The Top 6 Reasons to Study in France

In this article, I will explain the top six reasons why Paris, France is a great place to study.

When we are young, sometimes we dream about going to cool places to study and experience new things. Depending on where you live and what you are comfortable with, these can include different countries, like France. Although studying in a new country can often be scary and a bit unsettling, it can also introduce new perspectives and teach us new things. It is when we open ourselves and decide to step out of our comfort zone, that we can progress and go even farther in life. Paris is one of the best places to study, in my opinion. Let's look at why!

#1 : A rich work experience

One of the things that I didn't know when I moved to France is that university experiences are quite integrated in the French education and work culture. That is, when you first start looking for a job in France, you will notice that company websites and job boards will have roles like "Stage" or "Alternance". These are not actual full-time roles, but internship and work-study placements, fully integrated with a Master's program or a "Bachelor" program, that allow students to gain work experience with a company while getting to know more about the culture of that company and the qualifications for that type of work. Stages, or internships, usually last for 6 months (12-16 weeks) and can be paid, but only when the student is there for two months consecutively. Work-study programs (alternance) are longer (30 weeks usually part of a Master, and can last from 1-3 years. Not only is the program financed by a public entity, but the company also pays the alternant (student) and is exempt from social charges. Depending on the year of the program, the age of the person, and the contract type you can receive anywhere from 432 euros per month up to 1, 603+ euros per month before tax. To note, if you decide to pursue a work-study program, it is usually much intensive. For example, you may be at work for three days a week, and then go to school for two days a week. Or you may to go work for a full week, and go to school the following week, and back to work. The "rhythm" of the work-study depends on the school. Overall, these are fantastic opportunities to learn more about French work culture, and most students always complete one or the other before either 1) pursuing a full time position (CDI) at the same company or 2) pursuing a full-time (CDI) at another company.

#2 : City Mobility

One of the best parts about studying in Paris, for me at least, is the amazing range of mobility. You can get around on bikes, and there's a huge train system all over the city. When I was in the US, everything was by car and there was a ton of traffic all the time, especially when I was working. The beauty of Paris is that everything is mostly connected, including trains to cities like Amiens, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lille, Lyon, Nice, etc. Anyways, to go back to the intra-muros discussion: Paris has a variety of transportation. In the city, you would mainly use the Metro system (RATP), the RER lines and perhaps the SNCF (Transilien) lines. The metro system is pretty big and goes all over Paris; I would say that some areas are better served than others (more connected). Some of the lines are automated (Line 1, Line 14, Line 4) and some of the lines are a lot older. The lines tend to converse at big stations like Austerlitz, Saint-Lazare, Gare de Lyon, Gare de Nord, and then smaller stations, like Invalides, Montparnesse (although this still a big station), Bibliothèque Francois Mitterand and Chatelet. A lot of times, depending if you are coming from outside the city or not, you will usually take 1-2 lines. The metros are pretty fast, so your commute can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes with the metro. The RERs are very fast and carry people from the suburbs into the city and vice versa, so they tend to be packed at rush hours in the morning and evening. However, if you can take an RER, the commute may be a bit reduced - 5-15 minutes versus a metro. The Transilien lines (names like L, M, J, etc) are very clean and pretty fast (not as fast as an RER, but faster than the tram) and can take you to places a bit outside of the city, like Levallois-Perret, Clamart, Sèvres, etc. If you live in the city, you can have what's called a Navigo pass, and if you are able to be in a work-study program (alternance), you can pay 85 euros a month to have access to the transportation system in Ile-de-France (Paris and surrounding suburbs), which is a great deal since 1) the company rembourses 50% of this pass and 2) it's a huge cost-savings!

#3 : Language

Paris is a beautiful city, with lots to offer and one of the biggest things here is language! Of course, the official language here is French, so it's a great opportunity to brush up and perfect your French. Not only does studying help with this, but you can also take tutoring lessons, read books, and use social opportunities to learn the French slang. There are lots of language academies, French clubs (the Polyglot club), for example, and tons of people are always interested to exchange in different languages. I think this a great skill to have because French is spoken in many countries, and it's such an elegant and timeless language. Although it's a bit scary and intimidating at first, people really appreciate when you try to learn French. I did full immersion in my personal life, but you can learn however you want. L'Alliance Francaise offers classes, and you can also go to bars and converse with French people to listen and learn. I would say that it took me a year and a half to understand at 70%, and now it's been 5 years and my understanding is at 99 to 100%. This extends across formal French in emails, interviews, and the like, as well as street and metro conversations that my brain automatically translates. Other free and great resources: audio books, podcasts, netflix (subtitles here are your friend), books, museum tours. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand as well, this is really important. Even if you understand most of the context, there might be a particular expression that you don't know and that's ok -- don't hesitate to ask them to explain in French or English (depending on their English level and your understanding of French as well). Best of luck learning!

