Secure a Job in France (Before the Move)

Hi and welcome on board Reynelle!

I hope other members will share their experiences with you soon

Regards
Armand

If you are American then you are going to run into visa issues. Check with your nearest French embassy to see what you can and can't do, and how long you can stay for.

For a French company to employ a non-EU citizen, and to sponsor their visa application, they have to show that they have found no suitable French person, or that the foreign applicant will bringspecial qualities.

Armand, thanks for the welcome!

Happywhere,
I think it's strange that no suitable French employee must be found before I can be considered for a job. Maybe it's best for the local economy. I have to set up an "in-person" appointment with the French Embassy in Chicago to discuss Visas and such. I'd be willing to teach English somewhere if I can live off the wage.

It's not just about being good for the local economy - it's France v the rest of the world.

As far as teaching English is concerned there are so many British people living in France that the market is swamped. The various schools such as Wall Street Institute are always recruiting staff - a sure sign that pay + conditions are poor.

Look at a gross rate of 25 € per hour - take of 20% for health insurance, and a bit more for taxes - income tax, local taxes and say a net income of 15 € per hour.

This also means large towns like Lyon, Bordeaux, Paris or Marseille - you'll not be rich.

But you need to get the visa situation sorted out.

Yes, I heard (and read) about the multitude of British persons living and working in France--a steady influx into the nation. I believe it's the same for immigrants funneling into England. In particular, London; and, with that city being so expensive, I wonder how anyone could survive without a good source of income.

Reynelle, I am American retired in France and have a Carte de Residence. However, as far as I have read, no one can come to France for more than 3 months as a tourist and even then they cannot work for income during their stay. You can get a Carte de Sejour (one year visa) if you can show you have income enough to support yourself and health insurance but again the visa will stipulate you do not have the right to work. To get the right to work, you have to be sponsored by a company operating in France and given the 9.5% unemployment rate, it is highly unlikely that any company would need to look outside for talent. In addition, even if you want to teach English, you must be able to speak French to explain things to the students in their own language. A very good French speaking ability would be essential for any organization except perhaps and American company or the US Embassy. Even the US Embassy hires local people who speak French. You might want to look into the United Nations and International Organizations who do hire English speakers. There are dozens of them in Geneva, a few in Paris and Brussels.

Thanks JamesinFrance,

The Carte de Sejour--is that the same as a long-term stay tourist Visa? I heard (or read) that sometimes one is not allowed to look for work under these types of Visas. I wonder, too, about showing financial statements to stay in France. What is considered enough income to stay in France for up to 1 year without a job? I very recently applied to 2 UN jobs, both located in France. I have no idea how competitive those jobs are, especially in the current economic climate.

What is a Blue Card?

Hi all,I am also new to this site and am pleasently surprised at how busy it is!! I am a carpenter and am hopeing to move permantly to Provence area.Possibly beeing a little niave but am planning on just arriving and begining job search then.Help anyone?

Reynelle, a Carte Bleu is the term the French give to debit cards. It's rate to get a credit card here. All banks will issue you a debit card which you will use to get cash from the ATM and pay vendors for purchases. I have my American credit card for online purchases in the US but a French debit card for purchases here.

A Carte de Sejour is a short stay visa of one year max. The Carte de Residence is a ten year long stay visa. To qualify for the Carte de Residence you will have to live in France for 3 years. To qualify for the Carte de Sejour, you will have to talk to the French consulate or Embassy because the terms sometimes change so what data I have may be old. One thing is for sure, you will have to show you have health insurance because you will not be allowed in the French health insurance system.

Applying for jobs in the International organizations is best because they do not have to justify to the French government who they are hiring. They advertise the posts all over the world so it takes months for them to collect the resume's, sort through them all to the three they want to interview and then respond to your application. Since they get so many, they only respond to the ones they want to interview. Another thing, often these jobs are advertised as required by UN regualations but an employee of the organization or a consultant or temporary already doing the work is the real pre-selected winner so sometimes the whole thing is a charade. Having said that, I won out over 200 candidates, many of which had no qualifications for the job and beat the other two candidates in the interview process so it does happen. What kind of work are you looking for? Perhaps I can steer you to some of the organizations that best fit your interests and experience.

