Winning Scholarships, Mastering French, and Working in Paris

I am Monash Taneja. I work as a senior analyst at Global Sovereign Advisory in Paris. I completed my master’s in management from HEC Paris Business School. I spoke with Leap about my journey for their student expert series—Indians who had studied abroad recently and are still in that country pursuing their dreams—because I want to help others wanting to take the same career path that I took.

Q. Tell us about your background.

I'm from a small town called Panchkula in Haryana. I was born and brought up there. And I did my undergrad in a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from IIT Kharagpur. And then I worked at BlackRock for one and a half years before moving to France to pursue a Master's. Even though I did civil engineering, I realized I was not into roads and construction. But at the same time, I also knew I wanted to make an impact, and I wanted to really have an impactful job, that has some meaning to do it. 

At BlackRock, it was a pure finance job. One of the reasons I came to Europe was also because there are a lot of headquarters of policy think tanks like EBRD and OECD, which work towards policy making, which was more impactful, I would say. That is why I came here; I thought that would shape my career in the way I wanted. Now, as part of my current job, we advise governments all across the world on their policies and monetary policies.

Q. Why did you choose Paris and HEC?

I had been learning French since the sixth standard. I also dropped Hindi to pursue French in my board, so that's another level of commitment. I always imagined myself living in Paris because that's how they teach you French, like they include Parisian pictures and bakeries. So I always imagined my life there, and I'm very grateful that I got the opportunity to study here.

I considered Yale and Stanford. I got admitted to Stanford as well. My decision to move forward with HEC Paris was mainly because the tuition was only one-tenth or one-fifth of how much it would have cost in the US. Plus, I got a couple of scholarships at HUC Paris, which made my tuition fees and my living costs significantly less.

Q. Can you tell us more about your scholarship? 

At HEC Paris, when you apply in the first round, you're eligible for a French government scholarship called Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, and to apply, they ask you for some documents related to your CV and SOP, along with how you would contribute to the French economy. I got that scholarship, which covers almost 1200 euros per month. The scholarship is for the entire course of your study. 

On top of that, I also managed to get the HEC Foundation Scholarship, which is a merit-based scholarship and translates to an 8000 euros reduction from my tuition fee. I believe the tuition reduction depends on the applicant’s profile.  And I know that once you get the Eiffel scholarship, you are not eligible for other scholarships like Charpak and others. In my understanding, Eiffel is the topmost scholarship in Paris.

Q. What was your student life in Paris like?

I started my course in the middle of COVID. So the campus was already isolated with only international students and not local French people, because they preferred to stay back home. But then there were Indian communities there, which were helpful with the transition. But once the campus started opening up, the campus life became nice as I got to meet a lot of people who came from different countries, from Africa, from Asia, from Canada, and so on. We would all cook together and share each other's cuisine. I think you need to get out and see for yourself to experience that.

Q. Did the French language pose any challenges?

The French taught in Indian schools is quite different from how it’s actually spoken in France. When I moved here, I had to relearn it from scratch; the accent, usage, and expressions were all unfamiliar. It’s not the standardized version taught back home.

It’s been a challenge, even now, despite being almost professionally proficient. Slang and informal usage can still trip me up. But French shares similarities with English, and I’ve seen friends become fluent in just two years with consistent effort.

Q. Can you give us a breakdown of your expenses?

Back in 2020, my annual tuition fee for studying in France was approximately €14,000 (₹12.6 lakhs), which I covered with my scholarships and savings from the job I had.

For living expenses, international students are typically offered campus accommodation for at least the first year, and often for the second year as well. Since the university was not located in Paris, which is considerably more expensive, the cost of on-campus housing was around €500 to €600 per month (₹45,000 to ₹54,000).

Monthly grocery expenses added another €200 to €300 (₹18,000 to ₹27,000).

Additional personal expenses, such as dining out, entertainment, or shopping, could range from €100 to €300 (₹9,000 to ₹27,000), depending on your lifestyle.

Overall, if you manage your finances wisely and avoid a highly luxurious lifestyle, your total monthly living expenses can be kept within €1,200 (₹1.08 lakhs).

Q. How did you land your job? Any tips?

At HEC, they recommend having a gap year if you don't have French working experience. Employers would be more comfortable hiring you if you've already worked in French firms or in Paris. I did that, and during this time, I did three internships. One was in India, and two were in Paris. I think that helped me to enhance my CV once I applied for jobs, and I landed an analyst job.

Honestly, I think the most important thing is to diversify. Don’t just fixate on one role like M&A or finance. Just apply to a lot and see where it goes. Also, work on your skills. Networking helps, no doubt, but at the end of the day, you still need to clear interviews. So focus on building the skills that actually matter in the roles you're aiming for.

And please, don’t take it personally if something doesn’t work out right after graduation. It’s not a reflection of who you are. Most of the time, it’s the market or whether your CV landed in the right hands. Just be gentle with yourself—it’s hard for everyone.

Q. Any final thoughts?

I would say, when looking for jobs, go to all routes and add a layer by being fluent in French. Unlike Emily in Paris, nobody speaks English that much. Plus, the visa process is easier. So after we finish our student visa, we get a two-year search employee, that means finding a search visa for two years (only for Indian students), in which you also get an allowance, an unemployment allowance. Since most of our issues are related to residence, make use of that.