Hello,Have you ever given a thought that how important role the native language can play if you plan to study in the respective country ? The article below is dedicated mainly to the French higher education and the opportunities for students there.

No matter wherever you are going, the native language will help you become more independent, self confident and integrated with the culture and society. Today’s students are aspirants and more open to internationalization however they don’t devote enough time to foreign languages and realize it’s importance in their future career. Imagine your impression on people seeing your linguistic ability in prospects. This will be an add on to your personality and will reflect how motivated you are.

ClickOnFrench provides basics of French language anywhere, anytime to everyone .Studying French language becomes much easier and faster because of the online course that allows you to choose your time and place to learn. The level they get after this course allows them to communicate in French and gives them many opportunities like to work in a French company,travel,study,work in France and know more about the French culture. So let’s share the essential aspects which an Indian student should know before going to France.

There are some French universities which are supported by the government of France so the fees are very nominal, between 150 and 400 Euros. However the private schools can charge up to 8000 euro’s /year. The students who cannot afford private schools can avail scholarships and also receive a monthly stipend up to 450€/month. Also, the students can receive money assistance from a government organization called CAF which is intended to partially cover their rent. Not only student but anyone with limited resources can be benefited by this help. There are two types of housing subsidies paid by the CAF: APL and ASL.The accommodation fees depend on which kind of residence you chose .If it is a residence for academic scholar it will be less expensive than a private one. Students can have part time jobs after their courses and on weekends. The most important condition of finding a job is to know the language. The most popular jobs for students are pamphlet distributors, waiters, hostess in restaurants and hotels, bartenders, babysitters, part time tutor etc. For the above mentioned jobs, the most important requirement is to interact with French people, and if they don’t know how to speak french the chances to find a job diminuate a lot. Being a student in France gives you lot of discounts at Cinema, Discotheques, Museums, Fast-Food Restaurants, public transport as you are provided with student card by the university. Also, Restaurants at university offer meals at very affordable price to the students. As there is lot of international restaurants in France you can find almost everywhere an Indian Restaurant. In each town students can find support organizations for finding a job, information, know more about the town and its events etc.

Here ,we have a chance to present you a real example of an Indian student who won a scholarship in Lille at IESEG School. After this beautiful experience he has returned to India and is working with an Indo-French company.

Hi Ashish, tell us please when you went to France, and for how long?

I went to France for one and half years in 2009

Tell us about your scholarship, how you heard about it, how did you got it?

I was looking for a good business school to do my masters; meanwhile I came to know about Campus-France (A unit of French Embassy for its culture and education) where they guide students for any field of education. I took the Information about the business schools and how to get scholarship from campus France. I applied for IESEG School of Management (a top ranking business school) and also got the 50% scholar ship in course fees on the performance of essay writing and interview.

Why you chosen France?

As France is well known for its culture and famous for its education programs, more are in the field of business and management, an exposure to studying in Europe, imbibing culturally as well as through internship program the work ethos of Europe, I believe that the choice to pursue higher studies in management in France was definitely helpful for me in achieving my aim.

Was it expensive for you to live in France?

It was not very expensive comparing to Indian schools for MBA program, as French Govt. helps every student to pay their house rent (around 40%) and also one can easily get part time job on weekends to bear daily expenses.

Tell us about your impression about France, what did you find special?

From my experience I can never forget the impression of French culture from my mind. It was great for me to go and study in France and exploring French culture. For example- French food i.e. cheese and wine is really great to experience.French environment is full of respect and courtesy.

Do you plan to go there again? If yes, what will be objectives?

Yes, I would like to go to France often in Future; I always wanted to be connected to French people and its culture as a result I am working with a French company in India.

How do you think this experience will help you in future?

Of course being in France for Masters really helped me to well versed with business, culture, geographical and political issues concerning not only France but also Europe. Today companies from French speaking nations own around 10% of world business. So knowing about French culture, business style and behavior will definitely help me to work with these companies.

What would be your message to all Indian students?

France is amazing country to explore and learn. Being in France helps not only to explore French culture but also to explore European Culture, which really can help one in career as Europe is a huge trading partner of India and is amongst the biggest investors today in high technology, infrastructure development. If one is planning to go to France I suggest that it is must to learn Basics of French language and culture before leaving to France. I am always thankful to Campus-France and Click on French to help me in learning about French culture and French language.

Thanks to Ashish through him we discovered that to go abroad and study in France is not at all difficult as knowing the french language helped him accomplish his studies and have comfortable stay there.

Lilia Botnari

Community Manager ClickOnFrench