Spring cottage - a few questions:

How much French do you speak?
Are you wanting to find work as a joiner? I imagine you will need to get your qualifications accredited here - otherwise no third-party insurance.
How long can you support yourself without any income? Not having a history of employment in France means no payslips to help you find a place to rent.

You can start by looking at job websites such as jobrapido

Otherwise in cities like Montpellier there are loads of Irish bars - just something to get you started.

Happyhere, thanks for your reply, ya will be looking for work as carpenter.I own a house in the montagne noir area but not much work around there at the mo.My french (allthough working on it)is basic so would be hoping to fall in with an english or irish construction company.Trade recognition,would have to be done in a french collage? Would I need it if employed by registered company? Thanks again, Barry.

Hi Barry - easier to say than spring cottage - I can't help with trade recognition - but the first step is to have any college certificates and your CV translated into French - maybe someone at the French embassy will do this for you, for a price.

Next you need to come over and pop into an employment agency - they will give advice on progressing recognition of your carpentry training. Like the UK (and possibly Eire) school leavers are encouraged to go to university rather than take up a trade like plumbing or joinery.

Why not look at online job agencies - jobrapido is a good enough place to start. It brings together job adverts from a number of agencies

You could also have a look at some English-language magazines for expats - you will find that a lot of other expats have beaten you to it. But maybe someone will take you on, or sell their business. Haven't read so much about it lately but with weak £ and strong € more Brits are reported to be leaving than arriving.

So many Brits in the Dordogne - all the greater area east of Bordeaux in fact. A little cooler than Provence, and much better for rugby.

Start your online research now, and good luck

Ian

Sound advice Ian, Montauban.... Syayed there once  en route to Carcassonne,very prety town, how long you been there?? Will let you know how I get on.Regards Barry

Moved here just over 3 years ago - lucky enough to have been a civil servant in Edinburgh, so overpaid and underworked, and offered redundancy with the chance to start taking my pension immediately.

Montauban is just an ordinary town - just what we were looking for.

Good luck

JamesinFrance,

Thanks for the much needed advice. Yes, I get the sense that many of those UN jobs have a "preselected" person already in line for the job. I had been looking for positions relative to knowledge/information management as well as certain other positions. I'm not too proud to apply for a simple clerical position either. From reading some of the other posts here, seems easier to expat to France if one already resides in Europe.

If a person already owns a 12 month Visa, how easy would it be to transition to a 10-year Visa?

As well, I saw a UN position for an English Translator (temporary), yet one has to be able to translate French AND Russian! Of course, teaching English remains an option, but as someone has already pointed out, France probably has plenty of English instructors.

I'm also curious about the economic climate in France. I know this forum is not aimed at discussing the economy (plenty of websites already devoted to that), but I would think that the EU economy affects those seeking to relocate to Europe.

Reynelle, non-EU citizens are given a one year Carte de Sejour to start with. For Americans you must be here 3 years (3 one year Carte de Sejours)before you can request the ten year Carte de Residence so you will have to comply with the income and health insurance rules of the Carte de Sejour w/o the right to work for 3 years before going to the next level.

All International and UN agencies have their own IT departments and there is a common services IT unit that supplies expertise and LAN & mainframe computer services to many of these organizations as well. It is at WWW.UNICC.ORG. They contract on a short term and long term basis and the assignment can be anywhere like NYC, Washington DC, Geneva, Rome, Brindisi, Italy, etc. Keep checking every week because new opportunities come up all the time. The UNICC website may have URL's to the other UN and International websites as well. They each have their own vacancy lists. Good luck. Persistence will pay. The pay and benefits are great so keep applying.

I worked in Geneva but lived on the French side of the border because it was far less expensive which is why we needed the Carte de Sejour to reside in France but I couldn't work in France during the period but I didn't need it since I worked in Geneva.

JamesinFrance,

Thanks for the link and the other information. I can see that the UN in Geneva has a multitude of employment possibilities. Sounds like you had the best of both worlds--working in Geneva (with a good job)but living in wonderful France. I had actually wondered about that same arrangement. You confirmed that it can be done. I'll wager that not too many people know about this UN website. I certainly did not. I had mentioned such a mix of work that I'm applying for because my B.A. is in English and my Masters degree is different.

