[themoose]

Originally Posted by the troubadour My suggestion is not to be too proud and accept whatever comes up that will allow the confidence and skill to move on.

just like to say you get up very early best part of the day too

[turquoiseblue]

Originally Posted by the troubadour I guess most would like what you term a proper job but it gets back to your ability to be able to function in that enviroment. My suggestion is not to be too proud and accept whatever comes up that will allow the confidence and skill to move on.

It's not about being proud, I'm not in a position where I need to "accept whatever comes up" as I am not looking to move straight away. If it came to it and I had a date in mind I wanted to move or if I was desperate to leave England, of course I would just get any job I could and go from there. I would probably au pair again or I have contacts at a restaurant where I could probably get work during the summer.

Let me put this another way - I love my job and totally happy where I am but if the opportunity came up I would like to work abroad. Such opportunities don't just land at your feet, so I need to be looking in the right places. Hence my original post asking for agencies/websites that are tailored towards ex pats looking for jobs. I have come across a few before but I thought people on here may have better suggestions/personal experience of using them.

[Herman]

We were sent this link by a friend when my wife was briefly considering trying to find work in Paris:

http://www.jobsinparis.fr/

I got a job in Paris with zero French language skills, but it does not really count for this discussion as it was an internal transfer. However, large international companies with head offices like mine do recruit non-French speakers as the working language is English. I met a guy at a kids party just this weekend who got a job in Paris a few months ago by applying directly from the UK despite having limited French skills. However, to get such a position you really need some very sought after specialist skills or experience, in this guys case it was a degree from Cambridge and knowledge of an IT system that few have. Like me, his working language is 100% English so he has had no language barrier at work. If you lack those specialist skills then I understand it is very difficult. Jobs are scarce and two of our neighbours, young French professionals (a lawyer and an IT specialist), were both made redundant this year. Ironically the IT guy got a job in the UK!

[Courgette]

Turquoiseblue,

You might also like to look at the ANPE site to see what sort of things are available in the department you're thinking of. Once registered, you can opt to receive regular emails with job offers. http://www.anpe.fr/espace_candidat/w...nce_14989.html They do tend to be manual work, but now and again something more interesting appears.

You must also make your CV suitable for a potential French employer. There are lots of sites online with suggestions. A French CV is short and factual. The "I'm really wonderful" stuff goes in your lettre de motivation, examples of which you can also find online.

Your CV has to prove that you are suitable for the job you are applying for. No, don't laugh! If you have, for example, done lots of different jobs in your time, a UK employer might think you're adaptable, but a French employer might just think you're unstable. I'm not saying ALL French managers are like that, but it's a cultural difference worth bearing in mind.

Someone suggested working for yourself in France. If you are currently quite comfortable and happy, I wouldn't recommend it. Business charges are high in France, so don't be misled by talk of low tax. There is a new option called autoentrepreneur, which does simplify running your own business, but it has its limitations. It also looks like the rules are about to be tightened up. http://www.wikio.co.uk/article/120027493

http://france.xpatjobs.com/
http://www.workinfrance.com/
http://www.recruitmentfrance.com/

Happy job hunting!

[Some-Common-Sense]

I am not sure where you are from, however, I am able to find french jobs on my local job centre plus webpage, that might help.
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/home...7168f47d&pid=2

[Ka Ora!]

Originally Posted by Some-Common-Sense I am not sure where you are from, however, I am able to find french jobs on my local job centre plus webpage, that might help. http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/home...7168f47d&pid=2

Only problem is the person that entered them into the system listed the location as France, Which makes it harder to find anything local.

[Some-Common-Sense]

eh??

[Jill Rees]

There is a great need in France for mother tongue English teachers and trainers, esp in Paris. However you have to be qualified to be legal. Why don't you look around for a TEFL qualification before you come. This will open all doors. I recommend looking at www.tefl.com site for jobs and traiing courses. A great company to get experience is englishinaction.com who will enable you to visit all sorts of countries and situations at their expense and you begin to work as a teacher with ready made lessons and resources and a great team of teachers to get tips and experience from. This will then enable you to get a GOOD and legal job in Paris.

