Thinking of moving to Paris. Single, 24F with basic french. Is this a wise move?

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kiefer-reddit@reddit

A lot of the third wave coffee spots in paris (that is, the hipster cafes and not the traditional French cafes) have Australians working in them.

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Liquidclo@reddit

French here, the short answer is no. In Paris you will face the worst population (dangerous), the worst challenges and crazy prices (900€ for a studio). Feel free to ask for me anything

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Check out the TAPIF program. You likely won’t be assigned to Paris but it’ll give you a working visa to teach English in France, and you will be paid. You will have time to visit Paris and can improve your French, while seeing if you can figure out how to stay and if you want to stay.

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starryeyesmaia@reddit

Requires B1 minimum French, application period is now, the pay is not sufficient for everyone (highly depends on where you're placed and your luck with finding housing), and the visa and contract are only for seven months. Can be a good way to experience France and can also be a very isolating and disheartening experience. Very much luck of the draw (and I speak as someone who did two years of it and had a fair amount of luck).

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monbabie@reddit

Yeah I also did it, but it’s more realistic for OP than finding a marketing job in Paris with non-fluent French and no EU passport.

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starryeyesmaia@reddit

Agreed, I just wanted to add more information about it for OP and any readers who may come across this thread and not have this information already.

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KiplingRudy@reddit

If you can swing a work visa, go. See Paris. See the world!

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

My grandparents are Irish born so I am hoping I can swing an EU passport and citizenship, at least that’s what I’ve been told.

Thanks for the advice!

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nachochickj@reddit

You should start soon - the queue can take years

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saltysoul_101@reddit

It doesn’t take years, maybe 6 months to a year at most. I am Irish and used to work in an Irish centre that did passport applications for Americans with Irish heritage all of the time.

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

Oh wow, that’s good to know thank you. Any way to speed up the process?

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Rumpelmaker@reddit

There’s no queue-jumping with things like that. Have all the necessary paperwork ready and get to it, that’s all you can do.

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

Idk why I’m getting downvoted 😂 Anyway, thank you for explaining the passport/citizenship to me, this is all unfamiliar to me so it is helpful to know! I have googled and apparently I am eligible.

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Previous_Repair8754@reddit

This is why you’re getting downvoted: https://www.reddit.com/r/expats/s/ZlFBgSv3BN

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Critical_Cut_6016@reddit

No. Everyone is treated the same.

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KiplingRudy@reddit

Perfect. Get their birth, marriage, and death certificates, and your parent tracing the lineage from grands to you. I think the application is online now. Good luck to you!

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Local-Bee-6548@reddit

Hiya! I'm 25f and moved over to Paris from Aus at age 23. Would be happy to answer questions you might have. Also here on my Irish passport.

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Ok-Impression-9384@reddit

Take the leap! :) Go for it! It will only add to your experiences and many stories to tell!

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KateHamster67@reddit

New Zealand is one of the countries eligible for the work and travel visa in France: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/young-traveller

The best part of this visa, is that compared to Australia, you are not restricted to specific sectors. We had a guy under this visa working as a QA engineer for our company. Paris probably has the highest amount of English-speaking jobs, but it's not the only place for that. Also, Paris is expensive and the salaries in the end are not that high. I would suggest to roam around France and discover other nice places to live.

I would say 24 is a good time to leave, you are young, probably single, it's the best time to go see the world. With significant other and kids it's slight more complicated.

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jesick@reddit

, you can claim Irish citizenship and apply for an Irish passport through your Irish grandparents. To do so, you must register your birth in the Foreign Births Register. This process requires proving your direct lineage to your Irish-born grandparent with supporting documents like birth and marriage certificates. Once registered, you become an Irish citizen and can apply for a passport. If neither of your parents was born in Ireland, ensure your grandparent’s Irish citizenship is documented before proceeding

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slumberboy6708@reddit

I know that French citizens can go on a working holiday in New Zealand, I guess the opposite is also possible ? I would strongly recommend it because

1 - it gives you time to figure out the long term visa situation l. 2 - it gives you time to reach an advanced level in French, which you will definitely need to find a job here. I guess there are some English speaking jobs in Paris, but not that many. The French suck at English. 3 - Paris is probably extremely different than what you imagine, and coming from New Zealand, I'd be pretty shocked if you found it enjoyable.

Please see more of France than Paris lol

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ShoePillow@reddit

What's a working holiday?

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slumberboy6708@reddit

A special kind of visa that allows you to live and work in another country for up to a year. Some countries have agreements for this visa.

For example, French citizens can do it in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, NZ, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and a few other Latin America countries that I am forgetting.

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

My grandparents are Irish born. I’m hoping I can swing an EU passport + citizenship. Will need to investigate that more
If I decide to go I will take proper french classes so my understanding is more advanced before I go
I’m from a small town bordering on the countryside in NZ, it’s peaceful but quiet and boring. Paris interests me because of the rich history, culture and architecture.

