whingin'.    

No Sunday Driver, in many cases you would not know this until the machine kept your card and the staff inside the bank informed you that they cannot retrieve the card for you. We took a look at some machines in the local area while out and about over a period of time(we didn't make a day of it though) and just asked the staff inside the bank. There are no notices on the machines to tell you that the machine is not serviced by the adjoining bank - you find out at your peril. The machine INSIDE their premises is serviced by them, not the exterior one. If his card had been a french issued card it would have been retrieved eventually and sent to a branch - but they don't do that with cards from banks abroad. They just destroy them. I mean, how would they know where to send them when there is no address on the card?.

BP I have to say this re: your post from the 24th; all local rural types we know tend to have a rather 'low' opinion of Parisian's at any rate. And we are as far removed from Paris as you can be in France. Not sure why though,  I always thought that 'liberte, egalite, fraternite' existed amongst all the French. Obviously not; so why should those same folk be entirely 'welcoming' to us newcomers?. The locals have, yes; the local education administration, though, were not. And this is why I say to the OP Di; if it ain't broke don't try and fix it.  If she's happy where she is then leave her there. France does not suit everyone, and there is no rule that it should/must, and I stand by that. At least you have some facts now as to 'for' and 'against'.  

I am not surprised she went 'eeekk'! biting on the neck is a mating thing between a tom and a female cat. That is how the male dominates the female. That 'scratch' was the human female equivalent of a 'slap'. It works with the human brand of 'male' as well you know. Can't remember the last time mine tried to bite me on the neck...[:$]

No Cat; the machine 'malfunctioned' during the transaction and closed down. He had had the same pin for four years. My point is this; do not assume that the, for example, BNP cash machine situated outside the BNP branch is actually owned and operated by the BNP staff just inside. Chances are it will not be. If you lose your card in that machine they cannot do anything for you.

In recent weeks we have discovered that you need to be careful as to what type of cash machine you put your card into. Sorry if this has already been covered[:)] My son recently used a cash machine built into the wall directly outside a Banque Populaire. This cash machine, and we have used it many times, has a 'Banque Populaire' sign on it so we innocently assumed that the Banque Populaire attached to it owned/operated it. We were wrong. This machine 'chewed up' my son's card (Australian issued) and when he went into the bank to ask for it back the staff informed him that they had no access to that machine as it was not 'their' machine. 'Their' cash machine was located inside the premises. The 'outside Banque Populaire machine' was beyond their jurisdiction. The end result was that my sons card was lost because those authorised to clear it had no authorisation to hand back any cards detained by it...whatever the reason. We had to cancel that card, notify the bank and wait for a re-issue. An inconvenience of three weeks duration. We had always assumed that this machine belonged to the bank it was 'attached' to. We no longer use it. Since then, we have noted that many cash machines located outside banks bearing the same name of that bank, but are NOT the property of the bank it is attached to. Bear this in mind. If that machine chews up your card you will find that the staff inside cannot do a thing for you[:@] Anyone else had this problem?.

 £10000 per year!!![blink][blink]. Are you telling me that shelling out that amount of money buys you easy integration into this country?. Just what exactly are you paying for...a British education in a French environment?[8-)] Some people have more money than sense!.

A bigger city would be a much better option than a hick rural region, though International schools only cater to those with verrrry deep pockets.

Ooooohh Bugbear thou hurtest...one knows when one has met their match. Now where do I throw the towel?[:D] And I promise to leave your moles alone[;-)]

Totally agree Scooby. Our kids have travelled extensively and my 14 year old find his schoolmates very provincial. They tend to stick to who they know and have always known. Village-wise. Not our fault of course, but these are things about 'la vie Francaise' you cannot know about until you move in here.

Ahhh go on, go on, go on, go on...

We get our share of these 'enquiries' and delete them as soon as we see them nowadays. The bookings are always for a minimum of ten days, written with bad spelling/grammar, nearly always request single rooms despite what you advertise, the sender is a 'Doctor' or whatever and, lastly, that hotmail/yahoo address gives them away. What I'd like to know is why they simply do not book an etap if they are genuine?. I can't believe people are still submitting these for verification here![8-)].

