pinky

can anyone help? I am married with 3 young children and we would love to move to france, however i can only speak basic (school) french and my husband practically none!! Would we be able to fnd jobs? And if so where? Nothing fancy just enough to be able to live a basic (but happy) life!! We are not bothered whereabouts in france not in a city though.Any suggestions would be grateful as we are going round in circles.

jjc

We're in the same boat only we've no kids - anyone any ideas for us !!!

Texas Brit

I'm not in France (actually a Brit in the US), but the general experience people seem to have all over the world is that without some specialized skills or qualifications it is much, much harder to get a job "from a distance" so to speak. Employers just aren't interested in people that aren't right there, right now. This is true even within a country, but even more so on an international level. My best advice would probably be that you'd need to save a bit of cash and make the plunge over there (easier said than done, I know). If nothing else, this will improve your French a huge amount and thereby increase your chances. Sorry I don't have easier answers for you. Good luck.

cinders1850

Hi Pinky,

I was in the same boat as you two years ago. I didn't speak French very well but really wanted to live in France. I knew it would be difficult to find a job in the field I was in without being fluent in French so I sat a 4-week intensive course (TESOL), after which I was qualified to teach English to speakers of other languages. I now teach adult professionals "business" English. I find the job very rewarding but the downside is that ex-pat teachers are poorly paid.

There are quite a lot of American and British-owned companies in France where French staff are expected to speak English and, in my experience, Brits are often seconded or transferred here and learn the language after their arrival (or not at all in some cases).

I hope this helps. Good luck!

jaynew

Hiya
I am in the same boat as well although I actually live in France already!! I have three children and my youngest is three and justready to start school so its time now to look for a job. Ideally I would love to find something working from home and have contacted a lot of the large companies in the UK to see if they would employ me to work from home in France - with computers almost anything can be done!! Unfortunately, no luck for the moment. It is difficult as when you cant speak the language very well, or write the bare minimum, not many people seem interested in employing you. I have now started to try with the Tourist Offices, Travel Agencies, Schools, large supermarkets, hospitals - infact anywhere where you may find english speaking people needing help in translations. It will probably make it slightly easier for you if you choose an area in France with a decent population of english speaking habitants - its getting more and more over here recently. The teaching ideas not bad either - I will look into that one too. But I will tell you one thing, its worth the struggle even if its not a good salary - my 3 children are so happy out here and the life is no comparison to the one we had in england - the air is fresh, scenery beautiful and a life style so much higher than we could have ever afforded in the uk, even on the good salaries me and my husband were earning. If anyone is reading this that can offer home working but not self employed, please dont hesitate to contact us all!! I would work very hard - I was A Customer Service Advisor before I left the UK and I am sure that that type of job could be done quite easily from out here with minimal trips to the uk for courses etc. Thanks

mpprh

Hi

I don't want to be negative, but .............

French unemployment is high
The French place high regard on paper qualifications
Company owners prefer people with French qualifications
French qualifications are different to those in other countries (different electrical system, plumbing, etc etc)
Company owners prefer people who have fluent French
Costs of employment make it difficult to take risks with hiring people

Add all this together and it is pretty difficult for Brits and non EU anglophones to get jobs in France.

The exceptions are low paid jobs in tourism and teaching English.

Now you understand why most Brits go for self employed jobs, Gites, etc.

Peter

chuba

Just putting in my penny's worth, but don't forget aswell that to live and work in France u will need what they call a 'carte de séjour' this card can be obtained by applying to ur local police either in the 'arrondissement' or region where u live. The card is an identity card and work permit registered to the National Police, not so that they can track u or anything but its more likely for your taxes etc. i have had 3 'carte de séjours' since i have lived in France (now 16 years) the first one they issued to me was for one year, the second for 5 years and the card i now have is valid for 10 years. The task of obtaining this card is very tedious as u have to go thru all the administrative hassle in France, and most of the time the people behind the desk r not very helpful at all, either u have the right papers or u don't, i remember going in for my second 'c de s' and having to go back almost 3-4 times because the person behind the counter didn't give me all the details about what pappers i needed. So i will try to get some info on this id card, or a site where they tell what u will need, but im afraid it will be in french... byeee

cinders1850

You don't say where you come from, Chuba, but a carte de sejour is no longer required for EU nationals. This has been the case since around April 2004 although there are still a number of government employees who are not aware of it.

