Just a hop over the channel and you’re in the land of frogs. And, funnily enough, it’s the same the other way round. London has a huge French expat community, numbers reached around 300,000 in 2007 according to the Independent, but why are so many young frogs still taking the leap?

Being in Paris it’s easy to get a French perspective, and there are plenty who are willing to offer their opinion on the subject. So, on a cosy evening around a table of drinks, I casually ask my friends why they think so many French people move to London, and why haven’t they done the same.

The immediate answer I receive is: to learn English. It’s a simple fact that to learn a language properly you should be in the country that speaks that language. And why do the French want to learn English? Because it’s an international language, of course. One person conveniently points out that it’s far easier to go to England than it is America, and because England has such a strong American influence, many young French people feel that they can benefit from a globalised way of living. And, as I have already stated, England is so close to home, for them it feels like they are going abroad but not really going abroad. It’s basically the safest option, and if it doesn’t work out they can get back relatively easily.

London is also a popular choice for French students, who often arrive on the ERASMUS scheme, which allows them to study for up to a year abroad as part of their original degree in their home country, and sometimes end up continuing their studies in the UK. The young students are tempted to the capital’s learning forums in search of a subject matter that is more focussed on global and American issues. Such favourites included Law, Political Science and Economics, all of which are taught to a standard that resonates in an international spectrum.

So, many Frenchies come to London to play in the multicultural playground, and stare through the window of Americanisation, and learn from the universal language of English, but also, surely, they come to London to just experience London? There is a lot that London itself can offer that you might not find in Paris, such as free museums, a pint for £3 (the normal price of a pint in Paris is around £6!), and a good English pub. Sometimes the reason to live in London is to simply live the London life. There are many nods of agreement at this comment, along with responses that suggest Britain is looked upon with a touch of nostalgia, even if it has never been their home.

So why aren’t you living in London?

To this I receive many patriotic remarks on how they are ‘Parisian’ and how they could never leave. So maybe it’s not Parisians that find a home in an alternative big city, but countryside dwellers that are looking for excitement?

They continue to complain that the economic times are obviously harder now; and a lot of French students, especially those in the finance sector, are having to come home because they can’t find work after achieving their degrees. Whereas before the French were fleeing to London because their own country couldn’t give them a job, now the UK is finding it difficult to supply even Brits with jobs. It’s notoriously expensive in London (bar pints), and perhaps people are put off by the rising costs of accommodation. However, the UK isn’t the only country hit by the ‘economic crisis’, and as dire as it may seem, to many French expats it’s not as dire as being on home soil.