Family · 7 min
Paris for International Families: Schools, Healthcare, Daily Life
The short answer: for a family, the first ninety days in Paris are decided by three files — school, healthcare and household — and by the order in which you open them. School comes first because it fixes geography and calendar; healthcare second because registration takes months; household third because everything in it can be delegated. Families who sequence these three arrive settled; families who improvise arrive exhausted.
Schools: the decision that fixes everything else
In Paris, the school choice determines your neighbourhood, your commute and your family's social geography — so it must be taken first, not last. The landscape has three lanes: international schools (English-medium, familiar curricula, waiting lists that reward early files), bilingual private schools ('sous contrat' or not, the fastest route to genuine French fluency), and the public system (excellent in many arrondissements, entirely in French, allocated by address).
The operational realities: serious schools interview families months ahead; dossiers require translated records, recommendation letters and proof of address you may not yet have; and mid-year entries depend as much on how the file is presented as on availability. This is a campaign, and it benefits from being run like one.
Healthcare: start the clock immediately
French healthcare is superb once you are inside it and bureaucratically opaque until you are. CPAM registration for a family routinely takes three to six months — so it must start the week you arrive, not when someone gets ill. In parallel, three moves cover the family from day one: a private top-up insurance (mutuelle), an English-speaking family doctor declared as your médecin traitant, and the handful of specialist and paediatric contacts you want saved before you need them at 22h.
The household file: everything here is delegable
Utilities, internet, home insurance, staff, deliveries, the apartment's quirks and the syndic's rules — the household file is thick, entirely in French, and unlike schools or health, contains not one decision that requires your judgment. It is the natural first thing to hand to a private assistant.
- Utilities and internet transferred and in service before the furniture arrives
- Home and liability insurance (obligatory for tenants) active from day one
- Household staff engaged legally — France's declared-employment rules apply to families too
- A vetted bench of contractors before the first leak, not after
The ninety-day rhythm
Days 1–30: school file active, CPAM file lodged, household services live, bank appointments held. Days 31–60: permits and registrations progressing, médecin traitant declared, children's activities chosen — the fastest route to a child's (and a parent's) social landing. Days 61–90: the file moves from set-up to rhythm — the moment to review what still consumes your attention, and delegate it. A family is settled not when the boxes are unpacked, but when nobody is thinking about the infrastructure anymore.
FAQ
When should we start the school search?
Nine to twelve months before arrival for international and bilingual schools; some accept rolling entries, but the strong files are early files.
Can we access French healthcare before CPAM registration completes?
Yes — care is available to all and private insurance bridges the gap; you simply pay upfront and are reimbursed later. The point of early registration is to shorten that bridge.
Do we need to speak French for daily life in Paris?
For pleasure, no. For infrastructure — schools, CPAM, the syndic, utilities — yes, or someone who does it for you. That gap is exactly what a family's private assistant closes.