Based on the popular blog ‘Stuff White People Like‘, Paris wine guide Olivier Magny takes you through Parisian quicks and tics – an absolute must read for anyone trying to understand what makes Parisians Parisians.
http://www.o-chateau.com/blog/
The Paris Blog
The Paris blog aggregates several blogs written by expats in Paris. It’s always on top of what’s going on in Paris.
Gridskipper Paris
If you’re looking for ideas of where to go this weekend, you’ll be spoilt for choice going through Gridskipper’s Paris archives.
http://gridskipper.com/tag/paris
I V Y Paris News
Artist’s group I V Y paris keeps you up to date on the Paris cultural scene. Keep an eye out for their monthly events!
Swagger Paris
When you get to Paris, you’ll probably want to go through your wardrobe. Chic, cool, bobo, or absolutely ridiculous, you’ll find inspiration to find your own Parisian look.
Moving to a new place where you may not know many people is never easy, even less so when you don’t speak the language and the city is a big as Paris. And the truth is, the city can sometimes feel like an isolating place.
But there’s no need to sit at home alone feeling lonely! Last week I told you about the Pastas parties, but there are a whole host of things you can do to get out and meet people!
Kunveno Exchange
For the culturally and globally minded amongst you, Kunveno helps expats to feel at home in Europe and loves to share events that its members suggest.
Angloinfo
One of the largest directories of information for English-speaking expats around the world, Angloinfo has a host of links to organisations, clubs, and associations in the Paris area. There’s sure to be something for you!
http://paris.angloinfo.com/af/4/paris-&-ile-de-france-community-life-paris-and-ile-de-france.html
Meetups
Meetup.com has loads of groups that meet up on a regular basis around all sorts of themes and interests.
http://www.meetup.com/fr/cities/fr/paris/groups/
Language Exchanges
If you need to practice you’re French, a language exchange is a perfect way to brush up on your language skills while helping others to learn English or another language. Try the two links below!
http://letthemtalk.com/parler-in-the-park.html
Are you looking to meet people in Paris? Are you organising an event? Let us know below!
As a major European capital, Paris has a diverse and active employment market. Many companies have their French, European, or even global headquarters here, which makes for great opportunities in the managerial and secretarial sectors. As Paris is a major leisure and business tourist center, there are also many jobs to be had in hotels, restaurants, and museums.
If you’re coming from the UK, congratulations! As EU citizens you have full working and residence rights in all of France, so you can bypass the next section.
Do I need a visa to work in Paris?
If you’re from outside of the EU, then the answer is absolutely yes! So how do you get one of these bad boys?
In order to get a work visa, you’ll need an employer to sponsor you for the visa. For them, they’ll have to pay a tax and be willing to go through a procedure that could take up to six months. They’ll also need to prove that they weren’t able to find someone in the local job market to fill the position.
Working without a visa is not recommended. In France, working is heavily regulated and the penalties for the employee as for the employer are very heavy. Workers without a visa are generally in low skilled, backroom employment, and are generally easily replaceable.
So how can I find a job in Paris?
Thanks to the internet, it’s quite easy to put up your French CV onto an online job search site such as Monster.fr or Talents.fr. I’d also recommend uploading it to the Pole Emploi website, which is the government agency that looks after job seekers.
Also, if you have contacts in Paris, use them! Networking is quite important in filling jobs in France, and who you know is almost as important as what you know. Many jobs are filled before the advertisement is even published.
Where are the jobs located in Paris?
The jobs could really be anywhere in the region, although the major commercial centres aren’t always within the city limits. There are many offices in western Paris, particularly in the 1st, 2nd, 8th, and 16th arrondissements. However, you can also find many jobs in La Defense or even to the north around Stade de France.
Do you work in Paris? How did you get your job? Share your story below!
As I talked about at some length in my article yesterday, housing in Paris is expensive due to a long-running housing shortage and high demand. Today I’ll give you a rundown on housing in Paris’s neighbourhood, and try to give you an idea of where you might be able to get the most for your money.
Central Paris
The first four arrondissements are smack in the center of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. It covers areas around the Louvre, the Paris Stock Exchange, Les Halles, and the Marais. You probably won’t find too many apartments in the first two arrondissements as buildings are mostly for commercial use and tourism. Rents can be slightly cheaper here than in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, which collectively are known as the Marais. The Marais was considered to be a rather run down area until about ten or fifteen years ago, when the neighbourhood gentrified considerably thanks to places such as the Centre Pompidou and the arrival of artists and a great nightlife. If you’re looking for a decent value here, try looking towards the northern part of the districts, around the Porte Saint-Denis and towards République.
