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STUDYING IN FRANCE

EDUCATION

How to survive Paris on a student budget

With students from all over the world descending on Paris this week for the start of a new term, we take a look at the best ways to save money while living in the French capital on a shoestring.

How to survive Paris on a student budget
Are you a student in Paris? Here's how to save some money. Photo: AFP
Paris is a pricey city – even for the Parisians. 
 
The cost of accommodation, food, and the occasional drink (or deux) can be enough to leave you in tears.
 
But don't fret, student life is indeed financially possible – and here's how to manage. 
 
Drink smart
 
If you time your night right, you can drink at happy hour prices all evening. Student hotspots include Place Monge in the 5th arrondissement, Parmentier in the 11th, and Rue de Lappe near Bastille. Pick up a copy of Lylo magazine (or check online) to find free gigs too. And event organization Erasmus Paris also hosts parties every Thursday night at Mix Club, offering free entry before midnight. 
 
 

(Photo: AFP)
 
And remember, France's beer culture isn't like that of the UK or Germany, and don't be surprised to find pints for up to €10. So why not culturally adjust your drinking habits? If you want to get more booze for your buck make like the French and order a verre de vin, at around €3 per glass it’s usually the cheapest drink on the menu. Or do as the French do, and BYO to the canal. 
 
Travel smart
 
If you're serious about saving money in Paris, get a Velib' card. For just €29 you can get a whole year's worth of access to the public bicycles across the city (more info here, in English). 
 

(Photo: AFP)
 
If you're not a fan of bikes or want to avoid the wet weather, grab one of the offers for student metro cards at a price of €333.90 for the year (just under €28 a month). This gets you access to all the zones. The bike is sounding like a very good option…
 
Flash your credentials
 
Never be afraid to tell people you're a student, it may get you discounts where you least expect it. Have a try at museums, cinemas, and tourist sites — some of which will even let you in for free. And eateries in Paris sometimes offer cheaper lunch menus. There's no harm in asking, non?
 

(Photo: AFP)
 
Get a grant
 
Being frugal and spending your euros wisely is important for making a Paris student budget work. However, you don’t have to tighten the purse strings too much because there is financial aid available. The European Commission allocates thousands of student grants per year through their Erasmus Student Mobility scheme. It provides students studying abroad or those on a work placement with around €250 a month. Speak to your home university for information on how to apply.
 
Think before you dial
 
If you hunt around France can be relatively cheap for mobile phone and internet contracts. It’s worth knowing that all home internet boxes come with a phone line included. The monthly charge covers internet, TV and phone calls abroad to landlines. To get the most for your money, use your landline for calling home and then just buy a cheap pay-as-you-go sim, from as little as €2 from FREE, and use that for contacting friends in France.
 

(Photo: JF Sebastian/Flickr)
 
Get a job on the side
 
Students in France can legally work up to 19.5 hours a week during school term, so why not make the most of it? Getting a job as a nanny, an English teacher, or even in an Anglo-pub are all good ways to use your English and practice your French – while earning some cash. Keep an eye out on the noticeboards around the city and at your university too
 

(Photo: Vratislav Darmek/Flickr)
 
Find a CAF
 
France has a number of state benefits to help those not earning, or on low incomes. The housing benefit, provided by Caisse d’Allocations Familiale or CAF, is particularly generous. CAF is available to anyone European or with a valid visa and can be worth up to a few of hundred euros a month. “It's just like free money,” student Mark Thomson from the UK told The Local. Beware though of landlords who don’t declare their rent, as they will not be willing to sign the CAF forms.
 
A look at France's legion of foreign students
(Photo: AFP)
 
Eat smart
 
Eating out in Paris doesn’t have to cost the earth thanks to student cafeterias known as CROUS restaurants, situated on university sites, where you can get a meal for as little as €3. Another budget-friendly bistro is the Flunch chain, whose cafeteria-style restaurants offer a €7 menu including main courses and a drink. 
 

(Photo: AFP)
 
Or why not head into the Marais and try a falafel. These usually come in huge portions for around €5. And never underestimate the trusty baguette and cheese, as many a former student will tell you. 
 
Pick your home carefully
 
This is usually the biggest expense for students in Paris, but there are cheaper options. Paris has a couple of international student residences like Ciup.fr, although places fill up fast. Also try a “foyer” (private residence) which are often run by religious groups – they do tend to be a bit strict on guests of the opposite sex staying over. Flat shares are also worth a try, they’re a good way to slash your rent bill and improve your French by sharing with natives.

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EDUCATION

Inquiry calls for free after-school care for 6-9 year-olds in Sweden

Children between ages 6-9 years should be allowed admittance to after-school recreation centers free of charge, according to a report submitted to Sweden’s Minister of Education Lotta Edholm (L).

Inquiry calls for free after-school care for 6-9 year-olds in Sweden

“If this reform is implemented, after-school recreation centers will be accessible to the children who may have the greatest need for the activities,” said Kerstin Andersson, who was appointed to lead a government inquiry into expanding access to after-school recreation by the former Social Democrat government. 

More than half a million primary- and middle-school-aged children spend a large part of their school days and holidays in after-school centres.

But the right to after-school care is not freely available to all children. In most municipalities, it is conditional on the parent’s occupational status of working or studying. Thus, attendance varies and is significantly lower in areas where unemployment is high and family finances weak.

In this context, the previous government formally began to inquire into expanding rights to leisure. The report was recently handed over to Sweden’s education minister, Lotta Edholm, on Monday.

Andersson proposed that after-school activities should be made available free of charge to all children between the ages of six and nine in the same way that preschool has been for children between the ages of three and five. This would mean that children whose parents are unemployed, on parental leave or long-term sick leave will no longer be excluded. 

“The biggest benefit is that after-school recreation centres will be made available to all children,” Andersson said. “Today, participation is highest in areas with very good conditions, while it is lower in sparsely populated areas and in areas with socio-economic challenges.” 

Enforcing this proposal could cause a need for about 10,200 more places in after-school centre, would cost the state just over half a billion kronor a year, and would require more adults to work in after-school centres. 

Andersson recommends recruiting staff more broadly, and not insisting that so many staff are specialised after-school activities teachers, or fritidspedagod

“The Education Act states that qualified teachers are responsible for teaching, but that other staff may participate,” Andersson said. “This is sometimes interpreted as meaning that other staff may be used, but preferably not’. We propose that recognition be given to so-called ‘other staff’, and that they should be given a clear role in the work.”

She suggested that people who have studied in the “children’s teaching and recreational programmes” at gymnasium level,  people who have studied recreational training, and social educators might be used. 

“People trained to work with children can contribute with many different skills. Right now, it might be an uncertain work situation for many who work for a few months while the employer is looking for qualified teachers”, Andersson said. 

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