There are many ways for foreign graduates to find work in France. Depending on your nationality, you may not need a temporary residency permit.
STAYING IN FRANCE WHEN YOU GRADUATE AND FIND A JOB
Foreign students from a country in the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland may stay in France to look for work after they graduate. They can stay as long as they like. If they are under 28, they can also work as an international volunteer in a French administrative office or company abroad.
On the other hand, in order to stay in France after graduating, non-European students must have a promise of employment or a work contract and be paid at least one and a half times the minimum wage (2,220 euros gross per month in 2017).
Without the promise of employment, a foreign, non-European graduate may request an Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour (APS - temporary resident permit) valid for twelve months and non-renewable, while they seek employment in France. To do this, they must have a professional Bachelor's or a Master's-level degree or be in the process of starting a company.
Students from countries with bilateral agreements with France benefit from particular conditions regarding the issuance of their provisional residence permit (APS): (Senegal, Gabon, Benin, Tunisia, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Lebanon, India). Check out the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or contact the Campus France Office in these countries for additional information about your situation.
Finally, thanks to the new Choose France strategy, starting March 2019 foreigners who have obtained a master's degree in France and returned to their country of origin, will be able to benefit from a residence permit to return to France and look for work.
HOW TO FIND A JOB?
Before starting to look for a job, identify the type of position you're looking for. Then prepare your CV and a cover letter to meet French expectations.
- Keep an eye on websites with job opportunities and create email alerts by saving your search criteria. Pôle Emploi (Employment Centre) lists job ads. APEC (Association Pour l'Emploi des Cadres, the Agency for the employment of Managers in France) website also has some, so make sure you check them regularly.
- Take the time to update your CV and adapt it to the job offer you are applying for.
- Be sure to send spontaneous applications to companies that are of interest to you.
- Be careful with your e-reputation and the information that people can access. Recruiters are more and more frequently using social media.
- Go to job fairs to meet recruiters. CV and cover letter in hand, you will have several interviews in one day. Make sure you are well-prepared.
- Rely on your network.
EXTRA TIPS!
Use your Master degree internship
The internship is often mandatory at a master level. It gives you the opportunity to develop some understanding of the corporate world and apply the theory and skills. If your programme does not require an internship, nothing is preventing you from doing one anyway: it is a good way to strengthen your CV and develop a professional network that you can later mobilise.
Get some help!
Alumni associations, Bureau d’Aide à l’Insertion Professionnelle (BAIP - Professional Insertion Assistance Offices), company relations services, recruitment forums... Many institutions help graduates to find a job.
Contact the Pôle Emploi agency: they assist all job-seekers, regardless of their level of studies.
Activate your professional networks
Let those around you know that you are looking for a job. Professional social networks, such as LinkedIn, can be an appropriate tool!
The alumni networks such as France Alumni, a platform for international graduates who studied in France, are highly effective tools when it comes to find a job or learn about companies that can be of interest tor you.
