Please can anyone advise me on UK qualifications…
Does France recognise the UK Accountancy qualifications?
ie how does a UK Chartered Accountant find employment in France. Is French re-training necessary?
Clearly, I know nothing about this and am hoping for your help.
cheers
This might help…
https://www.experts-comptables.fr/devenir-expert-comptable/la-reconnaissance-des-qualifications
I have a good friend who is a french accountant, so happy to ask any questions if you find yourself stymied.
I’m an FCCA (Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants) and a CTA (Chartered Tax Adviser). When I came to France in 2007 I was told my qualifications were pretty much worthless particularly as my specialism was tax. As you know the tax laws are so different in France that knowledge of UK taxation will only really be useful when advising Brits/French individuals/French companies who have taxable income/gains in the UK.
Whatever the official EU rules are on the transfer of qualifications the chances of finding employment in a French company are pretty minimal, especially with the current high unemployment figures in France.
If, however, an accountant is currently working for a firm of accountants in the UK that has affiliated offices in France then a transfer is the obvious way in to the French system. I recall when I was working for BDO that we had several people on secondment from France.
The other big issue, of course, is having sufficient French to be able to work in a business environment in France.
Cheers Mandy, interesting information.
I’ve since spoken with the Chartered Accountant, who has little French at the moment and we have already decided that she will take anything that is offered to get into the workplace.
We plan to visit the Pôle d’Emploi asap.
Yep you need to be able to count French beans 
That’s exactly what I did.
The ANPE (predecessor to Pôle Emploi) just dismissed my qualifications. They said “pas transférable” and that there wold be nothing for me.
You should ask for a French course for foreigners and, assuming the rules are the same as back then, they are obliged to help. I got a 3 month course for free which was very helpful as it was entirely in French and all sorts of nationalities, although predominantly North African.
She is likely to find herself directed to a cleaning job of some kind and although that sounds terrible it will mean she will be working with French people who are likely to have little/no English and will be forced to learn very quickly.
She should maybe also consider contacting the larger accountancy firms who have offices in the UK and France to see if there is anything available. As a CA she will know how to find them.
I wish her lots of luck because I know how it feels to have years of hard work just dismissed with a gallic shrug!!