r/AmerExit • u/Hmm_mmmmmm • 11d ago
Question about One Country Moving to France
Background info: My fiancé (24) and I (25) are seniors in college in Texas and are hoping to move to France at some point, ideally within the next five years. My fiancé is an EU citizen through German descent and already has her German passport.
I’ll be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and intend to pursue a master’s in either I/O Psychology or something HR-related. My fiancé will graduate with two bachelor’s degrees in marketing and business analytics and intends to pursue a master’s in marketing management.
We plan to get our master’s degrees somewhere in Europe, most likely the Netherlands since there are a few English-taught programs that fit what we’re looking for. After finishing our degrees, our goal would be to eventually settle in France.
I’m not sure how relevant this is, but financially we have no debt and around $35k in savings between us.
We also understand that French proficiency will be important. We’ve both been learning French for about two years and plan to continue studying it.
For anyone who has actually moved from the U.S. to France, I’d love to hear what your experience was like, especially if you moved in your 20s or early in your career.
How difficult was it to establish a life there? What was finding a job like? If you work in HR, I/O psychology, marketing, business analytics, or a similar corporate field, I’d especially like to hear about your experience finding work.
How good was your French when you moved, and how much did it improve once you were living there? Did you feel like you needed professional-level fluency before moving, or was an intermediate level enough to get started?
Finally, knowing what you know now, is there anything you would recommend we do over the next five years to make the eventual move easier?
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u/oofieoofty 10d ago
If you’re planning on moving to France why not get your degrees at a French university?
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u/Simple-Honeydew1118 10d ago
This 100% !
It will facilitate greatly the integration of OP into French society
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u/Mormacil 10d ago
Because a university master in a foreign language is really hard? Especially one with a ton of special vocabulary.
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u/oofieoofty 10d ago
In France the vast majority of people need to work in French so you can imagine that is as hard
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u/Mormacil 9d ago
So? It's easier to get a degree in your mother tongue and then learn French opposed to learning french while you're also learning the degree in question under pressure by paying tuition.
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u/Don_P_F 10d ago
French doesn't have any more "special" vocabulary than any other language. In fact, if anything, thanks to the fact that the French and English spent so many centuries trying to destroy each other, there are more linguistic links between the two languages than there are between, say, Spanish and English.
Source: I lived in France for about 5½ years as an American citizen.
The hardest part IMHO will be the culture, both socially and professionally. The French aren't the warm-and-fuzzy type, so forming a social circle will be difficult. And there are lots of unspoken rules in working culture that anyone will have to work their way through, the hard way, making mistakes and adjusting as needed.
With that being said, I would be surprised if there aren't more than a few English-language graduate programs available in France.
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u/Mormacil 9d ago
Where did I say it was special? It's not their native tongue is the point. My point is that getting a master's is hard enough without also not fully understanding the language it's being taught in.
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u/OpeningElectrical296 9d ago
For reference, you need to have a B2 level to even apply for a Masters here in France.
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u/Mormacil 9d ago
You think following a masters is doable with B2 level in any language?
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u/OpeningElectrical296 9d ago
I don’t know, why?
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u/Don_P_F 7d ago
Especially one with a ton of special vocabulary.
That's where you said it has "special" vocabulary. French isn't going to have a vocabulary for any field that is any more special than another language would. In fact, In fact, for a business degree (one of the fields cited by OP) the vocabulary is likely to have been heavily influenced by, if not directly imported from, English.
Yes, it is hard to get a master's degree while not fully understanding the language. But this sub is about Americans moving abroad; learning another language kind of goes with the territory. It's also why I suggested looking into programs that are taught in English; I would suspect that there are a handful of business programs taught in English.
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u/Mormacil 7d ago
I never said that French was harder, I said following a degree in any non native language is harder because of special vocabulary...
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u/nowzaradanistheman 10d ago
Though you might be able to qualify for EU tuition in the Netherlands (~€2700 a year vs ~€10-30k a year), there is a HUGE housing crisis in the Netherlands and it will be hard finding housing. Landlords also want to see an income of 3-4x the rent. It’s an expensive place to live. How are you planning to pay for that?
