Dordogne Tourism facts 2007
November 21, 2007
Key facts and figures from 1 March 2007
- Over 3.1 million tourists
- Average length of stay (all accommodation): 10 days
- Representing almost 31 million nights’ accommodation
- A direct turnover of at least 980 million euros
- Over 6,000 permanent jobs in tourism (6900 in July & Aug.)
- Tourism in the Dordogne represents over 31% of the local economy
More facts and figures.
- 77% booked part of their vacation online. (airline, ferry, rental car etc)
- 93% of visitors researched the area online before visiting.
- 71 % of visitors booked accommodation online
5 years ago, these figures would have all been below 28%, and 10 years ago they would have all been below 3%, however, in 3 year time they will ALL be above 90%.
Font de Gaume
November 21, 2007
Located near Les Eyzies, on the Sarlat road, Font-de-Gaume Cave is a showpiece of Magdalenian engravings and paintings from around 14 000 BC. The flints (chisels, scrapers, blades) and other things found in the cave during the excavations testify to a continual occupation since the Mousterian age, or the age of the Neandertals.Discovered in 1901 by D. Peyrony, the Cave, 130 m long, contains about 250 paintings. The visitor can only see 30 of them, the most beautiful ones and the best preserved. After 60 m underground, the “Rubicon” is the beginning of the decorated part of the cave, with red dots on the left wall. These caves were not used as dwellings, they were shrines, according to A. Leroi-GourhanThe Grotte de Font-de-Gaume is famous for its cave paintings from the Magdalénien period. It is entrance is 20 m above the valley floor of the Beune valley, at the lower edege of a huge limestone rock.
There are many polychrome paintings and some engravings. The 240 figures show 80 bisons, which are the dominant motive. Most other pictures are also animals, 40 mammoths, 23 horses, 17 reindeers and deer, eight primitive cow, four goats, a wolf, a bear, and two rhinoceroses. More interesting, but less frequent, are four hand outlines and 19 geometric figures.
Timeline
November 20, 2007
Combining time travel, archaeological exploration, and a power struggle in medieval Dordogne, this action-packed story will grab your attention from the very first page.
ITC, a company located in the New Mexico desert, is at the forefront of the new science of quantum technology. It has secretly developed a means of transporting humans back in time. In the Dordogne region of southwest France, a team of company-sponsored archaeologists and historians is unearthing the remains of a medieval castle, village, and monastery with the goal of developing a major tourist attraction. The words “HELP ME” followed by “4/7/1357″ written in ink and on paper used in the 14th century are found at the site. It seems that Professor Johnston, the team leader, demanded that he be transported back to the settlement, and obviously he is in danger there. A rescue effort is launched, and five people are transported back to April 1357: two escorts from ITC and three historians from the Dordogne project. Their time machine allows them 37 hours for the rescue, but within minutes of their arrival, the escorts are killed by a band of horsemen. The three survivors set out to find the missing man, and their race against time results in a gripping tale. YAs will be fascinated by this juxtaposition of modern-day physics with details of a medieval siege.
If you have ever been to the Dordogne, and have visited Beynac and Castelnaud you MUST read this book and watch the DVD.
Deadly Slipper by Michelle Wan
November 20, 2007
Deadly Slipper by Michelle Wan
Published by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard.
The Dordogne in spring - what could be lovelier or more peaceful, the air filled with the promise of summer and wild flowers blossoming in the hedgerows ? Read the Deadly Slipper and you may feel differently about this wonderful region of ours.
“For the first time in her life, she had an inkling of her sister’s mind, the passion that ruled true amateurs, motivating them to spend countless hours bending at the waist, as Julian had said, all for the sake of discovering and documenting the existence of a single flower or the breeding ground of a particular species.”
Beatrice “Bede” Dunn became fascinated with wild orchids when she got a summer job with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. They sent her to the Bruce Peninsula to map orchids. She spent three months there, wandering around the woodlands, doing some serious hiking and camping-out. When she returned in the fall with fifty rolls of film, she had a new avocation - wild orchid hunting. Bede became passionate about “documenting the existence of a single flower or the breeding ground of a particular species.” In 1984 she and her boyfriend, Scott, went on a hiking holiday in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. When it began to rain, the couple had an argument about whether to leave their camp and seek shelter elsewhere or to stay put. Bede was adamant about remaining and so she did - alone. When Scott returned two days later the tent and their things were still at the campsite, but Bede was gone, along with her camera, backpack, Michelin guide and a book on wildflowers and orchids. No one ever saw the young woman again. After a massive search and investigation, which garnered much publicity, no evidence of foul play was discovered, no body, no crime scene.
Mara Dunn, Bede’s identical twin, has never resigned herself to the loss of her sister. She moved to the Dordogne after her divorce became final and went into the interior design business, all the while maintaining contact with the police. Nothing concrete, however, was found concerning the disappearance. During an antique hunting expedition in a near-by town, Mara discovered an old Canon camera in a pile of junk. She noticed it immediately, even though the case was mildewed and worn, because it was identical to the cameras her parents had given her and her sister for their high school graduation. She was sure it was the camera her sister had traveled to France with. Inside the case the initials “B. D.” were written, and inside the camera was an undeveloped roll of film. Damaged by time and dampness, but still viable, thirty-four photographs were revealed upon development, of wild orchids and a dovecote, taken in what appears to be the local landscape. Mara is convinced the photographs document her sibling’s final days.
Now, almost twenty years after Bede vanished, Mara, with the photographs in hand, makes yet another effort to find her sister, or her remains. Julian Wood is an English expatriate living in Dordogne and an expert on wild orchids. He is also the author of “Wildflowers of the Dordogne/ Fleurs sauvages de la Dordogne,” and the man Mara wants to assist her. She asks him to help her retrace her sister’s footsteps using the photographs as a guide. Julian is skeptical about turning up anything new on the missing person. He doesn’t really want to get involved and he doesn’t care much for pushy, intense women. Besides, the police have copies of the photographs and don’t seem very excited by them. When Julian views the final picture though, he becomes agitated and as motivated to begin a search as Mara, but for different reasons. The photo is of a Cypripedium - Sabot de Venus in French, sometimes called Lady’s Slipper in English. And since this rare wild orchid does not grow in the Dordogne, or anywhere in Europe, he has his own mystery to unravel - if he decides to become involved with Mara and her investigation.
Not only is Deadly Slipper a good literary mystery, it is really a fun book to read. Filled with an exotic cast of characters - from the local bogeyman and his mother, who is even scarier than her son, to the bizarre Sauvignac family, (the local nobility), to Julian Wood’s fanatic orchid hunting nemesis and competitor, and the regulars down at Chez Nous, the town’s cafe/bar/gourmet restaurant, plus a French police inspector and his lads, these personages all enrich the narrative. The horticulture tidbits are fascinating, and I’m no gardener. The description of food, wine, the gorgeous countryside - c’est tres magnifique! The setting IS France! There is even some romancing going on in between gruesome discoveries. You cannot go wrong, especially if you’re looking for something different in sleuthing.
How to prepare for dying in France
November 19, 2007
Do you know what would happen to you or your spouse’s assets if you should ‘disappear’ in France? Many expats don’t as French succession laws are markedly different than those in most English-speaking countries. Kathryn Valdal Fourie provides a primer, including an overview of recent legislation.
Wondering what happens if you die in France is not often uppermost on the minds of expats busy building a new life here.
But French inheritance laws are markedly different to the legal norm in most English-speaking countries; it is safe to say that many expats are unaware of the laws that will apply if they ‘disappear’, as the French say.
Some 80 percent of people die without a valid will. But even if you’ve drawn up a perfectly good will in another country, French inheritance laws will apply in the event of your death and it could be found invalid by French courts.
Here’s why you should take the time to think about what happens…after.
Modernising French inheritance laws
The bulk of the inheritance code dates to 1804 in France; although it was significantly updated in 2002, the French parliament recognised the need to continue modernising the law by adopting yet another succession law on June 14 of this year. The new law will apply as of January 1.
