My Journey to France Part 2

In case you missed Part 1, I’m sharing my unique journey from I’ll-never-live-abroad to nearly-10-years-in-France-and-counting.

I’m often asked how I did it — and while several of my articles on TAIP touch on how I’ve been able to stay, I wanted to write it all out in a way that could be copied by anyone reading. Okay, maybe not anyone. It took a lot of hard work to build my life here in France, and it isn’t over yet. I’ll be starting my journey to citizenship next, which promises to be full of paperwork and even more determination.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Below I’m picking up where I left off on Part 2: I was an au pair, didn’t want to continue on as an au pair, but didn’t want to go back to the US just yet. Here’s how I figured out a way to stay.

Back to School, It Is

I was always one of those people who said, “Never again!” after finishing my undergrad. It wasn’t that I didn’t like school — on the contrary, I’ve always enjoyed learning — but I was sick of papers and tests and all of the other coursework that went along with it.

Famous last words. As I finished up my second year as an au pair, I didn’t have many options other than the easy-to-obtain student visa. I decided I wanted to get my master’s degree. Public education is cheap here and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. This time, however, I was going to study something I was actually interested in, not something that would lead to a job one day.

I settled on French Literature. I’ve always loved reading and writing and I figured I might as well study the greats while I was in the city where many of them worked and lived. The only wrench in my plan? I still, after 2.5 years, could not speak or read French. In my defense, I came over here only knowing the basics, and as an American au pair, I was required to speak English with the children I took care of. At this point, I knew could understand about 75% of what was said to me, but I couldn’t speak back. It was a combination of a lack of vocabulary and confidence.

What’s more, I knew I wanted to go to a public school (again, cheap), and to do so as a foreigner I had to have a certain level of French, with a certificate to prove it. So, I looked around for some programs that would meet the student visa requirement of 20 hours per week. I found two: one at the famous La Sorbonne and one at the also famous Université Nanterre. I missed the deadline for La Sorbonne so that left me with Nanterre.

I applied, got in, looked for housing (and found the deal of a lifetime: I traded 10 hours of English lessons per week for a 9m2 sardine box in the sky), went back to America for a few weeks, got my student visa, and returned to home to Paris. Back to school, I went.

(Finally) Learning the Language

And so began my year-long journey to learning French. I loved my program — and recommend it to anyone who wants to live here long-term — I was the only Anglophone and so the only common language my classmates and I had was (broken) French. Our teachers also insisted that we speak in French instead of our native language. It was difficult, but it also felt like the best place to do it. Everyone had an accent, and everyone was trying to learn.

I met some very kind people, finally learned French, and also discovered more about French culture. We went on field trips in Paris and the Île-de-France region and ultimately all became quite close. Spending 20+ hours per week together will do that.

With my B2 certificate in hand, I was finally ready to apply for my master’s. I still wanted to study French Literature, and so started to look at those kinds of programs. I had a couple of informational interviews at various universities in town, before sitting down with one guidance counselor in particular.

She looked over my resume and experiences and asked why I didn’t want to study English Literature instead of French. At this point, I had started dabbling in freelance writing and had indicated that on my CV, and well…the whole “native English speaker” thing. I told her it felt silly to come all the way to France only to study English. Mais non! she assured me, and encouraged me to look into English Literature programs instead.

The meeting piqued my interest, and soon the curse of the missed deadline struck again — but it was for the best. Nanterre University, where I completed my French course, had a bilingual English Literature master’s program. Because I was already in their system, it was very easy to apply. I was accepted almost immediately (again, native English speaker), paid my tuition (400 € for the year), and began.

I loved my teachers, loved my program, and bonded with my peers. No, I never wanted to go back to school, but completing my master’s at a French public university was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’ll never regret it.

But Wait, I Don’t Want to Leave

After my two-year program, spoiler alert, I still wasn’t ready to go home. I met my now-husband about halfway through year one and things had gotten very serious very quickly, in true French dating fashion. We were making serious plans for the future. But…what about my visa?

I obtained the APS visa, which gives you a year to look for work after you graduate from a French institution. I did look for a job but I knew I wanted to work in English (even to this day I can’t write in French beyond simply texting), and finding a job that aligned with that was difficult. I had no issue finding Anglophone clients, but there wasn’t a need for full-time English writers in Paris — or at least, the jobs that I found didn’t pay very well.

The APS visa was quickly running out, so what’s a girl in a relationship with a French person to do? The marriage conversation happens. I’m lucky that I was with someone who I knew I wanted to spend my life with, visa issue or not. So, we made plans to quickly marry at the town hall so that I could obtain the vie privée et familiale visa.

Long story short, I did get that visa and so my future in France was secured for life. I’m not saying that everyone needs to meet a French person and marry them in order to stay here (indeed, there’s an entire shady trade in this which we may write about in the future) — there are a lot of other options out there including the profession libérale visa, or even a long-stay visitor visa if citizenship isn’t important — but in my unique situation, my husband is the reason I was allowed to stay.

That’s the gist of it — a couple thousand words on my journey to France. I hope it will serve as inspiration for anyone else who may find themselves thinking, but wait, I don’t want to leave too.

Photo by Salomé Watel on Unsplash

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My Journey to France, Part 1

Posted by Molli Sébrier

I’ve lived in France on and off since 2014. I’m often asked, “How did you do it?” The short answer is a lot of determination and a refusal to take non as an answer. But, I know a lot of our TAIP readers hope to live in France permanently one day (or are already here and want to know how to stay), so I want to share, step-by-step, my own journey to France and how I made it all work.

Let’s get right into it.

How it Started

I never imagined I’d ever study abroad, never mind live abroad. One day, when I was still in Rhode Island completing my undergrad, a friend of mine had to pick up some paperwork from the study abroad office. We had plans after so I decided to tag along. While I waited for her, an advisor approached me and asked if I was interested in learning more about my options. I shrugged and said, “Why not?” (if you’ve been in France a while, you’ll also find that this is a very frequently used idiom that indicates French willingness to try something new…another topic for another article) and joined him in his office.

I was studying fashion merchandising at the time, so after taking a look at my transcript he told me that my best options would be Milan or Paris. Was I interested in leaving for an entire semester? (no). Okay, how about the J-term in between the fall and spring semesters? (maybe…). He started pulling out pamphlets and I absentmindedly leafed through them.

At the time, I had a steady job at a local boutique and a long-term boyfriend. I thought all of that was way too important to leave, even for just a few months. But, as the advisor continued to sell me on my options (do these people get a commission on sign-ups or something?) I slowly started to warm up to the idea. He asked me again, “Milan or Paris?” Without really thinking about it I said Paris — I’d seen movies, read books, heard about the French capital. I knew what it looked like at least, as compared to knowing nothing about Milan — a few taps on his keyboard as he took a closer look at my transcript and he told me that if I wanted to graduate on time, a full semester was my best bet. “What do you think?”