#4 : Travel

Another reason that Paris is a great place to study is the type of traveling it offers. France is a decent-size country with many other cool cities as well as nature spots, and even the sea. France is also bordered by several countries, including Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Luxembourg, so there are high-speed trains (TGV) to all these countries (mostly) or cheap planes (depending on when you take them). Paris has multiple big train stations, easily accessible by metro, and you can easily purchase train tickets in advance and take the trains for a weekend or a small vacation to these countries and cities. You can use applications/websites like Oui Go or SNCF Connect to check the prices, and the travel time is usually 3-6 hours maximum for Switzerland, etc. I would recommend using trains for Switzerland and to get around in the country to visit France's cities, like Nice, Montpellier, Bordeaux, etc. Otherwise, you can also use cheap plans to fly to these countries and even cities and it's a great option. There are several low-cost airlines that fly out of Charles de Gaulle aiport (CDG), Orly (Orly), and also another airport called Beauvais that's a bit farther away from Paris. If you take the plane, travel time ranges from 45 minutes - 1 hour for the cities and different countries, and there are plenty of destinations. The most popular cities tend to be London, Dublin, Lisbon, Berlin, Milan, Zurich, etc. I would really recommend this if you can, because it's super easy to get around! Otherwise, if you want to explore some times outside of Paris but not too far away, you can take the Oui Go trains, TER trains or RER trains to some places. The RER isn't terribly expensive since it's included in the Ile-de-France transportation system, and the Oui Go trains offer reduced prices.

#5 : Culture

Paris is a fantastic destination for everything culture. I think it offers a huge range: museums, art, music, fashion, etc. There is always something going on! For example, there are the classic museums but there are often special exhibitions at the museums going on, like at the Musée d'Orsay, etc. There are also pop-up museums and more modern things that are enjoyable. Paris is also known for its art and creativity - you can find this everywhere, from the murals on the walls, and can even participate in art classes like wine and painting, learn about sculpture, etc etc. There is a huge music scene as well -- lots of jazz cafès, candlelight concerts for different types of music, artists that come through Paris, and lots of House/Pop concerts and festivals in the summer, so many good choices! There is a bit of everything. In the spring and the summer, you start to see these types of concerts and festivals a lot since the weather permits it. In terms of the fashion, there are literal programs (school) and of course the fashion shows if you can attend. There are also a lot of shops in the city where you can work as a shop assistant, and even work for the bigger companies (Dior, Chanel, etc) eventually in fashion if you do a work-study program. There are a lot of nice French brands, and people are really into fashion and photography in Paris if you ever want to explore that. There are also a lot of secondhand stores if you like to thrift shop, and often high-end secondhand/vintage stores in different areas (near Sentier, for example, and some in the 16ème). Another big thing is the food culture - there are a lot of great restaurants and foods to try if you enjoy sampling new cultures. For example, if you look at the website sortiraparis.com, there are often street food festivals and food expos (the Chocolate Salon, anyone?) for different types of cuisines.

#6 : Side jobs

The last thing, although it's not one of the bigger things, is also the opportunity to pursue some side work if you ever want to do something part-time. This can be in the form of babysitting, giving English lessons (ask through Facebook or through sites such as Completude), part time waitressing at cafés, some pubs, as well as part-time work in the shops. The pubs are open to English-speakers, even if it's your second language, and you can search indeed.fr or walk through Paris with a CV (résumé) and check on the shops to see if they advertise for an assistance. This could be the case with smaller shops in the Marais or near Hotel de Ville, just behind. You can try to get some flexible hours in the evening or the weekends and it's also great experience for your French.

I hope that you find the information useful! I know it isn't always easy to go and study, but I think that going abroad is truly a life-changing opportunity. Best of luck!