HERE is a another handy resource for those people keen to improve their French, this time care of the BBC.
They are promoting a 12 week course, delivered via email, which will offer tips and advice over a three month period before finishing with an ‘end of course’ assessment.
All you do is sign up with your email address, confirm your registration and then each week a lesson lands in your inbox – great for those keen to improve their language skills.
EVERYONE knows Alfred. Well, everyone in the handsome city of Montpellier at least, writes Jeremy Josephs.
Situated within a stone’s throw from Richard Branson’s swish and spanking new Virgin Mega-Store, Alfred the hatmaker stands out more than the odd kilometre or two because of its faded 1930s facia and fittings – evidently the last time a single centime was spent on the shop.
ALTHOUGH you may know the word troubadour is drawn from the Occitan language, did you know cauliflower is as well?
Caulet flòri is the Occitan original and the linguistic territory that makes up the langue d’oc stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Alps; the Pyrennes to Auvergne.
THE impact of changes to the French health system on people heading to France who are under retirement age is beginning to look a little clearer.
The Daily Telegraph reports that for those currently in the system they will be able to remain in it, the tougher rules will apply to non-working foreigners, such as early retirees, who move to France after the end of this month.
The Sécurité Sociale website provides a more complete explanation, in French, with point number four highlighting the changes for those set to arrive in France.
For further information contact the English language service of France’s CPAM: +33 8 20 90 42 12 or CLEISS (France’s helpdesk for international mobility and social security): + 33 (0)1 45 26 33 41
Update 06/10/07)
Round up of French health changes
TAKE a chance to wind down for the weekend with this photo from the This French Life Flickr album by Fil the bodyguard, titled Fin du Jour.
UNFORTUNATELY one of the reasons people struggle in France is because finding work can prove very difficult, even if you have strong language skills and experience.
A real problem is that the jobs that are available are usually scattered around between different government institutions so there is no central spot where you can discover more.
THE impact of changes to the provision of health care for those people living in France, who are under the retirement age and not working are beginning to crystallise.
The Connexions newspaper has followed up on its earlier story after speaking to the French Ministry of Health and the Department of Health in the UK.
TWO rather over the top articles from The Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph about changes to health cover for people living in France have caused distress amongst many.
Message boards and websites have been busy since the stories were published over the weekend as readers worried if they would continue to receive health cover.
Paris correspondent for The Times, Charles Bremner, has updated the earlier piece via his blog and the Internet French Property site has also written a more balanced feature about the changes.
HERE is a fun feature to help you improve your French language skills, courtesy of international television channel TV5.
The Merci Professeur videos offer you quick sound bites on French words and language, delivered in a snappy manner that can become quite addictive.
Each clip takes a couple of minutes and covers everything from whether après-midi is masculine or feminine to the use of the word tennis – even the introductory music will make you tap your toes.
THE difficulties that young people face when they move across to France with their families can sometimes turn a new beginning sour.
Starting a new school, getting to grips with the language and having to make friends in a completely foreign environment can mean a few sleepless nights for teenagers.