I want to move to France, help?

Show all answers

Cabal

If you want to do your studies in France learn French then apply to a French university.

If you don't want to study in France get your degree then study what you would like to do in France, and learn French. Right now we are being dragged down into the economic crisis and jobs are getting rare. If you don't have a degree it will be that much more difficult to find a job and that won't be a pleasant one or one with job security.

However, there is no free lunch, if we have indeed cheap health service (we do pay a little) and cheap college this is because we pay taxes which, seen from the US, can seem hefty (I'd rather pay my taxes and have a proper health care than beg an expensive private health company to accept to pay for my treatment but that's a personal choice). That means that whatever work you find, and right now we are in a tight market, you will pay taxes. Bear that in mind. As well, job security is not a panacea, you can lose your job in France unless you are a 'fonctionnaire', a state worker, and unless you have worked and paid for a certain period of time the help you will get from the state will be minimal.

On the other hand, you won't fear for your life every time someone pulls something out of his pocket, gun ownership is tightly regulated, life in France is good, food is excellent, the country is beautiful, and once you have unlocked the French secret - learn to be polite French way, which is different from the US - you discover that the French are nice warm people.

WISE OWL

Your enthusiasm for France is extremely laudable, and it is very impressive that you have not been taken in by all the nasty propaganda that is mischieviously spread in the USA by people who have never been and know nothing of the culture, the people or the quality of life there.
Cabal has made several important points to which I would like to add that if you are not already fluent in French, there is no point in applying to go to a university there at the moment. You have to take a language test beforehand and you will not be accepted unless your French is good enough to understand lectures and write essays in French.
Also, it is a misconception that all graduate courses are totally free. It depends on which kind of course you want to follow and where. There are some inscription fees that vary from nominal to quite substantial, depending on the establishment, for all students, and compulsory insurance fees for all foreigners. Obviously you have to pay for your lodgings, your upkeep, your transport and all the extra expenses that are necessary for your studies such as books, certain materials, protective wear if you are doing Sciences etc...all this on top of your travel to and from the USA. Your student visa is only given for a year and renewable yearly, and if you have not met the standards demanded by the course you are chucked out, whatever your nationality. Non EU students are not allowed to apply for a part time job during their first year at college and after that they are limited as to the number of hours they are allowed to do (less than or a maximum of 20 hours per week by law), so they have to have a personal income and provide guarantees to the French consulate before they are given a student visa and a residency permit.

If you are enrolled in an American university for the fall, my advice to you, is go for it. It is already too late for non EU nationals to register for a university course in France for next September and the entrance language tests have already taken place. If you speak and understand little or no French, it gives you time to become fluent and you could then apply to do a Master's degree in a French university in the subject of your choice. You may also find that the American university that you are joining has an arrangement with a French university for a sandwich year before you graduate, especially if French is your major.

As for "job security", besides the problem of high unemployment and having to make people redundant , French firms are not allowed to employ non EU workers unless these have a particular qualification or skills which cannot be found within Schengen agreement countries. The only non- EU employees that get in these days are those who have been employed for some time within the company by a multinational or American firm that already has footings in France or the EU, and can justify an internal transfer for some of their existing employees.
If you get good qualifications in the USA, then you might be let in under the new "competencies" agreement.
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article1178
There also are special visas for people employed in the diplomatic corps.
For more details about studying in France please see:
http://www.edufrance.fr/en/
For admittance in France see:
http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/spip.php?rubrique=2

It is just as difficult for Europeans to be allowed to work in the USA these days and one has to wait years for a green card.

However, if you follow your dream and are not afraid of obstacles and hard work , you will eventually get there somehow, some time, so good luck!

a_ahmed_yousry_amin

1- I am egyptian ..my experience coming from my son how loves paris
2- If you want to go to france then go to paris .
3- Go as soon as you can ..do not wait tell you get your degree ..only learn french ..

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: