People to Know

Here are a few people that you should know in the school (non-teachers).


Madame Elizabeth
She works in the "Intendance" which is responsible for making all non-academic aspects of the school run properly. If you have any problems unrelated to teaching, such as "there is a funny noise coming from this locked room!" you go to her. She will make the right calls to the right people to get pretty much anything done. At the beginning of the year, there was no toilet seat on one of our toilets. I went down to her office one day around noon to let her know that we'd like a spare toilet seat, and within a few hours there was a fresh new toilet seat. You will meet Madame Elizabeth the day you arrive in Vire, as she is the one who is in charge of the building keys.

Les Secréteriats
The secretaries' office is across the hall from the proviseur. The secretary whose desk is on the right as you walk in, Bridgitte is very helpful. She is the one to go to with any administrative questions regarding the paperwork you will have to do. There is quite a bit of paperwork to do, however, each form asks 90% questions about your spouse, kids, and previous employment, which you don't need to fill out! The medical stuff is confusing. You are always covered, and will always be reimbursed (by sending in the bills), but you will not get your medical card at all before you leave. I kept getting letters saying "before you can get your Carte Vitale you need to send in these things that you definitely don't have" (such as an officially translated birth certificate). So, i just gave up. I was lucky that I never got too sick. If you ever need help with any medical things, ask Bridgitte or one of the teachers to help you, they know the system.

Filch
We're not sure of this guy's real name (the name comes from Harry Potter), but he is the creepy guy that walks around the school and grounds at night with a big flashlight making sure nobody is out of their place. He speaks a slangy version of French that I never quite got the hang of. He does not have a cat.

Surveillants
These are sort of the RAs (Resident Assistants) for the students living in the dorm. They are worthwhile to get to know, incase you come back to the school with multiple bottles of wine, they won't stop to question you. They tend to be around the same age as the assistants.