TheVicar

As in the UK, you will probably get a better deal on the internet. Try www.direct-assurance.fr for example. They are the French equivalent of Direct Line.

[quote user="pompeysi"] What are the prices / atmosphere like? [/quote] I would worry more about the standard[:D]

We are with CA as well, but ours comes under Anjou/Maine. Strange how the same bank in different regions has different fees, isn't it?

Our bank charges 4.50 euros a month which includes a bank card, but as we have found, it is a Maestro card which is fine in the shops and petrol pumps but not always accepted for phone or internet transactions, nor on the motorway toll machines. A Mastercard would cost us 33 euros a year. The charge I discovered recently which surprised me was 10.71 euros for setting up a standing order for a 'non-utility' company.

Try this link. http://www.askoxford.com/languages/fr/french_letters/?view=uk There are useful tips for writing letters in French as well as some sample letter that you could modify. link made live by a moderator

You could always try the old faithful French Yellow Pages , http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en Enter something like 'camping  equipment' into the search field and a region number and you should come up with a few locations. As a mobile home owner I know Narbonne are a good supplier of items for caravanners and the like, but see what else you can come up with in your area.

Mayenne Have a look at www.laymyhat.com They are a dedicated website for holiday home owners with a dedicated section for advertising. It's a question that has naturally been asked several times before, and trawling through their posts and replies will probably give you a few good tips.

Blossom As the partner of a newly qualified TEFL teacher , I could only suggest you search more on the internet. It is our experience that (not surprpisingly) the organisations that will happily take your money will tell you that English teachers are in much demand. I would say that it will be difficult to find full-time work in this subject. Try inputting TEFL and France into your search engine and look around some more. Also try going to anpe.fr (the French employment web-site) , punch 'anglais' into the keyword section and search all of France. These should give you a more realisitic view. I would say that maternal English speakers are in better demand than French English teachers as the standard of English teaching here is at times quite poor, but it will also be important to speak French to a good standard in order to convey your message. We have 3 children and, having seen their English lessons in French schools, can personally say that they do not understand sometimes. My partner currently helps a French teacher at English classes and sometimes has arguments with her as the French teacher insists that English is spoken a certain way, when we obviously know better.  The French have a need for better quality teachers than are currently available outside of the big cities, but you will need to weigh up wether you move to a city and have more competition, or move into a more rural area, where you may well struggle to find the hours you want/need. Good luck.

In France the system of 'doubling' is quite common whereby a child can re-sit the same year. When we arrived here, our middle daughter was placed in a class lower than her age year as her school felt that she would integrate better that way, with a teacher who spoke English better, and it gave her a chance to spend more time learning a new way of life and language, instead of struggling with harder work in a foreign language. It may be that your daughter's headmaster felt the same, especially if you arrived well into the school year.  We have always been happy with the decision. Our eldest daughter who is in college started in 5eme in  February two years back, and re-sat the same year after the summer for the same reasons. It's certainly nothing to worry about.

Sounds like a good idea (in theory).

Are you sure you were on the Transmanche web-site? The URL I had for them now directs you to www.aferry.to, who do charge for the transaction. If you want to book direct with Transmanche, make sure you are using www.transmancheferries.com.

The easiest way would be to find a dealer in your area (if there is one). Take it there with your registration documents and the ever requested passport. They will get the Certificate of Conformity from their Head Office, probably for around 150 euros. Try searching the French Yellow Pages on the internet , www.pagesjaunes.fr.

We insured a mobile home through K Drewe of Bewdley, although they may have changed their name to Spectrum Leisure. Having said that, we were naturally on a camp-site whereas I presume you are on private land. Having moved to France permanently our UK insurance had to be cancelled as they could only insure UK residents, and we then found French insurers much cheaper. If you can, it may well be worth investigating the price through a French insurer (most any high street) but it is possible that they can only insure French residents. Good luck.

We bought a mobile home from England to facilitate us while between homes, but the home itself came from Spain. We used a company called Europarcs who have been absolutely brilliant. They were a lot cheaper than Haven. Shipping from England is likely to cost around £2000, but from the prices I've seen in France that could still be cheaper, and although I can't speak for O'Hara you may well get better quality. IRM are the other main French maker. If you're interested, our one may be up for sale at the end of the season. It's only 2 years old, sited close to Blois in the Centre region.

School supplies, can't help. We get most of ours fom the local Leclerc. Supermarket deliveries? You are hoping! We have recently been speaking to the lady who owns the local bar, who wants to visit England. The thought of a milkman fascinates her. When we spoke of ice-cream vans and similar, her eyes were popping. Gluten free, no personal experience. Have you visited www.afdiag.org?