Again, without really thinking about it I said, “Okay. How do I sign up?”

I didn’t even have a passport at the time and thoughts of my job and boyfriend fluttered through my mind; to be honest, even to this day I don’t know what made me say yes. Unlike some expats, I never had a lifelong dream of living in Paris, and yet, something urged me to do that semester abroad back in 2012.

I ended up having the best six months of my life, completely fell in love with the city, French culture, the food… I’m sure half of my readership knows exactly what I mean. A group of four of us even ended up staying for an extra month down in Cannes because none of us were ready to leave. Alas, I did have to go back to the US to finish my undergrad, and that I did. Dreams of living in France full-time slowly but surely disappeared as I slipped right back into my former life. I graduated, got promoted at the boutique, and moved into a new apartment with my best friend. Life was “good,” though I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

A Rare Opportunity

In the winter of 2013 I was still working at the boutique and was, to be frank, miserable. So what do miserable people do when they’re bored at work? They scroll through Facebook, naturally. A message popped up — it was from a girl whom I studied abroad with who had never left after our semester. She decided to stay to be an au pair with a Franco-American family because she wasn’t ready to go back to the US.

We were just chatting, catching up, when my curiosity got the best of me. “How were you able to stay?” I asked. Was it difficult? I can’t stop thinking about Paris myself…

She filled me a bit and then told me that in fact, she planned on leaving her au pair position in May of next year. She loved the family (and had been with them since June 2012. It was November 2013 at this point) and was helping them find her replacement. She ultimately wanted it to go to someone she knew — she really cared about the kids — was I interested? I hesitated. Maybe. I told her I’d think about it.

Life got busy with the upcoming holiday season and I soon forgot about the conversation. Fast-forward to March 2014 and my friend messaged me again. Did I have time to think about coming back to France as an au pair? The family still hadn’t found a replacement. Like most young women my age, I had plenty of babysitting experience and I even nannied for a few summers when I was a student.

Just like that fateful moment in the study abroad office a year and a half earlier, without really thinking about it, I said, “Okay. What’s next?”

A New Experience

While I’m the first to admit that I stayed in my English-speaking-au-pair bubble for longer than I maybe should have, living and working in France was much different than studying abroad. I had to navigate French culture much more often (I was living with a French person and French children, after all), and learning how to adapt was difficult at times.

I was often homesick after the first six months and the initial excitement wore off — I also struggled to find a core group of friends. But, I did adapt, grow, learn, and eventually, thrive. My years as an au pair were some of my favorite that I spent in Paris and when I did find my people I felt like I truly belonged.

The caveat(s)? I still couldn’t speak French, my au pair contract was running out, I knew I didn’t want to work in fashion anymore, and I also knew I wasn’t ready to go back to my life in Rhode Island.

I had to figure out a way to stay.

Well, I did figure it out, but that story will have to wait until Part 2.

Photo by Clément Dellandrea on Unsplash

What is the Galette des Rois?

Posted by Molli Sébrier

Those of you who have had the pleasure of visiting France in January have likely come across the galette des rois at a French bakery. Translating literally to “king’s cake,” it’s a specialty typically eaten on the Christian holiday of the Epiphany which occurs annually on January 6.

The Epiphany is also known as Twelfth Night or Three Kings’ Day, and it commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus. Knowing this, it makes sense that they call the cake a galette des rois.

Most bakeries sell the cake throughout the month of January, and in true French baked goods’ fashion, these days there are several different flavors to choose from. That’s not all that makes this dessert special — let’s explore some other noteworthy facts about the incredibly tasty (in my humble opinion as a French pastry chef’s wife) galette des rois.

The History

The origins of the galette des rois can be traced back to the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was a time pour faire la fête during the winter solstice. Over the years, the tradition transformed — as Christianity spread across Europe, many pagan festivals were adapted and incorporated into Christian celebrations, and by the Middle Ages, the king’s cake became synonymous with the Feast of the Epiphany.

While the specific foods served at Saturnalia may not have included a cake exactly like the galette des rois, the festive atmosphere and the idea of indulging in special foods during this period laid the groundwork for later customs.

In France, the tradition of baking a special cake for the Epiphany gained popularity during the 14th century. Initially, a single bean was hidden in the cake to represent the Christ child. The person who discovered the bean in their slice was crowned the “king” or “queen” for the day. As the tradition evolved, porcelain figurines, known as fèves, or “favors,” gradually replaced beans. Today, these they come in various themes, ranging from religious symbols to whimsical characters.

Most of the French people I know collect them — although just the other day, after finding a jar full of them in the cupboard, my father-in-law shook his head and said, pourquoi on garde ces trucs? (why do we keep these things?). Perhaps because they’re too cute to throw away?

The Hidden Fève Tradition

The practice of hiding a favor inside the galette des rois does have a fascinating history. Originally, the fève was a simple bean that symbolized fertility and prosperity. With the advent of the 16th century, porcelain emerged as the material of choice. The themes of the fèves soon grew beyond religious symbols to encompass a wide array of subjects, from mini moons and stars to small cats, dogs, and other animals.

I first discovered the pure joy of discovering the fève when I was an au pair. I sat around the table with my host family, and the dad began to slice the cake into equal parts. Then, the youngest in the family was tasked with deciding the order in which the slices were served. She quickly ran to hide under the table (as is tradition to avoid any cheating), made her choices, and we all dug in. The middle child shouted when he found the favor — he was officially king for the day.

Galette des Rois Today

Like many traditional pastries, the galette des rois has transcended its roots and modern bakeries now put their own unique twist on the almond-filled cake. While the classic version, made with pâte feuilletée, frangipane, and sweet almond cream, still reigns, many pastry chefs now create some truly unique versions.

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My favorites? Pistachio from Babka Zana in the 9th and Ladurée’s version that reminds me of American pecan pie. This year I also can’t wait to try the French Bastard’s hommage to the pain au chocolat — the modern pastry shop’s galette looks like it’s covered in chocolate-filled croissants — it promises to be a délice. Bakeries tend to engage in friendly competition, each vying to produce the most unique and delectable version.

Flavors aside, the presentation of the king’s cake has also undergone a transformation. Artistic designs, intricate shapes, and even savory renditions have found a place. The galette de rois serves not only as a symbol of celebration but also as a testament to the ever-evolving world of French cuisine…and pastries, of course (hey, I told you I was a pastry chef’s wife).

