- An American au pair working in Paris shared what surprised her most about living in the French city.
- Ayana Smith, who earns $114 a week, said the culture was totally different from her home in Arizona.
- From work and education to fashion and partying, Smith said Paris took some getting used to.
An Arizonan au pair who works in Paris and documents her life on TikTok says French culture is very different from American life, and lots of things surprised her after moving there.
Ayana Smith, 23, who has over 41,000 TikTok followers, said she started working for a family in the suburbs of Paris in October. She told Insider she got the job through the agency Rome Abroad, which placed her and gave her informal training.
Smith, who is paid 100 euros, or about $114, a week for child-minding services, said her host family also pays for her accommodation in their home, groceries, her phone bill, and a Navigo travel pass for all forms of transportation.
Smith told Insider which aspects of French life surprised her the most since she started living in Paris.
Living on a budget in Paris takes some getting used to
Everything in Paris, except for bread, is more expensive than in the US, said Smith, adding that she spent three months in Italy and didn't struggle as much. She said her weekly salary is for 25 hours of work per week and that she had to get better at budgeting.
"It is difficult to live off that money because the city is super expensive and you wanna explore as much as you can," she told Insider. "My first few months here, I definitely overspent. It takes some getting used to, but it's possible."
Wearing sweatpants feels wrong in Paris
Smith said it's standard behavior to wear loungewear when running errands in Arizona but in Paris, she feels pressure to always look good.
"I feel the need to get dressed up because everybody here is just so chic all the time and everybody looks so put together. You never see people in leggings or sweatpants walking around in Paris," she said.
Parisians party until the early hours and take the first train home
Smith said was struck by how late Parisians can party.
"Back home, the party is pretty much over at 2 a.m. The clubs, the bars, there's nothing open really after 2 a.m.," she said, adding that in Paris, people will stay out all night. "You'll leave a club at 6 a.m. and catch the first Metro back home."
Don't expect to be in and out of a restaurant in an hour
In France, mealtimes are sacred, according to Smith. She said fast-food culture, popular in America, is vastly different from the slower service in Paris, where they enjoy leisurely dining and spread out their courses.
"You don't ever go into a restaurant thinking that you're just going to get a quick meal and leave. Everything takes so much longer here, but I love going out to eat here because of that," said Smith.
Children in Paris get more time off school
Another aspect of French culture Smith said is different is the country's balance between learning and leisure time in schools.
She added that the children she looks after, as well as those looked after by her au pair friends, have every Wednesday off school and she'll take them to parks, cafes, or museums. Additionally, she said the school children she knows have a two-week break after every six-week term.
French people aren't defined by their jobs
Referencing the saying that Americans live to work, rather than work to live, Smith said French working culture is the opposite. "Lunch breaks for work are usually two hours long and you would never go grab a salad and eat it at your desk," she said.
Smith added that French people get more paid vacation time than Americans, and aren't defined by their career: "Their job is not everything to them, whereas in America we put such a high emphasis on what we do for a living."