With a population of over 12 million, the region is called home by many French and non-French alike, a crowd speaking a wide variety of languages. Students, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors flock to Paris Region every day to make the most of it.

The Region offers access to world-class academic institutions, business opportunities and a rich quality of life but it’s also the buzz and atmosphere generated by its great cultural melting pot that make it such an attractive, diverse region.

Take a quick glance at some of Paris Region’s most popular communities and learn more about their network, events, institutions and schools.  

Learn French 

Learning French will help you communicate, discover the French culture and mix with locals. To help you in the process, we selected a few websites and apps to help you master Molière’s language. But when it comes to speaking there’s nothing quite like meeting in real life and participating in activities!

Websites & Apps

The Paris Region launched QIOZ, a free e-learning platform for language learning (French, English, Spanish, German), accessible to all region residents of Paris Region over the age of 15, regardless of their level. With Qioz, making progress in French is fun and easy thanks to lessons based on clips from movies, TV series, music videos or news reports… Learn more.   

Many other websites and applications offer daily lessons or exercises for free or at a reduced cost, such as TV5 Monde - the French international TV channel, or Frantastique, Babbel, Duolingo, Busuu, among others.    

For fans of movies, series and documentaries, TV5MondePlus offers many programs in French and in streaming, subtitled in English, Spanish, Arabic and German.

Free #Moocs to Learn French as a Second Language  

The Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France offers French online classes called “Living in France” and “Working in France”. These courses are designed to introduce the French language and French culture to newcomers and touch on topics such as everyday life, civic life or administrative procedures. They target beginners and intermediate speakers (of levels A1, A2 and B1). This MOOC is free and open to anyone!     

A Large Network of Partners for a Smooth Settlement in Paris Region   

Moving to a new country or city is easier when you have experts by your side. To ease the transition to France and help expatriates quickly feel at home in their new host region, many multilingual services and providers are dedicated to supporting expatriate families or companies hosting foreign employees. They can help you: understand immigration formalities, find accommodation or get a guarantor, tour the city, enroll your children in school, open a bank account, learn about cultural differences, find a job, etc.

Foreign students, researchers and PhDs students can benefit from the help and support of dedicated services to fully live their experience in Paris Region such as Campus France and the Acc&ss Centers which will assist them before and during their stay in Paris Region (entry formalities, administrative procedures, daily life…).  

Home to many International Organizations

International organizations play a vital role in Paris Region’s attractiveness and influence. Their economic impact, reputation, soft power, and the activities generated by their presence, reinforce the cosmopolitan image of their host cities. They employ nearly 12000 people in the Paris Region.

They Chose to Live in Paris Region