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Investment Options for Americans Living in France

Posted by Guest Writer

This article by Cedric Bernier of Harrison Brook takes a look at what you should know about when investing in France. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about cross-border financial advice for Americans living in France, feel free to reach out to them.

If you are an American living in France, you might have encountered a few roadblocks while trying to invest in your future. There are a few major reasons why American “persons” (as the financial lingo goes) need careful planning while investing as French residents. In this article, we will review your options so that you can understand what you should do, or more importantly, what you should avoid in your investment choices.

Rules and Regulations Restricting US-Connected Expats in France

It is important to know that the regulation adopted in the US called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) restricts many Americans from opening bank or investment accounts with foreign financial institutions. It requires all foreign financial institutions to identify accounts held by American customers and report them to the IRS. This restricts the number of firms wanting to service Americans. (This is a perennial topic here at TAIP. See what banks you can use here. -Ed.)

Tax Issues

Another problem is that the IRS penalizes Americans who hold foreign funds. It discourages Americans from investing in European ETFs or mutual funds since there are special reporting requirements and higher taxes. Americans are taxed on their worldwide income so it is crucial to have a tax-efficient investment portfolio while living in France. Americans are left with few options and mostly invest in individual stocks or bonds.

It is also important to use the US/France tax treaty to benefit your situation. Some US investments will be taxed only in the US at a favorable rate. Most fixed-income investments have higher rates of returns in the US compared to France. It is usually preferable for Americans to invest in US dollars.

The only exception is when investing in a French (PER) or US Pension (IRA, 401k). Under the tax treaty, the French pension is only taxed in France and the US Pension is only taxed in the US. That means that you can hold any foreign funds inside the pension without worrying about the taxation of the investment. One mistake we see often is the French Assurance Vie. It is taxed yearly in the US and only taxed-deferred in France.

Keeping an Account in the US

We have been noticing a wave of US investment firms restricting accounts of Americans living in France. I personally worked for Wells Fargo Advisors in the US for many years and we were one of the first ones to close accounts for all American expats. While you may have your own reasons for maintaining a US address for personal or business reasons, if that’s not the case for you, we recommend using a firm that will allow you to use your French address. This will give you peace of mind that your account will not be closed. You might also wish to avoid paying US state taxes.

So What are My Options?

Investing in individual stocks and bonds. If you don’t have the experience doing it you might need the assistance of a Financial Advisor in order to create a diversified portfolio.
Investing in a US ETFs portfolio. This can be achieved by working with a cross-border Financial Advisor.
Investing in European funds and platforms. This will most likely be more costly and taxed at a higher rate. We would not recommend it.
Keep funds in a savings account (Livret A). The interest rate is below inflation and there are limitations on how much you can deposit.

The Life of a French Pastry Chef

Posted by Molli Sébrier

If you’ve been following my life here on TAIP, you know that I got married last year not once, not twice, but a whopping three times (you can read about the first two times here and here). Yes, all to the same person. Who happens to be French. Who also happens to be a professionally trained pastry chef.

The typical reaction I get when I tell someone what he does is, “Wow! You’re so lucky to get homemade French pastries at home!” I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (pass me a plate of fries over a plate of cookies any day, thank you) but I have to admit I do enjoy having access to homemade croissants, macarons, chouquettes, and more whenever the mood strikes.

The life of a French pastry chef is not for the faint of heart — something I witness on a daily basis because I live with one. What kind of training do you need, you may be wondering? Is it as glamorous as it seems? Is it hard waking up at 1am to go to work every day? Is it worth it?

Let’s find out.

A Baker Does Not A French Pastry Chef Make

I was originally going to call this article The Life of a French Baker but my husband stopped me before I even started. “Je suis pas un boulanger,” he told me. I am not a baker.

In France, a baker and a pastry chef aren’t one and the same. The baker bakes the bread and the pastry chef makes the pastries. There’s even a third person you have likely never heard of who is in charge of viennoiserie — croissants, pain au chocolat, etc. — called a tourier.

Of course, there are bakeries in France that don’t have all three experts on staff. My husband says that lots of bakers and pastry chefs know how to make viennoiserie, and many touriers can bake bread. Are you still with me?

As you’ll discover if you ever learn the French language, this is a country full of contradictions and exceptions.

Training, Degrees, and Certifications

Like all French people our age, my husband had to have an idea of what he wanted to do as a career by age 15. It’s a bit different these days, but at the time, he had to decide whether to continue on to high school or start a trade school.

He decided to go to Centre d’Excellence des Professions Culinaires (CEPROC) in the 19th arrondissement in Paris to study pastry. At the time, he worked toward le Brevet d’études professionnelles (BEP), a three-year diploma that required him to split his time between classes at school and a job in a local bakery.

Today, aspiring French pastry chefs have the choice between a certificat d’aptitude professionnelle (CAP) or a baccalauréat professionnel (BAC pro). The former is a degree program like my husband did — he bypassed high school and went straight into culinary school — but that also means he does not have a high school diploma. You have to go to high school if you hope to be accepted into a BAC pro program.

There are several other certifications you can get as a pastry chef. Le Brevet de Maîtrise Pâtisserie, for example, is the highest diploma a French pastry chef can obtain.

You could also become specialized in different aspects of pastry. Chocolate, ice cream, and 5-star restaurant-quality desserts are just a few areas you could go into.

All of this being said, you don’t technically need a degree, certificate, or special training to be a pastry chef. Many begin at a very young age and learn as they go.

The (not so) Glamorous Lifestyle

You may imagine the life of the French pastry chef to be filled with sweet aromas, sneaky taste tests, and constant praise and accolades. It’s not.

My husband often has to be up at 1am to be out the door at 2am. That means that he has to go to bed around 7pm. Not ideal when you live in a tiny studio in Paris. I don’t have to (or want to) go to bed before the sun goes down so I either need to make myself scarce (and be quiet when I come home) or hunker down in the kitchen so as not to bother my very own sleeping beauty.

Fortunately, we no longer live in such a small space so this is no longer an issue. At the time I couldn’t help but feel a bit grouchy when everyone told me how “lucky” I was to live with a pastry chef. Don’t get me wrong, I feel very lucky to be with my husband, but living on totally opposite schedules does have its challenges.

Another thing to note is that most French pastry chefs work in local bakeries, not five-star restaurants and hotels. Their salaries are average at best, and seeing as though there is a bakery on nearly every street corner in this country, most French people aren’t super impressed.

Conversely, every time my husband meets an American they shower him with compliments. They want — need — to know everything about his job. To the outsider and the foreigner, a French pastry chef must live a glamorous lifestyle. They must!