The most significant clauses of the new law include:
- the law is much more flexible in terms of dictating who can be included as primary heirs. In the past, the law strictly dictated that all children of the deceased would inherit first and equally. Under the new law, grandparents will be able, for example, to bequeath directly to their grandchildren (with their childrens’ consent); the new law also applies to familles recomposées so that the children of a first marriage can cede part of their rights to the spouse or children of a subsequent marriage. Likewise, a sibling from the same family can renounce part of their inheritance in favour of another relative.
- the deceased can name an executor to posthumously manage all or part of the estate.
- the law now offers more recognition of couples pacsées.
- the heirs of a property no longer need to agree unanimously to administer the estate, for example, a decision to rent out an inherited property; the sale of an inherited property still requires unanimous agreement among the heirs.
- a marriage contract, régime de marriage, can be changed without court approval with the consent of adult children (except in the presence of minor children). Such changes are sometimes made to change a spouse’s status in terms of legal claim to the estate.
- the amount of time allowed to make a claim to an estate has been shortened from 30 years to 10 years.
The new law is intended to better reflect the realities of modern family life.
Contrary to laws in most English-speaking countries — which allow you to leave your estate to anyone you choose and, in the absence of a will, favour the spouse over children—the original French inheritance laws favour the ‘direct line of descent’, that is, the children, grandchildren and parents.
The intent is to protect the family, for example, to prevent an unscrupulous outsider from persuading or coercing an elderly person to disinherit their family.
But in fact, prior to July 2002, the surviving spouse had almost no rights at all in France. If a spouse died without a will, the surviving spouse would have received nothing; even with a will in place, the surviving spouse would only have been able to receive a share equal to that of the surviving children.
Some foreigners who have assumed that French inheritance laws mimic those in other countries could be caught unawares in the worst possible circumstances.
Take the example of Mary Lalevée, who learnt about the French inheritance laws following a potentially fatal accident in 1999. She and her husband subsequently decided to write their wills and, tragically, her husband died suddenly a year later at 46.
Consequently, the estate was divided equally between Mary and her two children, then aged 11 and 13. If they hadn’t drafted their wills, she would have been left with nothing.
The laws have since changed significantly but the lesson remains: French laws are probably still quite different than those in your country of origin and the only way to protect your assets here and abroad is to consult a notaire and, probably, to draft a will.
The long reach of the law
If you are a resident in France at the time of your death, all your assets worldwide are covered by the French inheritance law, except real estate owned elsewhere, explains Jean Taquet, legal consultant and author of ‘The Insider Guide to Living in France’, who explains the importance of drawing up a will in France.
Foreign real estate is governed by the inheritance laws of that particular country. “If you have real estate in Spain for example, it is also necessary to have a will drawn in Spain,” explains Taquet.
What happens if you do not have a will?
In France, you cannot leave your estate to anyone you want if this person or entity falls outside of the French law. “It is also impossible to disinherit your children, your parents and more recently your spouse,” says Taquet.
Under current French law— and this will be largely unchanged by the new legislation—Taquet explains that an estate not covered by a will is automatically divided equally amount amongst all the people on the same ‘level’ of succession. The levels are (in order):
1. The children
2. The parents
3. The surviving spouse
4. The brothers and sisters
5. The grandparents and above
6. The cousins, uncles and aunts and everyone coming from the same great-grandparents.
The surviving spouse, however, receives more favourable treatment than this suggests. For example, he or she has the right to stay in the family home for a year free of charge. Still, even if a property was bought in both spouses’ names, the children, not the spouse, have prior claim over the deceased’s half of the house.
There are too many possible scenarios to cover here, but Taquet provides one example:
If the other heirs are the children the couple had in common, then “the surviving spouse has the choice between a) complete claim to a share of the total estate divided equally among all surviving children of the deceased (including those from a previous marriage) b) the use, rental and enjoyment of everything in the estate (usufruct).
The second option — a difficult concept for Anglophones says Taquet— doesn’t mean the surviving spouse can touch any liquid assets belonging to the children. But he or she could, for example, stay on in the family house (‘using it’) until their death when the children would inherit everything outright. A judge might intervene if this means the adult children wouldn’t get their inheritance for too long a time.
If there are no surviving children, but both parents of the deceased are alive, the surviving spouse gets full ownership of half the estate.
If the children are minors, the surviving spouse must apply to a court to sell any assets or administer the childrens’ share.
This is largely a formality but you will have to communicate with a judge every year to demonstrate you haven’t absconded with the children’s inheritance. Plus, a judge will normally not allow the guardian of the children to use their inheritance to pay for their care. Mary Lalevée, for example, was forced to borrow money to cover her family’s finances while her childrens’ inheritance was invested until they became adults.
All of this is partly why the French are very concerned with carrying life insurance, or assurance décès, as these payouts are not included in an estate, provided the beneficiary is not the deceased. You can also take out multiple policies for various family members, your children, your spouse, a friend or lover.
What difference does a will make?
While French law still tries to prohibit disinheriting certain members of your family, a will can still make a huge difference, especially under the new law.
- A will would allow you to leave a ‘donation’, that is, a specific asset, animal or a sum of money, to a spouse, partner, child, friend or association.
- A will would allow your spouse to live in the family home until his/her death.
- A will could mean one or more of your heirs receive their inheritance over time instead of in a bulk sum.
- A will specifies the guardians of minor children, including guardians living outside France. Without a will, the judge will automatically appoint guardianship to your surviving parents but a will means you can select the guardian of your choice and that the children would be placed under their care more easily and quickly.
- A will allows you to detail funeral or cremation arrangements.
Writing a will
The two most commonly used wills in France are the testament olographe, a handwritten will, and the testament authentique, written by a notary.
For the first, you will be asked to write out the will by hand based on the legal advice of your notary. The notaire will then check the document and have it registered and kept at an official location in France.
For a testament authentique, you dictate your wishes orally to a notaire, who then types the document and reads it back to you.
The second is more difficult to contest.
You can also write your will in English, or another language, if you wish under an ‘international will’ introduced in 1994 for foreigners and French citizens living abroad.
Kathryn Valdal Fourie is a South African freelance journalist located in Paris. She writes for publications in Europe, the US and South Africa on topics ranging from finance and technology to parenting and living abroad.
Guide to buying a home in France
November 19, 2007
It can be both tempting and daunting to buy property in France — whether a sleek city apartment or a rustic rural retreat.
You must first decide where you want to live. While housing prices have increased considerably across France in recent years, there is still wide variation in prices and availability.
You can consult thousands of ads every day in newspapers and weekly property magazines as well as a slew of online property databases. ‘De Particulier à Particulier’ is also very popular, can be searched online, and carries only ads from private sellers, not agencies.
Still, you’ll probably want to at least consult with an estate agent, un agent immobilier. These regulated agents must carry a professional card delivered by the préfecture de police to operate legally; they provide accurate market prices — final sales prices, as opposed to asked-for prices, are private information in France — as well as generally reliable legal advice. Keep in mind, however, that agents generally represent the interests of the seller.
Agents can negotiate their commissions, but it generally falls between four and eight percent of the sale price. Always ask if the commission is included in the price. You don’t have to pay the commission if the sale falls through, if the agent is operating illegally or if their contract with the seller has expired.
You can also try the public auctions, vente aux enchères. The lucky and experienced can find deals this way although the final sales prices often end up matching the overall market.
Another way that French buyers sometimes try to lower their investment is through a viager sale; that is, buying below the market price on the condition that the current owners, usually an elderly person or couple, can continue to occupy the house until their death(s). Buyer beware: you are betting here on the life expectancy of the current residents and there are many anecdotes about sellers outliving their buyers!
The Legal Steps
Once you have found a home you want, you and the seller must sign a preliminary contract called either a promesse de vente or the increasingly common compromis de vente.
They are not quite the same; the promesse sets a price, a timeframe and any other conditions. Once signed and legally registered within a 10-day period, the seller is committed, whereas the buyer retains the right to walk away, albeit while sacrificing the initial down-payment, generally 10 percent. The compromis includes the same terms but does not need to be registered; it is, however, a legally binding agreement for both parties.
Once you sign a compromis, you have a seven-day buyer’s remorse period during which you can change your mind for any reason; you then must also pay a down-payment of at least 10 percent.
