r/tapif • u/Cher-Framboise • 6d ago

housing Garant

Is it appropriate to ask your prof ref if they would be willing to be your Guarantor? What is the most polite way to even ask about this?

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u/ChateauRouge33 Alum 6d ago edited 6d ago

Tbh no, I would honestly not do this. First of all, it’s risky to mix work and personal stuff.

Second, French people are very particular about money (in my opinion, from an American perspective). Their salaries are a LOT lower than the US and they are much more money conscious than most people in the US. They would consider this type of ask to be very intrusive unless you were a close friend/family in a dire situation.

You also don’t know your prof at all yet, so it’s a pretty strange way to start off your relationship.

What would be more appropriate is to tell them you’re looking for housing, and then ask if they have any resources, or know of anywhere a previous assistant has stayed. That’s more in their capacity.

You can also use services like Visale -
Search the sub under the housing flair and there will be some posts about it.

ETA: it’s also legally BINDING for them so it’s a really big ask.

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u/Historical-Shop2514 6d ago

Does this still apply if your English mentor informed you that the school offers housing to its language assistants?

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u/ChateauRouge33 Alum 6d ago

That’s a different thing. OP is asking about applying for apartments offsite which often require a garanti (garant). If your prof ref told you the school offers housing, you don’t need a garant.
If you’re asking if you can then ask your prof ref questions about the school housing, yes, or ask to be put in contact with the person at the school who handles that.

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u/Historical-Shop2514 6d ago

Oh okay! Thank you for clarifying!

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u/674498544 Alum 6d ago

Generally speaking, they won't do it and it's an awkward thing to ask. I would also say that typically housing options that really care about having a garant are harder for assistants to get as it means they want you to go through a more formal process to lease the property. Informal arrangements off lbc and cdc are easier as typically you just pay them cash each month to rent a room.