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Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Old Aug 30th 2012, 7:15 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Thanks for the advice everyone.

And yeah cmread, I meant English - tired and a bit switched off ha.

The seasonal work sounds quite promising, but as said I might find that hard on this short of a notice.

And yeah, the idea of moving into the Parisian equivalent of Hackney is a pretty big turn off so I'll
probably avoid doing that; I'd rather have a social life and an alright-ish stable job, than a big apartment
and the fear of getting stabbed by a 15 year old olive Parisian boy for all of the four Euros I'd likely have
in my wallet (jokes).

Chances are I'm going to wait until after Christmas now and learn French in the mean time - it'll give me
enough time to save some pennies and learn as much of the language I can in that kind of time frame.

This probably sounds quite silly, but is there any service / site / forum where I could contact a expat
living in France at the moment who would be renting out space / a room? I imagine probably not, but I
can only ask.

Thanks everyone!
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Old Aug 31st 2012, 7:22 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

try to contact some companies in LA DEFENCE / PARIS. Most of the big ones are located there. There is still some work in France. But is is still quiet hard !
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Old Aug 31st 2012, 8:17 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by Vincentvdb
try to contact some companies in LA DEFENCE / PARIS. Most of the big ones are located there. There is still some work in France. But is is still quiet hard !
Somewhat of an understatement I believe. I would say it is extremely difficult and increasingly so. Even the seasonal grape and other fruit-picking jobs - now increasingly taken by migrant workers from P.I.G.&Spain - are making competition tough for those seeking seasonal work from UK. And from what I've read, some of the living and working conditions for this type of seasonable work are deplorable in France and elsewhere.
As for the large companies in la Defence, Paris, for a non French-speaking candidate I would say the chances are slim bordering on impossible, given the huge number of well-qualified bi-lingual French nationals currently seeking jobs.
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Old Aug 31st 2012, 8:27 pm
  #19  
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by Vincentvdb
try to contact some companies in LA DEFENCE / PARIS. Most of the big ones are located there. There is still some work in France. But is is still quiet hard !
Hi, even a seasoned expat would baulk at trying to locate and contact companies in La Defense - the OP is only 21, doesn't speak French, and might think that La Defense is a district in the centre of Paris!
If you could give a list of the main companies likely to have vacancies in marketing which qualified bilingual French candidates won't have bagged, I'm sure the OP will appreciate it!
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Old Sep 2nd 2012, 12:17 pm
  #20  
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by Horatio
Hey,

Brief background may help - 21, marketing chap. Really, really have aspirations to move to Paris and live my years out there.

Treat me completely fresh - as if I know nothing, I wont be offended.

Okay, I'm planning on moving out there within the next few months and am really in need of some genuine advice of what to do, and what to expect.

In my mind, I can save up some money over the next few months and get out there around December, hold up in some shitty apartment and find a job to tie me over - but is that actually realistic? How hard is it an English 21 year old guy (that can't string a sentence of French together, yet) to find sufficient work to sustain a living out there?

How difficult is it to find relatively cheap accommodation out there? I've tried looking but I can only find properties / flats that would more than likely be far too much.

I'm tempted to find the equivalent position to what I'm doing at the moment out there as it would mean I would have a far better income, but if it came to it setting my standards far lower and getting a day in day out job wouldn't phase me.

Help!