Before signing either a promesse or a compromis, make sure the contract specifies the exact boundaries of the property, any additional structures (dépendences), and any furniture, fixtures, appliances, etcetera to be included in the sale as well as any other conditions, conditions suspensives, on the sale such as obtaining a loan or insurance.
You or your agent are required to arrange for, at the buyer’s expense, an inspection report that will determine the presence of termites, lead and asbestos. You have the right to also order any structural inspections.
With houses, it’s also a good idea to also consult with the local town hall, mairie, as to any development plans for the area, the local property taxes, and the exact property delineation as listed in the property roll, cadastre.
For apartments, the law (loi Carrez) requires that the initial agreement must specify the exact living surface. The calculation excludes stairs, terraces, balconies, separating walls and floor space with a ceiling lower than 1.80 metres; this may not match the advertised square footage.
The notaire is the solicitor that handles property transactions. The seller will almost certainly name a notaire; you have the right to retain your own, independent notaire, in which case the legal fees will be shared equally by the two. The buyer will pay these fees, which are based on a legally mandated fee structure, barème de frais, but figure on paying around five to seven percent. You will also pay the current year’s real estate taxes, les taxes foncières, pro-rated for the amount of time you occupy the house.
Be aware that French inheritance laws, which favour children over the spouse, will apply to this property regardless of any wills and even if your primary home is elsewhere; consult with your notaire as to how to deed the property in anticipation of an estate settlement.
Once the deposit is paid, the notaire will start researching if there are any legal or financial restrictions on its sale; this can take as long as 12 weeks. In the case of rural homes, this search should also determine if there are any other claims to the property, such as the neighbouring farmer’s right, droit de passage, to drive his tractor across your land to his fields.
You will spend this time securing your mortgage, if need be, and insurance. The conventional mortgage term is 15 years although 20, 25 and even 30-year mortgages are available.
If you buy the land only and wish to build your own home and plan to significantly renovate an existing structure, you are also responsible for:
- Certificat d’urbanisme: a document that details the building codes for your construction, including exactly where you may build and the exterior appearance.
- Permis de constuire: You must provide detailed information on your building plans to your mairie.
- Consult with your mairie about any additional fees and taxes to which you may be subject.
You will then sign the final acte de vente. It is customary for all parties to sign at the same time, usually in the solicitor’s office. You will all listen to the reading of the acte, sign the documents and the buyer makes out a check for the remaining amount due. You are now a home-owner in France.
Old or New?
While many foreigners are seduced by the charm of a maison ancienne or, in Paris, a Haussmann-era apartment building, new constructions are generally more functional. If you’re buying in a new building, it must include parking space and will come with guaranties, generally up to 10 years after purchase, covering construction faults.
If you hire builders, start by asking for multiple quotes with timeframes; it is not unheard of to pay a fee for a construction quote even if you ultimately choose another builder. While it’s easy to find English-speaking artisans, don’t be intimated to work with locals who know the suppliers and the neighbours even if a language gap makes it a bit more work for you.
Key French Property Phrases
T1/T2/T3, etcetera: for apartments, refers to the total number of rooms excluding kitchens and water closets; a T2 is a one-bedroom. A T1 bis is a studio with a larger living space than a standard T1.
FAI
(frais d’agence inclus): the estate agent’s commission is included in the advertised priceSH (surface habitable): total living space
cuisine aménagée: a room needs only a sink to be called a kitchen. Aménagé indicates cupboards and counter space.
cuisine equipée: includes appliances. Cuisine équipée/aménagée means a fully outfitted kitchen.
cuisine américaine: indicates a usually small kitchen that opens directly onto the main living space
combles aménéageables: attic space that can be retrofitted for additional living space
décoration à revoir/rafraîchissement à prévoir: red-flag phrases that can indicate ugly wallpaper or major, costly repairs.
dépendences: any additional structures, legally built or not, including everything from a garage to a barn
dressing: any built-in closet
jardin/terrain clos: a property enclosed by wall, fence or hedge
plain-pied: a one-story house
pierre de taille (PdT): means simply cut stones, but often used in Paris to indicate an apartment building of the Haussmann era
pierres apparentes: exposed stone walls
prestations: the overall appearance or esthetics. You want to see the phrase belles prestations or décoration soignée.
salle d’eau: a water closet, as opposed to a salle de bain or salle de douche
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Driving in France
November 19, 2007
If you come from a country in the European Union and have moved to France permanently, you might want to get a French driving licence.
The procedure is free and generally simple: you give the préfecture two ID photographs, a copy of your titre de séjour (if you have one), your driving licence, and present your ID card (carte de séjour if you still have one) or passport, a proof of your French address (an electricity, water or land line phone bill) and they will issue you a French driving licence. Note that some préfectures have handled more foreign driving licences than others, and that interpretations of what is needed may vary from département to département. In Paris this procedure is free and the French licence is issued on the spot, whereas in the Dordogne it costs €52 and takes eight days.
A French driving licence is not compulsory – unless you commit an offence involving a loss of points, in which case you’ll have to obtain a French licence so that the points can be removed from it.
British residents are also faced with the problem that UK licences are linked to an address in the UK. Strictly speaking, if you do not have an address in the UK, your UK licence is not valid although in practice this has become a grey area for Brits living elsewhere in Europe. In spite of the potential problems – driving without a valid licence is a serious offence – changing the system to allow for Brits living in the EU is not a British government priority.
Some states in the United States have signed treaties allowing driving licences to be exchanged within the first year of residence, under a procedure similar to that for EU nationals. For the other states, you can drive on your US licence for a year, but then have to take a French driving test with compulsory lessons, normally costing between €900 and €2,000.
Having a French driving licence makes things easier, not least because it is a good form of photo ID.
As a motorist in France you are liable to on-the-spot checks at any time, so you should always carry your licence, vehicle registration and insurance documents when driving, and can be subject to on-the-spot fines if you do not have them with you. If you cannot produce the papers when the police check you, you are allowed five days to present them at the police station or gendarmerie nearest to the place where the check took place (not the nearest to your home). You may then reclaim the fine but it is a complicated procedure.
MOTORING OFFENCES
There is a system of points for motoring offences whereby all drivers start with 12 points, from which between one to six points may be deducted per offence, depending on its gravity.
One point is deducted for minor speeding offences; three for more serious speeding offences, dangerous overtaking, driving on the wrong side of the road or not wearing a seat belt. Drunken driving, manslaughter or driving without a licence warrant six points. If you lose four or more points your licence may also be suspended for a limited period. Check www.reseaupointspermis.com
The points are restored after three years, or you can recoup four points by following a two-day course (costing around €245) to brush up your driving. You are allowed one course every two years and can recoup an overall maximum of 11 points. (See www.permisapoints.fr).
As from the end of 2007, drivers will be able to recoup one lost point in one year, instead of three years (providing there has been no other offence during that period). From July 1, 2007, drivers will be able to check the balance of their points on the internet.
If you lose all 12 points, your licence will be withdrawn for at least six months. After this, you will have to sit the Code (theory test) if you’ve had your licence for at least three years, or even retake the full driving test if you’ve been driving for less than three years.
Fines from €11 to €90 may be demanded on the spot or you may be given three days to pay (or two weeks if notification of the fine is received by post). If you do not pay on time the fine will be increased, for example from €33 to €135, and then to €375 if you still haven’t paid. You can appeal but if you lose you will pay the higher fine.
To pay, buy a timbre-amende from any bureau de tabac or the Trésor Public, stick it on to the fine notice (carte-lettre) served by the gendarme, and post to the address printed on the carte-lettre.
NB Much stricter penalties have recently been introduced for drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving. If you have more than 0.5g of alcohol per litre of blood, your driving licence can be withdrawn on the spot and you risk a very heavy fine (€1,500 to €3,000) and even a prison sentence.
Individual tolerance to alcohol varies with age, weight, sex etc. The site
www.simu-alcool.com might help you work out your own level. But, best of all, don’t drink and drive!
To combat speeding, new digital speed cameras were introduced in 2004, adding to the arsenal of traditional radar gun speed traps. There are mobile cameras stowed in the back of specially converted police cars and fixed roadside cameras, always preceded by a warning sign. Maps showing their location are published in car magazines and government websites, (see www.securiteroutiere.equipement.gouv.fr) but they still catch huge numbers of drivers.
