WHO CAN WORK, WHEN, AND FOR HOW LONG?

• 1.Students registered at language schools are not entitled to work.
• 2.You must be registered and studying at an official French university or Institute of Higher Education which has both obliged and entitled you to be enrolled into the French Social Security system under the special student regime (see Chapter 13). This does not mean that you will be exempt from French social charges (cotisations) but it does mean that your extra contributions will start to accrue other advantages for you within the social security system.
• 3.Students must complete the first year of their studies before applying for employment.
• 4.The student working week is limited to 19.5 hours/ week in term time and 35 hours/week in vacations.
• 5.American students must justify their need to work when applying to the French Ministry of Labour for the autorisation provisoire de travail, normally valid for three months and renewable upon production of evidence of continuing studies. Students who receive grants and/or have sufficient financial means are not normally granted a work permit. American students must also produce a valid carte d’étudiant and contract from their employer with full personal details and details of working hours and pay. These provisions generally apply to students from non-EU countries, but check with your embassy for precise terms and conditions.
• 6.Students from EU countries do not require work permits, but are subject to French legal restrictions. Commonwealth citizens should remember that British residency rights do not equate to British citizenship rights within the European Union. You will be governed by the regulations pertaining to your nationality status.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR WORK

Most of the traditional French press options outlined in Chapter 6 also include job offers specifically aimed at students. French students produce their own magazine which is widely available, L’Etudiant, which has its own employment service (www.Vetudiant-emploir.fr.)Other notable sites include www.supjeune.co.,www.recrut.coman. www.net-work.fr.

A WORD OF WARNING

No matter who you work for in France, you and your employer are subject to French law in France. Your contract and work conditions must conform to French law. Foreign firms have been criticised repeatedly for failing to observe basic French regulations when employing students and temporary workers for seasonal employees and students working through the academic year. The French government website www.droitsdesjeunes.gouv.fr, will help you draw the line between working hard for your money and working for next-to-no money at all.

WORKING AS AN AU PAIR

Au pairs and nannies

Nannies have formal qualifications in childcare, and as such are much better paid. Their duties are restricted specifically to childcare, and accommodation is not normally provided. Both nannies and au pairs are often expected to travel with their families.

An au pair is generally a young person with no formal qualification in childcare, who lives as one of the family. The legal age limits are 18-30 years old, and they are paid a small sum of ‘pocket money’ (normally between €270 and €300/month) in return for looking after the children, light housework, and several evenings baby-sitting per week. Accommodation and meals are normally provided by the family. Au pairs normally take a language course during the daytime. This is obligatory for non-EU residence permits.

You must avoid undeclared unofficial positions which leave you open to abuse. Not only are you not covered if you have an accident cleaning an apartment or minding the children, but you are living and working illegally and could face expulsion.

Looking for work

There are a number of agencies which place au pairs and nannies, both in the UK and also in France (principally in Paris). It is possible to find a position before arriving in France, through British magazines such as The Lady. In Paris, the magazines France-USA Contacts and The Free Voice carry regular advertisements. Some agencies which advertise are better than others which will place you with a family, take the fee and never contact you again. Try asking around for the names of the good and bad agencies.

Check notice-boards at the English-speaking churches for small advertisements, and place advertisements seeking work in the same places. There are generally more jobs available than au pairs to fill them, so you should not feel stuck.

Conditions of employment

Au pairing falls within one of the ‘grey’ areas of French employment. The official title of an au pair in French law is a stagiaire aide familiale. There are set guidelines, but making sure that these are applied is not always easy. Establishing a good relationship not only with the children but also with ‘Monsieur et Madame’ is vital to a successful stay.

Generally, you will be employed from September till June, although you may well be asked to stay and help in the summer holiday months. Your employer should make a Déclaration d’Engagement to the Social Security office. In reality, few employers will do this voluntarily as they fear paying extra taxes to pay for your statutory rights. If you are an EU citizen, make sure you take El1 1 form with you to France to cover emergency health care.

