KEEPING IN TOUCH

Using public telephones

Coin-operated telephones are now only found in cafes, hotels, restaurants, and some cinemas. Otherwise, all public telephones are generally operated by phone-card (télécartes), sold in post offices and tobacconists (tabacs). Rates are cheaper after 21h30, on official holidays and Sundays. Long-distance rates vary according to distance.

Mobile phones

The three French providers are Bouygues, Orange and SFR. If you bring a foreign-based mobile phone to France, remember that your calls will be routed via your home-server, which means that you are effectively making an international call. Calls made to other foreign-based mobile phones must also be made using the international dialling codes, even if your correspondent is also in France. For instance, if you are in Nice, and you want to call your friend in Paris who has a British-based mobile phone, dial 00 44, then your friend’s normal mobile phone number but without the 0 at the beginning of the number. If you use this system you will be faced with very high phone bills as a result.

The postal system

As in the UK, post offices offer many more services than simply the post. Main post offices are normally open 08h00—19h00 Monday—Friday, and from 08h00-noon on Saturdays. In Paris, the main post office in the rue du Louvre is open 24 hours. Stamps can also be purchased at tobacconist’s shops.

Automatic franking machines inside post offices, including scales for weighing letters and small packages, dispense labels (etiquettes) for the appropriate value. Using these can help you to avoid the often considerable queues for assistance at the counter. Postage rates differ with destination and weight. In Paris, these machines have a multilingual built-in option, including English.

If you wish to send a registered letter (lettre recommandée), there are a number of options:

• with no proof of delivery and no declared value, but with a proof of despatch — sans avis de reception
• with proof of delivery (which will be sent back to you signed and dated), a proof of despatch, but no declared value — avec accuse de reception
• with declared value — avec valeur declaree.

Chronopost is the French equivalent of Datapost in the UK, and next-day delivery is normally guaranteed throughout France.

France uses a five-digit code system, with the code written before the name of the town or city. The first two digits indicate the department, and the last three indicate the city. For instance: the eighth arrondissement of Paris is 75008 (75 for Paris, 008 for the eighth arrondissement).

Internet

France participated fully in the Internet boom of the 1990s. This is both through home-grown sites (eg, (Voilà.fr or (Free.fr,) and a strong American presence (eg, AOL) in the French market. You should have no problem connecting your existing equipment to French outlets. The France Telecom Internet service is Wanadoo.fr. ‘Cyber cafes’ can be found across France in towns and cities, allowing consumers to surf the net over lunch or a coffee. La Poste also offers free e-mail addresses. For more details ask at any post office.

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE

In order to get the most out of your time in France, you simply must study French and learn to speak it as well as you possibly can. If you do not, you will almost certainly find yourself considerably restricted and you will definitely feel left out. The French place a very high priority on their language, and their opinion of you as a foreigner will depend to a significant degree on whether you speak their language. Although they may criticise your less-than-perfect attempts to speak French, they will respect you far more for having tried than if you insist on speaking English.

There is no easy formula that allows you to become fluent in French. Certain people have a gift for languages. Others tend to be natural mimics, and they have an advantage as they will soon catch on to key vocabulary and pronunciation. The only difficulty with the latter is that you may also pick up a local accent, but the French will find that all the more charming.

No matter which category you fall into — gifted linguist, mimic, somebody with long-lost school French, or an absolute beginner — there are still a number of basic actions which can help you:

• 1.Try hard to find time to study basic grammar, phrases and vocabulary before you come to France. If you have the opportunity, an evening class would be a very good idea.
• 2.Bring a good dictionary with you (not necessarily the most expensive), and also a good phrase book.
• 3.Sign up for lessons when you arrive. There are now hundreds of language schools across the Îie de France. They provide tuition at all levels, from basic to advanced, and many offer courses in Business French. Try looking in the Yellow Pages (Pages Jaunes) or the local phone book, or local expatriate community guides. Welcome offices, consulates, churches and clubs often have details or advertisements from schools and private tutors.
• 4.Put aside your inhibitions. Nobody, least of all the French, likes making mistakes in public. This is often what holds you back when you understand what is being said, and know how to reply but you still cannot manage to actually formulate and say the phrase. When you let go of your inhibitions, you will often surprise yourself by what you actually do know. You may prefer to use a private tutor at first if you are shy of speaking French in public. This can be helpful by allowing you to build up your confidence with a sympathetic French ear.
• 5.You may also see offers of ‘conversation exchange', whereby you trade-off an hour of English for an hour of French conversation. This could also be a good way to meet people, and you could try joining a conversation group. A relaxed approach will help you gain confidence and will help you to eliminate a mental block on the language, with French only being used for unpleasant or stressful situations, from administration to problems in the home.
• 6.Use the French press. Try to listen to as much French TV and radio as possible, so that you start to become used to the sound of the language, and the way in which it is used. Listening to news bulletins in French can be helpful, as the same phrases are used over and over again each hour. Also, try reading one of the more accessible French newspapers such as Libération, France-Soir, or the free papers in the Paris metro in order to develop your vocabulary. Choose small articles with headlines about topics you know something about, and try to really understand two or three articles a day. This will build up both your vocabulary and your confidence.
• 7.Use bilingual websites. Throughout this book, you will find recommendations for websites with information in English as well as French. Use the information in English to help you tackle the situation you are confronting, but then go back to the websites and look at the same information in French. Once again, you will become familiar with vocabulary, phrases, and style.
• 8.When you go shopping, read everything, paying particular attention to labels. Make an effort to go to some small local shops, and learn how to pay for the items you buy. After a while you will be able to carry on a simple conversation with the shopkeepers, who are often happy to advise their loyal customers.

