GUEST RESEARCHERS OFFICE CITÉ INTERNATIONALE UNIVERSITAIRE DE PARIS AUGUST UGUST UGUST UGUST 2006 2006 2006 2006 FOURTH OURTH OURTH OURTH YEAR YEAR YEAR YEAR, , , , N°9 °9 °9 °9 In this issue : In this issue : In this issue : In this issue : The BRACE (Bureau ré- gional pour l’accueil des chercheurs étrangers) 1 What do you have to know about the CAF? 2 French classes for fo- reign researchers at the Cité 2 Interview with a family of researchers 3 The visit of the « Château de Chantilly » 4 The BACE team and services 4 The BRACE The BRACE The BRACE The BRACE (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des Chercheurs Etrangers) Chercheurs Etrangers) Chercheurs Etrangers) Chercheurs Etrangers) LES LES LES LES ECHOS ECHOS ECHOS ECHOS DU DU DU DU BACE BACE BACE BACE A new organisation has been set up for a better welcome of foreign researchers arriving in Ile- de-France. New welcome offices (also called mobility centers) have opened last October to be closer to your research laboratories. If you register to the website of the Kastler foundation you will automatically be orientated to the closest mobility center from your work. If you have an accommodation at the Cité or if you work in a research laboratory in Paris, it is the BACE (Bureau d’Accueil des Chercheurs Etrangers - Guest researchers office) that will welcome you and help you to find an accommodation when you arrive from abroad, answer all your questions regarding your visa, residency permit (titre de séjour), social security, schooling of your children, offer you French classes, cultural visits in Paris, parties. For more details you can consult our website: www.ciup.fr . In order to have more information about the three others welcome offices in the Ile-de-France area, you can consult their website: Bureau International des Chercheurs Invités (BICI), Polytechnicum de Marne-la-Vallée: http://www.polytechnicum.org/bici Mobility Center Paris Pôle Sud : http://www.parispolesud.com Mobility Center Paris-Nord : http://wwww.eramore.fr/parisnord The Mobility Centers in Ile-de-France Page Page Page Page 1
In this issue :In this issue :In this issue :In this issue :
The BRACE (Bureau ré-gional pour l’accueil des chercheurs étrangers)
1
What do you have to know about the CAF?
2
French classes for fo-reign researchers at the Cité
2
Interview with a family of researchers
3
The visit of the « Château de Chantilly »
4
The BACE team and services
4
The BRACEThe BRACEThe BRACEThe BRACE (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des (Bureau Régional pour l’Accueil des
LES LES LES LES ECHOSECHOSECHOSECHOS DUDUDUDU BACE BACE BACE BACE
A new organisation has been set up for a better welcome of foreign researchers arriving in Ile-de-France. New welcome offices (also called mobility centers) have opened last October to be closer to your research laboratories. If you register to the website of the Kastler foundation you will automatically be orientated to the closest mobility center from your work. If you have an accommodation at the Cité or if you work in a research laboratory in Paris, it is the BACE (Bureau d’Accueil des Chercheurs Etrangers - Guest researchers office) that will welcome you and help you to find an accommodation when you arrive from abroad, answer all your questions regarding your visa, residency permit (titre de séjour), social security, schooling of your children, offer you French classes, cultural visits in Paris, parties. For more details you can consult our website: www.ciup.fr. In order to have more information about the three others welcome offices in the Ile-de-France area, you can consult their website:
Bureau International des Chercheurs Invités (BICI), Polytechnicum de Marne-la-Vallée: http://www.polytechnicum.org/bici
Mobility Center Paris Pôle Sud : http://www.parispolesud.com Mobility Center Paris-Nord : http://wwww.eramore.fr/parisnord
The Mobility Centers in Ile-de-France
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French classes for foreign French classes for foreign French classes for foreign French classes for foreign researchers at the Citéresearchers at the Citéresearchers at the Citéresearchers at the Cité
For the 3rd year, French classes have been given by the teachers of Espace Langues to re-searchers welcomed by BACE. Over a hundred researchers have participated in those two ses-sions of classes organised by the BACE from October 2005 until June 2006. Each researcher has benefited from 32 hours of classes per session and 4 different groups have been formed according to the needs of the researchers. The classes took place in the classrooms of the Maison des Etudiants Arméniens in the Cité internationale. During the summer we have taken the opportunity to do a new intensive session of French with 6 hours of class every week, with 2 different levels of class. In July, classes have been held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 26 researchers have benefited from these courses. A new session of classes with 4 different levels will start from October until February, you will receive all the practical information by email in September.
