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In France, schools of art and architecture occupy a position between the “ Grandes Écoles” system and universities. Predominantly female, they attract mainly students from the highest social categories who have a strong academic background. They are very selective and play a vital role in the training of different groups of artists: actors, architects, designers; etc. As such, they bring out aptitudes already demonstrated in secondary school, particularly those relating to commitment to work. While stressing the difficulty of defining the meaning of work in the field of the arts and measuring its intensity, the article highlights the considerable volume of work required in these schools. During the day or late at night, in both the academic or private sector, students are fully engaged, sometimes at the expense of their health, which tends not to be as good as that of the general student population.