As you can imagine the hubs would prefer to create pastries for people who appreciate it for the art form that it is. For that reason he once worked in a cooking school that catered to English-speaking tourists who are looking to learn more about French cuisine. It was a breath of fresh air.

So, is it worth it? In true French fashion, my husband says, “mouais” (mmm, yeah). He goes on to say that if you love the craft, then yes it’s worth it. But, there has to be some sort of passion there to make it through all the hard work.

The next time you’re in a bakery in France, take a few extra moments to appreciate the craftsmanship of what you’re about to eat before you gobble it down. Pay a compliment to the chef — you never know just how much they may appreciate it.

Photo by Valeriano G on Unsplash

France’s Education Nationale

Posted by doli

If I told a French person I would try to explain France’s Education Nationale to foreigners, they would probably reply “C’est tout un programme!” (That’s an all-out program!)

But I will begin with a disclaimer concerning my subjectivity. With my American background and French citizenship, I obtained the much sought-after position as Maitre de Conférences (approximately associate professor) in the French university system as a teacher-trainer in English for both primary and secondary teaching. This means I was fully involved in the training system with French-born trainers and that I was among the few allowed into French classrooms to observe the teaching.

The following, then, is a contrast (not a comparison) of the two types of schooling based on my own observations of the French classroom, given my American upbringing and differences in teaching, which would seem to arise from a dissimilitude in culture.

Begin at the End

Probably, the most noticeable divergence is that the French system counts grades backwards. Middle school begins in sixième (sixth grade) and children move up to cinqième (fifth grade) quatrième (fourth grade) and so on to première (first grade) and terminal (senior year). There are three grades in kindergarten beginning age 3, petite (small), moyenne (middle) and grande (big) section, and 5 grades of primary school: CP, cours préparatoire, CE (Cours élémentaire) 1 and 2, CM 1 and 2 (Cours moyen). For much more detail on the subject of the system, there are some very good sites on internet beginning with the official French governmental site, The French Education System: Welcome to France, and many others: e.g., The French school system explained, The French Education System: A guide for expat parents, The French school system explained: 3-18 years old, just to get you started.

About three decades ago, I attended a presentation concerning education by a representative of the American Embassy. He claimed that the best American schools are better than the best French schools. However, the worst American schools are worse than the worst French schools. And I totally agree.

Curriculum Rules

Probably the reason for this is that the French system is national, whereby the American system is local. In France, the powers that be write up the national curriculum for every subject at every level that is to be taught in the schools from kindergarten (école maternelle starting at age 3) to senior year in high school (terminal). This is published every year in a journal, the Bulletin Officiel (B.O. for short). Teachers are then expected to totally follow and fulfill the directives therein. It was once said that if a child moved from Paris to Nice over the weekend, he or she when entering class on Monday would be picking up exactly where he or she had left off on Friday. The truth of this theory is, of course, open to question, but it is anchored in the French belief system about its schools.

That some states in the U.S. can decide to teach creationism rather than the theory of Darwinian evolution could never happen in France. On the other hand, teachers have their eyes on the curriculum rather than the children’s learning as they are expected to teach all and every point that might be mentioned in a particular subject, whether all the children can keep up or not.

Emphasis in class, especially as concerns middle and high school, is subject-oriented, rather than learner-oriented. This means that children’s needs are secondary to the necessity of approaching a subject in accordance with the pedagogical material as presented in books that have been written and published in France and which religiously follow the B.O.

The notion of learning styles and teaching styles is almost non-existent. Every subject is to be taught in a given way to everyone. And take heed, the teacher who strays from the path of prescribed teaching methods! When the inspector comes to visit and grade the teacher in class, any deviation will be noted and cause for criticism and a bad report.

In a course I once gave on good performance during oral exams, a student in philosophy presented an excerpt of a text by Alain concerning education. I was stunned by Alain’s notion that teachers should not attempt to make lessons amusing; the learning itself should purely be its own reward.

Brutal Learning

French schools tend to be very hard on their kids.

In another class, I asked student teachers to finish the sentence, “If you praise a child’s work, they will…” my expectation was something like “apply themselves more,” “develop self esteem,” etc. In fact, the majority of the class came up with endings of the type, “stop working.”

Grading is based on a twenty-point system from a theoretical zero to twenty where a grade of ten is passing and anything below ten is a fail. However the full system is not employed. Grading is not according to specific criteria, but according to an underlying social theory. No child can get a twenty, as this represents perfection, and nobody is perfect. 19 is not utilized, as this represents the teacher’s ability, and no child is ever as good as the teacher. This is how, bilingual English-French children only get 18 in English, as teachers cannot admit the children speak better than they do.

An example of the epitome of this system was when my son was in fifth grade. The criteria for the subject of English was to be able to say things like: “It’s a book,” “It’s green, ” “My name is,” etc. He could, of course, carry on conversations with native speakers on any subject that would come up. But he only received a 19.5 for the course. This grade speaks more about the teacher than about the student.

American Discount

As another example, for a written paper my son only received a twelve, but his classmate, whose English was much less good, got a 14. When he asked the teacher why this was, she replied, “You got a twelve for being an American.” The grading system can unexpectedly become skewed to make sure students’ grades can be kept down.

On the other hand, the grades 0, 1 and 2 are never used, as no one can be all bad.

Thus a 20-point system is reduced to 16 possibilities, emphasizing to children that they can never reach the top.

“Grading on a curve” has no translation in French and the notion is foreign and unheard of. It is not unusual for the average grade on a test to be below 10, in which the majority of the class fails the exam. Teachers take points off for any mistake, sometimes heavily, and what is left after subtraction is the student’s grade on a given test or work. Even with a high number of failures, there is no question of whether the test was too hard, or that the teacher had not sufficiently worked on the subject being tested. The test represents an ideal, and if the students do not reach this ideal, it can only be due to their inadequacy.

Brutal for Teachers and Students

Typically French teachers (and parents) go heavy on correction and negative reinforcement (in class sometimes to the extent of humiliation) and shun positive reinforcement. Very early on, children develop defense mechanisms against disapproval which makes it hard to accept correction or criticism, and they do not learn to accept compliments either, which are often considered as not possibly true.

Once, after a student teacher had given a class, I complimented her on her relationship with the children which came across as warm and benevolent. To my surprise, she burst into tears saying, “That’s the first compliment I’ve received in my full two years at the teachers college.”