What is the CAFWhat is the CAFWhat is the CAFWhat is the CAF ? The “Caisse d’Allocations Familiales” is part of the Social Security which of-? The “Caisse d’Allocations Familiales” is part of the Social Security which of-? The “Caisse d’Allocations Familiales” is part of the Social Security which of-? The “Caisse d’Allocations Familiales” is part of the Social Security which of-fers different services. The majority of these services is dedicated to families. The two most fers different services. The majority of these services is dedicated to families. The two most fers different services. The majority of these services is dedicated to families. The two most fers different services. The majority of these services is dedicated to families. The two most famous services are the housing benefit and the family allowance.famous services are the housing benefit and the family allowance.famous services are the housing benefit and the family allowance.famous services are the housing benefit and the family allowance.
A lot of researchers coming to France apply quickly to the CAF. Indeed everybody even single persons without children can ask for a housing benefit when their resources do not exceed a certain limit the year before the request. Please note that the CAF do not only take the resources of the applicant into account but the resources of the household. Even though your companion has not already entered France her/his resources will be taken into account if you lived with her/him during the period of reference. Therefore it is very important to declare her/his resources especially if she/he is expected to come later. The upper limit decided by the CAF depends on the number of per-sons you are in charge of. To know more about the different CAF allowances you can have a look at the following ad-dress : www.caf.fr. There you can find a presentation of the different allowances, access to the application forms, follow your application, make a simulation of your housing benefit. There are very precise conditions that the applicant and his dependents have to fulfil to make a successful application to the CAF especially if they are foreigners. One difficulty is the rec-ognition of children. If you want your children to be taken into account for the allowances children to be taken into account for the allowances children to be taken into account for the allowances children to be taken into account for the allowances they must enter France with a personal visa (so a personal passport) at the same time as at they must enter France with a personal visa (so a personal passport) at the same time as at they must enter France with a personal visa (so a personal passport) at the same time as at they must enter France with a personal visa (so a personal passport) at the same time as at least one of their two parents.least one of their two parents.least one of their two parents.least one of their two parents. For more information regarding your rights contact: [email protected]
The Social Allowances : What do you have The Social Allowances : What do you have The Social Allowances : What do you have The Social Allowances : What do you have to know about the CAF?to know about the CAF?to know about the CAF?to know about the CAF?
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Interview with a family of researchersInterview with a family of researchersInterview with a family of researchersInterview with a family of researchers
Artur, 2,5 years old, we did not have a place in a “crèche”. We’re with him in the morning each in turn. We can work a bit before he gets up. Our next door neighbour is a family of Colom-bian researchers, and one of the daughters is Artur’s nanny in the afternoon. It’s difficult for him because he doesn’t have any contact with children of his own age. He doesn’t get the chance to speak French because the nanny speaks Spanish, it’s a bit too much for a 2 and a half year old. What’s your working language in your respec-What’s your working language in your respec-What’s your working language in your respec-What’s your working language in your respec-tive labstive labstive labstive labs ???? At the beginning it was English. We didn’t have any problem by not speaking French at work. We also had Brazilian and Portuguese col-leagues so we spoke Portuguese. Now we also speak French. We watch television, read maga-zines and we’re feeling more and more com-fortable with French language.
You’re leaving at the end of the month, what You’re leaving at the end of the month, what You’re leaving at the end of the month, what You’re leaving at the end of the month, what would be the assessment of your stay in Pariswould be the assessment of your stay in Pariswould be the assessment of your stay in Pariswould be the assessment of your stay in Paris ????
Very good. We had a nice welcome in our labs, my wife is going to write a publication. I’m go-ing to invite one of the professors to Brasilia University and I’m going to try to initiate a co-operation between France and Brazil. My wife would like to do it as well but later. Brazil is a reference for research in ecology of aquatic en-vironment and her lab at Paris VI University is very interested. My wife and I have many stu-dents who wish to come to Paris to study but they need fellowships and we’re going to help them find them. Anyway, we keep in touch with our French labs. I wish to come back next year for a short stay and we’ll tell our Brazilian col-leagues who plan to go to Paris to contact the Cité universitaire, it’s very good. Actually my daughter, my wife and I are torn between going back to Brazil and staying here because we had a great time. For our son it’s different as it has not been easy. It would have been nice if the Cité universitaire had a solution to offer to look after children from 0 to 3 years old when you need to go to work. But apart from that we’re happy. Our daughter is already planning to come back in a few years time for her studies.
