It's possible and it's waiting for you - find your new home and your feet quickly and efficiently...using the hard-earned knowledge and in-the-trenches experience of those who have gone before you.

Dear Reader,

     Hemingway called it "a moveable feast." Nietzsche asserted that "As an artist, a man has no home in Europe save in Paris." Gertrude Stein declared that "America is my country and Paris is my hometown."

     The allure of Paris is so strong that it's the most visited city in the world. Countless foreigners have been drawn by its joie de vivre and made it their home.

     And now you plan to join them in the City of Light! Congratulations - you've made a wise choice. Even if you are merely in the throes of considering it, rest assured you're heading down an exciting path, and if you follow through with it, you'll never regret it.

     Just the thought of it has probably turned you into a perpetual daydreamer - today you're browsing through the contemporary art galleries on rue Louis Weiss...tomorrow you're sunbathing alongside the Canal Saint-Martin...or relaxing on a terrace with your aperitif while you watch the city go by... You could conjure a different picture every day for a year, and yet barely scratch the surface of all the possible fantasies Paris has to offer.

    Keep on dreaming. And hold on to those pictures - they're going to be invaluable. That's because - even though thousands before you have proven that it's possible - when you're confronted with the realities of moving, your tank will run low at times, and you're going to need fuel - the dream of your new life.

     Let me reassure you that moving to Paris is worth every ounce of effort. And your fantasies are not all you'll have to lean on to get through it all. That's because you're not on your own. If you'll lend me your ear for a few minutes, I'll share some secrets with you - where to get help when you're trying to figure out your visa...what to expect when you're thinking about a job or a business...how to go about buying or renting an apartment...and much, much more. In short, I'm going to show you how to make the process of moving to the world's most popular city a whole lot easier.

Insider Knowledge at Your Fingertips

     For example, you'll learn:

• Precisely what you'll need to pull together when you apply for your visa...right down to the forms, letters, attestations, and number of copies (p99-110)
• Where you can find an apartment in one of the city's fashionable arrondissements for less than $100,000 ...or one for $3.58 million (p71-82)
• How to read a Parisian real estate advertisement...including why you should be impressed rather than alarmed when it describes the building as "standing" (p96-7, 130-2)
• How to get a bank account opened without meeting the usual requirements...even after three other banks turn you down (p41)
• What skills give you the best chance of getting a job ...including those that virtually guarantee you'll get working papers (p107-108)
• Specific dollar amounts you can expect to pay in taxes and social security...and how you can save 20% by making a simple accounting choice (p104-106)
• The best (and most reasonable) options for French lessons...and other ways to improve your French...for free (p65-9)
• How to find a health insurance company specializing in expats ...for just $125 a month (p47-9)
• Where you can find a support group for English-speaking mothers and mothers-to-be (19-20)
• How to get your U.S. social security paid directly into your French bank account (p117)

     This kind of knowledge is invaluable, but it doesn't come easy. You'd be hard-pressed to pull it together in a reasonable timeframe. You see, it doesn't come from books or theories. It comes from standing in lines, filling out forms, walking the neighborhoods, riding the Métro, buying and renting apartments, opening businesses and bank accounts, getting sick. It comes from hours on the phone, struggling to understand and be understood, getting ripped off, making mistakes, spending (and sometimes losing) money, and learning the hard way - by doing it.