The Left Bank
The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh arrondissements are amongst the most expensive (particularly the Fifth, which is the most expensive Paris district and where rents increased by 10% in 2008). This part of Paris includes the famous Latin Quarter, where the Sorbonne university is location, and the Eiffel Tower, along with several government ministries.
If you’re looking to live here, I’d suggest you try around the Boulevard Saint Germain, in the sixth. But even there, prepare to pay for the privilege.
West Paris
The eighth and sixteenth arrondissements are quite similar in a way, but also very different from one another. The Eighth includes the Champs Elysées and the Parc Monceau. It’s known for expensive hotels and chic chain boutiques. Again, it’s another district where there’s a lot of business, but there are also some apartment s to be had. Try looking along the border with the seventeenth arrondissement.
The sixteenth arrondissement is known as being residential and staid, although there are some people who swear by it. It tends to go for wealthy families, but studios are easier to come by in this area. Nightlife and transport are somewhat lacking, however.
Batignolles and Montmartre
The 17th and 18th districts lie on the northern outskirts of Paris. The 17th is quite divided – there’s a relatively wealthy area towards the south and west, and a gentrifying area to the north and east. The 18th includes the famous Montmartre, but also cheaper areas around Pigalle (think of the Moulin Rouge), Barbès and La Chapelle. In either of these areas you can expect to pay on average 21,7€ per month per square meter, and it’s quite popular with both students and young professionals.
The East
The large swath of land from the 19th down to the 12th via the 20th is probably amongst the cheaper areas of Paris. It’s also quite residential, but an entirely different type of population than the 16th. It’s mostly working-class type of people. In these areas you can find La Villette where the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie is found, and Belleville.
The South
You can also find some great deals on apartments in the 13th, 14th, and 15th districts along the southern fringe of Paris, although for slightly more expensive than in the eastern parts. It’s primarily residential, and commute times can en up being quite long. The 15th is known as being more family oriented, while the 13th is more young professional, artistic, and with a strong Chinese quarter.
Do you have any questions? Are you looking for somewhere to live in Paris, and need some advice? Ask me in the questions!
Paris is a great city to live in, there’s no doubt about it. However the fact that it draws so many people to it leads to its major drawbacks.
Housing in Paris is expensive
Paris is an expensive place to live. Apartments don’t come cheap, and the few houses that exist (yes there are some!) are even more expensive. Paris, even more so than the rest of France, suffers from a lack of housing. This has two repercussions: a) rents are expensive and b) landlords are picky.
In Paris you can expect to pay at least 20€ per square meter per month in rent, and the smallest studios are 9 square meters large, the minimum space for housing by law. So in your head, you calculate 180€ per month for such a studio. In fact, the rents are much higher than this. The lowest you’ll probably find is around 350€, and don’t expect the studio to be of high quality.
Studios are the most sought-after type of housing in Paris. Counting the number of people that come to study here, plus the number of young professionals just starting their career, and the demand for studios is very high while the offer is pretty low. So if you’re thinking in terms of value for money in your housing, a studio isn’t necessarily the best deal, but it may be all you can afford. Larger studios can go for up to around 700€ depending on the size and neighborhood, but if you can scrap together even 800€, you may be able to find yourself a one bedroom apartment.
Life in Paris is busy
In France we have a saying for a typical Parisian lifestyle: métro-boulot-dodo, which translates as subway-work-sleep. If you’re living in the Paris area, it’s not uncommon to spend an hour getting to work in the morning, and the same to get home. Urban planning in the region has been centred around major pools of housing being to the east and north, while the work is to the west and south of the city. This has led to some long commutes, although it is possible to find work near your flat, or vice-versa.
With this kind of commuter lifestyle, it’s no wonder that people can be frazzled, particularly on days when the metro and/or trains have problems. In addition to this, Paris has a large number of young single professionals who like to go out after work. Depending on your social network, you could find yourself juggling a lot of invitations. Which kind of leads me to my next point.
Paris can be isolating
Parisians are busy. Like New Yorker and Londoners, Parisians have a lot on their plates – staying late at work, movies, theatres, visits to art galleries, seeing friends, etc. If you only see your Parisian friend once a month, it’s not that they don’t like you. They do, it’s just that they have so much going on.
