thank you all so much for your help on this post! it was all very insightful. i have since visited france (paris, bordeaux, toulouse, montpellier, marseille, and lyon) and absolutely loved it. it felt so rewarding to have my intuition validated, but coming back to the states was incredibly difficult and i’ve been having a hard time re-acclimating.
i have a new plan set in motion and with as much research as i’ve done, i still have some questions and things i would like to confirm. i’ve decided to take a 9 month french course at langue onze in toulouse that begins in sept 2024. upon completion of the course, i will have the opportunity to take a delf or dalf exam to receive a diploma. here are some details before i dive into the question bit:
location:
i’m pretty set on toulouse. there are other long-term language school options in montpellier (which i loved very much but i don’t think my dog or i could handle the summer heat/humdity) but my plan is to make the connections i need to find a job so that i can go back after i’ve finished school. so ideally, i would like to be in the area that i want to return to.
i really just need to get out of america so i will be leaving here around may 2024 to spend a couple of months in northern ireland with my best friend until school starts in sept. my understanding is that i will be able to do all the school visa stuff online since i’m a resident of the us.
school:
i’m not currently enrolled in any college-level school here so taking courses through a french university isn’t an option, even though i know that would open up many more options for school and significantly decrease the price.
i haven’t been in school since i received my ged around 13 years ago.
my french has improved significantly from my trip as well as taking pimsleur lessons which focuses on conversational french. in my last post i said i was at level a2 which i’ve realized was generous. i’ve since taken a couple of placement tests and i’ve received scores that currently place me between a2-b1. with that being said, i’ve realized how crucial being able to speak the language in a professional setting is so that i can find a job—hence a language school.
i’m also set on taking a long-term course as opposed to something more intensive for a shorter duration.
finances:
i’m planning on taking out a loan to cover the difference between what i’m able to save/the money i’ll make from selling all of my things. thinking around $30,000 (28,000€) will suffice.
employment:
i’m aware that i will only be able to work 60% of what is considered full-time while i’m enrolled in school.
i’m planning on taking a tefl course before i leave so i have that as an option for work while i’m in school.
i’m also currently studying astrology and i’ve considered that as another option for income, though i have no idea how that kind of thing is received in a professional sense over there. this is also something i’ve considered focusing on to obtain an “entrepreneur - profession liberale” visa later on down the road but that is only something that has crossed my mind as i haven’t looked into it at all.
just as a reminder, all of my work experience is in the food service industry. i’m certified to teach yoga. i would love to be an au pair or to teach english.
questions:
langue onze offers accommodation but the only option that i have available to me is with their partner aparthotel because i’m bringing my dog and their rent starts at 1700€ a month which is insane and completely out of my budget. i’ve been looking at studapart and housinganywhere for furnished apts that accept pets. does anyone have any other recommendations? i have a guarantor but not in france. i’m also willing to pay one of those sites to act as my guarantor if necessary. does anyone have experience using the sites in lieu of an in-country guarantor? any other housing advice would be great, as this is really the main thing that has kept me from registering for school.
is anyone familiar with langue onze? from what i’ve seen on google reviews and some posts on reddit, they seem like a really great option (and also the only long-term language school in toulouse).
does anyone know of any grant options that might be available to me? what about student loans? is that a better option than just taking out a general loan for my situation? mind you—i have zero experience with the education system in the us and haven’t looked into student loans at all so i apologize if this is a vague or silly question.
what kind of doors might open for me employmentwise with a delf or dalf diploma?
what are my visa options after i finish the language course? theoretically, would i be able to stay if i enrolled in a university, or would i have to first return to the states? my understanding is that if i were to find a job in france i would have to return to the states to apply for a work visa. is that accurate?
the uk is a lot stricter when it comes to what they require for the entry of dogs, so i will have that all squared away before i leave the states. i’m assuming that i will still need to bring him to a vet to get all the information to enter france with him. is that going to be an impossible task coming from a country where he doesn’t have any vet records? (for clarification, i will be going to northern ireland around may next year and from there will go to france).
i’m going to have to find a doctor in toulouse as i have adhd and will need ongoing medication after the meds i bring with me run out. does anyone familiar with toulouse have any doctors they recommend in that area?
in regard to taking out a loan before i leave, what is the best approach so that i’m not paying a bunch of fees for having the money exchanged from usd to euros. when i open a french bank account should i expect a lot of fees if i were to transfer money over in usd?
is there any other advice that you’d like to offer that i haven’t touched on?
ok, i think that is all for now. thank you for taking the time to read this and i appreciate any and all advice in advance!
I can try and answer this one for you - in short, standard brick and mortar domestic French banks generally tend to have poor exchange rates, and will charge you anywhere between 15 to 34 EUR per transfer. It would be far better to open an account with one of the online banking institutions, e.g. N26, Revolut, Transferwise, etc, as you will generally get better exchange rates and significantly lower charges.