The Real Story, No Pulled Punches

     Here in the Paris office of International Living, we realized that - having been through it all ourselves, along with umpteen friends and members - there's no need for others to have to struggle the way we did. That's why we've put together the next installment of our series on France: Your New Life in Paris - A Practical Guide. It's your handbook for planning and making the move, a hands-on reference of what to expect and how to go about it...warts and all. We'll tell you everything you need to know, without hiding anything. For example:

• Apartments are small - you'll need to get used to a lot less living space. We'll tell you just how much.
• Setting yourself up in business is not a trivial process. From page 103: "France is the country of a thousand regulations. There is going to be an enormous amount of red tape and paperwork...don't think you can just set up shop and wait for the money to roll in." With that as a backdrop, we'll tell you exactly what's involved, how to be most efficient about it, and how to maximize your bottom line.
• Employers are far more likely to hire someone from Britain or Ireland with the right to work in France, than to go through the bureaucracy, cost, and risk of hiring a North American. That said, we'll show you what skills are in demand, and the best way to go about leveraging them to get a job.
• The French education system is structured and rigid. We'll show you how your kids can effectively stay within the U.S. school system.
• "It is easy to learn to speak English badly. It is hard to learn to speak French well." This French saying illustrates the pride the French take in their language. They're not going to be eager to practice their English on you. So we'll give you all the available methods and resources to help you parlez the langue. We've tried them all.

     This is not meant to discourage you, or fill you with dread. It's simply intended to give you a realistic picture of what to expect. In reality these aggravations become benign when you're informed and prepared. There are also ways around many of them - you just have to know about them. That's just what Your New Life in Paris will do for you.

Paris Real Estate From A to Z

  There's far more to get excited about than the minor hurdles presented by the annoyances of moving. For example, one of the things that'll keep those daydreams alive is finding a place to live in one of Paris' stylish and charming neighborhoods. We'll give you plenty of options for atmosphere and opportunity, including a few to avoid:

• "Gentrified houses...from the 16th and 17th centuries" (p73)
• "Classy, artistic, and very up-market" (p75)
• "Charmless highrises" (p77)
• "Little streets and charming artisan-style houses" (p77)
• "One of Paris' greenest neighborhoods" (p78)
• "Popular with middle-class families" (p78)
• "Drab, depressing, and rife with drug addicts and dealers after dark" (p79)
• "Blue collar...with a vibrant mix of artists and ethnic restaurants" (p81)
• "Paris' greatest concentration of immigrants" (p79)
• "Very attractive for real estate investment" (p73)

    We'll take you on a real estate tour of Paris, arrondissement by arrondissement. We'll give you the average price per square foot of each, as well as variations by neighborhood within the arrondissement. As you'll see, average arrondissement prices vary by as much as 56% from the overall average for Paris, while a specific neighborhood can vary from the arrondissement's average by as much as 58%. We'll tell you where to look in each arrondissement, and give you some sample listings covering the full range:

• A studio with a corner kitchen and a separate bathroom in arty Montmartre. Price: $95,500.
• A bijou apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood - on the second floor of an ancient building with a "verdant" courtyard. It's very bright and has a living room with exposed wooden beams and French windows. Price: $120,000.
• A top-floor apartment with a great view - completely renovated, it has a living room, a kitchen, a west-facing bedroom, bathroom, toilet, wooden floors, moldings, fireplace...and a lot of charm. Price: $143,000.
• A third-floor apartment in an old stone building, with one bedroom, a living room with wooden floors and a fireplace, kitchen, bathroom, and storage space. Price: $210,000.
• A "very sunny" fourth-floor apartment in an old building with views over the Paris rooftops - living room, fully equipped kitchen, one bedroom, bathroom, separate toilet, and hardwood floors. Price: $281,000.
• A perfect pied-à-terre with an elevator and air conditioning in every room - large living room with wood floors and three windows facing east, fully equipped open kitchen, large bedroom with a dressing room. Price: $490,000.
• A completely renovated second-floor apartment in a nice building with a large courtyard - double living room, open kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, separate toilet, wooden floors, beams, and stone walls. Price: $515,000.
• A large fourth-floor luxury apartment in a Haussmann building - large reception room, kitchen, a "parents' suite" with steam bath, three bedrooms (each with a bathroom), two maid's rooms, and cellar space. Price: $1.2 million.

