Vespertine

Hello, I am an A-level student looking to spend next year (from September to around July or August) in Paris, improving my French and undertaking some independent study. This is obviously quite an intimidating decision, but it's something that I think will be invaluable for the course I'm aiming for at university. I understand that Paris is expensive and perhaps a little daunting, but I think it's quite important that I stay in or very close to the capital to take full advantage of libraries, museums etc. As I've said, a great deal of why I want to go to France is to study and access to these buildings is essential.

Money isn't too great a problem. I think I should have enough to establish myself thanks to parents, but I would obviously need to find some form of employment to be self-sufficient, which is all part of the process, is it not? So this brings me onto my barrage of questions!

I was wondering what kind of price is reasonable for a month's rent in Paris. I realise that this will vary tremendously, but I am not planning to live in luxury. Simple, clean facilities are perfectly fine and I expect to live alone, so one or two rooms should be Ok, I think. I have looked at some apartments, but I don't know whether I'm being extravagant or not.

I'm also interested to know what kind of job I can expect to find. In terms of qualifications I will only have the equivalent of a baccalaureate, but my French is of quite a good standard, though I tend to be quite shy. I was hoping for some work part-time in a library or bookshop or something to that effect, but have no idea what is realistic.

Should Paris prove too expensive, I'm prepared to live in Versailles, which seems to be marginally cheaper from what I've seen. How practical would a daily commute into Paris be, and how long would such a journey take?

If anyone has any advice on the essentials of moving to France, I would be most grateful to hear it. Book recommendations would also be wonderful as the majority that I have seen seem to focus more on relocating a family on a permanent basis. Gap year websites just don't seem to be sufficiently detailed, on the other hand. So I'm in need of your expert advise.

Under normal circumstances, I would do my best to read up on it myself, but I'm in the midst of the exam season here and can't really afford to spend too much time concentrating on what may never be!

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

Novocastrian

I can't be of any direct help, but I'd like to say what a pleasure it is to have read such a well crafted, articulate and grammatical post from a member of today's youf.

I suspect you will succeed in your project. Bonne chance.

Jazzy n Lol

Hello and welcome

I sent my sister your post, as she lives in Paris and I dwell in the more rural Mayenne department.

Here is what she says -

Tell her to check out Fusac magazine online. there she will find standard rents and jobs suited to her and all the answers to her questions.

http://www.fusac.fr/

You may want to mention that a daily commute from Versailles is the equivalent of London to Cardiff every day by car, twice a day. And it's very expensive there in spite of what she's heard.


Not very much, I know, but she has 3 year old monsters, err, I mean twin boys, as well as a business to run. Sorry we couldn't be more help, I'm sure you'll get some more replies soon.

Good luck

Vespertine

Thanks to both of you. ^_^

The FUSAC website looks really useful. I'll have to keep checking it nearer the time, I think. I need all the help I can get, really, so any advice is welcome.

I hadn't realised it would be such a trek. I knew Versailles was only about 13-and-a-half miles from Paris, so I was hoping there would be some easy form of transport. I had read somewhere of a bus service which takes only 25 minutes from Versailles to the Pont de Sèvres, and the RER was said to take around 40 minutes according to the same source. I think perhaps they grossly underestimated.

Thanks again!

P.S - Oh, one thing! I'm a boy not a girl. I know 'Vespertine' sounds a bit feminine, but I thought it was too beautiful a word to be wasted!

val50

Hi there and welcome to the forum. I was waiting to speak to my daughter before replying to your query, as she was in Versaille over the weekend, staying with a friend who is studying architecture at university there.
It obviously depends what part of Paris you are travelling from, but from St Lazare station to Versaille was 3 euros one way and took approx 40 mins on the RER. There are monthly passes you can buy for public transport, and they are approximately 50 euro a month. She used this link to find information on transport http://www.ratp.com/
I can ask how much she pays for rent if that would help? She lives just minutes from the Palace de Versaille.

dmu

You'd have three possibilities from Versailles to Paris, depending on where you actually live in Versailles, two RERs which will take you along the Rive Gauche and one SNCF to St Lazare. A bus would eventually get you to the Pont de Sèvres and that Métro Line is very handy for the Rive Droite. As suggested by val50, look on the RATP website. Which is more important for you, finding somewhere to live or finding a job? A propos, send your cv to WH Smiths, rue de Rivoli, Brentano's, avenue de l'Opéra, Gibert (mainly in the Quartier Latin), which are most likely to need English-speaking staff. You never know, but bear in mind that many French post-graduates are also job-seekers.....