Finally, do not be afraid to make mistakes (faux pas). Use French whenever you can, and try to forget the natural dread of saying the wrong thing. A sense of humour is essential, and the ability to laugh at your own mistakes. Mastering the French language is a question of confidence, no matter what level you are starting from. Learning the language is like learning to walk – you stumble every now and then. You must not be too upset by unintentional errors. By and large, your efforts will earn respect, an understanding smile, maybe a giggle which you should share in, and a little patient help.

Learning to tell French time

In France, the 24 hour clock is used: for example, 1.20pm is written as 13h20, 8.00am is 08h00, and 5.30pm is 17h30. The French working day usually begins at 9h00 and finishes at 18h00. The long French lunch hour is still observed in French public sector offices. Even if only a shorter period is actually taken for lunch, many private offices will be closed to the public during this whole period.

Early mornings are generally busy with the rush to the office or school, but less so in the school holidays. Buy yourself a French diary which lists the school holidays and French bank holidays, which considerably affect work patterns.

Listening to French radio

Under French law, at least 40% of airtime every day must be devoted to French music on commercial music radio stations. There are a wide variety of stations available throughout France. The leading ‘classic’ radio stations are France-Info and France-Inter (current events, music and discussions), France-Culture (arts and literature), France-Musique (classical music and jazz) and Radio Classique.

The Parisian radio stations are, not surprisingly, the most trendy. The most popular stations for the eighteen- to thirty-somethings are Europe2, Nova, Voltage, and the gay radio station FG (only available in Paris) which is highly popular for young people of all persuasions. Nostalgie and Cherie FM churn out ‘golden oldies’, including French disco and ballads, a good preparation for your first invitations to French parties. RTL2 and OuiFM will appeal to rock fans and easy listening lovers.

The BBC World Service and Radio 4 are available throughout France. They are also available on the Internet, as are the vast majority of radio stations.

Watching French television

Foreign TV sets do not work in France, so you will need to buy or rent when you arrive. There are six TV channels available throughout France:

• TF1 is privately-owned. It generally has the ‘big name’ news presenters and TV journalists. Otherwise, the quality of programmes is variable, with many poor-quality game shows, ‘réalite’ shows (eg, tracing missing relatives), and talent shows.
• France 2 is still under state control. This is the main heavyweight rival to TF1. There is a generally higher standard of varied programmes. FR3 is also under state control, with regional news-broadcasts.
• Canal + is a private pay channel. For part of the day everybody is able to receive their programmes, and part of the day (normally the most interesting part) you must take out a private subscription for a receiver. Many good quality films and the popular satirical but caustic puppet show Les Guignols.
• La Cinque/Arte. These two stations share a frequency, Arte taking over at 19h00. The latter is a Franco-German company. An intellectual channel, with good documentaries, no game shows, and films in original languages (version originale or v.o.) including English.
• M6 is considered a ‘lightweight’ channel in comparison with the others. Nonetheless there is a good selection of films and reports (especially Sunday evenings), and a much younger dynamic feel to the presentation. Foreign films are always dubbed in French.

On French TV there is a coding system with different symbols on the screen indicating the level of parental consent advisable for various films and programmes. The main programme for the evening normally begins about 20h45, after the news and weather broadcast.

Satellite television, offering a wide variety of channels from sport to history, and including the BBC and leading American channels, is now widely available throughout France. Check to find out if your building is cabled (cable), and ask neighbours about how and where to subscribe. The cable TV stations available include American and ‘packaged’ BBC programmes including many popular soap operas broadcast both subtitled and dubbed. Amongst the best cable TV channels are Paris Premiere (general arts, lots of v.o. English/American films, and Fashion Week specials), Téva (for v.o. American sitcoms), and channels such as Odyssey for general interest programmes. The French continuous news channel is LCI. MTV is available also, and the French equivalent is MCM.

Reading French newspapers and magazines

The principal national French newspapers are:

• Le Figaro — right-wing, conservative, but a good general read.
• Le Monde — independent, centre-left, regarded as ‘the intellectual’s newspaper’ for both the right-wing and the left-wing. Takes some getting used to, but worth the effort.
• Libération — young, centre-left and trendy. Good arts coverage.
• Le Parisien and France-Soir — sensational headlines, most akin to the English tabloids but much softer.
• Le Canard Enchainé — the scourge of the political establishment, satirical but serious. A bit heavy going until you get into French politics.