     By the way, you won't find these in Paris' multiple-listing service, since there isn't one. You'll have to go through an agent - we'll explain that process, and give some recommendations. We'll also give you a lexicon of French property terms, so that you're not completely in the dark when you read the ads online and in the newspaper.

     Since buying an apartment in Paris is worlds apart from buying real estate in the States, we'll walk you through the three-step process. We'll also give you some valuable contacts and resources, as well as a few important tips:

• Who to consult when you've made the decision to buy (p86)
• What a notaire is, and whether you need to appoint your own (p86)
• What red flags to look out for when dealing with the agent (p87)
• What you must know about French inheritance laws in order to protect your investment (p87-8)
• What conditions suspensives are...and why you'll want to consider them (p88)
• The different kinds of contract available...and what happens if you (or the seller) back out of the deal (p89)
• What to budget for closing costs, commissions, and legal fees...and how to save on them (p90-1)
• What recourse you have (or don't have) if you find woodworm and dry rot after you move in...and how to protect yourself from these and other nasty surprises (p87)
• What property taxes you're liable for...and the exemptions you may qualify for (p90)
• Financing options...and a few myths about foreigners borrowing from French banks (p92-3)

Renting in Paris - What to Expect and What to Look (out) For

     If you're not in the market to buy, but are looking to rent instead, Your New Life in Paris will help you with detailed information on the rental market:

• Whether to rent furnished (meublé) or unfurnished (non-meublé or vide)...and why you might not find light fixtures when you take possession (p83-4)
• Agencies and other sources for rentals...including online listings in English (p82-4)
• Lease durations, termination clauses, security deposits, and fees...and why you might want to consider a short-term lease to start with (p95-6)
• How French law protects tenants...and the one technical condition under which a landlord can evict you (p96)
• How an older apartment may save on utilities (p7)
• Sample rent prices, what costs to expect in addition to rent...and a tax that you'll need to budget for (p84, 95-6)

    We also give some rental examples at the time of writing:

• Charming apartment, sunny, newly renovated, nicely furnished, with all appliances ($900/month)
• Fully renovated and furnished one-bedroom apartment, equipped kitchen, living room, TV, cable, telephone, desk, and dressing area ($950/month)
• With a unique view of the cathedral, the Hotel de Ville, and the boats passing on the river, this one-bedroom place has a living room with fireplace, wooden beams, and parquet floors, a separate fully equipped kitchen, and is equipped with cable TV, VCR, microwave, and a washer/dryer etc. ($1,500/month)

Shop And Eat Like a Local

      Of course you'll have other costs in addition to your accommodation, like putting food on the table, equipping your apartment, clothing, and - one of Paris' best attractions - eating out. You can consult the published international cost of living surveys to get an idea, but they can be misleading (we'll tell you why in the book). So based on our own experience - and the euros we've taken out of own purses - Your New Life in Paris provides a guide to the practicalities of shopping, whether you're buying a fridge, the latest fashion item, or a fresh tomato.

For instance:

• What a women's size 7 shoe is in French sizes, how a man's European jacket size 46 translates into an American size...and a website with an extensive listing of shoe and clothing size conversions (p54-6)
• The best time to buy clothes and shoes ...and an official source that may give you misleading price information (p6-7)
• Sample prices for items such as stoves, vacuum cleaners, and DVD players...and some good websites to check prices (p6)
• The TV tax...and how to avoid it (p6)
• Why you wouldn't want to buy your baguette, meat, cheese or chocolate from a supermarket...and where you should want to buy them (p4)
• What it'll cost you to fill your grocery basket ...and websites to help you do your detailed budgeting (p6)
• Where to find the freshest fruits and vegetables...and the bonus you enjoy from shopping there (p6)
• Where to find "Breton crêperies, Alsatian beer brasseries, and splendid family-run charcuteries, where owners from the Auvergne make their own sausage and pâté" (p3-4)
• The cheapest options for your bus and Métro tickets...and why you should always validate your ticket (p10-11)
• Sample second-hand car prices (if you must have one)...and a tip for getting better car rental rates (p11-12)

