LadyBell

Hi - I'm a new member here but have been reading the posts for quiet some time.

We are a young family of five (three young kids in kinder, preschool and infant) moving from the West Coast to Tours. Our two older children currently attend a french international school where we live so they are used to learning in french. We are wondering about a few things.

1.) Schools in the area (we are thinking private school...possibly Notre Dame La Riche)
2.) Best areas to live in (we were thinking Saint-Avertin...) in Tours or just outside.
3.) Does anyone know or have recommendations for Real Estate agents in Centre?

We are going to seeing the consulate in March to apply for our carte de sejour and if all goes well we'll leave early in July!

ANY and ALL help is GREATLY appreciated! :-)

cyrian

Hi
Welcome to the forum.
Can't advise on schools other than add you should look at Institut Marmoutier which caters for all ages.
I knew a French/American family who sent their kids there.
St Avertin is a nice area but you should look at transport into the town centre and schools.
There is a tramway and a good bus service which is perhaps better than taking the car depending on where schools and work are.
The best areas around Tours are (not in any order) St. Avertin; St. Cyr sur Loire; Fondettes and Luynes.
You also have Rochecorbon and Vouvray.
There are plenty of estate agents in and around Tours most with internet sites.
Are you looking to buy or rent?
HTH

LadyBell

Hi @cyrian thanks so much for the details

We are looking to rent for now. Our Carte will be for a one year stay (Which we plan to renew) but don't want to buy without some certainty that we can stay for a while.

Currently we have an AirBNB rented for our first three months and would ideally like a house near the school we choose. We both work from home so being close to school is most important.

Do you have any renting advice?

I'm looking into Institut Marmoutier now!

EuroTrash

Technically, you don't get a carte de séjour from the consulate. You apply to the consulate for a visa, which is the document you need to enter France. Once you arrive in France you deal with OFII, the French immigration and integration service. It's OFII that will issue your carte de séjour and organise any integration/French classes that you need to attend.

Are you applying for "Passeport Talent" visas then? because I can't think of any other kind of visas that allow you to work in France; for visitor visas you normally have to write out a statement promising that you will not work during your stay. If it is Passeport Talent, I think this type of visa can be issued for up to 4 years initially.

LadyBell

Hi @EuroTrash

Thanks for the technical details, we are aware.

We are applying for a visitor visa, we both work for US based companies and we can do that work from wherever.

I've emailed the consulate regarding the statement not to work and I was told that it applies to seeking employment in France specifically from a French based company. (The spirit of this is to not take away gainful employment from French citizens.) Working remotely for a US based company is akin to being self-employed on a Tourist visa. So as long as we are not seeking employment from a French company during our stay we are welcome to bring and spend our money in France.

Might you share any suggestions you have on renting (things to look out for an be aware of)? We haven't been in contact with any agents but we'd like to rent as soon as we get there ideally.

EuroTrash

I would suggest you don't restrict yourself to agents. There are plenty of other channels to find properties where you'll find adverts from professional and private landlords, eg leboncoin.fr, pap.fr and similar online sites.

(In fact, living and working in France without being registered to work here is not quite as simple as you suggest - it's not only about taking work from EU citizens, it's also about solidarity and the requirement for everyone who works in France to pay social security contributions on their earned income, so you may encounter issues when you come to submit your tax return, but you appear to have made your mind up so it's up to you.)

LadyBell

Yes, I've checked out leboncoin and pap but I didn't find many good options, mostly smaller apartments and we would like a house with some green space. But I will continue to keep looking through those avenues as well.


I will reach out to the consulate on the tax issues you mentioned on here as well. That sounds like it could present a problem, and in my research I've read about miscommunication and a dislocation of information between consulate in the US to actually being in France. I appreciate your candor and assistance!

Jebbles

Hello,

New member here too but thought I'd write as I actually live in Chambray-les-Tours which is right next to st Avertin.

When we moved here we used bienici to see where the houses are. It works with houses from several estate agents and the bonus of this website is it shows you where in the commune the house is (and a little sleuthing on Google maps will usually let you find the house itself). Saint Avertin has a really nice part but also a new build section at the edge that I don't think has great transport access and is a little soulless. We found this was a really good way to get a feel for the type of houses on offer (they have a rent and buy section) in the different areas. Lots of houses in the area have gardens so you shouldn't have much trouble on that front.

Not going to be any use for schools though as we're expecting our first in January and the current plan is just to use the local school.

LadyBell

Hi @Jebbles

It's so exciting to virtually meet you! We are hoping to connect with other families with young children on here and other sites. Congratulations on your soon to be addition. Our latest baby girl is 6 months old, would love to meet up for a trip to the park maybe!?

Thank you so much for the site information I will check that out. A few questions if you don't mind; are renting or did you purchase? US or UK? Do you work in Tours city center? How is your french?
Anything you want to answer, no pressure!

Thanks!!

petitefrancaise

When you turn up at French immigration, you are going to be asked how long you plan to stay in France. When you tell them a year, they are going to ask how you will support yourself and your family in that time. I would suggest that you very carefully research this.

EuroTrash

I'm told by an acquaintance who lives in St Avertin that in their experience this is the best school for English speaking kids
Accueil

LadyBell

Thank You @EurorTrash for this. Our kids actually speak french and currently attend an International French Immersion school. So we'd like them to continue on completely in french with English tutors.

@Petitefrancise we have enough money to stay in France and not work but we'd both like to continue working. I have reached back out to the consulate with additional questions on this topic and am hoping to hear back soon. A group we belong to will also be getting a visit from the Consulate General in San Francisco early next month and we plan to ask him specifically for advice on this very topic.

From my research it doesn't seem like the Talents Passports applies to us. We aren't (a)Work for a French company - Highly Qualified Paid Employee (b) Self Employed or Liberal Profession (this specifically refers to making an investing, starting a business etc.) (c) coming for National or International reputation or (d) creating an artistic work. None of those apply to us. I've spoken with some people who said this is a grey area and it can depend on your consulate. So I'm hoping we can get this sorted.

EuroTrash

Sounds like the best approach, best to make sure before you start investing in the move.
Please do come back and share the advice you get. It's cropped up before and it does indeed seem to be a grey area, maybe the devil is in the detail and there are certain application-specific factors that make the difference, or maybe as you say it simply depends on your consulate. So I'm sure it will help future forum members if you can throw any light.
Anyway, fingers crossed for you.

Jebbles

Hello @LadyBell,

Sounds like a nice idea. Always nice to meet new people :-) I'm currently starting to look into meeting young Expat families in the area as would like to ensure an English speaking connection for the little one (which is how I came about your post!) so will let you know what I find, if it can be of interest to you.

In answer to your questions with a little extra info: I'm British and have been living in France for a little over 8 years now. Pretty much bilingual and married to a French man. We've just bought here but rented nearby for a bit to get a feel for the area (lived in Paris before that). I don't work in the city centre but in South Tours, near Chambray and St Avertin. Why do you ask for the city centre? Is this public transport related?

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions :-)

cyrian

@LadyBell
There is a facebook page "expat in Tours" with a link to "parents and kids group in Touraine" if these are of interest to you.
HTH