How To Find Jobs In France While Studying
- A Definitive Guide

France is renowned around the world for its high-quality education system. Along with the fact that that the country is famous for its business management, fashion, engineering & IT courses, it is also known for being the 3rd most popular destination for international education, being just behind the UK and the US.

France is a treasure trove of opportunities for students as it is one of the largest economies in the world and so it is steadily growing in popularity amongst study abroad aspirants. Not only can students attend world class universities and receive high quality education, they can get great jobs during studies and amazing career opportunities after studies as well.

Working in France

Jobs In France

The current population of France is around 65,457,901 within which the unemployment rate is around 8% presently. France is the 4th out of the EU-15 in terms of productivity.

Also, on top of being the 3rd largest economy in Europe and the 7th largest worldwide, France is also home to many Fortune 500 companies including big names like L’Oréal, Airbus, and Michelin. This means that are plenty of job opportunities for students during and after studies.

The following job sectors are popular for employment in France:

Energy Management- Being the 2nd largest country for Energy Export, France is in need for employees constantly.
Engineering- Being a world leader in Aerospace and being one of the biggest industrial countries, France is always in need of Engineers.
Management- Being home to many Fortune 500 companies and being a country famous for its management schools, jobs in management are readily available in France.
Tourism/Hospitality- Being one of the most popular tourist destinations of the world, France is always ready to hire employees for the tourism/hospitality sector.

Top Job Vacancies

For students while studying, getting high paying jobs is not entirely possible, but in France all foreign students have the right to work while studying and non-European Union nationals must have a student resident permit to obtain employment.

Here is a list of few jobs that are suitable for students:

Jobs at Universities- Universities in France offer job to students to work within the university itself. They are offered a contract for a year that covers the period of 1st September to 31st August. The time is split in the following way:

Maximum of 670 hours in the period between 1 September and 30 June
Up to 300 hours between July 1 and August 31

Assistantship at Universities- Students can apply to get a research assistantship or a graduate assistantship with their university. This usually entails assisting professors in a variety of way including research and more.
Restaurant Jobs- Students can work at restaurants or cafes as waiters for minimum wage. Being the café capital of the world, Paris has no shortage of such jobs. Students can also get apprenticeships under chefs.
Other Jobs- Students can work in shops, markets, theatres and more.
English Teaching Jobs- Students can teach as English tutors in France provided, they have a valid IELTS/TOEFL score.

Jobs Salaries in France

In France the minimum wage is set at €10.48 per hour. Students can work for a maximum of 964 hours in any given year in France as long as they have a valid student residency permit and as long as the university they study at has no objections.

The average salary in France is around 2,340 EUR net per month. The salaries range from a minimum average of 12,500 EUR to a maximum average of 221,000 EUR. A salary higher than the maximum average can be earned.

The median salary in France is 46,600 EUR per year, which means that 50% of the population are earning less than 46,600 EUR and the other 50% are earning more than that.

Work Culture in France

Show work culture like hours, weekend jobs, etc.

Attention to detail, principles of hierarchy and traditions are important to French work culture. The French workplace is quite formal. During first meetings the formal Monsieur or Madame titles are used and then introductions are done with full names. Long-time colleagues and friends greet each other with the traditional French kiss. Punctuality is considered quite important although most companies allow a compensation of up to 10 minutes, but even that is mostly for newer employees and experienced employees are expected to be punctual. Furthermore, meetings in French workplaces are to the point with little time wasted and having a clear agenda. Debates about politics, religions or ethnicities are virtually forbidden in the workplace.

The working hours in France are usually from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm with a long lunch of up to 2 hours. So, working hours can be considered from 9am to 12-12:30pm and then from 2pm to 6pm. Working late is not uncommon if deadlines need to be met or if there is an emergency, but there are laws in France to restrict working hours for employees to have a proper work-life balance. The French workplace respects privacy and laws are made to allow employees to have a proper private life as well. France has a 35-hour work week, with legal overtime allowed if needed. The French workplace also allows five weeks of annual leave and also allows extra allowance for family events or bereavement.

Popular Platforms to Find Jobs in France

The best selection of jobs in France is available at APEC; https://www.apec.fr/. Along with these the following platforms are useful for students to search for jobs during and after studies:

The following platforms are useful especially for students residing in France:

In France’s the popular professional networking site is Viadeo instead of LinkedIn.

Language Requirement to Work in France

Although a variety of jobs for non-French speaking students are available, career opportunities are practically doubled if you possess French proficiency. France is a primarily French speaking country and many universities offer courses in English, and all multinational companies do require English proficiency. But, having a know-how of French will add great value to your resume and open many doors for students. Knowing French will increase your chances of getting a suitable job.

Useful Resources

Students can sometimes get confused with so many options during searching for jobs, so here is a list of resources that students may find useful:

Pole Emploi- French government employment agency [https://www.pole-emploi.fr/accueil/]
EURES- EU job portal [https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/language-selection]
France Alumni- An alumni network for foreign graduates of the French system [https://www.francealumni.fr/en]
BAIP - Bureau d'Aide à l'Insertion Professionnelle (Professional Insertion Assistance Offices) [https://baip.parisnanterre.fr/]

On A Concluding Note

In all, with all the information that students can get from the many different websites listed here and available on the internet, finding jobs in France in not difficult. As long as students possess all the necessary requirements and stay informed on all the necessary rules and regulations there will be no problems. To benefit from our many years of experience and our close working relationship with many top French universities, apply to study in France with Edugo Abroad.

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How To Find Jobs In France While Studying
- A Definitive Guide