If you are caught, you will receive a request by post to pay the fine with a notice mentioning the number of points lost. If you were not the driver you do not have to give away the driver’s name, but expect pressure to
do so.
One side effect of the speed cameras was to highlight the large number of false number plates on French cars, some estimates say as high as 10%.
If you are certain your car was not on the road when the camera says it was, you can ask for the photo, which could prove that the vehicle is not yours. Any other evidence for the day, such as garage bills, will strengthen your case. Read the fine notice carefully. To obtain the photo you have to pay a sum equal to the fine. Do not sign the relevant part of the form admitting guilt. Send off the part of the notice requesting the photo and to appeal. If your appeal is successful you will be refunded.
Act quickly if you get a fine notice. The fine is increased if payment is late and it does not take long for police
or gendarmes to come knocking with a court summons if nothing is done. As a general rule, the authorities
in France take much more notice of people who have come to their attention in the past than to those who
have not.
CARAVANS AND TRAILERS
A permis E(B) is required:
a) if the weight of the empty trailer or caravan is greater than that of the towing vehicle;
b) if the weight of the empty trailer or caravan exceeds 750kg or
c) if the total weight of the vehicle and trailer exceeds 3.5 tonnes.
To get the permis E(B), you must pass a medical check-up and the theory and practical driving tests in a French auto-école. If you already have an equivalent licence, pick up an application form from your mairie and send it to your préfecture, with the two passport-size photos and a timbre fiscal – currently to the value of €1. You will be given an appointment for the medical which costs €24.40.
Once you have passed the test you must still have the following medical check-ups:
• every five years until age 60;
• at age 60;
• every two years between 60 and 76;
• every year after 76.
BUYING A CAR IN FRANCE
There is no doubt that if you are moving permanently to France from the UK, the simplest solution is to sell your right-hand-drive car in the UK and buy a French car. The advantages are obvious: a left-hand drive makes overtaking much safer, no need to worry about all the paperwork involved in importing a vehicle and it is probably easier to find spare parts.
The weekly ‘Argus’ magazine gives an up-to-date second-hand car price guide. Any second-hand car you purchase in France must have been put through its contrôle technique (see below) by the vendor within the six months preceding the sale.
If you can find a car that is registered in the département where you live, the paperwork will be even simpler; if not, you will have to re-register it, which involves applying for number plates.
A certificat de situation administrative du véhicule (formerly known as a certificat de non-gage) is also required when buying a second-hand car. It shows that there are no outstanding fines or debts such as hire-purchase or bank loans. The certificate is available on www.interieur.gouv.fr
The certificate must not be more than a month old at the date of sale. On the day of the sale the buyer will give you the carte grise of the vehicle crossed out and on which is clearly written: ‘Vendu le (date) à (time)’ and signed by the vendor. (See also under ‘Registration Document’.) Before driving off with your new car don’t forget to get it insured.
CONTRÔLE TECHNIQUE
This is the French equivalent of the British MOT. All cars more than four years old, including goods vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes laden weight, must pass a contrôle technique (CT) every two years and display the CT sticker on the right-hand side of the windscreen. Utility vehicles must also take an annual pollution test.
Unlike in the UK, the test takes place in dedicated centres which do not carry out repairs. The centre issues a report which shows faults which do not necessarily have to be fixed right away, and faults which must be fixed within two months, and the car returned to be checked again (often free of charge).
The first CT is due within the six months preceding the fourth anniversary of the car’s date de la première mise en circulation, shown on the log book (carte grise).
Contrôle technique centres may charge what they want, but the price shouldn’t exceed €60 or so. As a car may be tested in any département, it might be worth shopping around.
Exempted from passing the CT are:
• vintage cars (voitures de collection) – ie, more than 20 years old – but to be recognised as such and obtain this exemption (and cheap insurance), the car must pass an initial test to earn its voiture de collection log book;
• vehicles used by the diplomatic corps;
• special cases such as taxis and ambulances for which there are separate procedures.
CT check points
The principal check points are: identification (that the paperwork matches the number plates etc); braking system, steering, visibility, lighting (they can be very punctilious: a stone chip in a screen or a dud light bulb can fail the vehicle, but some stations are more easy-going than others), indicators, structure (corrosion, distortion), tyres, pollution, noise level. If the car fails on any major point involving safety, it will have to be returned for a contre-visite to verify that the work in question has been carried out. Two months are allowed between the contrôle technique and the contre-visite. Be punctual: if the time limit expires, even by one day, you will have to arrange a new contrôle technique!
Penalties
The driver of a car on the road without a valid CT certificate can be fined as much as €135 and have the log book confiscated. One week is then allowed for the contrôle technique to be carried out, after which the log book will be returned by the préfecture.
Remember
The fact that a car has passed the contrôle technique does not exempt the driver from responsibility should any of the above features be found unsatisfactory by the authorities (or an insurance assessor).
REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
If you are buying a new or even sometimes a second-hand car the dealer usually arranges to obtain the log book for you.
Never buy a car without a log book as this could mean the car was stolen.
If you buy privately, you must apply in person to the préfecture of the département in which you live. You will be asked for proof of residence (an electricity, water or land line phone bill is acceptable in most préfectures), as well as a phococopy of your passport and the cancelled log book in the name of the previous owner (cancellation is done by writing ‘Vendu le (date) à (time)’ followed by the vendor’s signature).
Fill in the carte grise application form and pay a fee which varies with the region where the vehicle is registered and its horsepower: count between €25 and €30 per taxable horsepower unit.
NB: You pay half price if your car is more than ten years old.
TAX DISC
(vignette)
Recently abolished for private vehicles, the vignette must still be bought yearly for commercial vehicles and those of more than two tonnes.
INSURANCE
Take your pick of insurance companies – it pays to shop around. British no-claims bonuses are normally recognised in France, where the maximum discount is 50%. A French insurance policy automatically includes a green card and also includes an insurance windscreen sticker which you must display.
Should you wish to cancel your insurance policy you must send notification by registered letter with recorded delivery (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception) three months before the annual expiry of the current contract. (Some companies only require two months’ notice.)
IMPORTING A CAR
There could be two aspects to this procedure, depending on whether or not the car is officially recognised in France. Although the procedure was recently ’simplified’ it remains rather ponderous, so allow yourself at least two weeks to go through it all.
In both cases:
1) If you bought the car in a EU country and if it is less than six months old or if it has done less than 6,000km, you will need to pay French VAT – known as TVA – unless you have proof that it has already been paid. This involves going to the tax office which will deliver a certificat d’acquisition – certificate of purchase – which will be needed later on.
If the car is more than six months old and has done more than 6,000km, you needn’t worry about this. But don’t forget that if the car is more than four years old, it will have to pass the contrôle technique (see above).
2) If the car is new, you must ask the French head office of the car manufacturer for a certificat de conformité étranger – foreign compliance certificate. This certificate proves that the vehicle conforms to French requirements in matters such as lighting, brakes, pollution etc.
Send the same head office a copy of this certificate (or, if the car was already registered in another European country, send a copy of the certificat d’immatriculation étranger – foreign registration certificate), together with a letter requesting official compliance – une demande d’homologation– and a cheque for about €130, the fee varying from one car maker to another.
You will then find yourself in one of two situations:
1/ If your car is officially recognised in France, you should go to your préfecture with:
- your ID card or passport,
- a proof of residence (an electricity, water or land line phone bill),
- the foreign log book or certificat de conformité étranger,
- the certificat de cession issued by the previous owner, or a copy of the bill of sale,
- the certificat d’acquisition issued by the Hôtel des impôts,
- the completed demande d’immatriculation from the préfecture.
Your log book will be issued on payment of the fee corresponding to the car’s taxable horsepower.
or
2/ If, for whatever reason, your car is NOT recognised in France, you should visit the DRIRE (Direction Régionale de l’Industrie, de la Recherche et de l’Environnement) to get a Procès Verbal de réception à titre isolé (at a further cost of €107). You can then finally go to your préfecture and get your log book by following the same instructions as above, without forgetting to add to the list the PV de réception à titre isolé.