Regarding the last two points that you mention, we came here about 15 months ago with 3 girls, the eldest at the time being 13. She was very much against the move and it took around six months for her to settle down. I think at that age the subjects in a foreign language are obviously harder, having to learn words relating to  biology, sciences and even Latin (!). She is mildly dyspraxic and is naturally opposed to any changes, still has problems with writing French as a result, but certainly enjoys the more relaxed approach to school. (Just came home with the same form as last year, asking if we are agreeable to letting her have the last week off as the teachers are busy with exams for the older students, as well as greeting expected newcomers) She frequently comes home early as she has no more lessons for that day. Regarding the attitude to the teaching style, this is very difficult, as it seems that teachers here are very much more independent, and their personality and approach will be the deciding factor for your children. Our one hates maths because the teacher seems to write the lesson out on the board and just lets them get on with it. Very boring, I would agree, and not the way to teach. As far as the kids, she was a bit shocked at first with the freedom they have. At first glance, they often appeared unruly in class, but on the other hand they rarely, if ever,overstep the mark. Girls and boys mix better as friends, with less pressure regarding sex, fashion, music, etc. The earlier point about giving support is all important, as well as using this as a tool to keep an eye on their own commitment.Personally I wouldn't go into the the French system too close to the BAC as it is hard work for them once they get to 15-16 years old, and the changeover at this point could be detrimental.

Can't give a lot of information / advice here as I have only made enquiries myself. I make concrete garden pots as a sideline to our mobile home / apartment letting. Initially I considered this as a separate business but found the 'cotisations' too high to make it worthwhile and now aim to make it a 'complimentary revenue'. The town hall directed me to the town policeman, who informed me how easy it was to get a pitch. Only just over a euro for a metre (and I only needed three!), no paperwork, no notice. The snag was that he needed a SIRET No. before allowing me to do so. Now a bit friendlier with the 'local bobby' as we drink occasionally in the same bar, he now tells me that he would let me have a stall as he knows when the inspectors are coming and would have to refuse me that day. He's actually my best customer to date, and I have still yet to book a pitch. The main points here are what exactly you mean by a summer sideline. If you already have a business of some sort in France you can probably operate in the market in the same 'complimentary' manner. If not, you will need to do some serious homework as registering as a business puts you in line for social fees of some 5000+ euros a year, but I have heard that they can be reduced at first. The other thing that springs up here is the often mentioned 'not what you know, but who you know'. Get in with the local mairie and whoever deals with the market there. Take a bit of advice from your Chambre de Metiers, and if needed from an accountant. The bit of advice I got from mine didn't cost me anything. Good luck!

I'm confused. Is the question relating to Guinea pigs with chickens or rabbits?

Can't say it was quite as quick for us in the Sarthe, but it too was agreeably easier than the stories we'd heard. Our biggest problem was trying to convince the Citroen dealers that they could supply a certificate of Conformity. Both Tours and Le Mans gave us such blank looks, and had obviously never heard of them. In one, they came back and told us that they couldn't supply a certificate for a right hand drive!! But certainly, the processes in the Hotel d'Impots and the Prefecture were quite easy.

Getting back to the original query, I suspect that many Brits have found that unskilled labour of this sort is easy pickings, given the amount of  Brits with holiday homes here, who need to keep the place maintained and secure. Many of these people who still have their main home in the UK are pretty well off, often haven't bothered to learn the language, and naturally turn to a fellow Brit to do the work. Also,the amount of advertising I see for French people to train as paysagistes also suggests to me that there is plenty of call for them. In our humble little town, I know of at least 3 British 'property services', none of whom can be found in the 'Pages Jaunes', but as far as I know pay their taxes and cotisations. Having said that, I suspect it is an easy trade to 'forget' to declare an odd job or two.

Agreeably, the paint last year could be a red herring. We bought an old town house last year and very often in the morning there is an unpleasant odour, which in our case I believe is causesd by the crazy French plumbing which runs underneath the house. The smell itself possibly comes from a build up of silt in the outside drain which is then carried through underneath the house, emanating it's smell from the plug-holes as it passes through. Could be something similar?

I learnt most of my French from a Linguaphone course and found it a good way of learning because of the structure (but this was some years back and may have changed). There were 30 lessons, all broken into 3 parts, and formed a whole story. This takes away the boring look, read and remember method that some adopt. The first part was one of the characters speaking, the second part included their part of the story and the third was a very short humourous piece. Each chapter had follow-up oral and written exercises, sometimes word games. Because all of the language is taught in a practical way, I found it easier to remember what a character said, rather than what a book says should be said in a certain circumstance. Expensive, but very practical. Good luck.

Just had a look at the site and can't say I like it. Many links are broken, and I don't particularly like the idea of having to 'enquire' as to what's available. I want my property where it can be seen with it's availability there and then. I know of a web-site specifically for property owners who have discussed this site, and the general concensus is a thumbs down. One of the major concerns is that the pay per enquiry is open to abuse.