Much about the system is dysfunctional. For example, teachers are supposed to have 2 years of training: the first year is to prepare them to take the licensing exam, (professor des écoles for primary school, CAPES or Agrégation for middle and high school). The test is considered to be a “contest” (concours), where only a given number of students pass, the number to be decided upon by the needs of the school system in the given year. Everyone is ranked. Those who rank within the number of new teachers to be taken into the system will be trained the following year. Ranking then continues for those who were not accepted; this is called the liste complementaire, a sort of waiting list. It is from this waiting list, in order of rank, that substitute teachers will be taken: should a classroom teacher fall ill, one of those not good enough to be taken immediately into the system will be put in front of a class overnight to teach for the rest of the year. They will then have gained the right to be trained the year after. The pupils, however, will finish their year with an untrained substitute body in front of the class, who is doing the best they can, in a best-case scenario.

Teachers are given tenure after a single year of internship. After that, no one can be let go, whether or not they become good teachers, not even if they become alcoholic. For 40 years, 30 students might pass through the classes of an inept teacher and it is considered that “nothing can be done.”

Promotion or movement in the system comes through a point-system, mostly based on seniority and very little on merit. Even the choice of primary school teachers who might want to specialize in English teaching and go from school-to-school rather than having a class of their own, is based on points earned, not on best competence in English.

For all these reasons, children who have begun growing up in an American or British system will have great difficulty adapting to the strict French system of education. Even French parents, when they come back to France after bringing children up in another education system need to be aware of this and plan for their children’s support.

For those who like to think that Europe has everything figured out and America is hopelessly backward, on this particular issue they are in for a rude awakening.

How To Avoid Scams in France and the Most Common Techniques Used by Fraudsters

Posted by Yasmina Micu

When you move to a foreign country, all you can think about is the excitement and the joy of starting a new chapter of your life.

There are those that have the American dream and there are those that have the French dream, which might be to come and live in a traditional Haussmanian building, go down for a croissant for breakfast, and read a book by the Seine. How lovely, right?

Overwhelmed by the joyful emotions of moving to France, you may tend to forget that France, like any other country, has its fraudsters, and their scams may be different than any other scams you’ve seen in the U.S.

While in in a foreign country, and unfamiliar with the scams and overwhelmed with the panic of doing something wrong in a foreign country, you might easily push you in the fraudsters’ trap.

But do not worry, at The American in Paris, we’ve got you covered! Below are a few of the most common scams in France and how to avoid them.

1. The ANTAI Scam : Overdue Parking Ticket Scam

This is one of the most familiar scams, in which you will receive an email or SMS from what appears to be the official government service dedicated to the treatment of parking tickets.

They will say that you have an overdue parking ticket that wasn’t paid and for which you have a penalty.

While scammers are getting better and better at replicating official emails, the first step is to click on the sender email address and if it doesn’t end with .gouv.fr then you can report it as spam immediately.

Second of all, the ANTAI service never sends citizens or residents emails to mention that a parking ticket payment is long overdue.

The only means of communication is via mail to your home address only.

So when you receive an email or sms from ANTAI, do not worry, it is probably a scam.

If you think you may actually have an unpaid parking ticket, the safest way is to contact 08 06 20 30 40 where an official government operator will give you all the information you need.

2. The Social Security Scam : the Ameli Fraud to Steal Your Personal Data

When you move to France, you will likely subscribe to the Social Security and Health service, Ameli.

Once you are well settled, they will provide you with a carte vitale which is a health insurance card that you can use when you go to your doctors’ appointments to be reimbursed a percentage of the fee, which is paid for by the French government (powered by your taxes, hence it’s not now and never will be “free”).

Your social security number is unique and it is a way to identify you. Never ever communicate this number to anyone unless it’s your doctor or your employer.

Sometimes, you may receive text messages or emails from what appears to be the Ameli service, saying that you are about to receive reimbursement for medical fees following a doctor’s appointment.

Even if you relate to this because you have indeed been to the doctor’s recently, never click on the link because it will lead to a page intended to steal your personal data.

In any case, if you have been to the doctor and you are waiting for a reimbursement, it will automatically take place on your bank account and you will see a statement of account in your personal space on the Ameli website, in the documents tab.

3. The Smoke Detector Scam or the Garbage Collector Scam

Sometimes, you may have people ring your door bell and pretend they are official workers at the national electricity provider or working as garbage collectors, to access your building.

The only way to know if these people are official is if they wear uniforms, provide a badge with their credentials or if an “avis de passage” is left in the hallway of your building prior to their visit or in your mailbox, where the electricity provider or the city hall announce you that they need access to your building or your apartment.

There are many bank holidays in France approaching summer and during the month of August, everyone goes on holiday so cities like Paris are empty.

This is the perfect occasion for scammers to visit buildings and identify potential apartments where they can break in and commit burglaries.

The best advice we can give if someone rings the bell and pretends to be from Electricité de France or a garbage collector, is to ask for their credentials if you have never received an avis de passage.

However, beware because they may be able to provide a fake badge or fake credentials to lead you into error.

The safest way to know if this is a legitimate visit is whether you have been alerted by your neighbors or if you have received a letter beforehand.

Official agents never show up unannounced. This is France, after all. 🙂

4. CPF Credits : the « Compte Personnel de Formation » Scam

In France, under some conditions and provided you have done part of your upper education in France, the government gives you credits that you can use to take courses in a specific field and to educate yourself.

This scam can take place via phone, email or text message, where a fake agent will contact you and tell you that you have many credits left in your account to sign up for courses.

They will push you to click on a link where you can provide your bank credentials to “claim your credits.”

Never provide your bank credentials and information to anyone.

5. The Petition Scam While Walking French Streets

In very touristy neighborhoods, you may be approached by people claiming they work for an association and that they need your name, signature and address to have your support for a specific cause.

They insist a lot and sometimes are very persuasive which can easily make you fall in the trap, especially if you grant importance to the cause they pretend to defend.

NEVER provide your information since they will use it to steal your identity or find your address and potentially rob your home.

The only official associations always wear uniforms (RED CROSS, Médecins du monde for example…) and they always have a badge and official credentials.

6. The Gold Ring Scam

In very touristy places as well, sometimes you may have a woman come up to you and say she found a gold ring or bracelet on the floor and asking whether it is yours.

While you will obviously refuse because you do not recognize the jewel, they will attempt to sell it you at a high price.

It is probably a fake piece of jewelry that they acquired for a bargain price so do not fall in the trap of buying it from them at an exaggerated price.

8. The Sacré Coeur Bracelet Scam

In Paris, there is a very famous basilica in the 18^th District, called Sacré Coeur.

There, you have some groups of men that do a bracelet scam. One of them will come up to you and show you that he can braid a bracelet on your hand, without mentioning a price or anything.

Do not give up and fall in the trap and move along. Once they finish the bracelet which is braided on your hand, they will announce you a very high price. When you refuse to pay the price, they will call the other men in the group which will harass you until you pay or even worse, attack you or rob you if you refuse.