     When it comes to dining:

• Restaurant recommendations - a three-course meal for $13.50...specialties from France's Basque region...a restaurant where you'll be "oohing through every course"...an owner with "a personality bigger than the restaurant"...a bistrôt with "a humorous collection of bras hanging in one corner"...a restaurant with "inspired Breton specialties"..."a traditional French restaurant (that) does a very nice job for a very petit prix" (34-7)
• Restaurant protocols for things such as tipping, separate checks, doggy bags, and "voice volume" (p33-4)
• Why you shouldn't ask for substitutions in restaurants...and the one exception to the rule (p33)
• How to avoid being embarrassed when your foreign credit card is met with shaking heads and a smile (p32)
• The customary (and cheapest) drinks to have with your meal (p31-2)
• Why the shrimp cocktail is listed under the entrée section (p31)
• How to order to ensure the freshest ingredients (p30-1)
• Ordering your meat: tres bien cuit...bien cuit...à point...saignant...and bleu (p31)
• When to seat yourself at an eating establishment...and when not to (p30)
• What to wear when you eat out...and what you definitely should not wear (p29-30)
• Why there's smoke in the non-fumeur section...and how to avoid it (p29)
• Things that you can't put on your credit card when eating out (p33)

Money And Banking - Pitfalls to Avoid,
Profitable Habits to Adopt

     You'll also need to set up bank accounts, and figure out how you're going to manage your money. It's all covered in the book, for example:

• Why you should maintain a credit card with a U.S. address (p42)
• The most useful credit card to have in Paris (p41)
• Why an ATM rejected your $200 withdrawal attempt when you withdrew $200 just five days ago (p42)
• What you should never do when writing a check (p40)
• Why it might be preferable to have a non-resident bank account rather than a resident account (p40)
• Why you shouldn't reach for the phone to report a misprint when you see an amount of "undefined50,00" on your bill (p40)
• What you need to be aware of when using your home country credit cards...including a rather disturbing recent development (p42)

Working And Visas...a Clear Path Through The Maze

     Needless to say, you'll need to have a source of money in order to have a need to manage it. Your New Life in Paris includes sections on the job market and self-employment, along with visa requirements, and tax and social security payments. Here's a sampling of the subjects covered in the book:

• Visa application documents, the hoops you'll need to jump through...and the conditions under which you'll be approved (p99-110)
• Which visa renewals are automatic...and which require renewal in person (p99-100)
• The procedures an employer must follow in order to hire you...and why being in France will not help when the working documents are issued (p101)
• Why hiring is a slow process...and why you're more likely to get a temporary contract than a permanent one (p109)
• Why you'll need a curriculum vitae (CV) instead of a resumé, how to style it, the personal data you'll need to include on it...and an unlikely consideration for your cover letter (p110)
• Why your best khakis just won't do in an interview...even if your handshake shapes up (p102)
• How getting a second passport can significantly help your chances of finding a job (p103-105)
• If you're self-employed, what taxes and social security payments you'll need to make...whether or not your business makes any money (p105-106)
• The pros and cons of joining an Association de Gestion Agrée (p105-106)
• The four steps involved in applying for a carte de commercant étranger (merchant card)...and why you'll need one even if you don't live in France (p106-107)
• The French licenses required for specific professions such as attorneys, doctors, and teachers...and the loopholes available (p107-108)

    There's more - additional resources, websites, and a wealth of detail and advice on planning your working life.

