International Students may work part time if their timetable permits as long as they are registered at an institution approved by the French social security system. Even first year students coming to France for the first time have the right to work part time 20 hrs per week. French legislation now authorizes foreign students to work a maximum of 964 hours per year. In France there is a guaranteed minimum salary, which is € 8.71 gross per hour.
Once you have obtained a degree equivalent to a Master’s or higher degree, you may request a temporary residence permit after expiration of your “student” residence permit. The temporary residence permit is valid for six months and is non-renewable. This permit authorizes you to work in any kind of salaried job you choose, up to a limit of 60% of the legally permitted number of working hours.
If you sign an employment contract that is in a field related to your studies and whose remuneration is at least equal to one and a half times the SMIC, you will then be able to work full time and request a change in status (from student to employee) from the Préfecture administrative offices.
At the end of your studies, you can also be recruited by a company even if you are not an EU national. You will then have to change your legal status (from student to employee) through a specific procedure.
You will have to present an employment contract or an employment offer from a French company. In evaluating your request, the authorities will consider various factors, such as the company’s reasons for making the offer, your profile and the number of years of study completed.