there are international universities that teach entirely in english if you required that, but they tend to be quite expensive. most major cities appear to have them. however, regardless of whether or not you attend one of these universities, being able to communicate in french is absolutely necessary. for your own survival.

drklaus (Sep 4 2009, 11:04 AM) said: > original post
This too might help. The French government departments are not always the fastest/nor flexible so now is a good time to start:

http://www.consulfrance-losangeles.org/spip.php?article425

Thank you. That has a lot of information. I've been looking at the applications, which are all in French, and it looks very thorough. Time to start getting paperwork together.

drklaus (Sep 2 2009, 09:27 AM) said: > original post
House insurance is not very expensive - again depends on where you live and what you own. Car insurance is VERY dear but if you don't plan on owning a vehicle - not an issue.

If you are a US citizen, I suspect that you will be required to pay the IRS a portion of what you earn here. You didn't mention if you would be working for a US or EU company but if French say, a good portion of your earnings will have to go to the state for social and health benefits. You can get international insurance for health perhaps in LA but the French have clamped down recently (especially hurt the Brit., retirees) on people with pre-existing conditions, length of time if any they have paid into the tax system here.

I assume that if it is for an EU company that you will have already checked the requirements out as of course, EU citizens get first rights and you would have to be in an occupation that is unique and in demand. I didn't ask but assume that you and your family can speak French as many rural areas are not as bilingual as Paris.

The 2 Topics at the left of the screen - "Moving to France" and "Employment" are a start. The French Consulates are also good sources if you are in a major area they service and not by voice mail. The Washington website is great.

Good luck.

there seems to be a lot of legal paperwork that has to be done to transition in life in france. but i believe the rewards are greater. thank you for the information. yes i do believe as a US citizen, we'll be required to pay the IRS taxes on income. but i'm not sure how it would work with the type of employment i seek. i am looking for employment as a school psychologist which means i would work for the ministry of education or private catholic schools. i'm still trying to figure that out. yes i know that EU citizens get first rights but from what i've seen on the internet, there is a shortage of psychologue scolaire in france. in order to become a psychologue escolaire an individual has to have a BA in psychology and three years work experience as a teacher, then complete a training program with a university that oversees the process. there are not many teachers that have a BA in psychology so there is a shortage of school psychologists everywhere.

as far as achieving residency in france, there is a program that allows an individual to receive residency so long as you can professionally offer something of value to france, like a scientist. i believe a school psychologist counts but i don't know who to ask.

my family and i won't be moving for another 2-3 yrs, so we're taking the time to learn french very well. thank you again. the articles on healthcare are very useful.

drklaus (Sep 1 2009, 07:22 PM) said: > original post
Papa responded and he is right. Life here is not cheap especially if one is an expat. Forget Paris centre.

You didn't mention where you were coming from but you also have to figure in income, social insurance and health care costs. If you are driving into the centre to work - add gas, car insurance and parking charges. The RER is very reasonable so wherever you settle stay near the rail line.

Here is a list of average incomes by occupation and sector.

http://www.worldsalaries.org/france.shtml

Thank you Papa and Dr. klaus. I understand that Paris is expensive. This is why my wife and I want to live outside of the city and work in the city if possible, commuting on the RER and metro. We are coming from Los Angeles. We do not want to own a voiture.
I was reading about mortgages that require a certain amount of income. For a family that makes 4500 Euros a month, only 1/3 can be legally used to pay for a mortgage which means a mortgage would be around 1400 Euros a month. For us, if we are lucky enough to make 3000 Euros, we can only pay about 1000 Euros a month for a mortgage. We would like a maison in the Noisy le Grand area or Champigny sur Marne, homes with four bedrooms are about 350.000 Euros. I'm not sure how much is required for a mortgage payment on a house that costs that much. There are also Notaire fees but the amount they charge is variable.

Dr Klaus, you mentioned healthcare fees and insurance. Is this very expensive also?

Thank you.

Camilo

Hello Everyone,

I would appreciate information in what is an appropriate monthly salary for a family of four. My wife and I with two kids would like to move to the outskirts of Paris but are looking into whether it is viable to live on a certain salary in a comfortable way, no luxuries. I have the potential to make about 2000 Euros a month while my wife could make around 1500, so our monthly salary would be roughly 3500 Euros a month. However, if it is possible to live only on 2000 Euros we would like to try that as well.
We would like to live in the outskirts of Paris while our children go to a bilingual or international school also in the outskirts. I've sought specific information on what a family of four needs to make a month in order to afford the basic commodities that one needs to life a comfortable life. Also, are there incentives or tax credits for families with children? I would greatly appreciate information about whether the cost of living is adequate for that level of salary.

Thank you,

Camilo.