Les Echoes and La Tribune are the business newspapers (equivalent to The Financial Times); LEquipe is the popular sports newspaper; La Croix is run by the French Catholic church. Magazines such as L'Evenement, Marianne, Le Point, LExpress, and Le Nouvel Observateur offer good broad-ranging weekly news coverage from a variety of political perspectives.

The foreign press is widely available each and every day in France, but at a more elevated cost. One way to save money is to take out a subscription to your favourite newspaper, which often leads to considerable savings. All major newspapers are available on the web.

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS

Moving homes in France is not simply a case of finding and securing your new address, and then informing your family and friends where to find you. A great many other people and organisations, listed below, must also be informed. This information applies to both home-owners and tenants.

Moving home action plan

• 1.Landlords. Be careful to respect the notice periods stipulated in your rental agreements.
• 2.Electricity, gas and water. Contact your current agencies 10 days before you move to have your meter read. The cost of terminating your current contract will be sent to your new address. At the same time, contact your new agencies to establish the new contract or arrange to take over the existing contract.
• 3.Telephone. Contact your current and future France Telecom agencies. Arrange termination of your existing contract about eight days before the move. In certain cases if you are staying within the same exchange area, you can keep the same number if you wish. A recorded message can also be arranged on the old number for three months informing callers of your new number.
• 4.Post. Organise a faire-suivre at the post office for all your post. This should be done no later than five days before the move. Generally it works well. However, you might wish to consider tipping your current concierge to check that any post does actually reach the new address.
• 5.Carte de séjour and passport. The new address must appear on your official documents.
• 6.Driving licence, carte grise and car registration. You have one month in which to accomplish the change of address on your carte grise. If you change departe-ments, your car must also be re-registered.
• 7.Insurance policies. You will need to inform your insurance companies of a change of address. You can either terminate your existing house insurance, or transfer it to your new residence. This may cost more or less depending on whether your new home is smaller or larger than before.
• 8.Social security. Fifteen working days before you move, contact your current and future caisse d'assurance maladie to arrange for your new card(s), and the transfer of your files. This is not the most efficient or speedy of services, so allow plenty of time.
• 9.ANPE. If you are registered at the local job centre, inform your old centre of your forthcoming change of address. Visit your new centre as soon as possible after moving in.
• 10.Family benefits. Inform your local caisse d'allocations familiales of your intended move 15 working days before the date. They should contact your new caisse for you.
• 11.Bank. Inform the bank of your change of address as soon as possible. This will allow them to not only send correspondence to the correct address, but also to print new cheque books for you. You may also wish to change branches.
• 12.Tax offices. Inform your current tax office before you move of your change of address. The following year, you will send your tax declaration to your old tax office, but marked with your new address on the first page. You must also inform the TV licence centre of your change of address. Correspondence from tax offices is not forwarded by the post office, but sent back to the senders. This can have serious consequences.
• 13.Municipal crèches. You must enrol your children at your future mairie as soon as possible. You must also respect the one month notice period for withdrawing your children from their current créche.
• 14.Primary schools. Before moving, ask the school for a certificat de radiation. (This does not mean that your child glows in the dark, but that she or he has been struck off the school register.) At the same time, contact the schools office of your new mairie to arrange an appointment. They will inform you which school catchment area you now fall under.
• 15.Collège or lycée. Before moving ask the school director for a certificat de sortie for your children. The appropriate files should then be transferred directly to the new school.

FINDING OUT MORE

• Barclays is the only British high street bank in France, with over 100 branches (agences). Either enquire in the UK for your nearest French branch, or contact the international branch at 6 rondpoint des Champs-Elysees, 75008 Paris. Tel: 01 44 95 13 80, fax: 01 42 25 73 60.
• Britline, www.britline.com is the on-line English-language banking service offered by Credit Agricole. Originally this was intended just to serve Normandy. Their website offers a great English-French glossary of banking vocabulary.
• CIC Banque Transatlantique is part of the nationwide banking chain. They provide free brochures in English. Main branches are at: 17 boulevard Haussman, 75009 Paris. Tel: 01 40 22 80 00, fax: 01 48 24 01 75; 36 James’ Street, London SW1A 1JD. Tel: (020) 7493 6717, fax: (020) 7495 1018; 1819 H Street, NW, Suite 620, Washington DC 20006. Tel: 202 429 1909, fax: 202 296 7294.
• Citibank has a number of branches across France, with services in English. Tel: 01 49 05 49 05.
• Société Générale International Private Clients branch — English-speaking branch. 29 boulevard Haussman, 75009 Paris. Tel: 01 53 30 87 10, fax: 01 53 30 87 30.