OMG I got the job! Now how do I move to France? Where can I go for advice?

You are welcome to post more questions here, as there are lots of expats here that could answer your questions. "how do i open a bank account without an address" or it's corollary "how do i rent a flat without a bank account?" Given that you are in the UK, your bank is probably capable of doing bank transfers to France, in which case you can pay the deposit and first month of rent using your UK bank account. Immediately after you move in to your new apartment, you need to go to the nearest EDF office to get the electricity switched to your name (which might be difficult to do without help from a French person; ask your landlord or rental agency for help). Then you will receive a letter from EDF which serves as an initial "justificatif de domicile" (proof of residence). Your most recent EDF bill will always serve as your justicatif de domicile for the purposes of doing anything in france (getting a mobile phone, opening a bank account, getting internet service, etc). You can bring this EDF statement to a bank to open an account. It will be mildly annoying to find a bank with someone who speaks competent English (you might have to try 2 or 3 different banks) but it's not that difficult. Once you open your bank account, you will receive some RIBs (Releve d'identite Bancaire) which contain your IBAN and other numbers needed for withdrawals/deposits. You'll use your RIBs (along with your passport and EDF statement) to do other things like get internet service, get a mobile phone, etc.

Well, I applied this year to http://www.ciep.fr/assistantetr/ in France, and one of the things that keeps me from freaking out about possibly moving there for nine months is looking at websites full of practical advice about what to do should I get to go. I think the information at the http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Teaching_Assistant_in_France_Survival_Guide and the http://www.assistantsinfrance.com/forums/ will help you out, though obviously there's stuff that won't apply. Good luck!

Thanks Pearl228 - it's Grenoble; helios - well that settles the chicken and egg question, which is cool. And thanks for the links two or three cars parked under the stars. I'm gonna dig around in those links right now and try to learn some more.