All in all, it is much simpler to buy a car in France – which is probably the object of all the bureaucratic difficulties put in the way of a would-be importer.
Further information may be obtained from:
• Le Ministère de l’Équipement des Transports et du Logement, La Grande Arche, 92055 La Défense Cedex.
Tel: 01 40 81 21 22.
www.carte-grise.info
Residency in France for non-Europeans
November 18, 2007
The endless opportunities in 25 member states have encouraged Europeans to consider the possibility of residing in a neighbouring country. But with so many people migrating across Europe, where does this leave the rest of the world who may wish to live and work there as well? No longer does the iron curtain separate a Europe, but rather the EU and the rest of the world. So what does one do to reside in France as a non-EU citizen?
Two cartes permit residency in France for non-Europeans: the titre de séjour (commonly called carte de séjour) and the carte de résident.
Titre de séjour
The titre de séjour permits temporary residency in France for a planned stay for up to 12 months. It is granted for a specific purpose such as study, employment or research. Once obtained, the titre de séjour is not automatically reissued; it will depend upon the reasons given for renewal.
To obtain the titre de séjour, non-EU individuals need to apply for a long-stay visa through the French consulate in their home country before arriving in France. Once in France, without it, it is necessary to return to your country of origin to obtain the long-stay visa before you will be issued with a titre de séjour. The long-stay visa validates the reason for applying for a titre de séjour.
The long process involved in the application for the long-stay visa includes : criminal record checks, proof of savings, proof of health insurance, proof of enrolment in a university (if student), proof of employment (if worker). Contact or view the website of the French consulate in your country for more details.
Generally speaking, you have a window of time from your arrival in France to apply for the titre de séjour ; otherwise, your application may not be received. (Note that the time period can be as short as eight days!) Check with the mairie, or the préfecture upon arrival. It can take several weeks (sometimes months) to process a carte de séjour. There are rules that regulate whether, where and for how long you can leave France, and they vary depending on the status of your titre de séjour. Be sure to ask which rules apply to you at the préfecture before planning a trip abroad.
To apply for the titre de séjour, you will need to collect several documents and then present them at the mairie or the préfecture. Among others, you may be required to present :
Students (for first-time application).
1 Justicatif d’Identité: passport, original copy of birth certificate and a translated copy.
2 Visa de séjour en France: Photocopy of passport with visas, stamps.
3 Justificatif de domicile à Paris (proof of fixed address, if student lives in Paris) : A lease agreement or the like. If you do not have your own fixed address, but are staying in a residence, home or similar accommodation arrangement, it is possible to obtain from the owner an attestation d’herbergement or an attestation de foyer (declaration that you are reside at the address).
4 Justicatif des resources: Proof of a minimum income of 430€ per month (ie, a bank statement to indicate sufficient funds that has been certified by the French consulate in your country).
5 Justificatif des études suivies: Proof of enrolment (originial and photocopy).
6 Justificatif de la réalité et du serieux des études suivies l’année précedente: Proof of ongoing studies. Essential for renewing the titre de séjour.
7 Trois photographies d’indentité tête nue: 3 passport photographs. Without headgear
8 A visa allowing the bearer to work (activité salariée) less than 20 hours per week and more during vacation periods. This is provided by les services de la main d’œuvre étrangère.
Workers:
Work in France should be arranged before arrival. There are specific long-stay visa application for positions such as an au pair and language assistants. There are different employment contracts, and the length of stay allowed by the titre de séjour will depend on the contract. The documents for the titre de séjour for employment are similar to those listed for students, except that proof of employment rather than enrolment will be required. Finding permanent employment in France is difficult, as preference is given to nationals rather than EU citizens. It is possible to search for employment without the titre de séjour, but illegal to work without it. If on the off-chance you find employment in France, your carte is more likely to be processed if the employer can confirm to the mairie / préfecture that they are interested in employing you.
Spouse of a French national:
If you have married in France, or you have moved to France after your marriage, then it is possible to receive the titre de séjour. For spouses, there are added benefits, for it permits more than one function ; eg, residency with or without employment or study.
1 Extrait d’acte de naissance et traduction: original birth certificate with translation,
2 Photocopie du livret de famille : the blue family booklet given at the civil marriage ceremony
3 Acte de mariage: marriage certificate (with translation) dated less than three months.
4 Visa d’entrée en France: photocopy of passport with visas and stamps.
5 Date d’entrée sur le territoire français: date of entry into France or French territories
6 Date d’arrivée sur la commune: date of arrival in the town.
7 Photocopie recto-verso de la carte nationale d’identité française: Photocopy both sides of spouse’s ID card, as proof of French nationality
8 Quatre photographies d’ndentité tête nue: 4 passport photos, with head uncovered
9 Photocopie de la dernière quittance le loyer ou d’éectricité ou télécom: Photocopies of the last rent, electricity or phone bill
10 Photocopie bail ou contrat de location ou titre de propriété: Photocopy of lease agreement or title deeds of residence if owned
11 Déclaration de vie commune : a document signed by the couple at the mairie
12 Photocopies du contrat de travail et fiches de paie: employment contract and pay slips
13 Imprimé de visite médicale OMI à remplir et signer à la mairie : document that certifies that the applicant has had a medical check-up (the préfecture can supply names of approved doctors) that needs to be filled out and signed at the mairie.
Note: All translations need to be done by an official translator. The préfecture can supply names of these.
Carte de résident
The carte de résident allows you to reside permanently for periods of 10 years.and to follow the occupation of your choice in all the French territories. Warning: obtaining this card is not easy ; there are many variables which can influence a non-EU citizen’s receiving permanent residency in France, and they are more strictly scrutinised than for the titre de séjour: For instance, the purpose of the stay, the duration, personal circumstances, the country of origin, the degree of integration and status in French society and mastery of the French language are factors which will determine if permanent residency is granted.
Depending upon your eligibility, most people who seek the carte de résident must justify a continuous and regular residence in France for at least 5 years counting from the age of 11. This period can be interrupted if the person leaves France (for holidays, for example).
The term of residency is reduced to two years in two situations:
first, when a family member seeks to join their family in France whose members already have a carte de résident, and second, if the parent of a child with French nationality has temporary residence in France. If you have been married to a French national for three years or more, you can apply for the carte de résident directly. If you have been married for less than three years, then you must hold the carte de séjour for three years, renewing it every 12 months before applying for the carte de résident. Proof of vie commune, ie, living together, needs to be demonstrated ( a rental receipt, joint bank account, tax declaration etc). Eligibility for the carte de résidence is extended to those who have received refugee status, or who have served in the French foreign legion for a designated period. There are also other categories not mentioned here.
Apply directly to the préfecture for the carte de résident, not the mairie. The following is only a guide as to what you may require :
1 Passport
2 Documents proving residence
3 Proof of identity, family record book (livret de famille), birth certificate
4 Three passport-size photographs
5 Proof of living together
6 Proof of integration in the community
7 A contract of employment or a promise of recruitment,
8 If a married applicant is employed part-time or is without employment, the income of the spouse can be taken into consideration
9 Provide any document proving the stability of your situation in France: real estate purchase, bank statements and presence of your family in France.
10 A medical certificate issued by the Agence nationale de l’accueil des étrangers et des migrations (ANAEM).
If you exit France for a period equal to or exceeding three years, the carte de résident is terminated and must be applied for again, and the second time around is likely to be harder than the first. To find out if you are eligible for the carte de résident, speak directly with the préfecture in your département.
I managed to get it so bonne chance!
For more details, see www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr.
by Emma Moore
The Basic Healthcare System in France
November 17, 2007
The French state medical insurance system is officially classified by the World Health Organisation as the number one NHS among over 191 examined. It offers all who join a level of care in both public and private medical establishments that is not equalled anywhere else. It is available to everyone from the poorest to the wealthiest in the land.
It is particularly important to note that the system, without question or reservation, accepts applicants crippled from birth, suffering from long-term chronic conditions or serious diseases like cancer and gives them preferential treatment.
Entitlement in France under the French state medical insurance system differs widely from that in other EU states. The following outline applies whatever your age or however you are affiliated to the system. For example, by working in France, by retiring early with entitlement to temporary health form E106, by having a UK state retirement pension or other UK benefit giving entitlement to health form E121 or under the provisions of the CMU (France’s universal health cover law)
All reimbursements are based on an official price list called the Tarif de Convention.
