Customer Reviews

Living, Studying, and Working in France: Everything You Need To Know To Fulfill Your Dreams of Living Abroad

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although I've lived on and off in France for seven years now, since buying this book I've realized how far I may have gone, but also how much I've never really quite grasped about the way things are done here.

I wish I'd had this guide before I got here, it would have avoided a lot of misunderstandings.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone considering moving to France, for whatever reason. Roberto, Psris

I purchased a number of worthwhile books to help prepare to move a small Yuppie household across The Pond. In terms of practical matters, Living, Studying and Working (etc.) is clearly the best of all the titles I read. Other books placed so much emphasis on cultural expectations that they completely glossed over the hundreds of complications involved in such a complex transaction. It is this book that convinced my girlfriend (who is French, by the way, and learned quite a bit from this book) and I to postpone our target move date due to the difficulty of securing a work permit/residency, getting a bank account, etc. But it is also this book that shifted my attitude from "what am I getting myself into" to "ok, given preparation, this will work".

This book won't tell you everything (that'd take the fun out of it) but it will tell you lots of little things that really add up. This is one of the books I bought before I moved to France and it definitely helped. There's lots of little details that will make your move and your life in France go smoother. What I liked about it was it covered a wide range of topics, including social differences, taxes, transportation, appartments, etc.

I bought this book for my college-age daughter who was spending a semester studying in France. It was her first solo trip and her first time living solo in Europe. She found the book extremely helpful in learning about the culture and bureaucracy of France. There's lots of information on visas, transportation, money, documents, traveling in France and around Europe, and studying abroad. There's also a good chapter on the people of France that helped her understand attitudes and behavior.

It gives very basic information and should be used as a supplemental guide to other books about living abroad.

As a co-author of a similar book for Italy, I was blown away by how carefully this book has been crafted and written. Living away from home has its challenges, but with a companion guide like Living, Studying and Working and France, I never feel alone. I spend a good amount of time in France and bring a copy of the book each time!

Great reading!

As this book was written in 1999, it is horribly dated for issues concerning living in France today. In addition, its analysis of racial issues in France is overly simplistic. Do not recommend.

Though it may be a bit out-dated, there is plenty of information in this book that was not time-sensitive. It gives you a very good idea what types of hurdles you will approach in searching for a job, buying a house, getting around, and other useful hints and tricks that may pass over your head.

It's been a while since I read it, so I'm sorry for the very abstract review. I do remember that this book had a number of, lists and checklists that really helped me organize in my mind what was necessary in my own job searching approach.

Some of the information was too little too late for me, so I hope people are smarter than I was about reading up on working visas before they leave the country. The process of finding a job in France can be frustrating without a network, which is why this book was a very helpful guide in understanding the amounts of effort involved, and where not to waste time.

It is a great book!
Easy to understand and they give you pratical advice.
Thank you to the authors!!!!!!!!!!

In preparation for a three-year tour in Paris with my wife and children, I purchased this book and five (!) others on the subject of living in France from Amazon.com. While all have their merits, none have adequate coverage of the French legal system and how to work with the police. It shouldn't have surprised me that, in a country whose history contains episodes such as the Reign of Terror after the French Revolution and collaboration with the Nazis during WWII, there is an official process, called "main courant" in which citizens can "denounce," or file official complaints, against their neighbors for things such as having a baby that cries. Suffice it to say, this process, apparently embedded in the culture for centuries, can result in tremendous prolonged misery and stress, even for a Francophile like me, with many, many wonderful French friends. It might have been easier to deal with summons to the police station, investigations by the mayor's office, visits from social workers - all in less than three months of living here - with some advance prep. Thank goodness I work for a supportive company. Be forewarned!