If you're new in Paris and a bit worried about organising your life, I know how it feels! Or maybe you're an experienced traveller and are just looking for a few tips. Well, which ever it might be, I've prepared some info that I found useful in the beginning and still do now! I've covered areas like finding a place to stay, schools, work etc. And also just getting around info is useful. I find that some people fall in love with Paris and others appreciate it less passionately, it’s rare though, to find someone who doesn't like Paris at all.
I’ve chosen the following sections to talk about as they seem to me like the first practical obstacles that we come across when setting up life in Paris. I’m not going to waffle on a lot I’m just going to give the facts. The biggest difficulty for me in these types of pages is that I can’t find plain, simple facts! So I hope this helps:
Finding A Place To Stay,
Learning French,
Work,
Getting Around And What’s To See.
Quick Solutions
If you arrive without anything at all arranged in Paris, there are always cheap hotels and youth hostels available. The main tourist office has all the lists www.paris-touristoffice.com Don’t be put off if you get an arrogant, grumpy assistant. Don’t put up with any nonsense. Whatever happens, don’t leave without getting what you need! It’s well known that public assistants in Paris can be off putting, the quicker you learn how to deal with it the better.
Au-pair
Mainly for girls, au-pair positions of employment can be useful for students or travellers. These positions usually include food and board. Sometimes the board offered is a room in the family’s apartment, or maybe a studio away from the family’s home. The food and pay vary according to the details of the job, it’s best to get a general idea of the offers available before choosing a family. Some families are happy with male au-pairs too. Job offers are found in the fusac magazine under child care and also agencies are listed. Anglophones have an advantage because lots of families like the opportunity to teach there kids English. It’s important to like kids too! In my experience only the people who enjoy being round kids can do this job. You really have to give a lot, this option isn’t free ride!
Sharing
Sharing is a fairly cheap and easy way to live in Paris. There’s the advantage of being more independent than with an au-pairs job, and the security of knowing that work problems won’t lead to being without a place to stay. Again the fusac has a list of places to share. There will be other magazines and web pages to be searched out. Asking friends or other students or foreigners is really is a great way to find out this type of information. People are always coming and going from Paris, this means that the person sitting next to you might just be the person whose friend needs a flat-mate.
Others
Some school and universities offer suggestions for accommodation. If you have a good job and a good stable contact in Paris its possible to get an apartment or studio. A bond (usually to the equivalent of a months rent), along with two months rent in advance, a “guarantor” who offers to pay your rent if you don’t, and usually minimum three wage slips from your job are needed to start the renting process. But with a bit of motivation its possible and great to have the security of having your own place
Learning a language is usually a personal thing. Each person has their own way of going about it. I personally went through different channels of learning, according to what I thought appropriate at the time. Here’s what I did but obviously these ways may not be appropriate to you.
When I first arrived, I didn’t speak any French. I found a private tutor in the fusac magazine. There are many to choose from and it’s easy to find one suitable to your learning style. I work together with my tutor for a year, for just one hour per week and with plenty of efforts, I arrived at a pretty good standard. I could understand and speak general conversation. Afterwards I tried a few small, cheapish schools but I personally found it pretty impossible to advance.
My next choice was a success. I paid quite a lot to do the ‘Sorbonne course for foreigners’. It’s usually a six month course. There are three levels that one can enter at; beginner, intermediate or advance. It was great that I could enter at intermediate level. I saved a lot of money not having to pay the beginners course first. The intermediate level covers all the rules of grammar that one needs to know. It’s quite strict and difficult but really thorough. You won’t have to keep paying more courses afterwards. The advanced level at ‘The Sorbonne’ is mainly literature and specialist language. I’ve heard that ‘Alliance Francais’ is also very good but I can’t vouch for them personally as I’ve had no experience with them.
Finding a job is not as difficult as people would have you think. Obviously, suitable employment will vary from person to person. The fusac magazine is a great place to start for someone who hasn’t got any professional contacts in Paris. Listed are allsorts of professional positions and agencies for bilingual work. Both skilled and unskilled can be found.
A C.V. will be needed in order to do a proper job search, make lots of copies! Apart from the ‘job offers’ section in the fusac there’s also a ‘child care section’ that might be of interest. If all else fails; get lots of C.V.s copied and go door to door. If you’re worried about language, I promise with a real amount of motivation it’s sure that you’ll be able to find work whatever your level of French. Go to Anglophone restaurants, pubs or even tourist type shops, and anywhere else you can think of, be eager and bright and leave a C.V. Eventually at least one will call back. People are moving about all the time in and out of big cities, so positions are always coming up!
If you know or talk to French people, don’t be surprised if they put you off by telling you how difficult everything is. Of course I’m generalising but the French population can be known to see life as impossible. Don’t be fooled, my friends and I have never had any problems finding a job when we really tried. Don’t forget to have little coffee breaks or whatever you like to do, during a job search, which can also keep up the moral.