I don’t have a Masters Degree, but that’s helpful to know about the job market state. If I moved sideways into another sector eg., web development, UX, HR, something else, what would be a good industry to go into in Paris?

thank you in advance! :)

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slumberboy6708@reddit

Definitely look into the Irish ancestry path for citizenship, that's a decent option. But still look into the working holiday visa to see if you like France. It would also improve your French tremendously !
That's great. I'd target a B2 level at least before coming. Do not underestimate how bad at English the average French is.
I understand that. But living there is very different from enjoying these things as a tourist. The insecurity of Paris is something that you have probably never experienced in NZ. Especially if you live in a quiet small town.

If you go on a working holiday, I strongly encourage you to travel around the country and work as a waitress, we are always looking for those.

As for the job market, I do not have specific enough knowledge to answer your question. You should ask in r/conseilboulot : that's a french sub dedicated to discussions about careers !

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bfffca@reddit

The best you could do is probably a master over there. It's way cheaper than us/uk and would train your French. You would also make friends with the students and that's a great way to discover a new country. It's day and night between that and just getting a new job somewhere else.

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Trablou@reddit

Completely agreed on the above. For point 2 just to add; this doesn’t only apply to jobs, also for meeting people/having a social life. It can be very lonely if you do not speak French well enough to be able to hold an actual full conversation. You might meet the occasional Parisian that doesn’t mind speaking English but making actual friends is really tricky if you do not speak French on at least a high B2/C1 level.

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MadeThisUpToComment@reddit

I did this program about 20 years ago.

https://villa-albertine.org/frenchculture/frenchcultures/teach-english-in-france/

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Cielskye@reddit

I think the best time to do stuff like this is while you’re young. If I were you I would move there, take intensive language courses and work as an au pair. That’s the best way to learn the language and culture.

I know that you want to be in Paris, but honestly I’d start off living in a smaller town, just to make the most improvements in learning the language. Being in a smaller town means there will be less people that speak English and less international so it’ll force you to integrate.

Otherwise if you absolutely must be in Paris, take intensive language courses and spend your free time with people who don’t speak English as their first language, which will force you to speak French all the time.

Marketing is very competitive, especially in France. And without knowing the language it’ll be difficult for you to find a job. Even if your job is in English, your colleagues might not. Not saying it’s impossible. Just a bigger challenge. Good luck!

I did the same as you when I was younger. It was a great experience for me. I did go there speaking French fluently, but it was still challenging regardless. It was still worth it, because it was something that I wanted to do since I was young and I’m glad that I got the experience.

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DatingYella@reddit

I’d advise you to Just take a long vacation. Spend 3 months to 6 months in Paris or something if you can find rent. Since you have Irish citizenship you are technically eligible to work there.

Then you can decide if you want to make it a long time commitment where your livelihood will depend on your work.

Also be prepared for your career to essentially be in stasis. The problem with working overseas is that it doesn’t give you any of the advantages that a native would have. Recognizable credentials and a built in network you’ve gained from living there for years. Try to be realistic about these challenge. As nice as Paris is, if you work there and have to economically survive, and you have no friends locally, you’ll kind of play life on difficult mode for at least months if not years.

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EatingCoooolo@reddit

Learn French in the meantime.

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Imaginary-Kale4673@reddit

Do you have a job offer or a big savings pot? If yes, go for it. Is an experience worth having, the city is quite something i won’t deny that.

Because if you go just like that is going to be pain ahead.

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

No job offer or “big” savings pot. If I move it won’t be until at least a year away. I’m planning on saving more during that time and will only move to work and live if I have a job offer otherwise I’m thinking I’d just go for a holiday and see what the future holds.

Is it realistic to get a job from applying to english speaking companies based in france with my experience/language barrier?

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Imaginary-Kale4673@reddit

I got a job offer while abroad and without speaking french. But being european involves no paperwork. It is tough but not impossible.

I spent 4 years there, then the magic was over and I left 😆.

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Quantum168@reddit

Go, if you have any opportunity to go then, go. Living in Europe will open up your eyes. I had the opportunity to go on a year's exchange studies and I didn't. My one regret.

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wahoowa0@reddit

My husband and I moved to Paris with no French for my job and he found an English speaking job in marketing within 3 months of our move (and his boss is from NZ)! Of course there are a lot of difficulties and hard days (and you need to be willing and eager to learn French), but overall the lifestyle here is pretty great so I’d say go for it! I would suggest updating your LinkedIn settings so you’re open to recruiters in Paris and looking for jobs on sites like Welcome to the Jungle

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

This is really comforting to hear. Some of these replies have had me thinking it’s impossible to do without a masters degree and fluency in French. I was thinking of just scrapping it.. this gave me small shred of hope. Thanks for the advice

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kodzucide@reddit

Paris will teach you more than a classroom ever could pack your dream and a baguette, and just go.

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

Haha touché, thanks!

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kimetshoto@reddit

If it’s your dream, do it Paris will teach you more than doubt ever will.

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ThrowRAAudrey@reddit (OP)

thanks :)