G-J-B

I've been living in Paris for the past 6 weeks, and have found it an expensive place to be. There's an immobilier next door to my apartment and every time I glance into the window I'm shocked at the prices for purchasing or renting. Living within the centre of a Paris isn't a reality for most people, but the trains are efficient, and if you do head for a nicer suburb, you'll certainly find prices a great deal cheaper.
I ditched my car before coming to France, so that saves money, and because I have quite a few facilities around me (I'm in the 16th arrondissement), I find I don't often need to travel too much. You can buy 10 tickets for around 11 euros, or a monthly (or yearly) pass. If you need the RER, prices increase of course. I've never been to Versailles, but I would think it would been about an hour until you reached Paris, because the train has to stop and start many times along the way.

Food is expensive and you can't find the bargains like you can in Tesco's, but if you search hard you can eat cheap and well. Carrefour certainly saved some money when compared to other smaller supermarkets. If you have a freezer, Picard's is good for cheaper frozen foods.
I believe you can also get a monthly or even a yearly pass for the major museums too. I think Orsay is no more than around 7 euros, and I forget how much the Louvre is, but repeat visits to such places can soon add up. I think they might be free on the first Sunday of every month, but don't quote me on that.
There's a lot of popular book shops near some of the more touristy areas, such as the Louvre and Notre-Dame, some of them are even English bookshops. It may be worth trying to secure some form of employment before coming. I was speaking to a couple of French guys last week and despite having degree qualifications, one of them was made redundant (an Italian, but who speaks very good French), and it took him a year to find employment again despite constantly sending off applications and cv's.

I'd really recommend going for it, despite any of the negatives - you would surely regret missing such an opportunity, and your French would improve significantly. I'm able to get by on just the basics of French vocab, although I hope to improve, as it is a bit alienating at times.
After doing all the touristy stuff initially, I'm finding there's a great, great deal more to Paris. My girlfriend's lived here for 23 years (nearly all her life), and we're still finding lots of great new places she's never seen before.

galloise

Hi

One possibility for finding a job is via the noticeboard or staff in Shakespeare & Co (bookshop opposite Notre Dame). Staff there are very helpful and may have suggestions. Also try Vediorbis (job agency with branches all over) - my daughter came over for a month prior to going to university in the UK, got a job she enjoyed and has had her contract - usually they are for 3 months - extended and extended ..... She is still here nearly 2 years later.

fripouille

Hi Vespertine,

I'm just finishing my A-Levels aswell, and I'm planning to take a year out (2 months working in France and 9 in Australia).

I noticed that you chose Paris for the cultural side but it is a huge step throwing yourself into a city like that. Why not try Bordeaux, Rouen, Tours or Rennes? All have got large student populations and plenty of museums, cafes etc but they're a hell of a lot cheaper than Paris, probably far safer and the people will probably be friendlier.

As for jobs, it's really quite difficult to find a job in France unless it's a seasonal position in the tourist industry or something like that. Remember there are parts of Paris that have unemployment rates of 30%+ and this figures is far higher among the youth. Personally I wouldn't move to Paris hoping to find a job, I'd try and get one before I get there. I e:mailed some places; granted it took me forever; but after around 100+ e:mails I had two job offers, so it's not impossible to find work out there for 18 year old English people. I'm going to be working with the kids at a campsite near to Tours.

As for accommodation, try e:mailing some Unis. to see if they have any spare accommodation. I've done this in Brisbane. That way you'll meet loads of people your age, you'll have the chance to speak French all of the time, and you won't get lonely which I can imagine you might be if you rent alone in a new city. If the Unis aren't too helpful then search online. As I said before all of those cities have large student populations so I'm sure you won't find it too difficult to find some French people to share a flat with or something like that.

Hope you have a great time!
Alex

dmu

I, too, would have suggested somewhere like Rennes, Lyon, Montpellier..., rather than Paris.
You'd have to enrol as a 1st year student in order to be able to apply for University accommodation. Go to CROUS- (followed by the name of University Town) on Google (France) for info. If your parents earn more than the threshold, you aren't eligible, but there are not-too-expensive furnished studios in Résidences-Etudiants in all University towns. (Look for "résidences étudiants" on Google). There again, you have to be enrolled as a student, but the fees would soon be compensated by all the financial advantages of having a Carte d'Etudiant....
Good luck with your exams!

L'Acajou

Hi fripouille

Nice to see that you are heading to Tours, we live about 40 minutes away. I agree about there being interesting alternatives to Paris, Tours is a great place, lots to do and see and more reasonable than Paris. It has a cosmopolitan feel but I feel safer than I do in Paris. Having said that I had my bag nicked on the carpark of Leclerc in nearby Amboise last week.
Plus you can take the TVG from Tours (Saint-Pierre-des-Corps) and be in Paris in about 1 hour. Or lots of other destinations.
And here they speak the purest French, in Paris I'm sure far more people speak English, which is annoying when you want to try your French.
You might think I work for the Loire Tourist Board.....

