You can add to your revenue by working while you study in France regardless of your level of studies or nationality. In a company or in the university, each student has the right to work. Here are a few rules to learn.
Every foreign student has the right to work in France
Every foreign student has the right to work while studying in France. This right applies to all students in France. If you are not a citizen of the European Union, you must have a student resident permit.
French law authorises foreign students to an auxillary work of 964 hours during the year, the equivalent of 60% of the legal work year. It can only be auxiliary income.
When you work in France, if you are a student or not, you are guaranteed a minimum wage by law. It is commonly called the SMIC (Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel de Croissance - the minimum wage). It is 9.76 Euros gross per hour as of January 1st, 2018. This wage is gross; you have to deduct mandatory social charges (about 20%) to find out how much you really take home: €7.61/hour. If you work 10 hours per week for the minimum wage, you will earn about 78 Euros net.
The Autorisation Provisoire de Travail (APT - Temporary Work Permit) is no longer needed to work while studying, except for Algerian students, whose status remains defined by the Franco-Algerian agreement of December 27th, 1968.
Studying and working at university
In France, foreign students may also work within their host institute or university. These work contracts for students last at most twelve months, from September 1st to August 31st. Receiving students at the start of the academic year, tutorials, cultural or sport activities, assistance for students with disabilities… in general it is for activities that contribute to the well-being and social atmosphere within the university.
In order to help students succeed and find work afterwards, student work in a university is adapted to their timetables and classes. For the same reason, students who work in French universities may not work more than 670 hours from September 1st to June 30th, and no more than 300 hours from July 1st to August 31st.
Doing an internship required by the programme
As part of the preparation for some degrees, the student must do an internship. French and foreign students are subject to the same rules:
- the internship must be contractual (signed by the establishment and the structure hosting the student);
- if the internship lasts more than two months, the student must be paid 577,50 Euros per month (1st January 2018).
STAYING IN FRANCE WHEN YOU GRADUATE AND FINDING A JOB
Non-European students
To stay in France after graduating, non-European students must have a promise of employment or a work contract and be paid at least one and a half times the minimum wage (2,220 euros gross per month in 2017).
Without the promise of employment, a foreign, non-European graduate may request an Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour (APS - temporary resident permit) valid for twelve months and non-renewable, while they seek employment in France. To do this, they must have a professional Bachelor's or a Master's-level degree or be in the process of starting a company.
Students from countries with bilateral agreements with France benefit from particular conditions regarding the issuance of their provisional residence permit (APS): (Senegal, Gabon, Benin, Tunisia, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Lebanon, India). Check out the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or contact the Campus France Office in these countries for additional information about your situation.
