Studying in France is no longer a secret; you will find several students have completed higher education from universities and colleges located in France. Today, it is cited as one of the favorite destinations of students who wish to study abroad. But from the aspect of higher education packages, France is considered as an inexpensive country.
If you are planning to study abroad in France, you can consider the study abroad programs that offer different kinds of scholarships or try out the Federal Financial Aid. But what if you fail to accumulate sufficient student loans? Is it actually possible to study in France for free?
For students who want to study in universities and colleges in France on a tight budget, it’s really worth shopping around to come across exclusive study packages.
Maybe it is wrong to say that you will not have to spend a penny to get an education at the popular French universities and colleges. But you can definitely manage the maximum amount so that the entire course can be considered as free. Now, the question is how is it even possible? Debt-free education in France is undoubtedly possible. You just have to be patience, little know-how, and an independent streak. Having a bit of advance knowledge in French would be an added advantage as well. Now, let’s discuss the possibilities.
Budget living while studying in France
Whether you are studying in France through your University or with the provided or directly enrolling in one of the prestigious French universities, there are some easy and quick tips that you can use to save money while studying. Let’s get started with some of the exclusive tips below:
You can consider studying in small cities that are located far away from Paris for an inexpensive French experience. Lyon, Cannes, and Grenoble are some of the good possibilities for an authentic and inexpensive French experience.
Avoid selecting cities popular as the tourist spots because the restaurant prices will be soaring high. For a trip to these attractions, you should pack your lunch from the corner store.
Students and candidates below 25 are eligible to get discounts in France. Get yourself a youth travel card to manage free entries or discounted entries to the Eiffel tower as well as other major tourist spots in France. In addition, you can get discounts at several places on the basis of age. Check out for student discounts and deals in France.
Take out a huge chunk of money at a time from your home bank account using ATMs located around the cities to deposit in the new French bank account. This can help you from paying withdrawal fees as well as ease your purchasing expenses using French debit cards.
Babysit or teach English to cover the basic expenses
If you do not want to go or cannot get into the Grade Ecole, the best way to fund your education years to abroad is to take the advantage of the programs available for the native English speakers for working or teaching as Au Pair in France. Legally, you will able to work for around 20 hours every week while studying in France.
Before you want to set off for France, it is advisable that you apply for the teaching assistant program in France to get the 12 hours per week teaching job in a high school, middle school or an elementary educational center.
You can also opt for the take-home pay, which is just under € 800 every month and it will cover almost all your living expenses in France. You should mention in your application that you are planning to go for the master’s degree in which city you want to go to France. And, they will accommodate your selection.
If you fail to manage the January deadline or don’t get your application accepted at the first round, you can always go for the other way around i.e. consideration from the local minister of education office.
If you have knowledge about the native English skills accompanied by teaching experience and student visa – there is a fair chance that you might manage to get a job in France because they often face a problem with the English assistants who usually change their mind at the last time while taking off to France.
The salary of teaching assistants should be enough to cover the basic living expenses in France, but the amount is really enough to meet the monthly rent in Paris. So, it is better that you look for Anglophone job boards in France USA Contact magazines with classified ads (FUSAC) to come across the babysitting-for-rent arrangement.
There are several bilingual families in France who want to hire native English speakers as a babysitter and several family exchange rooms for part-time babysitting service, usually on Wednesday or after school.
You can also prefer to consult with the FUSAC online in advance because families usually start posting job advertisements for the upcoming year in the early February vacation. If you are planning to get yourself enrolled in a French University, make sure you mention that you will be living in France as a student and possibly teaching English because families cannot sponsor work visa or any other visas than the Au Pair visas.