Work in France

The authorization to work during your studies is linked to your residence status.

Failure to comply with the law may result in the withdrawal of your residence permit.

Students from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland

• Work allowed (in addition to studies) within the limit of 964h per year (= 60% of the legal annual working time).
• No need for a work permit.

Students with a student long-stay visa (VLS-TS)or a student residence permit

• Work allowed (in addition to studies) within the limit of 964h per year (= 60% of the legal annual working time).
• Declaration of hiring by the employer at least two working days before the effective date of hiring.
• Please note that the student residence permit does not allow you to be an auto-entrepreneur or micro-entrepreneur.

Algerian students with an Algerian residence certificate

• work (in addition to studies) within the limit of 50% of the annual working time in the branch or profession concerned.
• Temporary work permit (APT) to be requested by the employee on the Étrangers en France platform: https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/

Students with a mineur scolarisé visa

You are not allowed to work.

Students with a court séjour visa

You are not allowed to work.

CV, cover letter and job interview

To find a job, you can apply spontaneously or respond to specific advertisements.

In both cases, you will be asked to provide a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and a cover letter that meet French expectations. Your CV must be up to date and your cover letter must be adapted to the job you are interested in.

If your application is pre-selected, you will most likely be asked to attend a job interview. This interview will allow the employer to get to know you better and confirm or not the hiring.

Job search websites

Your job must be, as required by the regulations, “incidental”, it must not disrupt the smooth running of your studies. Each year UNICAEN and the Crous Normandie offer students job offers that are compatible with the university calendar.

• Job offers on the UNICAEN Career Center platform
• Job offers on Pôle Emploi
• Infos Jeunes Normandie

Salary

Most students receive a salary based on the minimum wage, the SMIC, i.e. 11.27€ gross/hour (as of January, 2023), which, after deduction of compulsory social security contributions, amounts to a net amount of 8.92€ per hour.

Essential documents

Your employer must provide you with :

• a signed employment contract
• monthly pay slips

Many courses include mandatory internships (6 months maximum/924 hours).

These internships are not a job:

• the internship must be the subject of a tripartite agreement between the host organization, the higher education institution and the student.
• It is not necessary to request a work permit.
• It does not count towards the 964 hours of work allowed for international students.

If the internship lasts for more than two consecutive months (more than 308 hours), the internship company or organization must pay the student an hourly bonus of €4.05 (as of January 1, 2023).

After their studies, many international students want to stay and work in France.

The legilsation varies depending on your residence status.

Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA)

You can stay in France as long as you wish, whether you are employed or looking for a job.

International students (outside Europe)

From bachelor’s degree to master’s degree (or equivalent), the rules depend on the level of your diploma and your professional project: in most cases, you will have to apply for a residence permit as an employee or temporary worker if you have signed an employment contract (or a promise to hire) within the two months preceding the expiration date of your student residence permit.

Master’s degree students can also apply for a carte de séjour recherche d’emploi / création d’entreprise (RECE) in order to look for a job or start a business at their local prefecture.  For Calvados residents, this application must be made on the Internet (pre-application for change of status): https://www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/pref14-titredesejour-changementdestatut