" My husband might (cross fingers) have a position at the University of Paris-Sud, in Orsay (south of Paris). Wondering if anyone can estimate cost of a two bedroom flat, nothing fancy, but clean. We have a baby who will be one year old at the time of the move. Also, he''s an EU citizen, I am American, and our daughter has a US passport, but eligible for an EU one. Will I have any difficulty getting into/remaining in the country? Am I allowed to work. I am an int''l school elementary school teacher with experience. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If all goes well, we''ll go to France in early to mid-June. Thanks! Annie "

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" Dear Annie, I would have to research prices for you, but to give you an idea, we usually say Paris itself is 110 FF/ square meter (going up every day!). That would be for something average that''s not in central Paris. So figure the farther out you go, the less expensive it is. Orsay is a cute little town and the rent should be significantly cheaper. I also have a friend that lives there so I will see if I can get her on here to tell you about it. I might suggest for YOU that you consider living somewhere a little closer to Paris - say halfway between Orsay and Paris. There is an RER that goes there, but it''s quite a distance. You can find some beautiful little towns that are closer yet still a reasonable distance from work for your husband. I might suggest looking into Le Plessis-Robinson, Sceaux...know that they will be more money because they are closer, but if you are not working, or if you are looking for work, Orsay could be a long commute. My friend that lives there now has over an hour into the city every day. As for you working and getting residency i will have to check. Since your husband is an EU citizen I THINK you might be able to work here. Residency will not be a problem, though you may want to hire someone to help with that if the university won''t do it. If you can do it now i might suggest getting your daughter an EU passport. It''s just easier for Europeans. Any way you could get one too? I would suggest contacting your nearest French consulate in the states and explaining your situation. This way you can plan ahead any paperwork you may need OR contacting an agency/lawyer that specialized in getting residency permits. They might at least be able to tell you where you stand before you get the process rolling. I hope this helps some. Please do keep in touch though and let me know how it''s going. I also live in the south suburbs (nowhere I''d recommend though!) Diana "

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" Thanks, Diana! I REALLY appreciate the advice you gave us. The situation for me is that I have a small baby (she''s 9 mos old now, she''ll be one at the time of the move) I''ll probably stay at home with, so I guess I don''t need ALL the nightlife of Paris, but I am used to living in big cities (I''m from Philadelphia and have lived in Tokyo for 3 years and Kobe, Japan for 2 years) and prefer the city lifestyle without the crowds, traffic, and price increase! The university is going to help us with finding a flat and I''ll mention we would like to live in a larger town, 1/2 way between Paris and Orsay-ville. My uncle and his family (we are very close and they are very helpful) live in Bagneux, so we''d be even closer to them. Our main concern is for her since we might be staying long enough for her to attend preschool. I know the University is willing to do as much as they can to help, but we are definately NOT on a corporate expat package :( When I lived in Japan, I was given paid housing, relocation moneys, flights and home leave every other year so this is our first go at having an un-cushy trip overseas. I hope it all works out! Unfortunately, my husband won''t be making a whole lot of money (13,336FF/mo) and only health benefits. We also get 750 Euros/year for travel and 1000Euros for relocation. The money for relocation just barely covers our flights! We are going to have to pay a lot of our own way, so we are hoping I can work there. My aunt owns a toy store in Gare-du-Nord ( I think that''s the spelling) so maybe I could work there if we are close enough. I am an elementary school teacher with lots of experience with second language acquisition so I might be able to teach English to children. I read somewhere that the French Education Board is requiring English to be taught in schools and they might relax the rules for foreigners being employed there. We will get my daughter an EU passport as soon as we get there, but we don''t have the time to do it yet. We just got word today that if we want to go by June 1, we have to get all our documents in by April 15th. We''re working on getting it all in on time so that we can get going, so no time for the visa stuff to be a hassle. We are calling the Chicago consulate today to see what we need to do in order for my daughter and I be able to enter and remain in France. Anyway, I am rambling........SORRY! "

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" Annie, I am American and my husband is EU, like yours. Unless we have been told wrong to go to France is fairly easy. And if I wanted I should be able to work I just don''t know the details. Maybe you will know a lot more after talking to the Chicago consulate and can explain what''s involved on the site. As a foreigner, you can volunteer all you want as a teacher but to get paid is different. They evidently are very unbending even though you would most likely be more effective than a French citizen with an English degree. However, you should be able to work legally because EU means everyone just became a member of the same country, right? Or are there different categories? Anyway, let us know what the consulate said. "