Good Luck and have a great summer

Vespertine

First and foremost, I should really thank you all for such detailed and thoughtful responses. It’s really helping me to get an idea of exactly how much is required to make this move.

I’ve travelled quite extensively in France, so I truly understand that France has far more to offer than Paris alone, but it really is essential for the research that I’m hoping to do that I be in Paris – I will need regular access to resources at the Société Française d’Archéologie Classique, at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and quite probably the Louvre, too. It’s not that I’ve set my heart on Paris without any real motive.

Val50, it would be very kind of you to find out how much your daughter’s friend pays for rent. It’s seeming less and less likely that I’ll live at Versailles if indeed it’s just as expensive as many parts of Paris, but it’s a possibility, nonetheless.

Finding lodgings is most definitely more important for me. I don’t really have any contacts in Paris so I can’t rely on any help when I get there. I can afford to be without a job for quite some time, really, but I obviously need somewhere to live.

I am in the process of finding some employment, though. I’m drafting a letter to the Bibliothèque Nationale asking if they have any work placements from September and I’m prepared to write to as many other places as is necessary. If anyone has any more suggestions, they would be most welcome.

I’m intrigued, but slightly confused at this mention of university accommodation. Surely I wouldn’t be able to use it unless I were a student? Surely I couldn’t become a student if I didn’t plan to study at a French university. I think, perhaps, I’ve missed the point somewhere.

Thanks once again for all your input. It’s really making a difference.

dmu

It was Fripouille who suggested contacting the Universities re accommodation and I went along with the idea, but knowing that you had to enrol as a student for that. Knowing also that you wanted a gap year, I was thinking along the lines of your enrolling as an "Auditeur Libre" (you attend lectures but don't take the exams) in order to have a Carte d'Etudiant and Social Security coverage, but I've since checked "Auditeur Libre" on Google and, unfortunately, they don't have the status of Etudiant. I'm sorry I can't help any more re accommodation and/or jobs except to remind you that bona fide employers require your Securité Sociale No., so you'd need to register with your local S.S. first. Which brings you back to giving top priority to finding somewhere to live.

val50

Val50, it would be very kind of you to find out how much your daughter’s friend pays for rent. It’s seeming less and less likely that I’ll live at Versailles if indeed it’s just as expensive as many parts of Paris, but it’s a possibility, nonetheless.

Finding lodgings is most definitely more important for me. I don’t really have any contacts in Paris so I can’t rely on any help when I get there. I can afford to be without a job for quite some time, really, but I obviously need somewhere to live.

I am in the process of finding some employment, though. I’m drafting a letter to the Bibliothèque Nationale asking if they have any work placements from September and I’m prepared to write to as many other places as is necessary. If anyone has any more suggestions, they would be most welcome.

I’m intrigued, but slightly confused at this mention of university accommodation. Surely I wouldn’t be able to use it unless I were a student? Surely I couldn’t become a student if I didn’t plan to study at a French university. I think, perhaps, I’ve missed the point somewhere.

Thanks once again for all your input. It’s really making a difference.[/QUOTE]



Will ask my daughter to find out cost of rent in Versailles for you. She also has a couple of friends studying in Paris, but they commute from Normandy. It takes between 1- 2 hours on the train (one lives in Caen, the other St Lo) they have discount cards for the train which offers up to 50% discount on fares, and find they then have the best of both worlds.
I think - but could be wrong - the mention of university accommodation could be for rentals during the holidays. Most universities around the world rent rooms during out of term time.
Have you looked at the French Embassy website in UK too? Some useful information there
http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Studying-in-France.html
Also, have you applied for E106/European Health card? Again, more info here
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/international/sa29/medical_06.asp
You will need to look at top up insurance, if you do a search for mutuelles you should find all the info you need.
Again, if you do a search on Google for student accommodation in Paris you will find quite a lot of websites that might help you, ie:
http://france.accommodationforstuden...searchform.asp

fripouille

Hi L'Acajou, sorry to her about your bag but yeah, you'll find crime wherever you go, but the smaller towns/cities do have a safer and calmer feel about them than big old Paris.

And you don't need to be a student to stay at Univeristy accommodation. If you explain that you're taking a year out, before starting Uni in the UK they might help you (if they're nice) of course this only depends if they have anything free, regular students will get priority of course. It's worth e:mailing them anyway because they may point you in the direction of some off-campus accommodation, that way you'll be renting privately (nothing to do with the Uni) and you'll be with loads of other students.