9. The Tuk Tuk Scam

In touristy crowded places, there are drivers in tuk tuk cars similar to those you see in Vietnam that propose you to take a tour in the most emblematic places of the city.

They have some cheap prices such as 10-15 euros per ride displayed on the windshield of their truck to lure you in their truck.

Once you finish the ride, they will charge an exaggerated amount of 50 euros. If you dispute this and say it does not align with the amount on the windshield, they will show you the paper where you can find the highly exaggerated amounts written in very small font, invisible to the human eye or on the back of the paper.

Be careful since they can get very aggressive if you refuse to pay.

The safest way to visit the city is by the big city bus if you seek a guided tour or by regular public transportation where the ticket costs two euros only.

The best advice we can give you is to not talk to anyone in very crowded areas and also to be very safe in the subway since there are many robberies of cellphones if you do not pay attention.

10. The Postage/UPS scam

If you get an SMS telling you that you need to pick up a package or pay for customs duties on a package, it’s probably a scam.

You will almost always get an email from UPS when duties have to be paid and you go to the UPS website to handle that.

As for La Poste, if there are duties to be paid, you will settle those at your post office, not via SMS.

There are probably other scams but these are the most widespread ones. And while this might be discouraging, remember that tens of millions of people visit France every year, and these bad actors are attracted to the least careful of those visitors. Instead of lamenting human nature, simply be more vigilant, particularly in crowded situations.

If you think you may be a victim of a scam but you are unsure of it, do not hesitate to refer to the official website of the French government where they have a list of all the scams and even a service where you can report a scam.

Be safe and in any case, bienvenue en France dear friends!

How to Get Free Legal Help in France

Posted by Yasmina Micu

Being in a foreign country and having some sort of civil or criminal issue and not knowing who to reach out to for help is truly overwhelming. Not being able to afford the help is even worse.

Luckily, France is a country that is highly conscious of the difficulties some people may encounter, whether they are French nationals or foreign residents.

There are many ways to get free legal help, whether specialized or on more generic and standard issues.

There is a higher focus on issues relating to “criminal” affairs, so whether you are a victim of a criminal offence or a foreigner having immigration related issues, you can turn to the service called “Avocats au service des victimes” with the Parisian Regional Council of Access to Law available for Monday to Friday until noon or by telephone at 01 44 32 49 95.

Criminal and immigration affairs are often linked together due to their sensitivity, so many criminal lawyers also specialise in immigration law.

Secondly, if you live in Paris and for any issue requiring professional legal advice, you can turn to the following services:

1. Les Points d’accès au Droit de la Ville de Paris

These are places representing the city hall of Paris and organising permanent sessions all year.

There are five centres in Paris, located in the 13th, 15th, 18th, 19th, and 20th districts.

You can mainly go to these centres if you have issues in your daily life:

work-related (work contracts, unlawful termination…)
home-related (rent, condominium owners, expulsion, issues with your landlord…)
family-related, such as marriage, PACS, divorce, inheritance, child custody
foreigners and immigration law, and access to the French nationality, or requests for titre de séjour renewals
consumer contracts (bank, insurance, and other contracts)
social protection (retirement, disability, financial aid)
violence towards women, discrimination, proceedings involving a French administration or organism

You can contact them on the official website of the city Hall via telephone and report your issue. They will then accordingly propose a meeting with a specialised attorney.

2. PAD Jeunes

Located at QJ, 4 place du Louvre in the first district of Paris, this organization is open every day from Tuesday to Friday from 2pm to 5pm.

You will be received by an official delegate of the rights defender.

3. Houses of Justice and Law

Les Maisons de Justice et du Droit are handled directly by the Ministry of Justice, allowing you to better understand your daily rights.

There are three located in Pars, in the 10th, 15th, and 17th districts. The meetings with these organizations are free, anonymous, and confidential.

There is a specific division handling victims of criminal offences.

4. The Paris Bar Association

Lawyers of the Paris Bar Association, on a pro bono and entirely volunteer basis, make themselves available in the city halls of each district.

There are also lawyers available to answer specific questions directly in the Judiciary Tribunal of Paris from Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 12:30pm.

You can present yourself at the general information reception, and they will guide you to the more specific divisions of your issue: family law, criminal law, employment law, and immigration law.

On the official website of the Paris Bar Association or the bar of any city, you can find a tab for free consultations.

Generally, the free consultations are only about an hour, which is enough for you to report your issue and your worries and to receive a response and guidance from the lawyers.

The Judiciary Tribunal of Paris is located at the subway station Porte de Clichy, accessible on lines 13 and 14.

5. Les Relais d’accès au Droit

Finally, these centres organize free, anonymous, and confidential sessions for any legal issues you may encounter.

There are more than 60 of them in Paris alone.

You will be received by a lawyer or attorney, and they will take the lead on your issue to guide you in the right direction.

They are established generally in institutional or associative social structures such as social centres.

You can find the official list on the website of the city hall of your city.

In all these five places, there are many legal professionals who will receive you to hear your questions: lawyers, attorneys at law, notaries, human rights defenders, justice conciliators or mediators, justice commissary.

You can find testimonies from people who have consulted these free legal advice centres, available on the official website of the city hall of Paris.

While it may be easier to find legal advice for free in Paris, there are also many centres in other cities.

Since COVID, the advantage is that you can live in another city and still contact Parisian legal advice centres by telephone or organize meetings via Zoom or Teams, should you be deprived of access to Paris

These free sessions are organised by professionals with many years of experience who are warm-hearted individuals willing to dedicate time pro bono to any person encountering difficulties and who may be in need of legal help.

In any case, if you seek legal advice for free, there are many places you can turn to for help in France, to at least have an answer to your legal issue or guidance in your legal proceedings.

This is highly reassuring!

What is also reassuring is that the French bar associations never cease to evolve, so there will be many other alternatives in the future to deal with such issues.

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

How to Become a Doctor in France

Posted by Yasmina Micu

Becoming a doctor in France is not easy, and it’s a brave choice. Medical studies in France are known to be the most difficult and challenging studies of the country. The selection process for medical school is also rumored to be the toughest and most selective.

Before 2020 there was a first step with a national exam that allowed you to access med school. In reality, many students that failed this first step ended up going to Spain or Eastern European countries for their studies. For this reason, a national reform took place and completely amended medical studies.

In France, there are about thirty universities that allow you to study medicine.

Whether you are an American/Canadian citizen that completed high school in your home country or were already in France for high school, this article is for you. If you want precise details on the general application process to French universities, check out our article on this topic as it applies to med school too!

First and foremost, let’s have a look at the three ways you can access medicine studies in France.