Reimbursements as a percentage of the Tarif de Convention are:
• Visits to doctors 70%
• Pharmacy costs 35% to 65%
• Specialists’ fees 70%
• Routine dental costs 70%
• Hospitalisation costs, depending on the illness, vary from 80% to 100%
However, daily food charges, telephone calls and private rooms are not covered.
The above percentages need explanation as the system is complex and varies with different medical conditions. The following are important classifications and qualify for reimbursement of 100% of the Tarif de Convention:
a) A list of 30 serious diseases that includes, for instance, cancer, heart disease,
insulin-dependent diabetes etc.
b) Surgery superior to KC 50. (KC 50 is a very low level.)
c) Certain other serious diseases, for example, any illness classified by the attending doctors as long-lasting. A stroke is an example. In the case of hospitalisation exceeding 30 days the condition is automatically classified as long-lasting.
When the illness falls outside the above three classifications the state pays hospital costs only up to 80% of the Tarif de Convention. This limitation can result in a costly shortfall. In addition, while related outpatient treatment and medication is reimbursed 100% of the Tarif for items a) and c) above, this does not apply in the case of item b), surgical operations.
It should not be taken for granted that an illness classified or otherwise will be covered 100%. You should ask your doctor to register your condition with the CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) who, if you are accepted as 100%, will send you a letter of confirmation and explanation. If you have a serious condition registered for 100% cover, treatment for that condition is normally given without extra charges. Make sure you update your Carte Vitale accordingly at the special points provided at your local CPAM and hospitals.
NB. Practitioners are allowed to charge more than the Tarif de Convention. The surplus, or dépassement, is paid by the patient. The gap between cost and reimbursement is substantial and can be very expensive. To be safe, everyone in France affiliated to the state system should have a top-up insurance as well.
The choice of a top-up insurance policy, or mutuelle, is important. Most are based on a percentage of the Tarif de Convention. The price you pay depends on the percentage level you choose. It should be noted that 100% is not nearly enough. It means that the reimbursement is capped at 100% of the Tarif. This may be enough to cover routine visits to the doctor and normal pharmacy costs but as soon as you suffer from a more serious condition and need specialist treatment and possibly hospitalisation the cost of treatment is always more than the Tarif and at the 100% level you have to pay the excess yourself. The level of cover you require depends very much on the area in which you live and you should take advice on this point.
The system is complicated and many people coming to France find it difficult to understand. Here are some examples that may help. The deduction of €1 in the following illustrations is non-reimbursable by either CPAM or the insurer and represents patient participation brought in with the reforms of 2004.
Routine visit to a doctor
Tarif de Convention = €21. CPAM pays 70% = €14.70 less €1 = €13.70.
At the 100% level of guarantee the mutuelle insurance will reimburse the unpaid balance up to €20, the patient participation of €1 not being reimbursable by law.
If the doctor in the above example had charged €40 the patient would therefore pay €26.30.
Visit to a specialist
Tarif de Convention = €28 CPAM pays 70% = €19.60 less €1 = €18.60.
Specialists invariably charge more than the Tarif of €28 for a consultation. The charge, depending on the practitioner and the condition, is seldom lower than €35 and can be as much as €100 or even more. At the 100% level of guarantee nothing in excess of the Tarif less the €1 will be reimbursed by the mutuelle insurance.
At the 100% level of guarantee the insurer will reimburse the unpaid balance up to €27. If the specialist had charged €100 the patient would pay €81.40. For the insurer to have covered the complete difference less the non-refundable €1 the level of guarantee would need to be a much higher percentage of the Tarif.
Bear in mind that tarifs will depend on whether your doctor is your registered GP or not. The same applies for the specialists.
Hospitalisation is the same. In a recent settlement where orthopedic surgery was involved, the surgeon, reputed to be one of the best in France, charged extra fees amounting to 396% of the Tarif. In this case there was no limit on the guarantees, the insurer’s claims office paid the entire difference directly to the hospital. The patient never saw the bill.
We hope the above examples help you to understand the French system. It is not a complete cover system like the UK NHS and this is one of the ways that the excellent service is financed.
Issued by:
EXCLUSIVE HEALTHCARE SA
Help and Information Lines
France 0870 449 283 & 0870 449 175
UK 0121 288 2363
Sales +33 (0) 494 403 145
Education in France
November 17, 2007
PRE-SCHOOL
Crèche
The vast majority of French kids begin school well before the age of six. Many have been institutionalised since they were six months old – the age at which they are generally accepted in a crèche. Most towns are equipped with local council-run crèches (crèches municipales). Where no such organisations exist, many parents set up their own crèches parentales – under strict council guidelines. The latter are glorified playgroups employing childminders.
The care in crèches parentales is perhaps not as good as that provided in official council crèches, where the childminders are replaced by fully qualified carers (puéricultrices). Such crèches are not simply places to dump kids: the children are often involved in a full range of artistic and sporting activities. The crèche is also important for acquiring life and social skills such as going to the loo, eating at table and learning respect for others. Even at this early age, the emphasis is on teaching kids to be able to take their place in a group structure. Most council crèches run from seven in the morning until six in the evening. There is a monthly care fee, which is also tax deductible. Ring your local mairie for details.
Child-minders
For children who are unable to find a place in a crèche, the childminder or ‘nounou’ is the only solution. As with everything in France, childminders are regulated. They have to be registered with the local authorities and, for this, they must attend state-run childcare courses.
Since state registration there are fewer nounous than before and nowadays,finding a childminder willing to accept your kids is almost as difficult as trying to find a job or somewhere to live. Childminders will charge anything from €850 to €1,400 for their services, and because of their scarcity, they can quite happily name the terms under which they will accept your offspring. All childcare fees are tax-deductible, providing your childminder is state-registered.
Parents who are tempted to employ unregistered childminders, beware. This is illegal and could land you in prison or get you a hefty fine, or both. When employing non-French childminders, make sure that all their paperwork is in order. Childcare is a nice earner for many illegal immigrants. Remember, that under French law, pleading ignorance is no defence. All relevant details can be found at your local mairie.
École Maternelle / Nursery School
Crèche is not compulsory, neither is école maternelle (nursery school), the next link in the French educational chain. However it is free. Children can enter Maternelle at the age of three, or in the August or September nearest to their third birthday. This means that some children as young as two and a half can start école maternelle.
Nursery school in France marks the start of formal education. There are three levels or sections: petites, moyennes and grandes (small, medium and large – just like French fries!) Class sizes can vary, but a standard class is composed of roughly 20 children, under the responsibility of a teacher and a classroom assistant. The latter plays no active part in teaching. There is no national curriculum as such for nursery schools, just a set of objectives which individual children must have more or less attained before being able to attend primary school.
The list of objectives is long and tiresome and written in French educational jargon. Basically though, children must have decent communication skills. This does not just mean being able to string a sentence together: they must be capable of telling a story, expressing wants and needs and explaining and justifying themselves. They must also possess the rudiments of writing and are expected to write their full name and a simple phrase in capital letters, lower case and joined-up writing (genuine Dickensian copperplate script). In terms of maths, children are expected to be able to count up to 30, recognise and draw simple geometrical shapes and resolve simple problems relating to quantities. Most important, children must be able to “respecter les règles de la vie collective”, in other words, as a full and active member of a group, live by and respect the rules imposed by that group. From an early age the French system places a very heavy emphasis on children being able to follow rules (règles) and instructions (consignes).
Regular assessment is carried out by the class teachers and at the end of each term parents receive a written report on their offspring. Assessment is carried out according to guidelines set down by the state education authority, though it is in no way national, and does not lead to the creation of national league tables. There are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ maternelles, but in the French system there is no such thing as parental choice, you send your kids to the local school. Details are available from the local mairie. A recent ruling allows for some flexibility in this but parents need to apply early to their mairie if they wish to send their children to a school outside their catchment area. Handicapped children, siblings and certain other categories have priority in gaining places in a different school.