There is a lot in your post, but to concentrate on a couple of points. The first one is your visa. To be eligible for a student visa you will need proof of funds (I think about $900 a month but check ) and accommodation (even if temporary). Although you can apply on line there is an interview which is done in the country of your residence, ie the US.
And you will also need medical insurance (not travel insurance).
A DELF/DALF diploma is only useful in showing your language skills, so can help get a job in that way. But there is nothing about it that specifically leads to employment.
With your visa you can work up to 964 hours per year (20 hours per week) only.
And I don’t think this will apply to your course as not higher level, but if you carry on to complete a Masters degree, after that you can apply for a one-time non-renewable temporary residence authorization (APS), which is valid for 24 months.
Also expect to pay for your education which you should find out about as it can get expensive and they often ask for cheques up front and dated to be cashed. Don’t underestimate french working rules, bosses have to pay very high social charges for all their employees, even part time ones and can be fined heavily if found to be breaking the law by employing non EU residents on visas if they are not entitled to work.
Getting a job in France isn’t going to be easy, particularly as a non EU citizen, unless you have solid, internationally recognised qualifications and are doing something we actually need.
You mentioned astrology: there are already more than enough established astrologists, for example, and you are unlikely to be able to set up as one here especially as your French isn’t fluent and I doubt it is a recognised qualification here.
Just being a native speaker of English is in no way a qualification to teach English, and as far as other jobs go, even B2/C1 level French is borderline for working in a French speaking environment.
When you say student loans do you mean a loan from a French bank? You won’t get one.
After you finish your course, whatever it is, you will have to change your visa and that will mean going back to the US, according to our US language assistants .
You can’t be an au pair from the US if you are over 26 (the age is specific for people from the US, it’s higher for people from elsewhere).
It’s nice you had a good time when you visited in the summer but be aware that living here is rather different.
The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence and conversations you don’t understand frequently seem sophisticated and romantic.
If you were one of my daughters I’d say get some recognised qualifications in something solid while also doing a proper language course leading to a recognised diploma, stick at something so your CV looks less flaky, get those proper transferable qualifications, you will find it easier to achieve what you want to do.
I think the main question to ask yourself is what is your long-term plan. If you want to live in France, you need to know how you would be able to support yourself, and - rather harder - to be able to persuade the French authorities that it’s viable. If you’re planning on being a self-employed yoga teacher/astrologer, or waitressing, that will be difficult. There’s hardly a lack of English teachers, though you might have better prospects if you found a language school to sponsor you.
I 'd hesitate because if you came without certainty of being able to continue, if you could no longer get a visa and had to leave France, what would happen to your dog? Would he need expensive documentation to go with you wherever you might have to go, or even to return to Ireland or the US?
Btw if you wanted to avoid excessive heat for your dog Toulouse gets very hot through summer. I would guess you’d need to look North of Brive to lower the peak of summer temperatures most years.
What, specifically, is so bad about living in America? Amboise has many Americans who moved here. They too say they were desperate to get out. People risk life to get to the UK for free health care. Why do the flock to France?
According to my family in the US, the cost of health care including dentistry and also veterinary fees. You only get so much paid for on insurance if you are employed and have to find the rest yourself. My family are moving further north to get out of 50°C heat one moment and then tornadoes and electrical storms the next minute plus state taxes have increased too. They would however, never return to the UK, the wages there are only a fraction of what they earn currently.
One thing I can suggest is get a CELTA qualification - a Certificate in Teaching English to Adults… I am retired and living in France so not looking to earn money. However, I took this qualification this summer to improve my English teaching - as a volunteer I teach english classes in our small rural town which I love. The 4 week very intensive course in Landerneau, Brittany was excellent. CELTA is hugely respected, not only in France but wordwide. And a big level up from TEFL courses. The CELTA school gave us loads of tips and advice, links and personal recommendations for job hunting, both in France and abroad. A big plus from doing the course. So much so that I might just do some paid online and F2F coaching, in additional to my voluntary coaching. Of course all the usual complications apply to you as a Non-EU resident wanting to live and work in France, but if you can work that out, teaching English is worth considering. Native English speakers are highly valued - and by that I include native American speakers!! The ELT hub has CELTA schools in Lyon and Strasbourg as well - maybe others. Worth considering anyway. And I would avoid living anywhere south of The Loire, in my personal opinion with climate change. Just saying
Anyway, I think she could have put that better, it sounded initially to me as a provocative statement/question, but when I re-read it thought it might just have been genuine interest, such as I have.
Although I am pretty sure I could have answered my own question about that.
In some nationality groups there are Americans who propose answering the question “why do you want to be French” by saying for the cheap health care. I
Personally I’m more interested in the pâtisseries than the healthcare
Edit: And as if by magic, I was browsing X/Twitter whilst having a quick break from work, and stumbled upon this absolutely staggering chart showing life expectancy in the US
