Tourangelle

percer surely?

I think there is nothing really to chose between Britain and France really.  My mother has taught for years in an inner city secondary school in Birmingham, and tells stories with punchlines such as "and as I walked into the class room a brick came through the window".  However, my husband has equally alarming stories from his years in teaching, in particular in the Paris suburbs (St Ouen, Aubervilliers), of being personally threatened by parents and so on.  Schools reflect society, that's all. 

Often, they don't put rentals up in the window of the agence immobilier.  Don't despair

Alexis, you are right, it will be up to the person you have the contract with to let you know a month before, so you can cancel it if you wish, and if they do not contact you, or do so too late, then you can cancel it when you want Jane

Hi They should write a letter with accusé de réception, basically saying that it is not legal that they have not had their money back quoting article 22 de la loi du 6 juillet 1989.  This should be sent  recommandé and with accusé de réception.  If they have already done this, then they should go to the tribunal d'instance in the town where they rented the property.  They have to write to the judge, explain the situation and give all the corresponding papers.  I got this out of Que Choisir 120 lettres pour régler vos litiges, this month, 6 euros 85, steep,  but I'd recommend it. Jane

Really?  Actually I am not sure there is much more than a sewer rat in terms of nature in my immediate environs but I'll take your word for it.  I guess they must making all that rosette out of something

So, just from personal experience, I thought the sim car was the thing in the phone that gives you your number and means you are on a network.  I have one of these in my phone, which was given to me by my brother in law who hadn't used it for a while, so I had to buy another.  It cost about 15 euros.  Now, I buy cards, and as I understand it, it is not so much that the sim card in itself runs out, as when your card (and it is not a card really it is a number you put in the phone)  runs out, the sim card is cut off by the operator.  So to avoid this, you have to keep your phone topped up, but it is not as bad as it sounds.  I am with Bougyges and if I buy a card that last 2 months, (25 euros) meaning I can make I think about 2 hours of calls, within 2 months it allows me to receive calls for the next 8 months without my losing my number.  But if I were to buy a card for 6 months, I would beable to receive calls for much longer.  So basically I don't think it is the sim card that expires, but yes, when you have no credit on the phone you can still receive calls but not forever. 

What's the sudden farm animal thing about Teamedup?  First cows, now pigs.  I think pigs are mostly in Brittany  

In France many French companies want their higher level executives to have taken something called the TOEIC test.  It is an American test, and it is English for international communication.  Basically it is listening and reading, and most companies want the person to get 750 points out of a possible 900ish.  Often, it is a condition for promotion.  Lots of big companies use it, and in my teaching I have prepared people for it from Renault, from EDF, from Adecco.  It is a load of rubbish, (I've seen people with appaling accents hit the 750 and other who communicated really well not get it:plain  but it gives you a nice number and the French seem to absolutely love it.  There is an equivalent called the TFI (test de francais international I think), and I think anybody who was going to apply for a job in a big company should consider taking it. Jane

I have a top loader, and the top of which has fallen on my head several times when I have been reaching for something at the bottom.  Very painful Jane

Just as nobody seems to be answering, I thought I'd post this site through which I found my current flat http://www.petites-annonces.fr/pawebapp/jsp/home.jsp Also, rentals in France are for a basic 3 year period, (rather than 6 months)  and you have to give 3 months notice if you want to move within that time.  That's if it is unfurnished.  If it is furnished it is a completly different ball game, but I am not an authority on this at all since I haven't rented funished for about 8 years!!

Lyon is a paradox, the autoroute du soleil goes through the place, but it is an awful place to drive in becaues it is all one way streets.  But what I don't like about Lyon is the complex that the Lyonnais have always wanting to be as good as Paris.  Ask any Lyonnais what they like about their city, and they will all say, it is 3 hours from the sea and 2 from the mountains.  I know, because it comes up alot when I teach my business English classes, it is part of the general chit-chat like the obligatory weather jokes.  They all say the same thing.  And woe betide you if you say something like, so what your saying is it is good to beable to leave the place, or well that's true for Avignon, Gap, Grenoble, Perpignan ... the list goes on.  Your Lyonnais is stumped, and says, well it is better than Paris.  No, it isn't.  It has all the disadvantages of a big city, without the advantages of Paris.  Anyway, that is my coup de gueule for the day,  Jane

