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Before settling in to your new French property it may be an idea to get up to speed on the country’s education system and what schools may best suit your kids.

French state education is well-funded and standards at schools are generally high in comparison to other European countries.

Around 13 million youngsters are currently attending state schools with a curriculum which is, in the most part, consistent across the whole country.

Most children who are of a similar age will be studying the same topics and using the same books at the same time regardless of where they are located.

Some 15 per cent of pupils opt for private education at primary school level and 20 per cent at secondary school.

Most of the private schools are supervised by the Ministry of Education and come in many forms.

Some choices to consider include international, catholic, American, British, day and boarding, French and bi-lingual.

The syllabus and exams of pupils receiving private education will therefore relate to the kind of school they are sent to and some areas of France such as Paris offer schools which keep to the British education curriculum. …

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For many people currently living in the UK France appears to be the obvious choice when thinking of starting up a business.

Be it a restaurant, a bed and breakfast, a hotel or a travel agency, France’s proximity and excellent transport links with the UK make it the ideal market to set up shop.

There are however a number of differences between the way businesses work in both countries and it is important to keep these in mind.

Perhaps most important is to do your research on whether your business idea will work and how many similar kinds of firm already exist in France.

This could include looking online or even getting in contact with someone running a business in your chosen sector to find out how they managed.

If there are very few such businesses around it may be because there isn’t enough French demand to support your idea but this should not be a problem with B&Bs or Gites.

Gites or holiday homes have proved particularly attractive as a business venture because many of them are exempt from French business law that requires new firms to register with the Chamber of Commerce and pay taxes and social security contributions from the moment they …

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Those who have recently bought property in France will be pleased to hear that it has just got that bit easier and cheaper to visit family and friends in Blighty.

Paris based airline Air France has made travel to and from the continent and further abroad less of a chore by dropping long haul levies by seven euros (4.6 pounds).

The changes came into effect on February 3rd and will see surcharges on transcontinental flights go down by one euro to 21 euros.

Long haul trips are five euros cheaper per sector, reducing the charge to 33 euros.

Air France cited the fact that oil prices have remained below 60 dollars (30 pounds) a barrel for some time as the reason behind the move.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which is not only the oldest but now the largest airline company in the world since merging with the French national carrier, has followed suit by lowering the extras on its longer journeys, as well as on European travel.

Earlier this month, Sky Team, the group which both KLM and Air France belong to, was awarded Best Airline Alliance by Global Traveller Magazine.

Air France also performed well at the awards as an individual managing to …

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Renovating or expanding your French property is the ideal way to complete your dream home but keep in mind that like in the UK, there are legal requirements.

As with any private contract is it is the responsibility of the person planning the building work, who must comply with the Normes Francaises (NF) which is the equivalent of the British Standard.

A code of practice, known in France as the ‘Documents Techniques Unifies’, must also be abided by, which give the rules for the design and construction of any building.

Those carrying out the construction must be insured regardless of what building work is taking place, including the owner of the property if he or she decides to carry out any maintenance work.

In France the rules regarding planning are in a document called the Code de l’Urbanisme and construction is well controlled with permission being needed for almost all types of development.

To apply for permission a Certificate d’Urbanism must be obtained which gives "approval in principle" but is not a building permit.

Planning permission will need to be obtained for any project over 20 sq m and you can expect to wait for two months to get approval. If you have heard …

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One of the most important things to keep in mind when living in France is understanding the country’s health system, which could prove vital in keeping you and your family free from illness.

The French healthcare service is widely regarded as being one of the best in the world and provides a large number of GPs and specialists.

France’s social security system taxes employees 20 per cent of their salary, a large portion of which is put towards public healthcare.

Every legal resident of the country has access to medical treatment under the law of universal coverage called la Couverture maladie universelle.

In comparison to the UK, there is no huge difference in the quality of care or the cost of treatment. Going private will, however, allow you to be seen straight away and unlike the UK, you will not have to pay the entire bill.

Whether private or public, treatment is not free at the point of delivery as it is in Britain and patients must pay a full bill on seeing a GP or specialist. Around 70 per cent of this sum in then reimbursed, usually ten days later.

A fundamental principle of healthcare funding in France is personal contribution and most …

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You and your family may be settling in well to your new French property but you will probably still want to keep up to date with what is going on back in the UK.

In order to receive British TV in France it is necessary to get your hands on a satellite receiver and dish. Although Freeview and OnDigital are available, the signal is only reliable very close to the English channel.

The most commonly purchased devices are Sky Digiboxes which are fast, reliable and usually good quality.

Channels such as BBC Radio and several news channels like CNN, Sky News and Euronews will be available without an ordinary Digibox, but for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 or any of the payable Sky channels, then a Sky Digibox is the only way forward.

It is possible to use either the one you already have in the UK or purchase one online or in UK stores, with prices ranging from 25 pounds to 300 pounds depending on where you buy it.

If you are planning to buy from a French supplier the Sky box is likely to be a little more expensive as it will have been imported.

Before you can whack on EastEnders …

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