Working while enrolled
You can help pay for your education by working part-time while you're enrolled.
International students have the right to work while studying in France as long as they are enrolled in an institution that participates in the national student health-care plan. Students who are not nationals of EU member countries must also hold a valid residency permit. The right to work applies to all students, inlcuding those who are in France for the first time, those who are enrolled in the first year of a university program, and those who are enrolled full-time in a language school.
The law allows students to work 964 hours in a given year, which corresponds to 60% of full-time employment for the year. Remember that you can't expect to meet all of your expenses by working part-time, so you must have other means of support.
France has a national minimum hourly wage, known as the SMIC. The SMIC presently stands at € 9 gross per hour worked, before mandatory withholding for social benefits. Withholding reduces the worker's net wage by about 20%.
You are no longer required to obtain temporary employment authorization (APT, Autorisation Provisoire de Travail) in order to work part-time while enrolled. (Exception: Algerian students are still covered by the Franco-Algerian agreement of December 27, 1968.)
Working at a university
International students are also eligible for student jobs at universities and other public institutions of higher education. Students are hired to provide the following services: assisting incoming students; helping disabled students; providing tutoring; providing IT support and assistance; coordinating and staffing cultural, athletic, and social events; working in the career center; and supporting their institution's promotional efforts.
Student employment contracts are offered for a period not to exceed 12 months. They run from September 1 through August 31. Students may work up to 670 hours between September 1 and June 30, and up to 300 hours between July 1 and August 31.
Student employees follow a work schedule that will not interfere with their studies. The terms and conditions of employment specified in the contract are adapted to the requirements of each student's program so as to ensure academic success while also offering work experience.
