Administration
You don't like bureaucracy ? Neither do we. But nobody can avoid it, and you should come prepared...
As a general rule, bureaucracy in France means that any form of request for an authorisation (building, business), documentation (ID papers, social security), permit (work) will be made difficult by the need to fill endless forms, answer lots of questions, provide proofs of this and that, and translations of it all. And there is no way arround it, it is the same for everybody, native french and foreigners alike.
The following list will give you an overview of what official bureaux and government organizations you might come accross.
VISA
If you are from the EU, you don't need one. You can live and work in France for as long as you like. I you are coming from a non-EU country, check with your embassy, as there will be restrictions on work and length of stay, wether you are coming on a toursim or work visa.
Mairie. Office of the mayor and local government.
It is the place where birth, death and mariage are recorded, and most administrative tasks are done, wether it is enroling your children to the local school or applying for a building permit. You can go there to get information on the local area, businesses, and apply for some social security benefits..
Impôts Taxes.
It is inevitable. Once you earn a living, you have to pay taxes at the "Centre des Impôts" (the local tax office). You can be either employed or self-employed, but the PAYE system doesn't exist in France. Everybody has to declare their earnings and there are dozens of different taxes that one has to pay. You will find that all in all you will pay more tax than in the UK, but on the other hand the government supports needy people more.
If you are planing to set up your own business (i.e. as a self-employed builder) you can visit the Business Agency website which is an official government agency there to "hlep" people setting up their own businesses. All the up-to-date informations regarding taxes, legal status etc are there : http://www.apce.com/
Ecoles Schools
Local public schools are usually of a very good standard. To enrol your children, go to the mairie. The school year goes from september to end of june, with a 2 month break in the summer.
Immatriculations car registration
If you are importing a car and planning to stay for more than a year, you must get your car registered at la prefecture. You must obtain a carte grise (V5 equivalent). You can get the forms at "la prefecture" and the good news are that there is no road tax in France anymore.
Travail Work
Chômage You will be entitled to unemployment benefits only if you have worked in France for a year or if you were claiming benefits before coming from a EU country. In that case you can transfer your claim and carry on for 3 month while you are looking for work.
Urgences Emergencies
The phone numbers for the emergency services are 18 for fire, 15 for ambulance and 17 for the police. Don't expect the person answering the phone to be a fluent english speaker.
La Poste Postal Service
In France, La Poste is also a bank. But you can still buy stamps etc of course ! To send a normal letter inside the national borders, it will cost you 0,54 € and 0,60 € to the rest of europe including the UK.
Sécurité Sociale
Aides Sociales
Cotisations Retraite