Bugbear clearly states that only success stories are welcome on this forum. Those who have found France to be 'wanting' had better keep their 'failure-ridden drivel' to themselves. There you go Di. Just what I said. If you love it here then it is because of how wonderful France is...if you don't...sorry, but it is your fault!. Scooby; only one of my son's hated it here. He left and is glad to be gone. One is 14 and coping well with school here, the other is nearly 22 and doing everything it takes to make it work here. One other thing Bugbear ( I bet you are French)[Www]... what qualifies you to call  me a 'failure'?.  

And if you want to know what that 'hindsight' is then maybe it is this...we should have chosen an area more 'british' than all-French to start with. Just to have saved us all the hassles. Maybe there ARE some parts of France that are best left to the French themselves[:)].

Exactly Raindog...so why do so many Brits choose the Dordogne, apart from the fact that the area is beautiful?. They choose it because the schools there accept their non-fluent/poor French speaking kids and also because they will find themselves in a largely British settled community where they can get by with the ubiqutous 'bonjour', 'ca va' and 'au revoir' in the shops. This makes them feel 'french'. Everyone knows one does not need to learn to speak French at all to live in such a region. But I suppose it keeps the local French, what are left of them, happy. The only people who I have 'rubbed up the wrong way' on this forum tend to be those who have come here and settled in those Brit enclaves. They have found their little 'niche' in France and wont/cannot accept that life and conditions for others differ around this country. Just shows how integrated they really are. They also try to be more French than the French, and take it as a personal insult when one criticises this country that has given them a cheap refuge from the UK that they not only helped to create, but were also desperate to escape. These people do not want to hear that France has not been kind to you; they pick up their croissants in the morning along with their Daily Mail/Times paper. France, along with it's cheap property prices, has been kind to them and that is all they know about. It would be great if places like Dordogne-shire existed all over France but it does not. Thank god. Four years ago we moved to a region where, until a year or so ago, no British lived. Thank god again. But what did we find?...no schools anywhere with english speaking kids...fine... but an Inspection Academique who were not yet ready to accommodate such if they were over 12 years of age. Blatant discrimination. Unknown of until you move in here. I know that some of you out there would find a totally non-British/foreign settled area in France to be the answer to your dreams. So did we at the time. Deal with the people we have come up against in the past four years and then tell me that the French are a tolerant bunch  in general. They are not. And what I found is this...fellow expats here are even less so. Di, I have something called 'hindsight' now. I'd be interested to know what your plans are. You daughter has far more sense than any of us here.      

Raindog, one other thing. We live just north of the Spanish border where the people prefer to speak english, catalan and french rather than Spanish. In Sweden the people in the majority learn a second langauge...english. And can function in such without any ill feeling. In Italy...well, they don't use their langauge as a tool to isolate newcomers like the French do. As we have found. I can find a host of things to 'whinge' about France without bringing language into it. I pay a fortune in taxes here so I am entitled to express my opinions about France as a taxpayer in France[:)].

My sons were of school age when we came here, yet they were denied access to schooling when actually going to school would have helped them improve their french.  My son chooses to stay here and work at it; he wants to be with his family and continue trying to integrate here. He is learning French, he is looking for work. My other son hated France so chose to leave. I support them both. Di, take heed. Your daughter will have no future here going by the way she feels. And unless you profess a profound love of this country, no expat wherever you live will accept you either.      

Derek, they don't need to speak any english at all...just be more tolerant of those who cannot speak French that well at the off [:)].

Well, the general consensus is that if you cannot speak French then you should not be here, or consider coming here...right?. Is France a  'members only club' of some sort?.  

France is not only a member but the founding member of a largely non-french speaking and borderless Europe. She no longer stands alone, whether she likes it or not. I wonder how many people posting here, who live here in France, would still be here if being fluent in French - to French standard -was a requirement to not only living here but buying property here.  

BJSLIV; I was merely making a point, from what I have experienced in the past. I just wonder how much longer that the French will be able to maintain their intolerance of non-french speaking foreigners coming to live here whilst maintaining their membership of the increasingly borderless EU[:)]. Di;  if you come here and get it wrong there will be plenty of people on this forum to lay the blame at your feet. Think hard before you come here and, especially, before you bring your kids here. By the way; can you speak any French at all?. God help you if you cannot. Don't assume that moving into a community of ex-pat Brits to be the answer. In the long run you will still be in France. Katie...we are in agreement for a change![;-)]. Well said. But if the girl cannot speak any French at this stage then, unless she starts cramming, she will have not much hope here. And I suspect she is not keen to do so.