Schools, Support Groups, Health, And More--Getting Settled...Quickly And Efficiently

     We've covered a lot of ground so far. Your New Life in Paris covers even more - a lot more. Here's just a taste:

• Schools...with a French- and English-speaking teacher in each pre-school class...preparing students for entry into all preparatory schools and colleges in the U.K. and U.S....permitting entrance to universities worldwide...accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Middle States Association of College and Schools...offering the SSAT, PSAT, I.B., and IGCSE exams (p21-28)
• How to get financial help to cover day care costs (p20)
• Health insurance - private insurance, group plans, essential resources for expats (p47-8)
• Doctors - "public" and "private" costs and coverage, bill-paying and reimbursement procedures...and house calls! (p49-50)
• Medications - in a nation that consumes more medicines per person than any other population, how to get yours filled when you can't tell from its French description what it is (p50-3
• Where to find 100,000 English-language books, and where to find a children's story hour, or a reading by an author...in English (p19-20)
• Reputable movers and relocation companies - how to find them, what they offer...and why never to pack any items yourself (p59-61)
• What you can import free of duty and tax...and the conditions under which you can do so (p56)
• Why your daughter's four-month old kitten was admitted...but not your son's five-month old puppy (p57)
• How many rodents, reptiles and birds you can bring into the country...and what you need to do to prepare them (p57-58)
• Whether or not to import your cars, what duty and tax you'll pay...and when they are exempt (p58-59)
• Driving - what you need to do to drive legally in France...why you shouldn't bother with an AAA international driving permit...how you might qualify for a license exchange instead of a test...what it means when a driver flashes his headlights...why another car might pull out smack in front of you from a neighborhood side street as if you weren't there (p61-3)
• The best way to travel in France...and how to cut a six-hour road trip by more than half (p9-11)
• Getting married - what you need to do before you can have a religious ceremony, what pre-conditions you need to meet (p117-118)
• How to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, hectares to acres, centimeters to feet (p13)
• How to get international phone calls treated as local calls (p16)
• What French post offices may need to be reminded of when you're sending international packages...and a little-known service provided by the U.S. Postal Service that could prove very useful (p9)
• The U.S. Consulate's American Citizens Services - passport renewals, notarization, affidavits, powers of attorney, acknowledgements, sworn statements, and lists of local lawyers (p113-117)
• American citizenship - children born in France, why you should never let your passport expire... (p115)

Everything You Need to Start Making Your Plans

     Yes, it's a lot for you to digest digest. And there's more - an extensive Rolodex at the end of the book providing contact information (including websites) for a wide variety of organizations - banks and business...consulates and real estate...housewares and furnishings...charitable and cultural...educational and support...religious and political...alumni and veterans.

     You'll not need much more than this. Let me tell you from experience - I transferred to Paris a year ago - this is invaluable stuff for someone contemplating the move. Having this kind of information at your fingertips will slash hours off your research, and save you a stash of money. It will get you integrated into your new life far, far quicker than if you tried to figure out everything on your own. And it will allow you to get on with the business of why you're moving in the first place - living your dream in the City of Light.

     What price would you put on your dreams? Your time? Not to mention the money you would spend to get all this information. Safe to say it's a lot more than the $22.00 we're asking for Your New Life in Paris - A Practical Guide. Makes it quite a bargain, doesn't it?

     And when you factor in International Living's lifetime guarantee - if you're not happy, send it back, we refund your money, no questions asked - it's essentially free. In fact, if you factor in the value you'll receive, and the complete lack of risk, I'd say you're making on the deal.

     Don't delay. Click on the Order button below to place your order, and in a few days you'll be getting down to the nitty gritty - planning your new life in Paris. You won't look back.

     I look forward to welcoming you to this vibrant and timeless city.

     Sincerely,

    Kathleen Peddicord
    Publisher, International Living

P.S. Moving to Paris - lots of dreams, lots of challenges. You can keep your dreams intact and alive by being informed and prepared...using the knowledge of those who have already done it. Find the right apartment in the right neighborhood at the right price...the right job and the visa to go with it...the best way to shop (like a local)...how to make the most of your dining experience...health, money, movers and more. Let Your New Life in Paris make it routine and efficient, so that you can get on with living those dreams. Place your order today to start easing into your new life.