Country information France
La France, the largest country of the EU, is as versatile as its vast expanse is promising. Three water bodies border France, the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea. The 82 million tourists coming to France each year can’t possibly be wrong. They seek for urban chic in Paris or peaceful tranquility in the Normandy or the Provence.
The French revolution changed the whole world politically as did Napoleon’s era in the 19th century. But not only politically France has molded Europeans culture, always having been a core country of the continent. Artists as Baudelaire and Camus in literature or Lorrain, Monet and Gaugin in visual art were path breaking in every way. Revolutions simply are part of the Frenchmen’s identity. France was the first country where women could work as freely as men which led to an enhancement in many educational fields, Marie Curie who won the Nobel Prize winner just an example.
If you want to choose what and where you want to study in France, you will have all possibilities: graduate programs, PhD programs or summer schools are waiting for you to register. Studying in France is well supported by the government which keeps tuition fees at 300-600 Euros a year. The major problem for students is clearly finding the housing. Most student accommodations are already occupied by French servitors which means you have to rely on the public market. Apartments in France are pretty expensive and not easy to find online. Even if you find room mates you should calculate an amount of 600 Euros a month for your housing. Adding public transportation, groceries and some fun you will need about 1000 Euros a month for living. The good news is that even as a non EU citizen you can easily achieve a work permit and even financial support on you housing. As a student even if you did not need a visa before, you need to register at the local préfecture in order to sustain a residency permit. This permit is your key to the working and housing assistance. And even if you just get one of the slave jobs students would get, you’ll earn at least 8.71 Euros an hour for this is the legal minimum wage.
Since studying and working makes you hungry, you will have to try the noted French cuisine. And don’t worry; you do not need to choose the fanciest haute cuisine restaurants of the place. Never mind trying a delicious crepe that is sold on stands on the street. Or check out the numerous cafés and bars you’ll find in every little town. Even college cafeterias serve decent meals at a relatively low cost. For a complete meal you usually pay about 2.50 Euros. Although most French are Catholics or Atheists, you will see that their secret religion is decent food and wine.
Concerning other leisure activities many theatres, museums and sports are available even in remote towns. Popular sports are football, rugby, skiing, swimming and of course cycling thinking of Le Tour de France. Participating in the universities’ sport programs will help you to adapt to the French language. Being in France one just needs to learn the language. Students who refuse to speak French are frown upon and it is much better to get really connected to social life. Travelling is easy since the French railroad system is well developed and cheap airlines bring you to every destination you want. Public transportation offers metro or bus to go around cities. So get ready to explore France and french.