Grr!! I can't seem to find a decent way to travel france?

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TravelinAngel

Hello Dear
High unemployment rates and a bureaucracy tough on illegal workers makes France a difficult place to find casual work, particularly if you don't speak French. After a lot of looking it is possible to find work , although it is much easier if you speak French and hold an EU passport.
An au-pair is the most popular Canadian and American backpackers' job in France. Looking after a couple of kids is lots of fun, although it can be very exhausting at times. It may not make you rich, but it's usually a live-in job with the benefit of your own Parisian apartment; or at the very least, a tiny room with a nice view.

Paris's English speaking community is the best place to look for this type of work. For au-pair and other work (including English teaching), try the classified ads in the Paris Voice (website http://parisvoice.com) and France USA Contacts (website www.fusac.fr). These two free publications are available at the American Church (65 Quai d'Orsay, MÃ©tro Invalides) and the major English language bookshops including WH Smith (place de la Concorde, MÃ©tro Concorde) and Shakespeare & Co. (37, rue de la BÃ»cherie, MÃ©tro Saint Michel).
it is possible to legally work as an au pair if you are single and aged between 18 and 27., however non-EU nationals should try and arrange everything before arriving in France.

You can try the following au pair agency:

Le Monde Au Pair
7, rue de la Commune Ouest, MontrÃ©al, QuÃ©bec H2Y 2C5 Canada

Tel 1 (514) 281 3045
Website www.generation.net

Best of Luck dear!

t_maia2000

If you are Canadian or American and are planning to stay in France for longer than 3 months you'll need to apply for a visa and for a residency and work permit.

Canadians and US-Citizens can come to France visa-free, but only if the purpose of their visit is tourism and their stay does not exceed 90 days in a period of 180 days.

Canadians can get a Working Holiday Visa for France, see

http://www.ambafrance-ca.org/spip.php?article1950

If you are a US-citizen and want to stay long-term in France, your best bet is to apply for a student visa. Students are allowed to work part-time, but your main source of income for staying in France has to come from your savings. You'll not get a student visa unless you can show that either you or your parents have enough money for you to live on while you are in France.

One thing you could look at is WWOOF, btw.

rugratshd

As said, jobs are hard to come by. Suggest you visit your newsagents and order the following papers - French Connexions and French News. Both are english language newspapers and often have jobs advertised, albeit only 2 or 3, for assistance with renovation projects etc. Some are non paying but you would get board and keep. May help you a bit.
As you are not paid, you would not need a work permit, just a visitors visa - downside, obviously you need enough money to support yourself and you would require a good travel insurance to cover you for illness.

katya

I am American and worked as an English Language Assistant (teaching English) in a French high school. This program is sponsored by the government which means your visa and residency permit (and the right to work) are sponsored by the government. It's a 7-9 month program. Applications are due around December for the following year (so you would apply now for October 2009). you earn about 750 euros per month after taxes and only work 12 hours per week. You don't need a teaching degree (my degree is Marketing!) and need a minimal level of French. Check it out at www.frenchculture.org.

However, after I finished this assistantship which I did for two years, I wasn't able to get a job because it requires a work sponsor. It's difficult because to get the work permit you must have a company sponsor you and to get a job you already need the work permit! At the time, my (now) husband and I decided to get married which gives me the carte de sejour vie prive et familiale (sp?) which gives me the right to work. We did just the civil wedding at the mayor's which was fairly quick. Now that we have some more time we are planning a big wedding in my hometown for next August.

I would need more information about your boyfriend. Is he French or American/Canadian? Also, what is he planning to do there? work, study...?
Please email me if you'd like!

s20529334savvy

Hi

Why don't you visit the following site, it's an all in one France tourist guide website and gives you all the info you need. Once there click on the nav-bar button on your left saying: "Learn French" as learning the country's first language will be to your advantage. Then look around the site and read. You will find enough information on what you need to know.

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