The standard school day starts at 8.30am and finishes at 4.30pm. Children get two hours for lunch and do not attend school on Wednesday afternoons. Some maternelles (roughly 25%) function on a four-day week. Children attend school every day except Wednesdays and Saturdays but their holidays are shorter. Their summer holidays, for example, do not begin until the second week of July and they go back to school in the last week of August.
ÉCOLE PRIMAIRE / PRIMARY SCHOOL
After nursery school comes primary school, infant and junior (école primaire). This is free and compulsory. Children start primary at the age of six. There are five primary years: CP (cours préparatoire), CE1 and CE2 (cours élémentaires) and CM1 and CM2 (cours moyens).
From the first day in CP, the emphasis is firmly on the three Rs, reading, writing and maths. Art and sport also feature in the curriculum. Extra-curricular activities such as school outings depend on the class teacher or the head teacher. In some schools, the pupils have an outing every couple of weeks, in others, they may never go anywhere.
Foreign language teaching starts in CM2. The language taught is normally English, though German and Spanish are available, depending on the geographical location of the school. Children leave primary school at the age of 11 and go on to collège.
Primary school and nursery school are worlds apart. The transition from one to the other is fairly brutal, and some children take a long time to adjust. Primary school is very formal. Children are seated at desks and are not allowed to wander around. Talking is also forbidden, in complete contrast to nursery school, where silence certainly isn’t golden and where kids are grouped by activity and openly encouraged to walk around.
Primary schools operate along the same timetables as nursery schools with a four- or five-day week.
Parents should be aware that even at this young age, there is immense pressure on the children to work. Formal homework, for example, starts on the first day in CP. Each night, children will have something to do, either learning a poem, copying out sentences or doing basic maths. The emphasis is very much on learning by heart, and children will be asked to recite what they learned the night before.
French parents are very much aware of the pressure to succeed. To this end, many of them even give their children extra work. In CP, for example, children are supposed to learn to read and write. In my daughter’s school, half the class could read and write before the new school year began. Their parents had taught them during the summer holidays!
SECONDARY EDUCATION
COLLÈGE / PREP SCHOOL
A Collège d’Enseignement Secondaire (CES) is the first element in French secondary education. As an institution, it is a hangover from bygone days, when the French school leaving age was 14 and only the very bright or the very rich went on to attend a lycée. Pupils attend collège from the age of 11 to 14 from the sixième (sixth class) to the troisième (third class). Class sizes in collège are around 25 to 30 pupils, and there is no school on Wednesday afternoons.
In educational terms, collège is all about learning the basic theory, mechanics and fundamentals of the main academic subjects they will later follow in lycée. For example, in modern languages, pupils will study grammar at collège level, but will probably not actually use it in context until they get to lycée. This means that many pupils learns blocks of isolated theory by heart, but don’t actually start building anything until after collège.
At the end of college, all pupils sit the Brevet des Collèges, a national exam, over two days, where candidates take papers in Maths, French, History and Geography. Twenty years ago, the Brevet was an important exam, determining whether or not students would go to lycée. Nowadays, all kids get to lycée anyway. The Brevet has become no more than a symbolic rite of passage.
In their last year of collège – troisième, pupils choose the lycée they want to go to. Most students go straight to their local lycée (Lycée d’Enseignement Général) to study for the Baccalauréat, or ‘bac’ – the French school-leaving diploma.
Students of a less academic and more technical nature can choose to go to a Lycée Technique or a Lycée Professionnel where they can study anything from mechanical engineering and electronics right through to secretarial studies or catering. Both of these lycées offer a more vocational approach to learning. Students must do regular work placements and a major part of their final Baccaleauréat exam is of a practical, rather than an academic nature. For example, students studying catering must make and serve a meal to their examiners.
It is also in troisième that pupils can choose from the long, diverse and confusing list of extra options available at lycée. Some options are optional but some are compulsory. Many lycées offer filières renforcées, i.e. the opportunity for students to take extra classes in their best subjects. Two of the most popular filières are the Sections Européennes and the Classes Bilingues. In the former, pupils can study another subject in their chosen foreign language, for example, history lessons may be given in English. In the classes bilingues, they get a couple of hours extra tuition in a foreign language each week.
Students in troisième can also choose to opt for apprenticeship: instead of a lycée, they will go to the local Centre de Formation d’Apprentis and study for a certificate, the CAP – Certificat d’Apprentissge Professionnel. CAPs are available in everything from hairdressing and plumbing through to panel beating and photography.
LYCEE / SECONDARY SCHOOL
Pupils attend lycée from the ages of 15 to 18. There are three years: seconde, première and terminale. Class sizes vary, but the national authorised maximum is 36. Some lycées (and collèges) still have school on Saturday mornings.
The first year of lycée is the seconde générale. Whatever direction the pupil has chosen for his or her studies, he or she will spend the first year of lycée getting to grips with this new part of the secondary system. This is a very important year in educational and psychological terms. It gives the pupil time to make the difficult transition from collège and come to terms with new ways of working. If a student can get through collège with good marks from simply learning by heart, at lycée he or she is expected to begin to apply the theory. This is where many kids come unstuck. They suddenly realise that they don’t actually understand what they were asked to simply regurgitate at collège.
The seconde is also the first time that pupils are expected to think for themselves and rely on their individual strengths. This can be hard when, since the maternelle, it has been drummed into them that while autonomy is a good thing, they are first and foremost group members and not individuals.
In a Lycée d’Enseignement Général there are three standard bacs on offer: Bac S –scientifique (maths and science): Bac L – littéraire (modern languages, philosophy) and Bac ES – économique et social (economics / business studies and maths).
At a Lycée Technique or a Lycée professionnelle two different bacs are on offer: Bac STT – sciences et techniques du tertiaire (secretarial and accountancy) or Bac STI – sciences et techniques industrielles (mechanical engineering and electronics).
The pass rate for the bac is edging towards the 90% level every year. All students with the bac have the right to go to university. There is no selection system, no clearing and students merely turn up at the university of their choice in early July and enrol. Apart from the enrolment fee of around €150, university is free.
CURRICULUM
France has a national curriculum. From Calais to Calvi, all students are taught more or less the same subjects in the same way (teacher training is also highly standardised). As previously mentioned, there is no form of religious or moral instruction. Recently however, citizenship was introduced at collège level.
The study of a foreign language, mainly English, begins in the last year of primary school. In the third year of collège (quatrième) pupils are asked to select a second foreign language. The choice is normally between Spanish and German, though other languages, including regional ones, are available.
In lycée, pupils can opt for the Sections Européennes or Classes Bilingues where they get teaching of other subjects in their first foreign language or extra classes in that language. The range of languages available varies and these special sections or classes are not available at every lycée. A full list can be found on the Éducation Nationale website
ASSESSMENT
There are no end-of-term exams and no regular national tests nor school league tables as such. Pupils are regularly assessed or tested by their individual teachers. At the end of the school year each pupil is given his or her average mark out of 20. If it is 10 or over, the pupil can go on to the next year. If it is below 10, there is a reasonable chance that the student will redouble, i.e. do the entire year again.
The French education system offers no real rewards for students who excel in any particular discipline. The prime objective of all students is to attain and maintain the pass mark of 10 right through their time in school. It is rather like playing Monopoly. The object every year is to get round the board, without going to prison.
Higher Education
In France, anyone with a Baccalauréat has the right to go to university, much in the same way as passing your driving test allows you on to the road. Like the rest of the French system, university is non-selective. Future students simply turn up at their local university when they have their Baccalauréat results and enrol on their chosen course. The total absence of any selection procedure means that some courses can be heavily over-subscribed. On the first day of teaching on some courses, it is not uncommon for students to queue hours before the lecture to get a place in the lecture hall – amphithéatre. Any selection in the first year at university is of the ‘natural’ variety. At the start of the second year, on the more popular courses, as many as half of the students may have dropped out.
Traditionally in France, maths and science have been the popular subjects. In France if you are good at maths you can go anywhere and do anything. In recent years, students have moved away from these subjects and preferred to study law, psychology or arts subjects. Medicine is still a popular option. Last year, in one medical faculty, there were 800 students in the first year. In the light of such heavy student numbers, some universities have simply transformed the end of first-year exams into second-year entrance exams.
