How international students gain access to work-study program depends on your nationality, the type of contract you have and your residence permit. Apprenticeship contracts, professionalisation contracts: Spiky tells you all about how to access a work-study program in France!
If you are a foreign student coming from Switzerland or a country in the EU/EEA.
👉You are entitled to benefit from the principle of free movement. You hence do not need to apply for a work permit in order to apply to a work-study program.
👉Once you have a work contract with a company established in France, your work-study program can begin, no matter the type of contract (whether it is a professionalisation or an apprenticeship contract).
👉The documents you need :
A valid identity document
A French social security number
French bank details
If you are a student from Algeria
👉You must have an algerian student certificate of residence, unless you have:
A scientific residence certificate
A certificate of residence for private and family-life
A 10-year residence certificate
👉You employer must file for a work permit before you can start off work.
If you are not a foreign student coming from Switzerland, Algeria or a country in the EU/EEA:
👉If you apply for a work-study program, you must:
Be able to prove that you have lived in France for a whole year already, unless you have been accepted in a state-approved master’s degree
Have a valid residence permit in order to legally live in France. For instance : « private life, family life », the long-term « Student » visa or the “Student” residence permit.
Have a valid ID
Have a French social security number
Have French bank details
👉You can file your application for apprenticeships on the platform Études en France (“Studies in France”), before you ask for your visa (the « je suis accepté » procedure, meaning “I am accepted”).
👉Formalities according to the type of contract:
Apprenticeship contract: the contract has to be approved by the opérateur de compétences (OPCO, skills operator) or the Dreets if it is an apprenticeship in the public sector.
Professionnalisation contract: in order to work more than 964 hours per year, your employer must file for a work permit before you can start off work.
If you are a refugee
👉A number of schemes have been set up for migrant students to help them enter French higher education. Campus France explains everything in this article.
👉You can also get in touch with associations such as :