Thanks,

Horatio.
Don't do it. Not worth the hassle. Fab country to visit. Nightmare to live in. The grass isn't any greener...
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Old Sep 2nd 2012, 7:45 pm
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by White-ishRose
Don't do it. Not worth the hassle. Fab country to visit. Nightmare to live in. The grass isn't any greener...
It's not that bad ......
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Old Sep 2nd 2012, 8:39 pm
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by White-ishRose
Don't do it. Not worth the hassle. Fab country to visit. Nightmare to live in. The grass isn't any greener...
That's a sweeping statement; is just your personal opinion, and I hasten to add very misleading for those who know very little about France, and who may wish to know more.
I sense you have had several bad experiences whilst living in France. But bad experiences can occur anywhere in the world.
I've been very fortunate in having lived in a total of 12 countries, and visited more than I can readily recall. There have been some super highs, and some extreme lows, but nowhere do I regret having experienced the life-styles however difficult across 3 continents.
Why did I decide to settle permanently in France? Many reasons, but suffice to say because the country and climate is so diverse, and in general because I find the lifestyle so appealing. And so many other Brits do too, especially those who take the time to learn the language, become familiar with the culture and tolerate day to day anomalies and difficulties. Nowhere is perfect, and France is no exception. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!
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Old Sep 3rd 2012, 4:57 pm
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
That's a sweeping statement; is just your personal opinion, and I hasten to add very misleading for those who know very little about France, and who may wish to know more.
I sense you have had several bad experiences whilst living in France. But bad experiences can occur anywhere in the world.
I've been very fortunate in having lived in a total of 12 countries, and visited more than I can readily recall. There have been some super highs, and some extreme lows, but nowhere do I regret having experienced the life-styles however difficult across 3 continents.
Why did I decide to settle permanently in France? Many reasons, but suffice to say because the country and climate is so diverse, and in general because I find the lifestyle so appealing. And so many other Brits do too, especially those who take the time to learn the language, become familiar with the culture and tolerate day to day anomalies and difficulties. Nowhere is perfect, and France is no exception. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!
yes, you're right, it is my personal opinion, but adds to the balance of a discussion, don't you think? It might be deemed to be misleading if everyone thought France was God's gift to the human race...! I can't say I had bad experiences, per se, but overall, now I have left after nearly 7 years there, I realise that it was not a good life and that being at home in Britain is much better. On the positive side, I can still enjoy travelling to France as it is so close and enjoy all the good bits without suffering the anomalies and difficulties. Life is too short...

Last edited by White-ishRose; Sep 3rd 2012 at 6:06 pm.
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Old Sep 3rd 2012, 5:42 pm
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by White-ishRose
yes, you're right, it is my personal opinion, but adds to the balance of a discussion, don't you think? It might be deemed to be misleading if everyone thought France was God's gift to the human race...! I can't say I had bad experiences, per se, but overall, now I have left after nearly 7 years there, I realise that it was not a good life and that being at home in Britain is mush better. On the positive side, I can still enjoy travelling to France as it is so close and enjoy all the good bits without suffering the anomalies and difficulties. Life is too short...
Mush Better Thats about right....
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Old Sep 4th 2012, 8:06 am
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Originally Posted by White-ishRose
Don't do it. Not worth the hassle. Fab country to visit. Nightmare to live in. The grass isn't any greener...
Ah, ca c'est ce que je pensais, malheureusement.
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Old Sep 5th 2012, 1:36 pm
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Default Re: Want to move to Paris soon - need advice!

Bonjour!

I moved to France 2 weeks ago (and fortunately speak French having lived in Normandy in 2010 for 8 months) but I would agree with the others about looking the suburbs of Paris. I live in the Val d'Oise region (95) and work in Paris. It takes around 40 minutes to get here.
I agree the accomodation is a lot cheaper outside Paris and you get more for your money. With regards to a job, I would advise checking out fusac.fr. It is a website that posts job adverts for English speakers. Some require French too, but there are also au pair jobs and tuition jobs, some of which come with accomodation. If you are interested in au pairing, I would also recommend looking at aupairworld.com.
Finally another option could be to look at teaching English in schools through the British Council programme. I think the deadline has passed to start in sept but you could always apply for next year. They work with the French council to place English language assistants in schools - from primary up to sixth form. I'm not sure of the website but just google British council language assistants and it should come up. If you find you're having trouble organising accommodation from the UK, in Normandy I stayed in a 'Foyer des Jeunes Travailleurs' which was kind of like a hostel but nicer! It's relatively cheap and a great way to meet people from all over the place!

Hope that helps!
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