Tourangelle

Also, now I think about it I didn't have a carte de vaccinations when I went for my visite medicale for a job I was in a few years ago, and they weren't bothered.  If I were you I would ring up and check how much they really need it.

not it is not the same thing, the carnet de vaccinations is just a small piece of card.  I have one since I had my tetanous booster here, but I don't know how you would get one otherwise

5 minutes too late. [:$] Well at least I don't contradict Will!

You can't sort it out yet, the forms have not been done, we've only just had the request for our first third, which is based on what we paid in 2005 for 2004.  As you paid nothing last year, they will just send you a form when they have them, and if they don't then go back to the hotel des impots (NOT the mairie) and pick one up.  Fill it in (easier said than done - looking forward to pre printed forms although as my situation keeps changing for year to year I don't think it will do me much good!) They will send you a bill in September.  HTH

[:)]

It was the charming [:@] message in finding/owning French property which made me wonder...[:)]

You aren't marked anymore as such.  Does that mean Will, Quillan, Gay etc that you aren't mods anymore?[*-)]

It is a nationwide strike. If your son is getting bullied you should make an appointment talk to the CPE, whose role it is to deal with this sort of thing.  HTH

Train fares, yes, 25%.  Bus fares vary from place to place.  I think my MIL got a discount with Air France for being over 60.  HTH[:)]

DHG I think[:)]

I would have thought that here they  come from Eastern Europe or even Russia, but in any case not Basingstoke etc.[:D]

interesting article, it sounds as if the loop is being tightened

I was surprised at the proportions rather than the actual numbers as such. I didn't think the British would outnumber other nationalities to such a great extent.  I've looked, but failed to find comparative statistics for the whole of France, I would be interested to see if the hotspots compare to my expectations![^o)]

I am absolutely stunned by the statistics on that site, I would never have thought that the majority of immigrant children was British, even in an académie like Bordeaux.  I can't find any statistics for where I live (Lyon), but it is certainly not like that!

put niveau bac, diplome obtenu, just to be sure then.  It is a difficult subject.  Personally I wouldn't put the word brevet on your cv, because it is just taken for granted that you have it if you have gone on to do furher studies.  Also, there was a time when they didn't do it here at all, around 1979, so it would not be seem as that odd not to have it.

I couldn't agree more with Miki.  Those of us who lived in France before CMU started, and it has not been around that long, will remember it was touted as being the solution for those who had really very low income to have access to the health care system, and as such, a very good thing.  It is a pity it seems to have been hijacked.

I feel France does adapt to foreigners who come into the education system, especially if they arrive at an age to go to college or younger.  But I am surprised by attitudes on this site (not everybody of course) which express shock that in rural backwaters there is not the support they would like.  In cities, there are classes for children who arrive with little knowledge of the language and for those who arrive and have difficulties, but obviously the resources can't be everywhere, and most people arriving in France move to cities rather than rural areas.  TU, aren't you exagerating a little, I think the last major educational reform dates back to the collège unique, in 1975[:)]

[quote user="josa"]I have to agree with Chris. I am a citizen of the UK - paid taxes and at the same time I am part of the EU -   if I go to France and ask for health care if it is needed then I should receive it as my right - by the same token I have no problem in anyone from France coming to the UK who requires the same rights - what is the problem - either we are all part of the EU or we are not - stop whining an whinging and most importantly stop being insular and narrow minded.. [/quote] What a ridiculous argument, you suggest that healthcare should be the same in France as in the UK and you should just be able to arrive and get it for free. You get in reimbursed if you are on holiday here and you happen to be ill, but it is another matter if you chose to live here.   That is not how it works here, and wishful thinking is not going to change that, if you have enough money to pay into the system you should pay into the system like the rest of us, if you really can't afford it, then you get help like French people.  Insular and narrow minded is a bit rich from somebody who has just affirmed that because it works one way in the UK it should be the same in France.  I seriously hope you are not coming to live here, I think the culture shock would clearly be too much.

the news was about people claiming RMI rather than CMU, I think.

As your qualifications are equivalent to a-levels, I would just put "niveau bac" on your CV[:)]

It sounds hideous, Val, whereabouts are you exactly?[:(]

[quote user="wen"]Hmmmm, think we'll give it a rest for now on the scouting thing as my son already puts up with alot of that sort of treatment at his school as it is. Never knew that the scouts here are a catholic thing though...and Im RC ! I thought the church had to keep its nose out of things here. Anyway, we're considering handball now (I cannot believe that this is such a huge sport here).[/quote] It is not that it is a catholic thing, it is just that they have the word scout, but éclaireur just means scout too, so scouts and scouts.  Religious belief being entirely up to the individual, there are numerous catholic and other groups which are entirely unconnected with the state like secours catholique[:)]

You have to cut and paste the link.  The marriage would be perfectly legal in the UK, I think.

I am afraid I take a rather relaxed approach and just go to the one I fancy as I go past, and I can't remember any names.  But in Vouvray there is a wine museum, which is quite small, but interesting, they explain how they bottle the sparkling stuff and so on, and have some of the old equipment and of course give you a taste, so it is a good starting point.  It is attached to a vineyard, but as you pay for the museum, you don't feel you have to buy.  I should have said, the bus out to Vouvray is just an ordinary one, and takes the ordinary tickets that work on all the buses in Tours, I remember being perplexed about this myself when I did it, I couldn't believe it didn't cost more because we seemed to be going so far, but it is just on a regular bus ticket!  I have never actually not wanted to buy any wine when I have been to taste, because of course they don't just have you tasting the one bottle, but it could be 5 or 6 from different years, so if generally you like that sort of wine, you wont want to come away empty handed![:D]

If I were you, (and my name on here does indicate my preference!) I would stay in  Tours for cheapish hotels.  It is big enough for there to be a wide selection, and you can stay centrally enough to be able to walk to numerous restaurants in the evening.  Look for hotels between boulevard Herteloup/ boulevard Beranger and the Loire, avoiding the immediate area around the cathedral and the train station and you will find yourself in a nice central area.  From here you can easily reach Vouvray (on the bus if required), for your white wines, and Chinon and Borgeuil for the reds (you'll need a car).  As you are driving around, you will see signs saying "dégustation", so just pick out one you fancy.  You only need buy 6 bottles at a time, and some will allow you to mix, say three of each.   You can definitely find wine at 4 euros a bottle or even less.  Some of the sparkling Vouvray is probably a bit more, but it is not a very expensive area. In terms of chateaux, it depends when exactly you are thinking of going, but I think the ones to see are Azay-le-rideau and Chenonceau.  These are both within easy reach of Tours.  If you are travelling further afield, then Chambord is spectacular.  Near Chinon is Ussé, which is pretty, and if you are going in spring, you could go to Villandry, for the gardens rather than the chateau.  Chinon is a nice place to stay if you want to go somewhere smaller, you can't see the nuclear power station from the town.  Amboise is also a small pleasant town, with a nice chateau, which could be another place to stay.  I wouldn't go and stay in either Azay le rideau or Chenonceau however gorgeous they look, because they are tiny!  Hope this help[:)]