French learning books, The best books to improve your French

So you want to learn French?
Books are a great source to learn or simply improve your French.
Unlike studying with computers they do not steal time from your daily schedule, you put the time you sitting on the buss or your lunch-break for improving your french.

There are two main types of books: Complete methods and exercise books.
These books usually come with a audio CD which can offer you invaluable assistance with pronunciation.

I would say if you are a complete beginner you are far better starting with a 'Method' book. as they offer a more round and complete approach to studying.

Method Books:
 I tried several books that I simply don't believe are worth mentioning.
the book which I found the most effective for learning French is:
ASSIMIL: New French With Ease
The book is structured with between 50-100 lessons (depending on the version)
Each of which has a dialog (with a corresponding audio file if you have your MP3 Player with you)
and an English translation on the other side of the page, after the dialog you have several exercises to complete.


Now I found it one of the most effective books to learn the general vibe vocabulary and basic grammar of French, it is convenient with all the answers translations and explanations readily available. Which is why you will most likely be able to find this book in your local library.
Or if you prefer you can also find it in amazon for 30$ and you have something to read on the plane!


Workbooks:
After I finished my Assimil book I decided I want something to ground in the rules grammar and conjugation.
Most workbooks I found were in French, which is alright, because by the time you start them you should already have the basics. (or simply a teacher to work them over with). 
Workbooks are usually rated in scales of A1-C2 after finishing Assimil I think I am roughly around A2-B1.

Workbooks are really a matter of personal choice, So I suggest you head to the bookshop or library and see them for yourself.
I particularly fond the A1 Grammaire en Dialogues (niveau grand dèbutant)
by Odile Grand-Clement
Don't let the title fool you as this book is perfectly fit for more experienced users too.
It comes with an audio CD and consists of dialogs, grammatical rules, and then exercises, then it features a test to see if you need to review some of the things in every chapter.




So, to conclude, Dig in your books! Bon Apatite

Learn french from home: software and websites

There are many resources to learn French on your computer, over here I will list the ones I found most effective and motivating.

Software: 
Unless your a pirate or sleep with a pillow stuffed with hundred dollar bills, French learning software could be quite pricey.
If you are looking for better deals I would suggest learning from free websites or just borrow a book from your library.



Rosseta Stone
Speed 5/10
Effectiveness 8/10
Motivation 9/10


Rosseta Stone is a pretty good method to learn French if you aint in a rush.
Plenty of repetition makes sure you remember what you learn. And the colorfull pictures keep you rather motivated, it took me a while before I got bored of this method.
As for speed, I found Rosseta Stone rather slow. As lessons tend to repeat alot.


Tell me more!
To be honest I wasn't too much impressed with Tell Me More as it seemed more like a workbook then a French Learning application.


French learning websites:
There are many website that offer to teach you french, over here I will list my top 10 french learning websites.

1. http://french.about.com/
This is probably my prefered website to learn french.
It has really good clear explanations on common confusions in the language, and a great step by step guide to learning the language.

2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/
Also an excellent resource, I recommend practicing on it daily to keep your french fresh.

3. https://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/forstudents/freecourses/french
 Here is a really nice french step by step introduction course, although the it might be a little hard as the actors are native french that tend to speak really really quickly.

4. http://www.frenchassistant.com/default.asp
Nice website offering step by step lessons.

5. http://www.tolearnfrench.com/
Pretty nice website offering all around french lessons games and chat rooms. Really good if your having problems with motivating yourself.

6. http://www.learner.org/resources/series83.html
Has a interesting subject based approach to learning french with videos.

7.http://www.frenchtutorial.com/standard/toc.php
Quick beginner French tutorial.

8. http://www.onlinelearnfrench.com/
I found it a pretty good website to learn future and past forms.

9. http://french.yabla.com/
Pretty good french website with lots of useful tools.

10. http://www.ielanguages.com/french1.html
Pretty good for all levels of french! Just a pretty dull interface.

So don't waste your time reading this blog, GO practice your French!

La CAF... Financial assistance for renting... and babies!

So... You wanna figure out how French people pay these outrageous rents..
Caisse d'Allocations Familiales or in English Family allowance!

CAF is the agency which determines which level of social assistance each residence in France in Eligible to receive. Most often this splits into two categories, renting allowance or baby allowance.
CAF is available to EU residents and holders of Carte de Sejour (residence permit)

Renting assistance APL (Aide Personalisée au Logement) can go from 80-320 euroes a month depending on various factors.
Baby allowance can go as high as 2000EU per month, although I do not have personal experience with this so I do suggest you do your own research.
Excellent blog for having children in France http://having-a-baby-in-france.blogspot.com/search/label/caf

Obtaining the APL can be a long a tiring process, although once obtained they will cover the period of the application and sometimes even the time prior to it.
So I suggest you head up to the local CAF center as soon as possible after you begin renting!


Renting (APL):
The amount the CAF pays you is variable according to your location, age, size of the apartment , present and past income (past is income from two years ago for example for 2011 its based on 2009).