French Equivalent of a Bachelor’s Degree with a Health Major: the PASS

This diploma, called “licence” in French is composed of three years of study where you major in a health field and minor in another field.

The classes are the basic fundamentals of medicine: chemistry, physics, statistics, human and social sciences.

Indeed, you must choose a minor in another discipline or field of study. This aims to facilitate your professional reorientation in case you realize med school is not for you and wish to change your career path.

The most important thing to know about the PASS is that you are not allowed to fail a year and repeat it again. So it’s a win-or-lose situation, meaning that you either succeed the first year of PASS and continue to the second year or you fail your PASS. In the second case, you will either be obliged to pursue studies in the minor you chose, or completely change your field of study.

Regular Bachelor’s Degree with a Minor in Health

The second option to access medical studies is to do a licence in another field of study such as law, economics, history, chemistry etc. and do a minor in health. This is called LAS in French, and it means licence avec option accès santé which is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree with an option to access health studies.

Once you feel ready, either in the first, second, or third year of your bachelor’s degree, you can pass the admissibility exams for the second year of medical school, pharmacy, or dental school. You are allowed to try the medicine school entrance exams twice.

The Medical Assistant Bridge

The third and final way to access medical studies is to prepare the three-year diploma to become a medical assistant through a professional nursing school. Once you graduate, you can try the admissibility exams to enter the second year of med school.

However, spots are limited in med school when you wish to access with the “Medical Assistant Bridge” and every year they are determined by universities and regional health agencies so you must be on the lookout for the limited number of free spots.

Once you enter med school, there are three major cycles/steps to consider in your medical career in France:

The First Cycle: the Basics of Medicine Studies

Once you are admitted to med school, there is a first cycle composed of two years (second and third year of med school) that aims to teach students the science fundamentals and basics required to become a doctor.

Some topics studied are semiology, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, notions of pathology, pharmacy, and bacteriology.

The are some optional topics such as science philosophy, medical English, history of medicine, or medical computer science.

Parallel to these studies you need to pursue a full-time nursing internship of four weeks duration at the beginning of the cycle. Afterwards, throughout the cycle, you must pursue twelve weeks of internships in local hospitals in general services or more specialized such as the emergency room, dermatology, cardiology and so on.

At the end of the third year, students graduate and obtain a diploma called DFGSM, diplôme de formation Générale en sciences médicales, which is the same level as a standard bachelor’s degree.

The Second Cycle: Clinical Practice and In-Depth Study

The second cycle, called “externat” in French is composed of the 4th, 5th and 6th year of studies in med school. This cycle allows you to have a complete medical training focused on pathologies, their therapeutics and prevention methods. Topics studied in this cycle are geriatrics, locomotor devices, neurology, pediatrics, and oncology.

At this stage, med school students are both students and employees of the hospital and touch salaries depending on their level.

Bear in mind that some internships are mandatory (plastic surgery, emergency room) and others are optional. Throughout this cycle, students must do a total of 25 night shifts at the hospital, mainly in the emergency room.

To go to the next stage, there is an admission procedure that includes several exams such as structured clinical exams during the internships or simulations.

Students must make a list with their “wishes” for their medical specialty and they will only be affected in the specialty of their choice if their national ranking is high enough. Each specialty has a limited number of spots and depending on the specialty, the rank may need to be higher or lower. For example, for the 2022-2023 session, there were 27 spots in neurosurgery against 3,388 spots in general medicine.

At the end of the 6th year, students graduate and are granted a DFASM diploma which stands for diplôme de formation approfondie en sciences médicales, which is the equivalent of a standard Master’s degree.

Final Step: Choosing your Specialty

In total, there are 44 medicine specialties: 13 surgical (gynecology, vascular surgery…), 30 medical (psychiatry, pneumonology, radiology, medical imagery…), and medical biology.

If you want to specialize in general medicine, the third cycle is three years long whilst it can be between 4-6 years for other specialties.

The third cycle is also divided in three stages:

-one year of fundamentals studied in the first two cycles,

-one or two years of in-depth studies to become autonomous as a future doctor,

-one or two years of consolidation where you will be placed under a junior doctor status, and under the supervision of a senior doctor.

This stage is called “interne” and during this cycle, students do semestrial internships and they prepare a thesis.

After finishing and validating your internships, classes and thesis, students graduate with a doctor diplome (“DE de docteur en médecine”) and a specialized diploma called DES, of their chosen specialty.

Taking the med school path is definitely an admirable choice due to the length of the academic career.

All we can say is that in the end, it will all be worth it and if there’s one thing that everyone will always need, it’s a good doctor!

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Going to University in France

Posted by Yasmina Micu

In our ongoing mission to provide the widest range of information, we’re trying something new by having a French author pen an article for us. Just because it’s The American in Paris doesn’t mean we can’t ask for help from our French friends. We also don’t want to show a bias that moving to France is only for those who are somewhat established in a career. You can come to France as early as you are able. 🙂 -SH

If you’ve made the decision to come to France for your graduate or postgraduate studies, you should be aware in advance of the thorough and maybe even tricky selection process.

It’s very important to know this process thoroughly if your goal is to go to university in France because a friend of mine missed the application deadline once and she had to wait for the next year — no joke.

Of course, this article applies only to the Public University system and not Private Universities, where you can just submit an application easily through their website and respect the given deadlines. (like AUP for example!)

For those that don’t know, Public Universities in France are “free.” This isn’t exactly the case because the university fees are estimated between 170€ and 380€ depending on your major.

However, since 2020, students located outside the EU must pay a fee of 2,770€ for a bachelor’s degree and 3,770€ for a master’s degree or a PhD.

There are some differences whether you have gone through high school and passed your baccalaureate diploma in France, if you got to France just in time for your first year of university, or if you’ve already studied a bachelor’s degree in the US or another country. For those that don’t know, the baccalaureate diploma is the national diploma that marks the conclusion of your high school years and it’s somewhat analogous to the SAT/ACT in the US.

Before explaining the criteria for the selection process let’s look a bit closer at the application process. The selection process is different whether you are in one of the three following situations.

So let’s break it down to make it easier.

Case 1. You Have Been in France since High School, and You Passed Your Baccalaureate in France

For those that have finished high school in a French establishment, whether private or public, Parcoursup is the website exclusively dedicated for university applications.

If you are wondering, Parcoursup is nothing else than a platform that allows students to regroup their top preferred university choices and apply. However, there are some restrictions. The platform is accessible on www.parcoursup.fr and opens every year around the month of January. It has tutorials for students to understand how to prepare their application files and it closes at the end of the month of March each year. This means you have roughly two months to apply to everything.