Apart from the yearly enrolment fee, university is free. For financial reasons, as many students as possible try to go to their local university and live at home with their parents. Financial support in the form of a grant – bourse – is available for less well-off students. Grants are based on parental income. Even if there are no loans, this does not mean that many students don’t leave university with huge debts. Students get full health and social security cover, though they have to join one of the numerous government insurance schemes on offer.
In terms of student life, there is no Student’s Union as in Britain. Unions for students do exist, but they are purely of the political variety. If there is no Union as in Britain, this also means that there is no Union building and none of the Union social activities. Campus life in France is a fairly sad affair. Universities are sets of buildings for education, not communities as in other European countries.
Limited student accommodation is available on most campuses. There are also canteen-style restaurant facilities, but as with most French educational services, they are purely utilitarian, you can eat there, but you won’t get a social life. In larger cities, efforts have been made to group student facilities in off-campus, town centre sites.
L.M.D
Since 2004, the LMD - Licence, Maitrise, Doctorat programme – has replaced the old two-year diploma, the DEUG, and brought the French university system into line with other European countries.
Previously, students would study for a DEUG (Diplôme d’Etudes Universitaire Général) and eventually a Licence (a BA or BsC degree). The DEUG would be done over two years, and back in the days of full employment it was enough to get a job. As jobs got scarcer, many employers started to ask for full three-year degrees. Now that everybody seems to have a degree, many employers are asking for a postgraduate Masters (MA or MsC)
University studies now work in terms of semesters. The standard degree course takes six semesters (1 to 6). The Masters takes two years (semesters 7 to 10) and the doctorate takes the time it takes.
OTHER FORMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Not all youngsters make it to university. Many who have done vocational Baccalauéats attend their local IUT (Institut Universitaire de Téchnologie). These establishments are a cross between polytechnics and technical colleges. They offer courses in everything from manufacturing science to secretarial studies. Many IUTs also offer management or business studies courses.
All courses are vocational and run over two years. The final diplomas (DUT - Diplôme Universitaire Technique) or BTS (Brevet de Technicien Supérieur) entitle the students to enrol in the third year of a degree course and eventually go on to Masters.
Graduates from IUTs have better employment prospects than their university counterparts. Firstly because of the more practical content of their course and secondly thanks to how they are taught – vocational, hands-on teaching with as much time on the shop floor and the workplace as in the classroom.
It is a widely-held belief in France that the university system produces nothing but future teachers, while IUTs produce future engineers.
The last form of higher education in France is the system of Grandes Écoles. The first of these were founded by Napoléon. He set up a system of academies to train an elite band of civil servants to administer his empire. The idea caught on, and nowadays there are many grandes écoles churning out future politicians, future generals, future CEOs and just plain old engineers, all ready to take their place in the vanguard of French society and the highest echelons of French industry.
Do not look for a direct equivalent in any other European country. There isn’t one. Grandes écoles are typically French. They only take the best. Getting into one is not easy. Each school has its own entrance exam and to prepare for the various exams for different establishments, future candidates first endure two years of Classes Préparatoires just after their Baccalauréat. For these two years, students do nothing but work until they drop or crack up. If they survive, they then spend two gruelling months travelling around France sitting as many grandes écoles’ entrance exams as is humanly or logistically possible.
A good diploma from a grande école is a meal ticket for life. Many of our current race of French politicians are graduates from such establishments (Polytechnique or the ENA – École Nationale d’Administration). Future CEOs tend to come from the Haute École de Commerce (HEC) and scientists and technocrats from the Arts et Métiers or École des Mines or Ponts et Chaussées.
ALTERNATIVES TO STATE EDUCATION
If the idea of standardisation leaves you cold; if the absence of moral and religious teaching leaves you aghast and angry; if your children are already in the system and experiencing difficulties… don’t worry, there are alternatives to the state system.
The most popular alternative is the private system of ‘religious’ fee-paying schools. The education you get depends on the school you choose. Private schools in France are normally run and administered by the local diocese. They offer the same curriculum and teaching as state schools. Teaching staff at private schools are paid by the state, but unlike teachers in state education they have no job security and are paid less. The private sector often attracts lower calibre teaching staff. The majority of private schools seeks to give value for money, by keeping pupils’ noses to the grindstone. This is fine, because many parents measure the quality of the school by the quantity of work given.
Finally, it is as well to be aware that the private system is often used as a dumping ground for the hard cases state education cannot handle. You might be paying for your offspring’s education, but this does not guarantee that they will not end up sitting next to a psycho.
Home schooling is another alternative. While it may have some merit, it probably handicaps children by cutting them off from the outside world and it certainly does nothing for their foreign language acquisition.
If home schooling is your chosen option, have a good read of the ‘Code Civil’ beforehand, especially law n° 98-1865, which enforces compulsory registration of your children at the local mairie and regular home visits by state education inspectors. Refusal to comply with these regulations can result in a hefty fine and/or a six-month prison sentence. The law also specifies the subjects which a home-educated child must study including: the French language (spoken and written); the principles of mathematics and one foreign language. In addition, children are also expected to be able to: prove reasoning ability; devise a plan of work etc. Basically your kids will be expected to have the same knowledge and progress of their counterparts in the state sector. Home educators beware, state education tolerates any competition very badly.
If home schooling all sounds a bit too much like hard work, there are many alternative schools available. The most well-known are perhaps the Montessori schools.
Dr Maria Montessori was a late 19th-/ early 20th-century Italian educationalist. She reckoned that children could learn more from each other and their direct environment than from books. She also thought that children should be happy at school. To this end, there are no textbooks in Montessori schools. Children are grouped into generational family-style groups, rather than formal classes. The emphasis seems to be on making the individual child aware of his or her place in world and giving him or her the tools to learn from that world.
In the same vein, there are also Steiner schools. Rudolf Steiner was a late 19th-century German social scientist. Much of his educational philosophy is based on the development of the individual and that individual’s ability to take up a place in society based on their personal strengths and weaknesses.
Most of the instruction in both types of school is carried out in French and English. Their educational philosophy and linguistic approach make them interesting and appealing alternatives to state education. However, most Montessori or Steiner schools are located in Paris or in the South of France. Even if geographical proximity is not a problem, the fees can certainly be very dissuasive. Whereas crèche fees may be tax-deductible because a Crèche is a recognised state structure, these alternative schools are not recognised by the state, therefore there is no tax break.
Full details of Montessori or Steiner methods or schools can be found on the web. See addresses below.
Needless to say, all such establishments must adhere strictly to French Education Ministry guidelines, in terms of health, safety and curriculum. Such establishments will be regularly inspected by ministry officials.
PROBLEMS
French education is a good-quality, standardised, centralised product. Beware though,,the system can be wrong for some children, especially if they are not French. French education is all based around the group. It is all about ‘fitting-in’. Kids are never asked or expected to think for themselves, though they are supposed to be able to work on their own. If your child displays the slightest trait of individualism, he or she might even end up at the educational psychologist.
Children brought up in bilingual,households may have particular problems. Two languages means two parents of different cultures and therefore two ways of doing things. There are many cases of children from Anglo/French or Franco/American families whose children have been dragged round child psychologists, educational therapists and special needs teachers since they were four. Too many teachers cast themselves in the role of social engineers whose role is to create a new generation of little republicans.
Web GuideFrench Education
www.education.gouv.fr
www.education.fr
www.France-education.fr
www.cndp.fr/spinoo
Montessori Schools / their philosophy
www.montessoirenfrance.free.fr
www.montessori-france.asso.fr
www.montessoir.com
www.montessori.edu
www.vive-l-enfance.fr
Steiner Schools / their philosophy
www.steiner.waldorf.org
www.ecoleperceval.com
General / home-schooling
www.lesenfantsdabord.org
http://ecolesdifferentes.free.fr
www.worldzone.net/lifestyles/homeducation
www.membres.lycos.fr
www.eeip.free.fr
French Education
www.education.gouv.fr
www.education.fr
www.France-education.fr
www.cndp.fr/spinoo
General
Parents wishing a full list of alternative educational establishments can write to:
Agence Informations Enfance
23 Rue Zola - 93400 Saint-Ouen
Tel: 01 49 45 11 48 /
© Nick Rowswell
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