Interview with Dr Antonio PIRATELLI FILHO re-searcher in mechanical engineering at ENSAM and his wife Dr Claudia PADOVESI FONSECA re-searcher in biology, ecology of aquatic environ-ment at Paris VI University. They’re living in an apartment in residence Robert Garric, in the Cité universitaire with their two children of 11 and 2,5 years old. Why did you choose France to go on with your Why did you choose France to go on with your Why did you choose France to go on with your Why did you choose France to go on with your researchesresearchesresearchesresearches ???? Actually, a professor invited to Brasilia University where I work, asked me to come to Paris. I had already thought of international mobility for a post-doc but I didn’t know where to go and then I had this opportunity. Afterwards my wife looked for a place for her as well, and Paris VI University offered her a job. We both had a place to work, we just needed the answer from CAPES, the fellowship. Without this financial help it wouldn’t have been possible to move. You arrived with your family, was it easy to find You arrived with your family, was it easy to find You arrived with your family, was it easy to find You arrived with your family, was it easy to find accommodation?accommodation?accommodation?accommodation? Yes. Once we had the fellowship confirmed, one of our colleagues from Brasilia university told us that last year he had been living in Cité universi-taire with his family and that with children it was just the ideal place to stay. We filled in the ap-plication form and got an answer very quickly. We’re very happy in the apartment and in the Cité universitaire in general. We’re glad our col-league told us about it. What problems did you have to face when you What problems did you have to face when you What problems did you have to face when you What problems did you have to face when you arrived herearrived herearrived herearrived here ???? The weather! We arrived here in November and in Brazil it’s Summer. We had a thermal shock, it took quite a time for the children to get used to it. Then, even though we took French classes before coming over, we didn’t understand a word here. Communication was very difficult, at the CAF, to register children to school, for every day life in general, but the BACE helped us with all those issues. My wife and children have Bra-zilian and Italian nationality as well, so for them no problem with the visa. Whereas for me yes. I even had a student visa, not a scientific one. I waited a long time to get my carte de séjour, I think it’s heaviness of administration. You are parents/researchers in mobility with two You are parents/researchers in mobility with two You are parents/researchers in mobility with two You are parents/researchers in mobility with two children, how do you manage to get organisedchildren, how do you manage to get organisedchildren, how do you manage to get organisedchildren, how do you manage to get organised ???? For our daughter Ana Luiza, 11 years old she was first in a classe d’accueil. She was with many other children but much older than her (15 years old) and none of them spoke French, so it was quite difficult at the beginning. Now she’s in 6°classe, she has many friends and speaks French better than us. There’s an agreement be-tween France and Brazil so she won’t loose her school year. Once we’re back in Brazil, she’ll be able to go on with school normally. For our son
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On June 10th 2006, researchers welcomed by the BACE visited the Château de Chantilly. The property is situated 50km from Paris in the heart of the “Trois Forêts” massif. This castle which has been built from the Middle Ages houses the Musée de Condé which contains a beautiful collection of old paintings. In the morning the researchers admired the Museum’s works of art and the Castle’s gar-den by turns. Then they had a lunch break in the restaurant “Le Coq en Pâtes”. The Menu composed of goat cheese and salmon ended by a fruit bavarois with a touch of the famous “crème Chantilly” of course! The afternoon was more recreational. After visiting the Castle’s stables housing the “Musée Vivant du Cheval” the researchers admired two horse shows : the first one taught them the basis of horse riding and the second one presented the mischievous po-nies of the stables. Old and young seemed to be very glad about this relaxing afternoon.
The Visit of the « Château de Chantilly »
This delighting day orchestrated by our four fascinating guides (Daniel Louveau-Jouan, Catherine Lamendin, Ghislaine Blanc and Martina Daboussy) has been a great opportu-nity. The researchers have had the possibility to admire the beautiful site of the Château de Chantilly by a very nice sunny day and also meet other researchers.
View of the Château de Chantilly and its garden
Researchers and one of our gui-des, Danièle Louveau-Jouan
The horses of the Château de Chantilly
If you need practical or legal hints or adminis-trative help, if you want to join the various ac-tivities that we organize, you can contact our multi-lingual team (we speak French and Eng-lish of course, but we also speak German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian). We will be happy to welcome you from Monday to Friday in the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris.
Our offices are now situated in the Maison in-Maison in-Maison in-Maison in-ternationaleternationaleternationaleternationale, 17 boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris.
We will welcome you from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Public transportation to our officePublic transportation to our officePublic transportation to our officePublic transportation to our office:
- RER B stop: Cité universitaire
The BACE team and servicesThe BACE team and servicesThe BACE team and servicesThe BACE team and services The teamThe teamThe teamThe team
