Ten things I've learnt from my 10 years in Paris

I've been here for a decade. Here's what I've learned about Paris, France, and the French. Fair warning: it's not all positive things!

Hi everyone,

This week I celebrated my ten year anniversary of moving to Paris. And let me tell you, it has been eventful. Building a company, a family, and moving home five times in five different kingdoms (sorry, arrondissements).

Life has changed dramatically in these ten years - and building the Earful Tower has been a major part of that.

Little did I know, all those years ago, how much I had to learn about this beautiful, complicated city. It felt only right to contemplate upon what I have learnt over this decade and, to be completely honest, not all of it is totally positive. Becoming the ‘eyes and ears’ in Paris has had its ups and down and now feels like the right time to share some of that on this week’s podcast.

Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts. The episode features a fun bonus about the most expensive street in Paris on the Monopoly board game, via the podcast sponsor My Private Paris.

Ten things I’ve learnt from my decade in Paris

1) Direct equals respect

At the beginning of my time in Paris, I made an effort to be extra friendly to Parisians (perhaps as a way of distracting from my developing French language). Since then, as I have learned the language and city much better, I’ve realised that, counter-intuitively, being more direct will inspire more respect from the locals.

2) Taxi rides make good (French) lessons

Taking a taxi or Uber in Paris is a great way to practise your French and keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening here. A one-on-one chat on a 45 minute taxi ride to the airport can probably be as beneficial as a handful of conversation lessons.

3) Paper is still king

First of all, I’ll accept that there are exceptions to this rule and that France continues to improve, but my experiences have told me that paper copies of important documents are still supremely important here and websites aren’t very user-friendly. Important administration, such as opening a bank account, moving house or registering a birth, can be unnecessarily complicated, particularly compared to other countries.

4) You must believe in your French

It’s easy to doubt yourself, even when doing simple tasks, but believing in your French will help you to succeed with it. Whether that’s daring to order that croissant en francais, or delivering a baby at a Parisian hospital. Don’t overthink it!

5) Growing a company is tough

It’s easy enough to turn your hobby into a mini-business (auto-entrepreneur). But I’ve found that taking it to the next step and making it an actual French business is very difficult. Or at least, growing that business. It’s more expensive than I’d have guessed and (surprise surprise) heavy on the paperwork.

6) Making French friends is hard

My experience has told me that it’s quite common to find Parisians sticking within their clique of friends, made in childhood. Undoubtedly, the fact that many international people in Paris are not planning to stay here long-term can result in a hesitancy from Parisians to forge friendships with new people. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve made a bunch of French friends, but I notice a lot of them have some kind of international background.

7) ‘No’ can mean ‘convince me’

In the world of French administration, ‘no’ is a flexible concept. Persistence and tenacity pay off when you are keen enough to get what you want.

8) Each arrondissement is a unique kingdom

During my time here, I’ve lived in five different arrondissements and, on a granular level, my experience tells me that the twenty arrondissements of Paris are radically different from each other. Depending on the arrondissement you are living in, you can experience a different, but authentic, version of Paris. On the pod I explain the difference between bringing a baby to the world in the 7th vs the 12th arrondissement - worlds apart!

9) People are happy to bend the rules

There’s a common Parisian attitude of ‘us’ versus ‘the man’. People are happy to give you an extra treat at the boulangerie or a show you behind a ‘no entry’ door, all just to make your day better. And I love it.

10) There are still marvels to be found in Paris

Eight years out of the ten I’ve been living here, I’ve been podcasting about finding the hidden gems in Paris. And, after all that time, I’m delighted to say that I am still uncovering lesser-known marvels that the city offers.

Below is a picture of the College des Bernardins that I visited last week for the first time. An absolute stunner. Ten years here and I hadn’t visited. I wonder what else is out there…

That’s it for now, folks. The time has really flown by and I’m excited to see what’s to come in the next ten years.

A huge thank you to the Earful Tower community. Without you all, I shudder to wonder what I might be doing otherwise.

And a special thank you to the members on Patreon and Substack. A reminder: membership on the two platforms unlocks the same future perks, the only difference is that Patreon gets you everything from the back catalogue too. Tomorrow I’ll release the 2025 PDF guide to Paris. It’ll be 20 euros for the public, free for all the members!

Oliver