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" HI Annie, I am only awake at this ridiculous hour because my team - the Arizona WIldcats - just won the national semi-finals and I am too excited to sleep. THere, I had to tell somebody! Glad I could be of help. I still say you should live closer to Paris. Even if you''re not into the nightlife there are many reasons to go into town. First, if you work at all it will be easier. I still don''t know about your working papers, but I can tell you that Gard du Nord is right on the RER B line that goes into the south suburbs. ALso, Bagneux is pretty nice and right next to the Parc de Sceaux where you see lots of people with children. It''s beautiful and I go running there on weekends. Another thing you should look into is Message Mothers Support group in Paris. It''s for ENglish speaking mothers and you''ll find them at www.message-paris.org I think. They put out a booklet called the ABCs of motherhood in Paris and will offer all sorts of advice, including on pre schools when the time comes. Also, for schools, you''ll want to get the guide to Education from AAWE, another group in town. I wouldn''t be too worried at this time, but you should know that children can go full time to pre-school at 3 and I think overall the schools are considered good with the negative sides being that they are often too big (In Paris) and that they don''t cater at all to children with learning disabilities. Hopefully that will not be your case. Do either you or your husband speak French? IF so, a great place to start looking for homes is www.logement.org which lists all the housing sites for France. It will at least give you an idea of what''s available and at what cost. Please keep in touch! Diana "

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" Hi Gail and others: Ok, here is what the officer at the Chicago consulate said: (after being transferred endless times, disconnected and put on hold for 10 minutes!!!) This information DOES NOT APPLY TO US CITIZENS UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED TO AN EU CITIZEN!: Basically, it''s not a problem to enter the country. You enter as a tourist (I wasn''t able to find out if it''s ok to enter on a one-way flight or if it''s necessary to hold a round-trip ticket). The most urgent point the officer made was to be sure the Immigration official stamps your passport with the date of entrance. If they do not, ask them, insist even, as it will be virtually IMPOSSIBLE to do it later. Then within 3 months of entering (I would suggest you do it ASAP in case of complications), you AND YOUR EU SPOUSE AND CHILDREN need to go to the registration office (not sure of the French name for this). The following documents are required: I am writing these from memory, so if I forget, please do not get angry. I''ll try to find the website where I got this list and post it for all. A copy of your marriage certificate translated by an official translator (you can only do this in France and it''s expensive-they must be an official translator designated by the French gov''t) It wouldn''t hurt to take ALL these items WITH YOU ON YOUR FLIGHT, IN CASE THE IMMIGRATION OFFICER ASKS. If either of you were previously married, you also need official translations of these. A translated (again, official) copy of your husband''s birth certificate (and any EU children you have) Copies of all your passports Either the contract or the invitation for work given to your husband. It must be signed by the chief of your husbands company. A copy of an electric bill with your husband''s name and address to prove residency. Obviously, you cannot get this till you get there. In my husband''s case: a copy of his PhD diploma. I think that is it, but I can''t be sure. Anyway, the French Consulate was not helpful, as I couldn''t understand the officer''s accent too well! I think it would help if you call ANOTHER consulate or Embassy to see if you get the same answer! I FOUND THE INFO I GOT OFF THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: http://www.expatboards.com/France/Residency.shtml Residence Permits in France Before moving, you must always contact the French embassy to get the latest information. When you arrive, you should immediately contact the préfecture and your embassy to find out all the relevant information for your specific status. Before entering France, non-EU expatriates who wish to stay longer than 90 days must have a valid and appropriate visa (normally a long stay visa). EU nationals do not require a visa, however, if an EU national is arriving from a country that is not his home country, he should definitely contact the French embassy of the country where he is living to find out what the required steps are. Residence papers This is the most ""fun"" part of living in France, dealing with the great paper chase. The French administration loves papers and stamps, the more the better. And you must be prepared to go back several times because you were not told that you had to bring another paper. Or that the paper that you provided them is not valid any more. If you do not speak any French it will be even harder for you; there are not many officials who speak English. When you meet other expatriates, this will be a subject of many funny stories. Although, when you are going through this hair-raising experience you will not find it so amusing. Good luck. To get a residence permit (carte de séjour) you need to go to the préfecture. Call in advance to find out which one it is, because foreigners normally have to go to the main préfecture of the département in which they live. For example, if you live in Yvelines you need to go to the préfecture in Versailles. Try to find out in advance what papers you need. They will probably not fax a list to you. You might be asked to come personally, with identification documents, to pick up a list of documents, which means at least 3 trips. Be aware that the préfecture is always a busy place, and that you might have to wait a couple of hours before it is your turn. Try to be there 15-30 minutes before the opening hour, and take along something to read. You will probably also be asked to have some documents translated by a certified translator. These translations do not come cheaply. Your embassy might be able to do the translations for you or give you a list of translators. EU nationals and non-EU nationals have to go through different procedures. EU nationals have the right to live and work in France, and in principle they should not go through too much trouble getting their residence papers. They have about 3 months to acquire it, but it is best to do this on arrival since it will needed for car registration and car insurance. Papers generally required from EU nationals Valid passport 3-4 passport size photographs: there is usually a photo booth at the préfecture. It could be a good idea to get 5-10 photos, since the French will constantly be asking for them. Work contract or certificate (déclaration d''engagement): provided by your employer, stating their intention to hire you. Proof of residence: for example rental contract and a recent EDF/GDF bill (gas and electricity). The French officials love the EDF/GDF bill and they will ask to see it at every opportunity (even to register your child in the local school), so save them preciously. One expatriate had mistakenly brought the water bill thinking ""EDF stands for Eau de France and a bill is a bill, who cares"". Well, the French official cared and the expatriate had to drive back home to get an electricity bill, which took another hour and a half of his time. Birth certificate: translated by an official and registered translator. Official translators are very expensive, so ask your embassy if they have a list of registered translators, or if they translate it themselves, which might be cheaper. Stamped self-addressed envelope Marriage/divorce certificate: translated, of course. If you are an EU national, you should get a carte de séjour valid for 5 years. If you are a non-EU citizen you may be asked for the following documents, in addition to those above. Valid passport with long term visa (Visa de long séjour) Medical insurance Proof that you don’t have a criminal record If your application is judged valid, you will get a temporary residence permit (récipissé de demande de carte de séjour). Keep it with you at all times until you get your carte de séjour. This temporary residence permit is generally valid for a number of months and can be renewed until your carte de séjour is issued. You will be told when the récipissé de demande de carte de séjour is up for renewal. Do not wait until the card has expired to ask for a renewal, because then you have to do the complete procedure again. Contact the préfecture for an appointment and ask about the required documents at least 2 months before the expiration date. It is also important that when you go to your embassy to register, that you not let your embassy keep your national identity card (in the case of EU citizens) until you have received your carte de séjour. Because if you applied for a carte de séjour on the basis of your national identity card, you will have to show it at the préfecture to receive it. Read your récipissé de demande de carte de séjour carefully. Inform yourself when you have to renew the carte de séjour when you get it for the first time. If you don''t, do this at least 2 months in advance otherwise you can start the whole procedure of providing new papers all over again. Other official documents Carte de resident: this is a card valid for 10 years and to qualify you must have lived in France for 3 consecutive years. Fiches familiales d’état civil: this paper will be demanded by the CAF and other organizations. It is a certificate that gives the composition of your family. You can get it for free at your local mairie, but is only valid for 3 months. They will ask to bring your family book (livret de famille). This is a booklet that French people get at the mairie when they get married. When there is a birth in the family, it gets registered in the family book. If you don''t have something similar in your country you should call in advance to ask what you could bring instead. Probably the passports of your family will do or (translated) birth certificates. The website Expat Boards is helpful. Annie "

