Hey there Sarah,

All a bit deja vu! I have experienced both situations Bevdeforges raised above. Im from the UK and last year did a 1 year work placement with my company in Tokyo, they were obliged to pay for accomodation and stick to matching my UK pay level.

I returned to the UK for a couple of months and then took a permanent position in Paris again with the same company. I was hit with a 0.85 mulitplier to my wage for CoL. You might find that the company you work for has a specific level which they will apply as was the case when I moved. A good idea is to look at French job agencies for your own job if you have any concerns, I found even with the multiplier I was still earning well above what most companies were offering for a similar job.

With regards to accomodation, the FUSAC is a good option. I ended up getting my apartment via an agency (found via googleing!), this will mean paying high agency fees though. Since Ive moved in Ive certainly got my monies worth via refurbs and maintenance though, they have been very helpful and they handle all the utilities for me (Not sure if you know but admin in France is just crazy). As a guide I got a 55 m2 1 bed apartment on Ile Saint Louis for 1700 Euros per month, I think it was a bargain given the location, I may be wrong!

You should also look as soon as possible into sorting out a bank account if you are being paid locally. As I experienced it can be a long and painful process...in the end I just went after a few banks and went with the one which processed everything the quickest which was HSBC they do a good account for foreigners moving to France.

You mentioned you are negotiating...what I managed to get from my company for the move was:

They paid the first months rent, the agency fees and the deposit of my apartment.
They paid for a professional removals company to shift my things.
They are paying for 50 hours of french lessons!
Two return tickets back to the UK per year.

But generally, although it may feel like CoL is a big issue (and it is!) my location, the atmosphere, the work environment and the city/people far outweigh the numbers on my salary slip. I always stop for Chocolat Chaud and a Crossaint on the way to work...a 20 minute Metro journey into work and a normal working schedule of 7-8 hours per day is heaven!

Sorry about the long email, if more questions come up do let me know! I found it totally confusing moving round the world so I understand how great it is to hear about someones experiences and tips!

Good luck!

Col