Feel free to contact your ambassy in Paris, they'll definitely help you out !
About working illegally, I shouldnt recommend you that but I have to admit that it's pretty easy to get a lil job over here without legals paperworks...mostly in restaurant and bars but also house cleaner, baby sitter etc.. and fruit pickers.
I'm Canadian, living in France (Lyon) for school for the year. You don't need an EU passport, but you do need a visa to stay for more than three months. You can get a working holiday visa, or a work visa if you've already got a job over here.