The APL will begin at your second month of renting (a calender month). For example if you will start paying rent at 25/jan the APL will begin at 01/feb.
The city your in is a big factor as to how much they pay.
For example: in Paris the CAF is known to give around 200EU while in Marseilles its around 120.


You will need a number of documents, in my case I needed: Rental contract, National Insurence number, proof of present income (they ask for every payslip), past income (they didn't ask me for proof), RIB,
and ID.
They also asked me for a proof that I can support myself in France although I was able to dodge this one as I filed a request as a couple through my French girlfriend.

There is a rumor that as a couple you are able to receive a higher amount, so if you have a female roommate it might be worth a try. Also sometimes the CAF workers are willing to cut corners, I heard of people having debts of thousands of Euros wiped by some generous employee. (Yes the CAF will find you and ask for the money back if they find out you have been getting assistance which you are no longer entitled for.)

So all I can do now is wish you good luck!
Personally it took 5 months before I got my first APL payment  me but they paid back for all the time since I started renting.
I know of people who got it as quickly as two weeks.


Did I get something wrong? got a sad\funny story with the CAF?
I would love to hear about your experience with the CAF.

Links-

Application form  allowances
You can download the application form here:
http://www.caf.fr/wps/portal/particuliers/formulaires/metropole/al

This will need to be filled by your landlord.

APL renting allowance calculator
http://www.caf.fr/wps/port...
note that this calculator is not especially reliable.

Got a European passport? Get paid to learn! French, Cooking, and many more!

Why spend your time and resources looking through expensive French schools when you can actually get paid to learn the language in France!
 This service is offered for young job seekers under 25.
If you are above 25 you are still be entitled for free French lessons.
  
When I went into the CIERES (website) center in Marseilles hoping to subscribe to their French lessons the last thing I expected was to be offered to get paid training.

After going to their center in Rue Montlieu they redirected me to the Mission Locale (website) and told me to ask for the Inscription ETAPS.

In the Mission Locale I found out that they offer a variety of training such as Plumbing, Cooking (and tourism), Math, PC orientation classes and much more!
And the best thing about it is they actually pay you to learn these professions!
The training are offered as aid for young job seekers. You will be paid anywhere between 300-650 Euro a month for training of 35/hrs a week. Depending if you have work experience.

Now it is not much but along with the CAF (rent assistance) it should be enough to live on while you learn the language and find a job.
For now I am still studying there and although the learning process is rather slow compared to professional institutes it is still a great deal!




Above 25?
Dont despair! you can still get free french lessons, If you are in Marseilles go check out the CIERES center in 15, Rue de Terrass.
If you want more information about free french lessons or training contact your local mairie (town hall) or Mission Locale.


This is information about the paid training in Marseilles but similar programs are offered all over France, I would appreciate any information about paid training anywhere else in France.

Rule 1: Be PREPARED! Always bring some papers to feed the ever hungry French system

Before you come to France!

French bureaucracy loves papers, any size color and detail.
So before moving to France (and afterwords) make sure you keep any (and I DO mean any) official paper you received since you were born.
These papers often depending on quantity rather then quality, and they will serve you for many reasons including but not limited for your: National Insurance, Unemployment benefits, paid training*, CAF (government aid for paying rent) or even getting the land-lord to rent you the flat.

I do mean every paper but I can give you some examples:
Birth certificate.
Payslips (all of them).
Work contracts.
Renting contracts.
Any kind of proof for unemployment benefits.
Your ID, Driving license, Passport. (Preferably at least two forms of Identification).
and your bank statement.

Trust me you will use most if not all of them.
For my social security number they even asked me to write the current date in the side of my birth certificate and send them a copy of it.

If your papers are in your native language note that you might need an official translation service. If you have a friend who is a lawyer it would be wise to consult with him for free.
Although in France there is assistance for translating papers from most languages and it should cost around 50 euros, I will post more details in the near future.

*Yes you can actually get paid to study French if you are under 26! I will post more details about it in the near future.
If you are above 26 you can still get free French lessons and certificates.
Paid training are not limited to French they also include a variety of practical professions such as cooking, plumbing, car mechanics courses, computer orientation classes and many more.

So here I am on my first blog post!

Ok... First of all welcome to my blog! You can complement yourself, you are the first and might even be last to look in my blog!

I am Mr. Chomage (that's misspelled french for unemployed) I am currently living in Marseille France, getting paid to learn french for some strange reason.

I was born in Israel. Almost two years ago I decided to move to London where I was squatting just a bit less then one year.
Then I went through a brief period of unemployement and slavery in Barcelona, Spain, and now here I am in Marseille, France. Dont ask me how I got here! The answer is sad and usual, I fell in love with some crazy French girl!

So I think in this blog I will post all sorts of stuff such as some vegiterian recipes funny stories. How I manage to survive in this country which eats on average 101KG of meat per capita (I will give you a hint: Cheese).
And just share all sorts of strange things this world has in-stranged upon me and sudden bursts of my personal twisted philosophy!
 

So... Boom!