All foreign students in France, irrespective of their nationalities or level of education, have the right to work both on and off campus up to 964 hours per year. However, non-EU students must possess a student resident permit.
This article explains the rights of the students on various work and business-related subjects.
Part-time Jobs
- International students are allowed to work 964 hours or the equivalent of 60% of the maximum working hours permitted per year.
- This period is counted between the starting and ending dates of your student resident permit.
- Different rules apply to Algerians and so they are only allowed 50% of the maximum working hours permitted per year.
- Students working at their host college or university are only allowed to work up to 670 hours between 1st September and 30th June and limited to 300 hours between 1st July and 31st August.
- This limit is applied to create a balance between their study and work hours which might overlap sometimes.
Internships
During the course:
- Internship hours which are mandatory for completing the course are not deducted from the 964 hours annual work limit.
- A “convention du stage” agreement must be signed by the institution, the organization hosting the student, and the student.
- Internships lasting more than 2 months must be paid. It must be at least 650€ per month (since 1st January 2024).
- The minimum hourly rate for an internship is 4.35€.
- Income earned during these internships is exempted from income tax declarations up to the limit of 20,815 €. The income above this limit is taxable and must be declared.
After Graduation:
- These internships will be considered regular work, so they do not enjoy any of the exemptions mentioned earlier including the hours and taxation.
- These internships require a Convention du Stage too.
- However, you won’t be able to obtain this document from your college or university because it requires a student status.
- But, you can get it via 3rd part organizations like Fac for Pro, BeStudentAgain, etc by paying a fee of around 200 euros.
Alternance
- International students are allowed to do the alternance like French students. It is a work-study program with alternating periods at their college and employer.
- They must sign a “contrat de professionalization” agreement for doing the alternance. It can be a CDI or CDD contract.
- The hours worked will be deducted from the 964-hour student work limit. If they plan to work more than this limit, their employers must apply for a work permit “autorisation de travail”.
- You can refer to the following article for more details. French Work Permit – Everything To Know
- The minimum gross monthly salary must be 70% of the minimum wage (SMIC), currently 1,236.85€.
- If the employee holds a vocational baccalaureate or a qualification or an equivalent diploma level, this minimum salary level is increased to 80% of the minimum wage (SMIC), currently 1,413.54€.
Freelancing
- Unfortunately, non-European students are not allowed to Freelance during their studies in France.
- This prohibition applies even to the work done under a foreign entity and income in a foreign currency received in your foreign bank account.
Entrepreneurship
- Unfortunately, non-European students are not allowed to create a business during their studies in France.
- For example, delivery jobs that require micro-entrepreneur status such as Deliveroo, etc are not allowed.
- You can refer to the following article for more details. FAQ – Can A Non-European Student Have A Micro-Entrepreneur Status Along With a Student Visa?
APS Master and Carte de Sejour RECE
- Holders of these resident permits can work full-time if the job is related to their masters and if the salary is a minimum of 1.5 times SMIC (currently 2650.38 € since 1st Jan 2024).
- If these 2 conditions aren’t satisfied, they can work only part-time for 964 hours per year.
- You can refer to the following article for more details about APS. APS : French Job Search Or Business Creation Resident Permit
Sources & References
- Un étudiant non européen peut-il travailler en France ? service-public.fr
- Stage d’un étudiant en milieu professionnel service-public.fr
- Impôt sur le revenu – Comment est imposé le salaire d’un apprenti ? service-public.fr
- Peut-on devenir auto-entrepreneur quand on est étranger ? portail-autoentrepreneur.fr
- APS Master and CdS RECE prasanthragupathy.com
- Recherche d’emploi – Création d’entreprise france-visas.gouv.fr
- Création d’entreprise : quelles sont les démarches à effectuer ? economie.gouv.fr
- Comment faire pour embaucher un salarié étranger ? service-public.fr
Hello,
My name is Nana, I’m a non-EU student. I have been in alternance with a company for the past two years. My contract is ending at the end of this month. And for this year, according to my school’s timetable, I have been working full time since May 2024. So I’m way above the 964 hour limit. My question is, for the remaining months of the year, do I have the right to get another student job?
Hello Nana,
A non-EU student can work only 964h per year as explained in the article.
If this limit was exhausted, then the employer must apply for a work permit known as “autorisation de travail”. When the new year starts (not necessarily Jan), the 964h work limit will be reset.
Hello! I am Surr. I am currently employed and I am on my APS but my employer has already started the process for my work permit in August and according to the work limit on APS I will have time only until the end of October . My question is do I need to stop working because the prefecture takes so much time to reply and my hours will be exhausted? Thank you for your help
Hello Surbhi,
Please refer to Q7 in the FAQs section of https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/01/aps-french-job-search-or-business-creation-resident-permit/