WELCOME STUDENTS, RESEARCHERS AND FOREIGN ARTISTS IN MOBILITY

Do you want to work while you study? Before looking for a job, contact the authorities to find out about your entitlements and obligations.

Special cases aside, a foreign student can be employed in France by simply presenting one of the following documents:

• Temporary resident permit
• Valid visa used as a resident permit bearing the word “étudiant” (student)
• Receipt for the renewal of a visa used as a resident permit.

A foreign student in France may work up to 60% of the legal annual number of hours (that is, 964 hours a year). The starting point for the reference period for the 964 hours worked is the start date of the period of validity of the resident permit or visa used as a resident permit.

If you work more than 60% of the legal number of hours during the year, you risk losing your temporary resident permit or being refused renewal of your resident permit by the Préfecture de Police.

Prior declaration

Two working days prior to starting work, your employer must make a prior declaration to the Préfecture that issued your temporary resident permit or to the Préfecture of your place of residence if you hold a visa used as a resident permit visa (VLSTS-Visa long-séjour valant titre de séjour).

This employment declaration, along with a copy of both sides of your temporary resident permit, can be submitted by:
Email,
Registered letter with an acknowledgement of receipt.
For Paris, the address for an email declaration is: PREFPOL.DPG-SDAE-6B-DECLAR-PREALABLE-ETUDIANT@interieur.gouv.fr
For the other departments, consult: Coordonnées déclaration d embauche (PDF) (Employment declaration contact details)

An employment declaration includes the following details:
- Company name or full name of the employer, employer’s address, identification system number from the list of companies and their establishments (or failing which the number under which the company makes its Social Security payments)
- Full name, nationality, date and place of birth of the future employee
- Planned start date
- Type and length of contract and annual number of hours
- Number of the future employee’s temporary resident visa or VLSTS (visa used as a resident permit).

Provisional work permit

In some cases, it is essential to request a provisional work permit from the Direction Départementale du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle (DDTEFP) :
- Algerian nationals for whom the provisional work permit is valid for a maximum period of twelve months depending on the type of employment contract involved. An application for this temporary employment permit must be submitted each time the employee changes employer and for each new employment contract. The annual number of hours authorised is also limited to 822.50 hours
- Students having to work more than the legally authorised period of 964 hours as part of their studies, providing they have applied for and obtained prior authorisation from the DDTEFP (see contact details below).

This waiver only concerns:
- Students with an apprenticeship contract signed as part of a course leading to a degree at least equivalent to a Master’s,
- Students whose course includes a period of paid employment (doctoral students employed as part of their thesis, working as an intern, research assistant, auditor, etc).
To find out more details about your obligations depending on your status, register with http://workflow.ciup.fr/citeu/site/demande/demande_services.php?langue=fr and ask your questions. You will receive a personalised answer.

Refer to the section “Useful links” on the right for:
- Job offers and internships in France
- Details about employment, education and training opportunities in Europe
- Information about employment opportunities for young graduates from the Bureaux d’Aide à l’insertion Professionnelle (BAIP) (Employment Integration Assistance Bureau) in your university.

If you are a doctoral student nearing the end of your thesis, Cité internationale has a service to help you find employment. Email baem@ciup.fr