Legal requirements for American au pairs are listed below. Rules and requirements also applying to EU nationals are in bold:

• 1.Age limit of 18-30 years old.
• 2.Fair knowledge of French and/or studying French.
• 3.Minimum stay of three months, maximum 18 months. You can change families during this period but the maximum stay is 18 months.
• 4.Summer au pairs of one to three months are not required to take French classes but must have completed one year of college-level studies in French.
• 5.The recognised objective of au pairing is to share in a French family’s life and culture. Foreign families are not normally authorised to hire au pairs.
• 6.Room and board must be provided, with meals shared with the family and a private bedroom.
• 7.The au pair’s daily schedule should not exceed more than five hours work per day, and should be arranged to allow time for study including classes. Au pairs should have one day off a week, and once a month this should be a Sunday. An au pair should never be prevented from attending church on Sunday even if this is a working day.
• 8.American citizens must obtain their au pair visa in the US from the French consulate with jurisdiction over their place of residence before entering France. You cannot convert tourist visas. This means following the same procedure outlined in Chapter 3 for obtaining a visa de long séjour, with a contract as a stagiaire aide familiale approved by the French Ministry of Labour. Your work permit itself is finally granted once you arrive in France after your contract has been approved by the Ministry of Labour. If a contract is not immediately available, a letter describing the position may be accepted as part of the application process.

You may be required to travel with the family, in which case they should cover your expenses. If you are based in or near Paris, the family may pay half of your travel pass but this is not obligatory.

Au pair contracts

EU nationals from one of the new member states may not stay in France more than three months without a valid residence permit (carte de séjour). To obtain this, you need a formal work contract with social security declarations and contributions.

Americans with student visas can obtain au pair status after arrival in France after registering at a French university and obtaining a residence permit. Student au pairs still can only work for French families under a valid contract approved by the French Ministry of Labour.

French families and au pair agencies can obtain contracts at the French Ministry of Labour section at the address given in Chapter 3. This needs to be completed and returned accompanied by a medical certificate not more than three months old signed by a doctor, either in French or translated into French. For students planning to work as au pairs you must either produce your student card if you are already studying in France, or produce evidence of your student status if you are applying in the US for your visa. Completed applications including these documents will be approved and stamped by the Foreign Workers section, and one copy stays with the family and one with the au pair.

The American au pair must provide the stamped copy together with evidence of registration at a French language school (NB: evening classes are not acceptable) together with all other documentation required in order to obtain the carte de séjour within eight days of arrival in France. Once the carte de séjour has been obtained, and following a final visit to the Foreign Workers section, you will be granted a renewable temporary work permit of six months.

SEASONAL WORK

The major department stores normally advertise for extra help throughout the traditional busy periods up to and after Christmas and during the sales (soldes). Every year, the CIDJ organises a two-day summer recruitment fair to help students find a summer job. The term job is used now in French, but normally implies low/minimum pay for low calibre work. At the 2001 job fair 25% of the jobs were in the lower end of the hotel and restaurant industries, and 21% were in the commercial sector.

You need to start early on the summer job search if you are planning to work. For more information on this area and all areas of student employment, call in at the CIDJ (Centre de 1’information de la jeunesse) of your university www.cidj.asso.fr. The CIDJ also offers advice on regulations for the employment of students from outside the European Union.

Non-EU students will still be subject to visa formalities but work for up to three months during the summer vacation period is generally accessible. The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) has negotiated reciprocal rights between France and the USA allowing students in full-time American university education or study abroad programmes to obtain temporary work permits. Further details can be obtained from the following addresses:

• Work Abroad, CIEE, 205 East 42nd Street, New York NY10017. Tel: 212 661 1414.
• Work in France, CIEE, 1 place de l’Odéon, 75006 Paris. Tel: 01 44 41 74 74.