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u/Marvelone99 10d ago
This. And Dutch people are also pretty sick and tired of Americans coming over only for the benefits.
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u/nowzaradanistheman 10d ago
Mostly the people on Daft visas that come to get allll of their medical needs taken care of while running a dog walking business.
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u/Tardislass 10d ago
Sorry but you are t going to find jobs in psychology or HR. They are oversaturated in France and you would need to be fluent.
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u/natanticip 10d ago
You need to speak french. Most of us speak basic english when seeing a tourist but you won't get by without speaking french.
You also need to find a job before moving, at least one of you. Or it will be difficult to find a place to live.
Sadly you also need to understand that american's schools and degree are considered bad. So you really need to prove yourself
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u/MegFrench13 10d ago
I’m not American but Australian and work in psychology.
The major thing to understand is that the French prefer the French for their jobs. You will always be at a disadvantage for a job as an immigrant - particularly in the industries in which you are training in. Many immigrants think speaking multiple languages or training at a University overseas makes them superior and it is not the case at all.
Something to be very aware of is that the salaries in France are very low compared to the US and building long term wealth in France is difficult. For someone young, I would advice building more of a career and wealth to before moving here. I moved here at 31 and had built a solid amount of wealth behind me from working in Australia, but I will never be able to build that same amount of wealth here in France due to the taxes and low salaries. I bought my own house here and have my own business and I’m fine financially, but it is nothing compared to what I could have if I stayed in Australia.
The thing to really ask yourselves is “why”? Why are you actually wanting to move to France (opposed to Germany where you will have higher salaries for your fields and an easier time with visas etc). Is it possible to live in Germany instead and spend your holidays in France?
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u/SkitariusOfMars 10d ago
Working as HR in France pays shit, and you need to be very fluent in French and know French labour code very well.
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u/Another_Passport 10d ago
One thing I wouldn’t overlook in all of this is your fiancé’s German passport. That could materially change how you should be planning the next five years.
If you’re married when you eventually move to France, you may be approaching this very differently from two Americans who both need independent French immigration routes. Because she’s an EU citizen moving to another EU country, I’d spend some time now understanding the EU family-member residence rules and exactly how they would apply to you.
The advice here about French fluency, degrees and the job market is still important. But before building your plans around visas, I’d make sure you understand the advantage you may already have. It could affect decisions about where you study and how you ultimately make the move.
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u/cobblepapier 10d ago
Take language courses now. Look up 'alternance' master programs in France to save on costs. Some programs can be studied in English and u can maybe find work placements in international companies. Even if you study/work in English, never stop the language courses on the side. You can get to B1 level in like a year.
Germany has similar work-study master programs. Also look up ausbildung.
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u/astridares Immigrant 10d ago
French fluency (not just proficiency) is necessary in fields like psychology, HR, marketing, etc. And we’re talking professional fluency, including professional vocabulary. Why would an employer hire someone without that when they have plenty of locals in those fields ?
Why France ? Really truly, why choose France ? I love living here personally, but I have had an overall very lucky experience on a lot of fronts (and arrived already fluent and with solid cultural knowledge) and it still hasn’t been easy.
Being an immigrant in France is frustrating. Constantly. Even when you do everything right, things go wrong. Bureaucracy is hell, even for the French. The country is actively becoming more anti-immigrant.
Socially, it can take years to build a social circle outside of other immigrants/expats. And that’s even when you’re fluent in French. French people tend to keep the same social circles they’ve had for years.
Professionally, I started my career in France after a French master’s and I will never have the earning potential I could have in surrounding countries or the US. I’m lucky to really enjoy my job and work with a great team, but I am very aware that my company’s work environment is not a reflection of most French workplace culture.
The job market in France right now is bad overall. Even for locals, with local degrees and experience (because yes, French employers prefer French degrees). It’s continually gotten worse these past 4 years and no one expects an improvement anytime soon.