You are used to learning stuff formally then, so get a couple of teach-yourself type books and a thematic dictionary for vocab and learn the structures you’ll need to use, it will make your learning on the spot much more efficient if you have a framework to slot it into.
Obviously people tend to be nice but they will be even nicer to you if they see you are making the effort to speak correctly too, and you can ask for examples or how to say something, it’s normal. We correct each other’s grammar, it isn’t rude, we think it’s important.
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Reinforcing this, I was chatting to some long term volunteers who seek out 'regulars amongst the homeless, sheltering under bridges/flyovers etc to offer them clean clothes (from our clothes bank) and warm food…They said it’s a difficult role. They explained that they (the volunteers) are French, usually with limited English, and the homeless (in Rouen) are typically from countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, China who speak a fair amount of English, but little or no French.
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yep… I was astounded when I was first invited to join a French group welcoming refugees.
(I’d been told to keep quiet, no looking 'em in the eyes, no offering the hand… wait and see)
All that went out of the window when one timid/frightened lady realised I could speak English and ignored everyone else, rushed at me, smiling, saying Hello and offering her hand in greeting… and I automatically responded… then felt guilty and snuck a glance at my French colleagues.
Their faces showed surprise and then (thankfully) delight.
EDIT: I should say that then and with subsequent groups of refugees, I did agree with the parents that I would speak French and NOT English with their children unless absolutely necessary, as they needed to learn French swiftly for their Life in France … and being youngsters, they absorbed the new language amazingly quickly so no probs. 
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OMG Vero, if only you’d told me that 15 years ago when I started volunteering taking rescue animals, mainly dogs but also other creatures, all over the length and breadth of the then European Union…I’d have still done it, but would have been amazed to hear that it wasn’t really approved of. 
Only joking, and I know you have somewhat modified your view further down the thread that I am very late to. 
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I was thinking of unpaid internships really, the sort of thing that my pupils are sometimes offered and which aren’t really ok. I wasn’t thinking of the multiplicity of other sorts of voluntary work (often done by older people with an alternative source of income). Even our service civique etc is paid, for example. I suppose we assume that the majority of people, especially students etc can’t really afford to do unpaid voluntary work.
I mean I spent a year in a warzone doing voluntary work for a Fr organisation.
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Yes but time is free, no need to require a monetery input by the volunteer, and I assume that any cost incurred would, like me, be re-imbursed. But I used, and still do on a much rarer occasion, to keep a very strict record of expenses incurred and the justifications for it. Diesel being by far the largest.
But thanks for introducing internships, I never really knew if that was paid, however lowly, or unpaid. My Grandson is expecting an internship with a German engineering company and I had no idea what that entailed, will ask my son the next time we speak. 
But there are many years before and after having a job where a few hours here and there are feasible.
Volunteering is a major community aspect in British life and well embedded culturally (perhaps less so now!). From age of about 10 or 12 I was encouraged by my school to do stuff - getting shopping for elderly people, going to their homes to make tea and have a chat (poor old people forced to have awkward conversation with a 10 year old! )
In school holidays I would go off and help nature projects, and at university we were encouraged to do something.
In applying for jobs this was quite important to have on your CV.
And so many British associations are only effective because of volunteers - especially conservation, heritage and wildlife groups. All doing work that would otherwise not be done. Many by retired people who are skilled and still physically fit.
It is noticeable that France is very different in this regard.
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Yes it really is. Its noticeable in things like D of E which so many UK schoolchildren do, there’s nothing like that here.
What is D of E please?
Another way to learn French is to join clubs: walking, patrimoine, etc etc. In my case, photography. French clubs often have meals together as well as the actual reason for the club - helping to wash up afterwards is a good one. 
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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
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Thank you, I was going to ask the same question, but didn’t want to show my ignorance, so don’t need to. Doh. 
Personally, having worked in the ´voluntary’ sector in the UK, I am absolutely against ´volunteering’ in the vast majority of cases. It just gives the government a good excuse not to come up with cash for public services.
When I told French friends about the ‘moonwalk’ etc, they were like « do you not have hospitals in the UK ? »
Enough said !
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There is volunteering and volunteering for me. Remember that there can be important benefits for the volunteers too. Totally against using volunteers for roles that should be paid, however that still leaves many opportunities.
I used to run a small grant scheme for local heritage projects. Not big sums and had to be matched, but volunteer participation counted so unlocked funds and meant they were seen as a valuable resource rather than just for scut work. Many of the volunteers then went on to get ‘proper’ jobs on the basis of the skills they learnt.
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Henning Wehn has clear views on the subject and I agree with him:
I am not sure that is logical. If charities paid all their volunteers they would need far more funding to meet the wage bills or else they will pay their staff and have less money to help beneficiaries. The second is more likely.
Regarding internships in France, I was a mature student in Montpellier in 2011 and was offered an internship which ran for about 4 months. I was paid €420 a month, which was 1/3 of the SMIC (minimum wage) rate at that time, accommodation (quite basic) was provided and I had an allowance of €4.20/day for lunch in the refectoire which generally was a quite decent meal. All other expenses were my responsibility.
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Hi
I don’t understand why you and your husband would move to France. You both have years left of work in the UK doing important jobs.
You can’t speak French so the only work you will find is working on the vines. Too many Brits move over here and struggle, I don’t understand it.
If you do come over, please don’t buy a place, rent a house for a year. When you decide it’s not for you, move back without ruining your lives, like so many others have done here.
Yes, we noticed that when we spent holidays in France, and do appreciate their corrections. We like learning and try to keep our mind active, but we do recognise that our cognitive decline is kicking in and we don’t learn as quickly and retain information as we used to. Just need to keep practicing and keep going. Thanks for the encouragements.
Good to know, I will share it with our elder son who is interested in studying French in university.