Those who wish to try living and working in France need to learn a few important things before taking the plunge. Perhaps you’ve been a lover of all things French – a Francophile, if you will – all of your life. Perhaps you picked up a copy of Rocket French and learned to love speaking French language and learning about French culture. Whatever your story is, if you have the desire to try living abroad for a time, it can be done. That is, with the right preparation!

Like many countries, France is careful about immigration. They do so to protect French nationals from outside competition in the workplace, and to avoid overloading the social welfare safety net. France has a high unemployment rate, and isn’t eager to surrender valuable jobs to foreigners.

If you’re going to be staying in France for more than 90 days, you need to obtain a visa de long séjour. Generally, to get this type of visa, you must show that you have medical insurance, pass a police background check, and provide a financial guarantee to ensure you will not need social welfare services. For those wishing to work in France, you must first find a job and obtain a work permit. At this point, you get the visa de long séjour, and head to France. When you’re in France, you must then get a carte de séjour. Your best bet for finding a job in France is to be in a highly specialized field, since French jobs are prioritized first for French citizens, then EU citizens.

Be advised that work permits can be very hard to obtain. An easier way for young people to work around the problem is to consider education in France, and obtain a temporary work permit.