France
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Before You Go: France Movies, Books and Links
Going to Paris or Provence? Moving to France? Get a feel for it first: check out these movies, books and links before you go…all enthusiastically recommended by our editors and readers.
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Cannes schools considered by expats
This list is just to give you a snapshot overview of schooling in the Cannes/Cote d'Azur area, plus very general info on schools considered (and sometimes chosen) by expats. We simply don't have enough sound input from parents yet to select and fully cover any school in particular with full-blown GSGI reviews. But we're working on it, so watch this space.
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Expat overview: a flying view of Toulouse
So much has been written about France and the French that we probably know this country and population better than they know themselves. Relishing the dream to live in France is one thing. The reality, however, does not always match up to expectations.
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OIB: The Option Internationale du Baccalauréat explained
A variant on the French national Baccalauréat. Not to be confused with the Geneva-based IBO’s International Baccalaureate (or IB): the OIB and the IB are worlds apart.
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Schooling on a plate: educational overview for Paris and the Ile de France
Private education is big business around Paris. So, as it happens, is food… and though we’ve eaten out the world over, it’s in Paris that we have had both our very best and our very worst meals ever. As for restaurants, so for schools: savvy consumers really can come up trumps; for the rest, it’s “buyers beware”.
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Schools in Paris (and environs) considered by expats
This is an overview of the main schools catering to English-speaking families in Paris and the Ile de France.
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Schools near Aix-en-Provence Considered by Expats
International schools in Aix-en-Provence that English-speaking expats consider (but may not necessarily choose). Schools are selected, visited and reviewed by us. No school can buy its way in.
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The French system: in all its gloire
Ask any French adult if he looks back on his schooldays with warmth and affection, nine times out of ten the answer will be puzzled perplexity - that’s not what schools are for, they proclaim. Inflexible education, especially in reading, writing and arithmetic, describes the French education system. It does, therefore, have the reputation of being one of the most thorough systems in the world.
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Toulouse area schools considered by expats
The emphasis of this guide is on schools for English-speaking expats, and that usually means schools in which the teaching language is English or at least bi-lingual, and there are more than a smattering of native English speaking students.
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Transferring into or out of the French system
The younger the child, the easier it is to adapt to the French system. But for students already in it, it’s probably the most seamless of all international curricula.
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We live in France: if I can wake up my teenager, can he get a summer job?
Since we moved to France a few years ago, I always view the approach of the summer holidays with some apprehension. Delighted as I am to have my daughter back from university and my son from boarding school, I know what they really want to do is go and find a job. They are twenty and seventeen respectively, too old to want to play with their young siblings all day. However, living in the rural Gers countryside surrounded by rolling hills and fields of glorious sunflowers, there is not much hope.
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Where to live in Paris: schools and neighbourhoods
When they choose the right neighbourhood, expat families looking for the authentic Parisian experience are rarely disappointed. With a little research, it is hard to go wrong. But just to make things even easier for you, we have talked to scores of relocating families about their choices, and have distilled pretty much all of their feedback below.
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Where to live outside of Paris
If you are feeling priced out of central Paris, or if you are simply looking for more space and a quieter, more verdant environment, the good news is you have plenty of choice. The communes heading out westwards from Paris range from pretty country villages to busy, self-contained cosmopolitan towns. If anything you’ll have a job narrowing down your preferences.
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