Monday, February 16, 2015

EDUCATION SPECIAL .....................France: A New Destination for Higher Studies

France: A New Destination for Higher Studies


With the UK losing sheen as a destination for higher studies, other European countries such as France are becoming popular.

There are now more than 800 masters programmes taught in English, in all fields, across universities in France, besides affordable tuition fees.
“France is the best choice for Indian students who want to study in an international environment and get acquainted with the European way of learning and doing business. For instance, more than 50% of the faculty and student body at HEC Paris or Sciences Po Paris are not French,“ said Caroline Guény-Mentré, attaché for scientific and university cooperation, Campus France in India.She added, that globally , France is the third most popular destination for international students with great research facilities and easy access to world-renowned academics.
Significantly , the Indian student community has been growing in France with about 3,000 having gone there for higher education in 2014, a jump of 15% compared to 2013 and of 50% over the past five years. “In 2015, we are aiming for an even higher growth, especially if the rupee-euro exchange rate remains as favourable as it is now,“ said Guény-Mentré.
To encourage this trend, the French government recently announced advantages for foreign students who wish to stay in France to gain work experience.François Richier, the ambassador of France in India, announced the grant of five-year visas to all Indian alumni of French institutes who hold a masters or any post-graduate degree.
“The five-year visa granted to Indian alumni of French masters and PhD programmes will allow them to travel freely be tween India and Europe ­ that is, not only France, but the entire Schengen area, including Germany , Italy or Switzerland,“ Guény-Mentré said. She added that families would be able to avail themselves of the visas.
“Indian students thus know they will be able to maintain all the connections they will have made during their studies in France.They can also apply for a visa extension of one year to look for a permanent position in France, in keeping with their field of studies,“ Guény-Mentré said.
The fact that higher education in France is considered more affordable than many other western destinations also attracts students from India. “For a two-year masters course at our institute, the tuition works out to about 9,000 a year and all other expenses at 600 a month. 
During the course, international students can do paid internships and after their courses, they can join PhD programmes or jobs with private companies where they will earn an average salary of 1,500 per month to start with,“ said Eric Climent, a joint director at Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, a university that offers various courses in engineering and sciences.
Shreyas Aithal an engineering student from Manipal University who is now doing a MBA at ESCP Europe, chose the course because it is spread over five different European cities. “I am now doing my first year in Paris but will later go to the other campuses as well which will give me an exposure to the business environment across Europe. Besides, US business schools usually have a requirement of longer work experience before joining the MBA courses. I had work experience for a year before I joined this course and the average is same for most of my class. The other advantage is that we are allowed to work for 20 hours a week while doing this course,“ Aithal told ET.
Ishani Duttagupta ET9FEB15

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