Reynelle; the French economy reported ZERO growth in the last quarter and unemployment is as high as the US, mainly among the poorly educated classes. Construction is at a very low level. In 2006 there were construction cranes all over and houses going up all over but my builder tells me they are barely surviving now due to the lack of house building. I would say it's about as bad as I've ever seen it and trying to get a job here other than in an International or UN agency is highly improbably unless you are hired by an American company and transferred here. Even that is unlikely since companies are reducing their expat costs and hiring locally wherever they can.

Reynelle, it was great working at the UN with 6 weeks vacation plus 10 holidays so that was two months of vacation time to enjoy Europe. They also send you home at their cost every two years. It's called home leave. There is on income tax on your salary but as an American you will have to file and pay the tax but your employer will reimburse you for the taxes paid. What kind of job are you looking for?

JamesinFrance,
I'll have to say that I'm envious of anyone who has had 2 months of vacation in a year. I am lucky if I'm able to squeeze out 4 or 5 consecutive days a year; and, even that is frowned upon by senior management. I try to take some vacation around a holiday, so I can have that extra holiday day; but even that tactic is being quashed. One of my co-workers (worked for the company for nearly 21 years) recently took two weeks off, but here's the catch: In order to take those two consecutive weeks, she had to agree (in writing) to come in to work in the middle of her vacation and work at least 2 hours! After those paltry 2 hours, she was free to resume her vacation.

Reynelle; there was a common joke in the UN that if asked how many people work in the UN, the answer was supposed to be "about half of them". Actually, the people in the field like World Health Organization, UN High Commission for Refugees, etc; work long hours under very difficult circumstances in war zones, disaster zones and famime areas.
The reason the UN gives 6 weeks is because it tries to be equal to the most generous of it's member nations and some western European countries give 6 weeks vacation. My wife is Brazilian and in Brazil, everyone gets one month off no matter their rank or longevity in the organization and they are required by law to take it every year. That prevents companies from doing what your organization is doing by making it difficult for people to take vacation.

BTW, I meant to say there is NO income tax on UN salaries by agreement of the member nations who pay the salaires. All other staffers don't even have to file a tax return in their countries. Only Americans are required because the US says that national law supercedes any international agreement so you do pay income tax with a huge Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the UN or International organization will reimburse you for the amount paid. It's silly because they in turn bill that back to the US.
The State Department in Washington maintains a list of jobs open in the UN so you might want to contact them as well. Perhaps they have the openings online too.

Exactly what kind of work are you looking for and why do you want to work in France?

Some people get a distorted image of France by coming here as a tourist where they speak English to the hotel staff, see how nicely the tourist locations are maintained, etc. However, go further afield in Paris to the suburbs and you will see a whole different Paris and living here absolutely requires a good command of English because you have to deal with doctors, lawyers, government employees, and average people who don't speak anything by French.

I hope it was obvious that I made a typo is writing English instead of French as the language that you need to speak and understand reasonably well here. That was what we call "a Senior Moment". LOL

JamesinFrance,
Thanks, yet again, for the wonderful information. Raise your hand if you want to work for the UN!! (My hand is raised). I've applied for a few positions with the UN, whose application close dates are a few days away. If I'm lucky, things will pan out. If I'm unlucky, things will pan out anyway, because Plan B will kick in. Looks like Brazil is on board with generous vacations. Actually, many countries are on board, so to speak, when it comes to vacation time. I wonder what happened in the US?

loulou wrote:

I've written a bit about the subject of chezlouloufrance.blogspot.com. Hope it helps.
A gentle warning...jobs are not easy to find if you aren't in a big city!

loulou,

Thanks so much for that web link. I skimmed the 1st Tutorial, but I'm going to go over the sections much more in depth. You have provided some great information in a nice and user-friendly format.
I'll take some pointers on food, wine and cheese any day of the week.

JamesinFrance wrote:

I hope it was obvious that I made a typo is writing English instead of French as the language that you need to speak and understand reasonably well here. That was what we call "a Senior Moment". LOL

I guess I didn't even notice any typos. I'm just grateful for the information.