Studying abroad in France is certainly not free. Although, to do so there is no need to be rich. Throughout the years, I have heard a lot of misconceptions about studying abroad. One of them is that you have to be crazy rich to do so. Although, studying in France can indeed be more expensive than studying in Mexico, for example. There is no doubt that you can do it even if you do not have tons of money. How you may ask? You need to find a student job.
Which are the requirements to find a job?
A foreign student can legally work in France. To do so, he or she must have a student VISA, a.k.a a “titre de séjour étudiant“, as stated on the official administration site of France. But, before getting into “how you can find a student job as a foreigner”, let’s talk about how many legal hours you can work.
The French law allows foreign students to work 964 hours per year, which yields to 60% of legal working time in France. This translates to an average of around 20h working hours per week. Furthermore, the minimum wage or Smic (salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance) is worth 9,88 euros “bruts” per hour. However, 20% of it goes to compulsory social contributions. Therefore, your salary will be 7,61 per hour. Now that you know the legal stuff, let’s dive into the juicy stuff: how do you find a job?
How to find a student job as a foreigner?
Finding a student job as a foreigner can be so confusing. I remember when I was looking for a job, I had no clue where to start. Therefore, I asked my friends in France that have student jobs and can finance 100% of their studies, and here is what I learned. Not only you can apply online for a job, but you can also hand in your CV in person at local shops. This totally depends on the job that you are applying for. So what exactly should you do?
1. Look at your University’s student job offers
Students can find a job at their University for a duration of a maximum of 12 months. Most job contracts go from September 1st to June 30th as Universities are closed in July. In addition to that, jobs can go from welcoming students at the beginning of the year also known as “la rentrée” in French. In the same way, you can become a tutor, participate in cultural or sports events, and more.
The great thing about finding a job offer at the university is that your contract will be pretty flexible in terms of hours. The University knows the rhythm of students can be pretty hectic. Consequently, they adapt to students’ class schedules. Of course, you will have to discuss this before signing your contract. And if you happen to have a change in your schedule, immediately inform your employer.
2. Hand CV at local stores
Print your CV and motivational letter (Lettre de motivation) and hand them at the local stores in your city. This clearly only applies if you are already in France. My recommendation is to make a list of local shops where you want to apply. If you are new to the city, Google will be a great tool. Besides, you can walk around the city and make a list of shops that you find on your way. You will not only be able to discover the city, but also find stores where you could potentially work at.
3. Babysitting
Almost all of my friends babysit during the weekends or after University classes. The vast majority of babysitting jobs are found through friends or friends or friends. Nonetheless, you can definitely do it without having contacts in France. There are different agencies like the speaking agency, Be My Nounou, and others.
4. Grape-picking (or Vendanges)
Grape-picking is a seasonal job, which normally starts at the end of August and beginning of September. A lot of students do this during the summer to earn a few bucks. To find a job offer, it does help to know someone who has already worked in grape picking. Even so, you can look also find offers at Pôle emploi. Do this as soon as summer starts, which is when they start hiring.
Last year, I worked in grape-picking for a week. It was a great experience! I mean, I have always wanted to do it. Mostly because France is well-known by its’ wine and I wanted to learn more about the making process. Personally, I recommend this to any foreign student who wants to meet locals and get a full-on different experience.
5. Search online
After TONS of research and with the help of my friends, I learned about “boîtes d’intérim“. They are basically agencies that find a job for you. The only thing you need to do, is leave your resume and a motivational letter. Moreover, tell them about which job are you looking for. Then, the only left thing to do is wait for their call.
This is not the only way of finding a job from the confort of your home. You can also apply online through shop websites. For instance, H&M, Mango, Stradivarius, Uniqlo. Some stores will ask you to hand your CV in person, but others allow you apply online.
On the other hand, there are online sites like Jobaviz, Indeed, Pôle Emploi and others where you can find more job offers. They can go from working at a restaurant as a waiter or waitress, working as a receptionist or at a local shop. The is a vast majority of job offers.
6. Freelance
Freelance is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as:
“Someone who does particular pieces of work for different organizations, rather than working all the time for a single organization” They are different sites where you can Freelance
There are different websites where you can offer your services, whether if it is teaching a language, translating documents, designing, etc. These are some of the most used freelance websites :
7. Answer to online surveys
This side hustle can be useful to make a couple of bucks. However, I have personally tried filling online surveys and I did not enjoy it. Some of them can be pretty LONG to answer and in terms of money… I personally did not make more than a dollar. Still, I enlist this one as an option as it may work for you.
The 5 most common student jobs
To finance your studies, there are different job options available to you. Here is a list of 7 student jobs ideas:
- University jobs
- Working in Intérim (small jobs)
- Waitressing
- Working at clothing stores
- Fast food jobs
- Working at a bakery
- Student restaurant jobs
Now you know how to find a student job in France. I hope this article was useful to you :). Tell me in the comment section, which are some of your tips that helped you find a student job or any job? I am curious to know what has worked for you.
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