I've just looked at the survey again in Le Point and realised they have done the very French thing of considering Lyon just as the commune rather than le grand lyon, which means they leave out the nasty suburbs of Vennisieux and Vaulx en Velin amongst others.  Sneaky

I was going to post on this too, not least because I live in Lyon and I don't think it is all that great!!!   The tables they have done in Le Point are really interesting though, but have to be read with a bit of objectivity.  For example, Lyon is down as having an average temperature of 11, which does not take into account that we absolutely freeze in winter and in summer it is way too hot.    My criteria are definitely not theirs, I don't like skiing so being close to ski resorts is not a plus, for example.  And frankly there may well be 22 starred restaurants here but I still can't afford to go.  So I'm a bit surprised to find myself living in the best place to live in France, especially as I bought the magazine because we want to move   But it does tell you interesting stuff if you read through all the tables in terms of the price of housing, whether or not there is an airport, TGV and so on. Jane

I've changed!!!  Alain only ever contributed a couple of message anyway!!!  It is the second time I've changed because we used to have an "and" but we lost it when the site changed and I couldn't think of another log in  

I'd add to the list of advantages of French people doing degrees in England that if they get a third nobody here knows what that is.  But how do they manage pay the tuition fees (how do British parents for that matter?

It is true, having the attestation is loads more important than having the card.  In fact, until about two years ago I think most people paid in the pharmacy and then sent off the form.  You could get tiers payant, but it was only for a specific pharmacy that you chose. Dentists aren't wired up to the system and neither is my gynacologist.  Anyway, I waited 6 months for my carte vitale and then they sent me two!!!!

I completely agree.  I think there is far too much handwringing going on, there are loads of great things here.  I would hate France to catch up with Britain in terms of public transport. To come back to education, the voactional education here seems great, BTS and so on, that's a real gap in Britain as far as I can tell Jane

I think they all live in London.  I have twice been asked what part of London I was from, on the grounds that the inquirer had found out I was British, and therefore thought from  London.  Well, somewhere north of London, I tell them.  If I say Birmingham they hear Buckingham, if I say York, which is where I was born, they think I'm American. 

Sorry to be thick, but what's a blog?   I came across the word for the first time in today's Guardian, so it is kind of providential to see it on here.  I clicked on a link, it just looks like a diary, is that what it is?

I remember on my first trip to Paris when I was little, just loving the bateau mouche.  But it might be a bit cold if you are planning to go any time soon.  A friend who lives in Paris with her kids has a book called the Guide du routard Paris junior, might be worth a look through in your local Fnac....

CJB said the CAPES is a competitive exam and the PGCE isn't.  Well that is what it might look like initially, but in fact even if you pass the CAPES you haven't actually 'got' it as such until you do the year of teacher training.  This involves about six hours spent teaching a week, in a school where you are assigned a mentor, and the rest of the time spent in the IUFM being trained.  There are several inspections.  It is not like you do the exam and then are expected to know how to do the job Jane

An English bac?  That sounds nice.   I hope I'm wrong  and it is something great, but I think it is probably one of two things.  Either English langue de complément where they just have extra hours of English, or a classe Européenne, where they do one other subject in a modern European langue.  Often it is history and geography, because they all have to do that right up to the bac.  And it is not all the classes, only an hour or so in the week.  It is for the French kids, so obviously the teacher, who doesn't necessarily speak the language brilliantly goes really slowly.  Perhaps it is the international baccalauréat, that would be great for you if it was Also, sorry to be pedantic, but it is the baccalauréat, therefore bac, its not an abreviation BAC Jane

no, voyou is  hooligan rather than gangster, gangster is gangster, or caïd if it is the boss Jane

France info.  It is around 105.5, and it is nothing but news, but the good thing is that is constantly repeats itself.  I can't listen to it for too long now, because it annoys me but, when I first got here and really wanted to improve my French it was great, because it was like doing repeat listenings.  Also, as I got to know the little jingles, I knew what was coming up, and also they don't do discussion programmes as such, but just little interviews or monologues.  Now I listen to Europe 1, influenced by my French husband and I really felt I'd reached a good level in French when, a few years ago, I started to find Laurent Ruquier funny...