You may have read recently that France is considering making language tests compulsory for all those requesting a residence permit. It’s a prospect that some Local readers are finding unnerving. 

Language classes can be expensive so if you’re seeking to learn French or just improve your language skills, here are some of the free or affordable classes on offer.

How to find affordable language classes in France

You may also have heard that there’s an energy and cost-of-living crisis on, and the French government has urged people to make a little extra effort to save energy – including by cutting wifi routers when on holiday and lowering the air-con – as it prepares a plan to cut the entire country’s energy use by 10 percent.

It will also save people money… Here’s what we know so far about the plan.

Lower the air-con, cut the wifi and turn off the lights, France urges residents

As France sizzled under a July heatwave, wildfires broke out across the country.

Fires have long been a hazard in the south, but now environmentalists and firefighters are warning that in the years to come they are likely to become more common and affect a wider area. And they could unfortunately become a more regular event – so what steps should you take if you live in France or own property there?

How to protect your French property from wildfires

For all of its current problems, France – it should come as no surprise – is a very decent place to retire.

Some people work here first and then retire, others retire in their home countries and make the move while some second-home owners view their French property as their eventual retirement home. But how does being a pensioner in France compare to other countries?

Pensions, healthcare and cost of living – is France a good country to retire to?

But there are a few things you may want to consider before you take the plunge and move lock, stock and barrel to France…

10 things to think about before moving to France

Let’s segue to animals. There’s a practical side to puppy love in France.

From the certificates you need to sign, to the microchips you need to insert and the documents you need to travel there’s much more to owning a dog than loving them, feeding them and taking them for a walk.

What you need to know about owning a dog in France