Jill
(English teacher in France)

Originally Posted by turquoiseblue Thank you for your responses so far! I should explain I have lived in France before (Chaville) as an au pair and since visited many many times and always hoped to live there again. I speak better than conversational french and have a fairly good schooling in grammar but I am very out of practice and hence I am looking into an english speaking job in France. (I knew someone who worked in Belgium for Levis and that was what got me thinking about the possibility). However I have no idea where to start looking for such jobs? I will be looking in industry mags/sites anyway but I wondered if there was a magazine/paper/website especially for expat job seekers or places where such job ads are more likely to be found/places other people have found success. I would love to apply for French speaking jobs but I just don't think my french is good enough to be competitive. Annoyingly I know I will improve quickly if I was living there and get back to my former standard. But to live there I need a job! I probably would get by in a pub/restaurant situation but I really want to do a 'proper' job, either what I am doing now (fashion buying) or at least in the same industry.

[Nibbler]

Have a go.....
everyone comes to France for different reasons....some not for a lifestyle
Applying,french CV and the interview the 3 difficult stages in actually getting a job in France.
The last was the most difficult for me, 20 other people and 15 minutes to impress.
Sadly english did not help me in anyway!!...explained many times as "not needed" and i must say in the last few years, i mutter under my breath only swear words at the fellow workers in english...
Work for a french buisness....less money than britain ...very diffcult..do have to push yourself more....do not expect your qualifications to help to much...found that experience and ability to be left to work and achieve the required result is a plus in france
P.S do not make mistakes,only good as your last job!! french are like elephants they never forget!
Best of luck....

[kjs5]

Originally Posted by the troubadour I found a good way to begin in Paris was to in a pub.There are Aussie and English ones that may be of help.So long as you can count in French you should find that your French improves rapidly that will enable you to move on to other things. Failing that there is English teaching ofcourse,but pay was not great in Paris as so many were doing that and perhaps not the best for development of the French language.

what an excellent idea re working in a pub - what a great way to learn the language

[le plumber]

Originally Posted by kjs5 what an excellent idea re working in a pub - what a great way to learn the language

I sense a bit of irony........

[Paula]

Finding a job as an au pair or nanny with an expat family, or French family looking for an English mother tongue nanny is a good option while you improve your French.
We currently have many families in France looking for native English speaking nannies and au pairs

[Ka Ora!]

Originally Posted by Paula Finding a job as an au pair or nanny with an expat family, or French family looking for an English mother tongue nanny is a good option while you improve your French. We currently have many families in France looking for native English speaking nannies and au pairs

Welcome to the Forum....

[jasoninparis]

Originally Posted by Herman We were sent this link by a friend when my wife was briefly considering trying to find work in Paris: http://www.jobsinparis.fr/ I got a job in Paris with zero French language skills, but it does not really count for this discussion as it was an internal transfer. However, large international companies with head offices like mine do recruit non-French speakers as the working language is English. I met a guy at a kids party just this weekend who got a job in Paris a few months ago by applying directly from the UK despite having limited French skills. However, to get such a position you really need some very sought after specialist skills or experience, in this guys case it was a degree from Cambridge and knowledge of an IT system that few have. Like me, his working language is 100% English so he has had no language barrier at work. If you lack those specialist skills then I understand it is very difficult. Jobs are scarce and two of our neighbours, young French professionals (a lawyer and an IT specialist), were both made redundant this year. Ironically the IT guy got a job in the UK!

I can vouch for the jobsinparis site. I look at it often. I have a job in France even if I have crappy french. I think I was lucky though. I work for a software company that twas looking for an English speaker to deal with the international projects in the Nordics. So I live in france (paris), work for a french software company and travel often to the frozen north.