Your Guide to French Living
Making the Most of your Life in France

   The education system at schools in France is bound to be different from the schooling you have been used to, and this INFOrmation Page explains the various grades in French schools from crèche and kindergarten to pre-primary school (Écoles Maternelles), primary classes (Écoles Élémentaires) and secondary education (Collège / Lycées). There is information on where and how to enroll your child in a school, school registration and getting a certificat d'inscription and details on the vaccinations your child may need in order to attend classes in France. You might want your child to follow a more familiar school curriculum and enroll them in an international school where they could graduate with a Baccalaureate Internationale. There is also information on special needs schooling in France for children with learning disabilities or with hearing, vision or physical disabilities. Find out too what to do if your child is being bullied in a French school. Finally, you will find links to English-speaking schools in your area of France.

   Pregnancy and birth is a stressful time no matter where you live, and being pregnant and having a baby in France – and in French - is bound to raise even more questions. This INFOrmation Page provides the practical advice you need to deal with the pre-natal process and also the options for giving birth – natural home births, water births and maternity hospitals in France. There is a guide on what to do and who to contact when you find out that you are pregnant, when to give notice for maternity leave and how to choose a midwife (sage femme) and gynaecologist or delivering doctor during the antenatal process. The Carnet de Maternité is explained along with infant vaccinations and you can find out how to register the baby’s birth, nationality and the postnatal care you can expect for your infant child.

   France is proud of its medical insurance system or Sécurité Sociale, which is available to everyone resident in France. This INFOrmation page is a straightforward guide to health insurance in France and how to make sure you and your family are insured for sickness, hospitalisation and loss of income. It explains how to register with the CPAM, the benefits available, how to use your green card, the Carte Vitale, the purpose of top-up insurance provided by a Mutuelle and who qualifies for the special universal sickness cover called CMU (Couverture Maladie Universelle). It's all explained from the perspective of an employed person, one who is self-employed, unemployed and retired on a pension. You'll find everything you need to guide you through registering and benefiting from French social security!

   Information on how to proceed if you need to report the death of a family member in France. Also information on they process involved in arranging a burial, cremation or the repatriation of remains outside France.

   PACS is a legal alternative to marriage in France that is also recognised for same-sex couples. It does not provide the full legal status of marriage but does recognise the couple, allowing inheritance, tax relief and social security benefits.

   A calendar of the national vacation days, or jours fériés, when businesses, schools and banks holiday and people get the day off in France, with links to holidays in the UK, US and Italy

   Motoring notes on French driving laws: what you need to know about driving licences, speed limits, road safety, drink driving, speed cameras on roads in France. With links to information on registering, buying and selling a vehicle in France.

   From birth to young adulthood: this page provides a guide to parents on the activities and facilities available in school and out of school hours to families in France.

   A simple guide to the various Social Security organisations in France - their responsibilities and what they do for you in sickness, unemployment, maternity and pregnancy, retirement and other times of financial need.

   Information on the various types of job contract used for a person at work in France. Details for employers and employees on the fixed term contract (CDD), long-term contract (CDI), part-time and temporary job contracts and the new CNE.

   Information on the facilities available for out-of-school activities for young people and teens in France. This includes details on holiday jobs, volunteer work and exchange programmes, drugs, alcohol, scooters and driving, and teenage pregnancy.