Welcome Handbook in Provence
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Welcome! Have you decided (or are you about to decide) to set up home in Provence? Whether it’s the environment, climate, scenery, transport, your children’s education, housing -not to mention culture and pastimes, your life is about to change both pace and color. You will soon find out that quality of life may become your most potent ally in making your move to this leading-edge region a success. Provence Promotion, the Bouches-du-Rhône département’s economic development agency, is keen not only to present to companies the economic and business advantages of setting up in Provence, but also to assist each of their employees in starting a new life in the region. This welcome handbook will provide you with useful advice and information to help you make the most of Provence, the "To find out more…" chapters providing addresses and links to useful websites. And to make sure it serves others who are yet to make the move even better, please feel free to send us your comments! WELCOME TO PROVENCE. WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME! WELCOME HANDBOOK 2021 − PROVENCE PROMOTION | 3 Contents 1. YOUR FIRST STEPS IN PROVENCE ............................................................................................... 6 1.1. Administrative procedures ................................................................................................. 6 1.1.1. First application for a residency permit ......................................................................... 6 1.1.2. Exchanging your driver's license ................................................................................... 6 1.1.3. Opening a bank account .............................................................................................. 7 1.2. Housing ............................................................................................................................. 7 1.2.1. House prices ................................................................................................................ 7 1.2.2. Choosing an energy supplier and telephone company ................................................... 8 1.3. Health ................................................................................................................................ 8 1.3.1. Social security in France ............................................................................................... 8 1.3.2. Health in the Bouches-du-Rhône: recognized expertise and leading-edge medical facilities ................................................................................................................................ 9 1.3.3. A density of medical facilities above the national average .......................................... 10 1.4. A welcome network for new arrivals ................................................................................. 10 1.4.1. Social networks ......................................................................................................... 10 1.4.2. An all-in one relocation offer: B’WellCome ................................................................. 11 1.5. To find out more… ............................................................................................................. 12 2. SCHOOLING IN PROVENCE: FROM DAY NURSERY TO UNIVERSITY ............................................. 16 2.1. The French education system ............................................................................................ 16 2.2. From day nursery to high / secondary school ..................................................................... 16 2.1.1. Care options for the very young ................................................................................. 16 2.1.2. Nursery school and primary school ............................................................................. 17 2.1.3. Secondary education.................................................................................................. 17 2.3. Higher education: a major university center ....................................................................... 18 2.3.1. Post-Baccalaureate education in high schools ............................................................. 18 2.3.2. The University ........................................................................................................... 18 2.3.3. Engineering schools and Grandes Ecoles (elite schools) ............................................... 19 2.4. International education ..................................................................................................... 21 2.4.1. International sections in state schools ........................................................................ 21 2.4.2. International education in the private sector (non-exhaustive list) .............................. 22 2.4.3. Institutes offering French language tuition ................................................................. 22 WELCOME HANDBOOK 2021 − PROVENCE PROMOTION | 4 2.5. To find out more… ............................................................................................................. 24 3. TRANSPORTATION IN PROVENCE ............................................................................................. 38 3.1. Transportation infrastructure in Provence ......................................................................... 38 3.2. Public transportation in Marseille ...................................................................................... 38 3.3. Public transportation in Aix-en-Provence ........................................................................... 39 3.4. Inter-city transportation .................................................................................................... 39 3.4.1. Bus lines .................................................................................................................... 39 3.4.2. The TER PACA (Transport Express Régional) network in the PACA Region .................... 40 3.4.3. Inter-city combi pass .................................................................................................. 40 3.5. Alternative modes of transportation .................................................................................. 40 3.6. To find out more… ............................................................................................................. 41 4. EMPLOYMENT IN PROVENCE.................................................................................................... 44 4 .1. Employment in the Bouches-du-Rhône ............................................................................. 44 4.2. Clubs, Associations and Professional Groups ...................................................................... 45 4.3. Foreign consular bodies and bilateral trade organizations .................................................. 48 4.4. To find out more… ............................................................................................................. 50 5. MALLS AND MARKETS IN PROVENCE ........................................................................................ 56 5.1. Markets and farm produce in Provence ............................................................................. 56 5.2. Shopping centers in Provence ............................................................................................ 56 5.3. To find out more… ............................................................................................................. 58 6. SPORTS, LEISURE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN PROVENCE ...................................................... 60 6.1. A paradise for sport lovers ................................................................................................ 60 6.2. An inspirational setting for artists ...................................................................................... 60 6.3. An exceptional archeological and architectural heritage ..................................................... 60 6.4. An eclectic choice of cultural events .................................................................................. 61 6.5. A vibrant community and cultural life ................................................................................ 62 6.6. Provence, or the art of “good living“ .................................................................................. 62 6.7. To find out more… ............................................................................................................. 64 7. THEY CHOSE PROVENCE; WHY DON’T YOU? ............................................................................. 70 WELCOME HANDBOOK 2021 − PROVENCE PROMOTION | 5 1. Your first steps in Provence WELCOME HANDBOOK 2021 − PROVENCE PROMOTION | 6 1. YOUR FIRST STEPS IN PROVENCE 1.1. Administrative procedures 1.1.1. First application for a residency permit When you first arrive in France, contact your local town hall, or mairie, for information about the administrative procedures you need to complete. The mairie is a mine of information on children's schooling, registering them for extra-curricular activities, school bus services, organized events etc. If you are a non-European national and wish to apply for a first residency permit, you will need to go to the Bouches-du-Rhône Prefecture in Marseille. To obtain a residency permit, you will need to provide a number of supporting documents, pass a medical examination (save exceptions) and pay a fee. Practical advice! If you are an EEA national, you do not need a residency permit to