Living in France

Patricia Mansfield-Devine is a professional writer and journalist. She and her husband, writer and photographer Steve Mansfield-Devine, bought a property in France in 1996 and moved there permanently in 1999, where they now live with a menagerie of animals. When not writing, they can be found restoring their medieval property and trying to create a garden out of a hectare of neglected orchard.

1. INTRODUCTION TO FRANCE Climate Landscape Temperament Body language Assimilation and acceptance 2. MOVING TO FRANCE Permits - Carte de Sejour - Permanent residency Removals - At the UK end - At the French end - Removals firms Pets - Current legislation for dogs, cats and ferrets (domestic carnivores) - Dangerous dogs - Going back - Pets other than dogs, cats and ferrets - Travelling with animals - Veterinary medicine Health and retirement issues The journey 3. LANGUAGE Getting by Before you move over - Classroom learning - Private tuition - Courses for the committed - Self-study After you move over - Classroom learning. Residential - Classroom learning. Non-residential - Learning as you go along Reference books 4. DAILY LIFE IN FRANCE Shopping - Internet shopping - Markets - Bargains - Second-hand goods - Buying at small shops - Supermarkets and grandes surfaces - Fair Trade in France - Pharmacies - a source for toiletries - DIY shops - Electrical goods - Catalogue shopping - Antiques and collectibles Hiring tradesmen - Plumbers and electricians - Cleaners and domestic help 5. POST - Stamps - Postboxes and letterboxes 6. UTILITIES Electricity - Connecting to the grid - Dodgy supply - Plugs and sockets - Bulbs Wood - Woodburners Water Sewage Rubbish collection Gas Coal Renewable energy Phones - Installing a new line - Taking over an existing line - Market deregulation - The FT office - Bills - Directories - Mobile phones 7. INTERNET Buying goods online Other items, other vendors 8. MEDIA What do the French read? Books - English-language books Public libraries Television Radio Cinema 9. PETS AND LIVESTOCK French attitude to pets Identification of animals - Dogs - Cats - Ferrets Buying and selling pets Travelling with pets Where to obtain pets Visiting the vet Pet food and other goods What to do if you lose your pet Abandoned and abused pets Dangerous dogs Rescue centres Livestock - Sheep and goats - Horses and donkeys - Cattle - Fowl - Rabbits 10. GARDENS Importing plants Buying plants in France - Plant nurseries - Garden centres - Supermarkets - Other outlets French savvy UK mail order Tools and equipment A rewarding opportunity Part-time living 11. CAR TRAVEL Car travel in France - French roads - French drivers - Driving - Navigation Rules and regulations - Driving a UK vehicle - Breakdown - Speed - French road signs - Picture signs unfamiliar to UK drivers - Destination signs - Two-wheeled vehicles Garages Buying a car Importing a vehicle The driving licence Learning to drive in France Traffic lights and pedestrian crossings Renting a car Parking 12. PUBLIC TRANSPORT Trains - Stations - Trains - Buying a ticket Planes Underground - Metro - RER Buses Cross-Channel services - Ferries - Eurotunnel 13. MONEY Currency Vocabulary Cash economy Changing money Importing and exporting money 14. HEALTHCARE The social security system Healthcare in France - Mutuelle - The Carte Vitale Emergency services - What to do in an emergency - What to expect - Ambulance services Hospitals Doctors Prescriptions Pharmacies Complementary medicine Dentists Medical examinations Long-term illnesses Not in the system? 15. TAX Who is liable? - Domiciled - Not domiciled Pensioners Double taxation How is income tax paid in France? Your tax return Your tax demand Reducing your income tax liability - employees Reducing your income tax liability - self-employed Income tax reductions and credits Self-employment and compliance Leaving France Other taxes - Wealth tax - VAT - Corporation tax - Other taxes paid by businesses 16. CIVIL MATTERS French citizenship Marriage and divorce in France - Getting divorced - Divorce bits and bobs Dying in France - Repatriating a body to the UK - Differences from the UK 17. CHILDREN Having a baby in France - Registration - Nationality - Postnatal care - Child benefit - Childcare 18. EDUCATION Differences of approach State schooling French school or international? Montessori and Steiner Special-needs education - Dyslexia School availability The curriculum Year by year - Nursery school - Primary school - Secondary school Apprenticeship Lycee - General and technology lycees - Vocational lycees The bac Prepa University Grandes ecoles 19. WORK Where is the work? Before you go Job hunting online Other places to look for jobs - Newspapers - Other sources Self-employment - First steps - General criteria Working from home Starting your own business - whats involved? - One-man bands - Multi-person companies - Hiring staff - Buying an existing business 20. RETIREMENT Rules and regulations If youre in the UK and receiving state pension If youre in France when you reach retirement age Private UK-based pensions State pension and company schemes in France Top-up pensions Private pensions in France Claiming your French state pension Living on a low income What is retirement like in France? French public holidays Useful resources