(Here’s some of us at at one of the 12th arrondissement best bars, La Cantine de Daumesnil !)
Every year, more than 100.000 foreign students come to study in Paris. They imagine themselves wandering in the most famous streets of the city, stopping by the Louvre to see Mona Lisa in real life, and – of course – snacking on delicious croissants.
However, reality is often more complicated than this ! Having worked at the foreign student office of my university, I have seen firsthand how hard getting used to French culture and French administration can be for foreign students.
That’s why I created Paris Student Guide, the first community aimed at helping foreign students thrive in Paris. Here is how this community helps international students in Paris :
#1 Making new French friends
At first glance, Parisians can seem cold and unfriendly, especially for students who come from countries where people are more extraverted in general.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should be afraid to try and make Parisian friends.
Indeed, it can be tempting to just it can be tempting to just interacting with international students who speak English, but having French friends is a great way to improve your French really quickly, and to learn more about French culture.
To make meeting French people easier, we organize free tours and bar crawls every week ! The goal is to discover the city’s hidden gems, and to meet new people.
#2 Understanding French paperwork.
Let’s face it : for some reason, the French administration loves making things more complicated than they need to be. However, we are here to try make things more clear !
As a foreign student in Paris, here are the main administrative tasks you may have to complete :
• Register to your host university
• Find a guarantor and home insurance for your flat
• Apply for housing benefits
• Validate your long-stay visa (for non EU-students)
• Register to the French social security system (for non EU-students)
• And finally, if you want to find a job or receive housing benefits, open a French bank account.
Members of the Paris Student Guide community have access to a selection of resources and guides to help them complete all of those tasks.
(For example, we have a free guide on how to find affordable accommodation. It’s free and available to everyone, you can download here)
#3 Enjoy the Parisian lifestyle without going broke
The cost of living in Paris is higher for international students than it is in other French cities. Indeed, according to the French National Student Union, the average cost of living per month was €1289 ($1392 / ₹INR 105 830) for Parisian students in 2019.
That doesn’t mean that you have to sell a kidney to live in Paris, but you have to be budget-savy.
For example, to save money on accommodation, instead of looking for a studio apartment, look for cheaper options such as public residences (CROUS), student hostels (foyers) or flat-sharing.
To help foreign students save money, we have curated a list of exclusive deals and offers on several essential services : French classes, bank accounts, home insurance…
Mômji’s employees can join the community for free thanks to the promo code available on your online employee account, so join now to have access to exclusive discounts, meet other students, and get help with French paperwork.
