Tourangelle

Have a look here http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/561006/ShowPost.aspx as it has already been discussed

I heard about the lettre de motivation having to be handwritten, but unless you are responding to a specific job advertisement I wouldn't bother. It sounds like you are just after whatever you can get, work-wise, so unless you want to spend your days writing out letters, just type and print.  I went through a period of sending off loads of cvs with a covering letter, and I just printed off the same one and sent it.   Life is too short, and I got lots of answers, if they want you to do a handwritting test they will ask for one.

And in fact even when carte de séjour were still in place, you did not need one to sign on.  I know because I did it when I first got here, I didn't get any money, and didn't expect any, but my OH's social security requested it.  I would say no hope of getting any money, best go with savings and be prepared to take on whatever work is going until your French is up to speed.  I would add there is no plus in having a French spouse in administrative terms, except it means you can get a livret de famille, which is not really very excitingor indeed useful!

I've heard of cases like that too, Renaud, but often it is because there is a technique to the exam, and if you answer too well, then you miss the point.  It does seem daft.  I suppose it is in order to avoid that that Val's son is doing English[:(]

Val, does your son actually have to go to English lessons, or would he be excluded if he didn't?  If he really has to go,  I think you should go and see this teacher, with your son and point out that the curriculum in no way favours American English over British English, and see what he says.

Personally I loathe French TV, the only time I watch it is in hotels and during trips to see la belle mère (not much else to do).  It just makes me squirm, all those tedious panel based programmes, and the weather is just awful to watch, especially France 2.  I appreciate that some may want to watch it with a view to improving their French, but when you are past this stage, there are a number of good radio stations and some excellent news magazines which mean you can avoid it for ever.  Patf, I think you can listen to pm's questions on radio 5[:)]

Go for a Robert, not a Larousse.  Larousse does not give good definitions, it is potage=soupe as far as I'm concerned. [:@]

yes, they are not allowed to have sales outside the official times, but you will see "promotions", which in reality can be sales (although not always, sometimes it is a promotion!) or some formulation on "les X jours de (name of the shop)" where they have reductions which again are similar to sales.  In France there aren't sales on absolutely everything the way there is in the UK, it really is a way of getting rid of old stock and as such I would say they are real sales, with bargains to be had.  However they are very progressive, 1 demarque at the beginning, say 25%, 2 demarque - often after about a week, and then 3 demarque, it can be worth waiting, or just going at the end, my husband got a fantastic coat from 200 down to 40 last year, but then again it was the last one and he is extra large[:)]

Glad that you recommend, Nouvelles Frontieres TU, as I am thinking of going with them for an Easter break. I have heard good things about www.opodo.fr but I have never used them myself.  Cheap airlines as such do not exist in France, Air France has a monopoly, you just have to find the equivalent of Ryanair,easyjet et cie for the country you want to go to.

It is 11th January everywhere this year all over France, such coherence makes a nice change, but the dates of the end are different according to the departement, this is according to Europe 1[:)]

The nearest thing to a department store in Carcasonne is that there is quite a large Eurodif and also a Monoprix.  I also seem to remember an English shop.[;)]

I agree with TU, insofar as having looked into this too, and having taken advice from a highly reputable notaire, you do seem to have to take it to court.  This is the really expensive part of the process too!  We don't have any children as yet, but it is still a complicated and quite lengthy process.  Reading this through reminds me that I haven't yet asked whether our parents will have to agree.  I assume they will have to be asked to sign something, as we will effectively be disinheriting them (I know they will agree!) With the communaute universelle, there is no inheritance at all, because everything is owned totally by each person and nothing is owned individually.  Another downside is that if one of you has mental probelms, and cannot take a decision, it can be difficult for the other half to gain control over property money and so on, so it does have to be thought through very carefully.

Do not despair.  I think that you have had some discouraging answers so far too,[:(] but I think what you are suggesting is feasible, but not easy.  I did something similar, although with not the same financial constraints, seven years ago.  Generally, and I have seen this with other people to, if you are articulate and degree educated, you will find work teaching business English in the big cities.  I do stress in the big cities, before I get jumped on for making it sound so easy, as lots of people who use this forum do live in rural areas.  There will be no reason for you to become self employed.  You would just have to accept lots of short term contracts and evening work initially, but there is no reason why you should not come to earn the sum you suggest, but do come with savings to tide you over.[:)]

I too am really irritated by this

You might have a nasty shock on some virgin train lines, as that is certainly the policy they operate on some trains and with some fares.  Like so many things in the UK, privatisation has made things more complicated.  It depends on the ticket you buy, and with whom, and the conditions you sign up for.  At least in France it is the same rules on the train where ever you are![:)]

[quote user="Pangur"]There was meant to be a wink after my dialect comment btw...  Does the Acadamie rule on language matters in Quebec or West African francophone countries?  Or have their languages evolved in the same way that American English has?   [/quote] Try listening to Canadian radio on the net, or watching a French Canadian film (I'd recommend La Grande Séduction) it sounds very different and the vocabularly is not the same.  The first time I heard it I found it a very odd experience.  Anyway, between what the académie thinks and what happens, there is a gulf.  It would be wrong to say that English evolves and French is a static language in France, it has altered a great deal over time, especially in terms of its grammar. Je cause la France, moi!

you're right, we have talked about it before.  I really don't know what to think, especially as my friend is in quite a low paid job, (she works in a call centre to finance her studies).  It has, though, made me feel less guilty if I don't have any change[:)] 

Personally I tip postman, passing pompiers and so on.  I generally tipped in restaurants too, if I thought the service has been ok, but I was recently out with a French friend who has  lived in the UK, who told me she never tips in French restaurants, unless the service has been particularly good, because she knows that here the service is included, whereas in the UK it is not always the case and she would tip.  I must admitt, her comment has made me think twice, and now I don't always feel I should leave a tip here in France if the service has only been ok, rather than good.  [8-)]

I would say that the mad Christmas lights have only been big news in the UK for the last four or five years.  You hear of people having enormous electricity bills.  I too thought that Christmas started earlier here in France this year, but still not as early as in the UK, I saw Christmas cards in Next in August!  I think that Halloween was much less of an event this year than it has been previous years, perhaps that is why Christmas started a little earlier[^]

That's brilliant, thank you very much.  [:)] Loving the colour options by the way [:D]

How do I get the message to display always oldest to newest and not vice versa?  Unless I change it every time, making the forum much longer to use than the old one[:P] it automatically shows the newest first at the top of the page, and I find it really irritating [:@]

I am being driven up the wall by this new forum, every time I come to look at a post, I get newest first, and when I change it in the box on the right hand side it only works for the message I am looking at.  Please somebody tell me how I can fix this so that I do not next feature in the missing posters thread, because it is really really annoying me.  I just want the first message at the top of the page and to be able to read downwards. 

I don't see this "syndrome" myself, perhaps you have to be in the UK, but I think that people who post here and do not necessarily know alot about France see it all as part of the adventure.  There are very few whingers, and I think there are loads more positive stories on this board and others about how well it can work out.  Look at people like Lynda and Richard!  I've got to agree with mrs o, if you have doubts, you leave.

was that a suggestion, TU?

When my husband was working in a small village about 45 minutes drive away from where we lived, he used to stop off half way through have a coffee when he started early in the morning. Once, starting later, he stopped at the same cafe at about 10am. The owner was very surprised that he still wanted coffee at that time, as the rest of the clientele were all on the white wine already!