Having studied in Paris 3 times (I finished all of them don’t worry) and from 2 different schools, I feel like I have a say on this topic. I’m sure a lot of you are contemplating whether you should come to Paris for your studies or not.
The pandemic has been here for 2 years now and while we are on the 5th wave, I think if you manage to find a suitable fashion program for you, i’d say go for it. Paris is one of the best places to study fashion, the culture, the runway shows and usually the teachers have been working in the fashion industry for years.
However, here are a few tips that I would suggest before studying fashion in Paris.
- Learn French – what level? If you can spend the whole day doing the work of an intern and using only French for communication, then that’s good enough. Even if they tell you that it’s an English program, don’t be so relaxed. Outside your school, you have to deal with everything French. You get more opportunities and support if you speak French.
- Make a Linkedin Profile and resume in French…as soon as you meet people here, add them on Linkedin.
- Join Facebook groups not only for socializing (similar age group or interests) but also for visa and residence cards. I cannot stress this enough. Your school and your french friends, know nothing about your visa requirements. You’re on your own here. So before you even come here…make a list of requirements that you’ll need, the timeline and deadlines.
- Paperwork here takes at least 3 months and that’s before Covid times…now it is only worse. So before you do your long rant how life is unfair, you’ve been warned. Make sure to set alarms for renewals and give each requirement 3 months processing.
- Set a career goal. A lot of people here, including me, get lost in the hurdles we have to face here. We take whatever job we could get, open a company even if we don’t want to, just for the sake of staying here. Paris is not the end goal. It should be a way to achieve your goals.
- Be independent, resourceful and rely on yourself. A lot of people say French don’t help them blah blah. But isn’t it the same when you go to another country?
- Ok, if you notice I keep talking about the admin stuff because for me, that’s the most difficult. On a more fashion-related note, make a list of important places like museums or expositions that are related to fashion. Teachers love it when you’re updated with what’s going on in Paris especially the expositions and fashion events.
- Memorize all the key players for each brand especially if you’re going to a marketing or luxury based schools.
- Skip the beret and the stripes. You don’t need to wear the Parisian cliché outfit. Honestly, no one wears those. You will be respected more if you have your own style. Also, download the Vinted app, it’s a life-saver. As a student, we don’t always have the budget for shopping but Vinted helps.
- Apply for part-time student jobs, even if you don’t need it. First of all, companies don’t care about your work experience in your own countries…I only got replies from companies when I started having jobs with Paris as an address. So while you’re studying, apply for jobs like retail, assistant graphic artist and so on.
- Some key stuff: Students are allowed to work 15 hours per week total. There is another rule that allows you to work for a total number of hours per year. So, if you did not really work for the whole year, you can work for 35 hours in a week, if you still have some hours left.
- RECE or APS is a residence permit that allows us to stay in Paris for one year (two years for some nationalities) to practice what we have learned. While this is a good thing, it does not allow us to switch back to student status (except if you take PhD or a specialization) so plan this wisely. It means that before it expires, you should have gotten a work contract, a work permit and an appointment with the prefecture to switch status. (So give or take, 3 months before it expires).
- Non-EU students need a work permit first. Then you can ask for a change of status from student visa to salarié. This one, I didn’t know until much later. And all of these things required, takes time, so the sooner you can do them, the better.
- Based on my experience, after your studies, do your internship, then look for a job, if they don’t help you get work permit, switch as soon as possible, don’t hang-around thinking they will change their minds.
- Be careful with setting up your own companies as a way to extend your stay here. You need to prove that you’re earning and also taxes can get high. Better test the market first.
- Even if we finish MBA, we don’t get to be managers…even if our RNCP title says so. So for internship, better apply for assistant posts related to your career goal. The French are very strict on previous work experience and education. Everything should be linked or makes sense.
- Always go out and meet people. It’s so easy to be alone and be by ourselves but the more people you talk to, the better.