Hello all! I’ve been lurking here for a few months, and very much appreciate everyone’s tips for settling in France. I saw that threads about finding work in France were getting a bit old (5+ years) so I’m starting a new one to collect current thoughts on the job market.
For those of you who are working on France, how did you get your gig? Remote job in your home country? Transfer from the home office? Networking and applying here on the ground?
For those who decided to apply to jobs, did anything surprise you about the application process? For example, I was pretty shocked to realize that a photo was de rigueur on a French CV…
For those who work in majority French-speaking offices, roughly what level of French did you reach before you started at your job? Had you taken the DELF/DALF for some institutional proof, or did it just come out at the interview?
Did the French job market spur you to ‘pivot’ from your previous line of work, or have you continued to do basically the same thing as before your move? If so, what did you pivot to?
Any advice in particular for finding a job in a city outside Paris? I’m particularly curious to hear from people who do not work in business, technology, computer science or other fields with recruiters.
So how about you tell us your own answers to those questions, based on your own experience so far? Or are you gathering material for a dissertation or an article?
Interesting first post from someone who joined 24 minutes ago.
Ok then I’d strongly suspect that for both France and that type of work then unless you’re very lucky then it’s about ‘who you know’ to hear about opportunities or get access to whichever, even physical, noticeboard they’re displayed on.
If you go to your mairie they should have lists of “associations” ( local clubs, which are taken more seriously in France, which is why your mairie is involved). The new season is early September so be ready to attend any open event at the beginning of September, to meet the associations and hopefully join any you have an interest in - you can ask the mairie where is the info on all your local ones meanwhile. There’s a small fee per association for your annual membership usually.
Sounds like you’re in a university city so students may also be looking for gigs.
Other than that go visit or knock on doors - access may well be physically easier in August but the flip side is lots of people are not there and France kinda closes for much of August. Bur if you do meet anyone working they may be less pressured and have time to chat.
Where I live the mairie organises an annual event outside the indoor market where any association that wants to can have a stall and meet prospective members. This year it’s the first weekend in September.
Studied French to degree level at a UK university, spent a year as a language teaching assistant in Corsica, moved to Germany where I worked for an international organisation in the field of intellectual property law mostly in French (I was one of 2 near-native French speakers out of a working group of 20 at the time, and could also speak/write some German, which was virtually unheard of for UK candidates). Studied intellectual property law part-time at Strasbourg university and obtained a postgraduate qualification. Moved to France in 1993 after sending out my CV to a number of specialist law firms throughout the provinces of France (specifically excluded Paris despite the concentration of job offers there), and getting hired by one of them in Lyon looking to boost their English speaking visibility (which, at the time, was inexistent). Went on from there, moving into industry and back into private practice in the same field at various times since. Have been an independent worker in IP law since Jan 2010.
Once you’re in the system, it is much easier. Getting in is the hard part. French employers still like qualifications on paper plus work experience, due to the way employment law is structured in businesses that have collective bargaining agreements, where job descriptions must fit into predefined boxes with corresponding pay scales.
Independent work (whether manual or consulting) generally means having some kind of relevant qualification that is recognized in France, and that is not always easy to achieve, even more so now that equivalence got thrown out the window with Brexit.
Given the above and your dissertation subject (MA?) I wonder if something along the lines of historical / archaeological tourism guiding might be worth exploring?
Perhaps do a short free MOOC like the one below to get some insights and practice your French
Might you be near Nîmes? There is the excellent newish museum which might be just your thing
I’m not sure if France has the same system as UK, meaning museum employees are civil servants. That may require French citizenship but there may be positions there that do not.
Which bit of Roman history? I think it is allinteresting and useful in virtually any context* if you are in a large southern city I expect there is at least one museum or tour where your knowledge of Roman history and English will come in hand, you could do a bit of guide work. Talk to the mairie.
And have recently proofread a delightful doctoral thesis on Roman bathhouse culture and its importance in the various limes.
Your area of expertise is very different to mine but the basic principles surely apply. When I immigrated here I wrote to 13 companies in my industry within a 50 km radius. Only one replied, in the negative. So then I went knocking on doors as @KarenLot suggested. At one place an impromptu interview with the manager concerned resulted in him bringing in the Managing Director/Owner of the company to chat with me. There was no job available at the time but it does show the mindset of some in France.
The final success was ironically with the first (because they were just down the road) company I walked into. I was coming out of the newsagents one morning to see a man I vaguely recognised walking across the road to greet me with hand outstretched to shake. It was the Boss of that local firm and by the afternoon I was in work.
Absolutely! I have a background working in museums, but I am mostly looking outside this area simply because it’s so hard to break into it without moving (which I don’t plan on doing for at least 5+ years).
Some in this thread have recommended working as a tour guide: unfortunately, as far as I know, it’s very difficult to get a stop in the exam to get the license. I have friends who have been arrested/stopped by the police for leading tours without a license in other EU countries.
I suppose this is part of why I was so interested in hearing other people’s stories and pivots… I’ve already considered or started pursuing all the obvious ones connected to my background.
That said, if anyone has some hands-on experience in becoming a licensed guide as a non-EU citizen, I’m all ears!
Talk to the mairie about tours etc. Talk to your university. Talk to people at your last job.
I’m slightly confused by the fact that you’re currently working on a dissertation - is it an intermediate thing ie part of your thesis? Or are you using dissertation in the French sense of extended essay? Who is supervising you? Who is funding your PhD? They may be able to help. My daughter the genetic engineer did research for the people who funded her PhD, for example. You may be able to get a bit of supervision of MA students at your local university. Actually thinking about it you could get some undergraduate classics teaching as well since even if your French is only what was it B2 or so, your Latin should be a lot better
I’d also love to know people’s experience in setting up online businesses, particularly counselling/coaching and mental health. New to the region but not new to therapy however what I have read so far it looks like freelance or self employed setup might be tricky. Any tips,hints or experience welcome. Thanks in advance
Hello - I suppose there are 2 questions which are paramount, are your qualifications recognised here and how good is your French? My local bio-coop and Leopold (in SW 24) are full of notices/cards for people who do that sort of thing so there must be a way.
You said ‘new to the region’ but which one?
Hi @vero thanks for your reply. My quals are registered social worker (uk), various therapy modalities and MSc, French is minimal so thinking more to provide online for expats (English speaking). My region is Toulon/Hyeres area.
Thanks I’ll check out local ads etc and also find out about entrepreneurship licences etc as I seem to need maybe a trade license for France.
I have no direct experience of this but someone I know is effectively self-employed and they have become a micro entrepreneur. I don’t know if that’s the way to go.
if you are in a large southern city I expect there is at least one museum or tour where your knowledge of Roman history and English will come in hand, you could do a bit of guide work. Talk to the mairie.