Once you sign up on the website with an email account, you have the possibility to enter ten university choices (bachelor’s degree, advanced vocational diploma, or business schools). You have ten additional choices shall you seek to apply to universities that offer the status of an apprentice, where you can specifically study and work at the same time.

For each choice, you must draft a cover letter and a resume motivating your choice to enter the said institution.

Be careful, from the middle of the month of March (specific dates are provided every year), you cannot add new choices. However, you have until the beginning of April to finalize your applications for the choices you have already added. Between this period, the high school analyses the student’s university choices and issues a document called “fiche avenir,” which aims to give an opinion of the director of the establishment regarding the student’s choices.

Let’s say a student has poor grades in mathematics but only has architecture schools in his ten choices, the decision of the director of his high school may have an impact on his selection and application.

Starting from the month of June and onwards, students begin to receive responses to their applications, which may be of three types:

favorable: they are admitted
unfavorable: they are refused
wait list: the student will be favorable if someone that is accepted in the establishment gives up their spot

Indeed, some students may be accepted in all of their choices. Once they make their definitive choice and refuse the other nine proposals, a space will free up each time for students on the wait list.

Students have a deadline of maximum five days to respond to the university acceptance offers, and if the deadline is not respected, the student loses their spot to another person.

For students that obtain no favorable response out of all their applications, there is a complementary application period starting from the middle of the month of June.

Parcoursup is a very selective platform because there are thousands of students every year ready to apply for university and depending on the budgets, some universities have a numerus clausus, and hence, limited spots available.

It is very important to have high quality achievements at least in the last two years of high school, and a legacy of excellence in the curriculum, to stand out from others and make sure you have at least one acceptance offer.

Case 2. You Wish to Come to France for Your Graduate Studies

If you have already finished high school in the US or Canada and wish to come from another country, the process is slightly simplified but the selection process is more thorough because universities propose interviews to students once they receive their applications.

First, you need to research what university in France offers your desired major. Then, make a list and regroup them by city or by university if several graduate courses in one university trigger your interest.

Each university has their own application portal which you can find by researching on Google: called “e-candidat”. (in the future, we can share a list that regroups all of these portals to avoid you losing time on researching them)

You need to create an account with your email and verify that you are within the application dates/deadline window.

Once you the application is open for your requested degree, the portal will ask you to submit a series of information such as your high school diploma, personal information, languages spoken, resume, cover letter.

Basically, the portal is a platform that regroups several elements of your academic identity and acts like a resume, in its totality.

You have a limit of three choices per university.

Once the application is submitted, the university has approximately one month to reply to your application via email and let you know of their decision. If their decision is potentially favorable, you may be invited to a formal interview with the director of the diploma.

Bear in mind that for very specific fields such as environment law for example or very precise fields, there may be a very low number of universities that propose the graduate diploma.

We recommend you apply to a maximum of establishments to increase your chances of being accepted.

90% of university programs in France are in French and there are few options in English. Hence, you need to take this into consideration if you don’t speak French well enough to pursue higher education programs before applying, because French university programs do not offer French classes for foreign students.

So, you have several options in this case:

If you’re brave and motivated enough, you can sign up to FLE classes (Français Langue Etrangère), which teach French to foreigners in parallel to your university classes. You can come to France in the summer prior the beginning of university (university generally starts at the end of September or October in France) and prepare in advance for the basics and then pursue the classes throughout the year. There are several private institutes that offer FLE classes, and you can even inquire in the French Embassy of your town to sign up in advance prior to even moving to France.

Take a year off and dedicate yourself to learning French and pass the DELF exam which is the equivalent of the IELTS and TOEFL. The DELF starts at level A1 and goes up to level C2 (professional proficiency).

However, in any case, we do recommend that you come to France with at least some basics of the language because it is quite a technical language especially in terms of grammar, and also because certain establishments require a certificate proving that you have a minimal level of French. Moreover, the most challenging undergraduate programs and prestigious establishments have a thorough selection process and language skills may make a difference in this case.

This is why we recommend you take all this into account when deciding to move to France so that you come fully prepared.

Another possibility would be to take advanced level French classes two years before you graduate so you master the language accordingly and you can attend classes in French.

Case 3. You already Have a Graduate Diploma and You Are Seeking to Move to France for Post-Graduate Studies

France has a particularity: you can have two master’s degrees called M1 and M2. It is not mandatory but for some fields of activity such as law for example, it is recommended to have a more generic M1 and a more specific M2 targeting your future specialty as a lawyer for example.

While M1 diplomas generally have a capacity of a thousand people, M2 are very selective and have a capacity between 10 and 25 people maximum from the whole country.

The application process is the same as the one described above, in Case 2, and takes place via the e-candidat portal for each establishment.

Unlike the US and Canadian systems in which you can study something during your undergraduate studies that is not related to your graduate studies (e.g. getting an art history degree and then moving on to becoming a lawyer, or getting a history degree and then going on to medical school) in France the two types of studies are almost always related (i.e. an entirely medical undergraduate program paired with a graduate one).

Many students drop the idea of going forward with an M2 since the process is highly selective. It is also subject to a formal interview and for some diplomas practical questions may be asked, to test your competences and practical abilities and confirm whether you are suitable or not. Generally, the e-candidat portal acts as a filter and the chances are that if you get an interview proposition, and you do well, you will be accepted in the M2.

We recommend that you choose an M2 diploma that truly aligns with your future professional goals and is perfectly in the continuity of your graduate studies. Otherwise, you may easily be rejected.

Be careful, if you apply for an M2 diploma, it really needs to be in alignment with your M1 diploma and they need to be complementary.

Fun fact that is not so fun in reality: there are many students that end up doing a second M1 because they got rejected from the M2 of their choice or didn’t have an M2 at all.

Fun fact: you can do as many M1 diplomas as you please in France. I had a Brazilian friend that couldn’t find a job after her first M1 diploma and for her visa purposes and regular right of stay in France, she ended up doing three M1 diplomas.

General tip whether you’re in Case 1, Case 2 or Case 3: Start making your research at least one year in advance so you’re sure of your university choice, have the time to prepare all the documents and MOST IMPORTANTLY, you don’t miss the application deadline!

Make sure you take into account any potential practical questions that may be asked during the interviews and anticipate them as much as you can. Don’t hesitate to join dedicated Facebook groups that students make every year to update each other of the application and selection process for specific diplomas. This is a great way to see if the university has started sending acceptance or rejection letters for the diploma you have applied to.

If you’re interested in the application and selection process for Law School and Medicine school which are a tad different than other disciplines, and you found this article insightful, stay tuned for a future article on the topic.

Photo is of the Sorbonne in 2018 and was taken by the author.

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