See the website of the Préfecture du Rhône - http://www.rhone.pref.gouv.fr/navigation/fs_10.html

I've never had a carte de sejour (or visite) and anytime I've been asked for one I've told them that's it's no longer a requirement. In my experience, the usual reaction is the popular gallic shrug and the paperwork is processed without further reference to it.

chuba

Oh well im one of them that wasn't 'aware' (as JC VAN DAMME would say) i think this is very strange because the french police are very hot on whether u have the right id papers or not, france is becoming a little bit of a police state in my mind, anyways i will have to check this out because after recently moving (im living in Paris) i had to go to my local police station to wait 3hrs for a piece of green paper saying that i have moved and am now living at another address than the address that was on my 'carte de séjour'... i will let u know how it goes and if this stupid id card has finally disapeared for EU Nationals Hoooorah!

(BTW cinders im from London and am a British citizen living in france for 16 yrs now)

Oh and another thing, how do u get credit from a bank in france or even a bank account if u don't have any real proof that u r living and working in france, with just salary slip, or a edf/gdf bill, this is not credible for any bank in france, they need real id proof??? i feel this subject really needs to be checked out see ya (and i did go to the the site u mentioned above thnx)

cinders1850

It sounds as if there's a lot more red tape in Paris than in Lyon! I opened a bank account at my local branch of Societe Generale days afer I arrived here. I didn't even have a permanent address at that point and they printed my employer's name on the chequebook until I found accommodation. I only had to show them my passport and prove I had employment. I was given my Carte Bleue and an instant overdraft facility of €500. I carry my UK driving licence with me (the photo id one) and that seems to be acceptable as ID but I've never yet been asked for a photo ID showing my French address. It maybe depends on what kind of mood the person asking is in??? Who knows.

chuba

Ok well thnx for the update cinders, looks like i don't have to renew my carte de séjours afterall, great news! oh and another thing if anyone has some info on finding a job in Paris at the moment please leave a message on the forum as im looking for a job in any sector, thnx see ya

Tantallon7

Hi

would you mind saying how much ( or, rather, little!) the pay amounts to.

I know asking folks how much they earn can be a touchy subject, but this is one of the things I'm considering doing, and it would be a big help if I could get an idea of pay rates.

Thanks!

Mark T

cinders1850

In the sector I'm in (ie, working for language schools who sell training courses to companies and private individuals) the going rate is around €15 an hour which includes preparation time, travelling time and 'holiday pay'. This seems to be the minimum pay for this type of job as decreed by the French government. I suppose the hourly rate isn't too bad but most language schools only pay for actual teaching hours and they're the ones who decide how many hours they give you. During school holidays, a lot of students don't want lessons as they take time off to look after their children so you can just about write off 2 weeks in February, the whole of July and August, a week in October and the Christmas period. The number of hours you get during the rest of the year depends on how busy the school is, whether they like your face etc.

It is possible to be offered a full-time contract where you're paid a set amount every month regardless of the number of hours they give you but chances are you'll have to prove yourself first.

Or, if you're willing to teach university students, the universities pay much more (around €30 euros an hour) but they are notoriously bad at actually parting with cash. I know some teachers who are still waiting to paid for work they did last summer!

I hope it doesn't sound too gloomy, I'm just trying to tell you how it is but I'd still rather be here than back in Britain.

Tantallon7

Cinders

Thanks for that, it's very useful to know.

I know what you mean about rates of pay vs. living in the UK; I spent three years living in the States recently, and - although I wasn't terribly well paid - the quality of life I enjoyed over there was far superior than anything I've had in grimy Britain.

Thanks again!

Josephine79

You will therefore be pleased to hear that I have been told
"carte de séjours" are now obsolete for EU members.

One less layer of French bureaucracy to deal with!

Jo