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" Diana, Not a fan, but congrats to you! Thanks a million for the advice. I''ll talk to the University housing person about Seaux. Actually, I''ve been there with my relatives back in 1991 when I visted Paris. It is lovely. We will be taking a 40% pay cut and the cost of living is 30% higher, so I don''t know if we can live closer to Paris than Orsay. We''ll see. As far as I know, we are going! Yipee, but of course, being ever-cautious, I won''t get excited about it until we have the tickets and the OK from the University to go over. If it all works out, we can arrive anytime around June 1. The head of the project is working on housing for us and knows our needs. Our main problem now is the ASTRONOMICAL price of shipping. I shipped all my stuff (including a computer) to and from Japan two separate times and the most it ever was was $3000 and our first quote was for $4,500. I called the company and told them that their quote was ludicrous and unless they lowered it, we weren''t interested. As we have to pay our own relocation, every Franc counts! Anyway, thanks for your continued help! Annie "

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" Hi Annie, Thanks for your support. As you probably know by now my day has started rather badly. Argh! Now that I think about it Sceaux might be rather expensive, knowing your budget. It''s still worth visiting though - great park! As another suggestion, you might want to see some of the nearby towns in department 94 (the others are in 92). For example, I live in Cachan which is 3 RER stops to Paris and much cheaper than Sceaux. Ok, it has a lot less charm, but it works. Orsay might be fine for you as well. You are not stuck for life either. If you start to work and things get a little better financially, you can move closer in. One thing you should definitely consider is something called Loca-Pass. Ask the person helping you at the university to find out about it. He/she probably has never heard of it, but you can find out from companies called CILs or 1% logement companies. They have to, by law, provide people like you with a security deposit! This way you won''t have to pay it. Of course when you leave the home, if there are any charges, you will have to reimburse them. It''s complicated to explain, but even as an expat you qualify for Loca-Pass. Something to know. Good luck with the move and remember NOT to bring as much stuff as you can fit into an American home! Diana "

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" Just found out today that we are definately going, sooner than we thought, too. We''ll leave on May 19 and arrive on May 20. It seems the Uni is being more helpful than we thought. We''ll spend the first week with my family in Bagneux while we look for our own place and wait for our shipment to arrive. I can''t wait, but soooooooo much to do. Not great timing, as our daughter is getting into stuff so much these days that we can''t pack with her around! I''ll let you know if I get any more good news! Thanks! Annie "

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" Hooray! Please be sure to contact me when you get here! Or, of course, before. Good luck with your move! Diana "

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