OK this is a huge generalisation, but it can be true of some people. There is so much going on in Paris and that you may have friends in the same city that you only see once every month or two. This can lead to a feeling of social isolation in a way, but if you want to get to know someone, take the initiative, call them up and ask when you can get together. It may not be right away, but if they’re your friend, you will get an appointment.
What are your gripes about living in Paris? Tell us in the comments!
All this week, I’ll be exploring life in Paris from a practical point of view. We all know Paris as a city of bakers and hairdressers, a city of museums where history seeps from every stone. But what is it like to really live here?
Paris, a city of diverse work opportunities
As a major tourist centre, Paris offers any number of opportunities for English speakers to work in related trades: as guides in museums, in hotels and bars. As the capital of France, the city contains all of the ministries of government that offers plenty of work for bureaucrats – and with the number of foreigners attracted to the city, translation and interpretation services are in great demand. Also Paris is a major economic centre for Europe and houses many of the world’s largest corporate headquarters. With all of these opportunities it’s no wonder that Paris has one of the highest GDP per capita in the world.
Culture on every corner
As we all know, Paris is a city of museums. But it is also brimming with art galleries offering everything from established artists to unknown students waiting to be discovered. The city also offers a number of theatres and concert halls that makes it almost mandatory for any artist doing a world tour. But in addition to the famous playhouses like the Folies Bergères and the Théatre du Châtelet and concert halls such as Bercy, l’Olympia, and the Bataclan, Paris has innumerable small underground theatres and bars that welcome small productions and singer-songwriters. With this amount of choice you could easily see a play or concert every night if you wanted to.
Great transport links
Paris is a great city to leave (ask any Parisian, and they’ll tell you the same). As wonderful as it is, sometimes you do just need to get away. As the capital of France, all roads lead here. Paris has great highways that radiate out to France’s major cities. You don’t need a car, however, as the trains and the famous TGV high-speed railways can take you away just as easily (oftentimes easier) than the highways. The city also has two major airports – Roissy (aka Charles de Gaulle) and Orly – that gives the city unrivalled links to the rest of the world.
All of these things unite to make Paris a major attraction for people all over France and the world. However, there are some major drawbacks, and I’ll discuss these tomorrow. To keep up with the series on Paris and learn more about life in France, sign up for free to my RSS feed!
What is it you like about Paris? Share with us below in the comments!
Pastas Party organises Sunday night dinners in major cities across France. The conditions: you must be single, love pasta, and be ready to meet people! It’s the perfect antidote to the Sunday night blues that hit when you realise that you’ve got to go to work the next day.
If you’re looking to meet French people (and maybe even your future significant other), there’s no better way to get to know one than over a big plate of pasta. OK, it could be any dish, but in this case it’s pasta. It’s also a great way to practice your French!
Pastas parties are held most Sundays in Paris, and once a month in Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg and Lille, and from September the concept is heading south to Nice, Toulouse, and Montpellier. The exact location of the dinner is kept secret until your presence is confirmed a few days before the event. For more information, see the Pastas Party website (in French) or join the Pastas Party group on Facebook.
Tonight at the ‘Arts et Métiers‘ museum Via Diffusio is organising a special nighttime exhibition that will be sure to take your breath away!
The museum will be opening its doors to the public at 9 PM for a guided visit of the latest works from John Hamon, the Collectif 1980, and Alice Mulliez. The focus is on how different light installations can affect our view of the same artwork.
Once the exhibition is finished, the museum, housed in a 12th century chapel and convent, will be transformed into two massive dancefloors with sets from no less than 7 DJs. The party will rock until 5 AM, and you won’t want to miss a minute!
Musée des Arts et Métiers, 60 rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris. Métro line 3, Arts et Métiers station. From 9 PM to 3 AM. Entry: 8€.
The Longest Conga Line in the World
If you’re going to be in Paris on 21st June, you won’t want to miss the latest event organised by Improvisons!, one of Paris’s largest flashmob organisers.
At 3 PM, join them at an as-of-yet undisclosed location to spontaneously (well, that’s what everyone else will think) conga your way through the streets of Paris before heading off to the annual street music festival, the Fête de la Musique. Kit yourself out in lively colours and bring your friends to what will promises to be a lot of fun!
For more information, see http://www.improvisons.com/chenille-geante/#more-561 or see their event on Facebook.
Have a hot tip on a future event in France? Drop me a line!