Looking at working in France? Whether you’re moving for family, friends, or just looking for a new start, this blog covers the foundations of what you need to know to get the ball rolling for your career across the water.
France has many employee benefits to offer including a legal minimum of 25 paid days annual leave a year, a legal maximum of a 35 hour working week, and cheaper costs for commuting to and from work. But what else do you need to know about working in France? Is working weekends illegal? Find out in our blog.
Before you can consider working in France, if you’re not natively French you’ll need to get proof of your French language proficiency to a high enough standard, usually a minimum of C1 or C2 level on the proficiency scale, so that potential employers know you’ll be able to communicate with them. You may also need to submit your CV and cover letter in both the English and French language if some employers request you to do so, regardless of whether the role is primarily French or English speaking.
Secondly, if you’re planning on working in France for longer than 12 months you’ll need to submit a residence permit application at a local town hall in France. This is your permission for living and working in France.
Finally, it’s important to note that workplaces in France are traditional in the sense that punctuality is important and offices tend to be formal with defined senses of who does what according to job roles. Although work lunches are popular, socialising with colleagues outside of work hours isn’t really a done thing.
Similarly to the UK, the qualifications required for different jobs in France varies with the job. If you’re going into a skilled profession such as engineering, psychology, veterinary work or similar domains you’ll need a minimum of a postgraduate qualification such as a Master’s or PGdip/cert. However, other jobs such as marketing, sales, recruitment or similar tend to favour experience. This being said, it is worth noting that someone with relevant qualifications and experience may outweigh someone with only experience depending on the employer.
French language qualifications (such as an A-Level) will also stand you in good stead to potential employers as it’s proof that you have made the effort to learn the language skills required to communicate.
1. Is working weekends illegal in France?
The short answer is no it isn’t, but the longer answer is a little more complicated. French law does state that employers aren’t allowed to contact employees who work Monday-Friday at the weekends or outside of working hours about anything work related. However, for those that work in retail jobs or similar, if their contract includes a weekend work day then that is not against French law.
2. Can I be working in France after Brexit?
Yes, absolutely! You just need to make sure that you have all of the relevant documentation (such as a residency permit) and ensure it’s up to date since British Nationals no longer have the freedom to work in EU states without such documentation. Working in France after Brexit may be slightly more difficult now that we have left the EU, but it’s definitely not impossible.
3. How to get a work visa in France?
You can apply for a work visa in France after you have been employed there for three months or longer. Alongside your visa application you’ll need to submit a copy of the work permit that you provided to the company you work for, and your contract of employment to prove that you work for who you say you do.
Find out more about how to apply for a work visa in France.
Looking at Moving to and Working in France?
It’s important to consider how you’ll get all of your belongings over with you when moving to France. At Anglo French we can make the process of moving all of your things across the channel simple and stress-free. Get a free no-obligation quote from us today, or use our contact form to enquire about how we can help you. Alternatively, give us a call on 01237 431393.
Dear Mark
We just wanted to say thank you for such a brilliant and seamless service. You will remember that your quotation came in at about 50% cheaper than the two bigger companies and obviously we were worried that would reflect in the service.
From your response time, to the lovely people we chatted to in Maidstone with our mutiple questions, letting us add to our load at no extra charge, to yesterday's experience when Nino and his mate arrived, everything has been quite brilliant.
They called us an hour before arrival and were both so cheery and obliging despite their obvious long drive and need to get to the next pick up. We had two different locations for our furniture plus we changed our minds a couple of times and literally nothing was too much trouble - Nino's manipulation of that giant blue monster around the tiny farm lanes was quite breathtaking!
Great job! Please thank your team.
Best regards
Heather and David, Trèbes
Good Evening
I would just like to let you know how delighted I have been with Jay and his not so little helper on Wednesday 25/26th Feb and again this Morning.
I was impressed with their work ethic and attitude. They were polite and helpful and, boy can they pack a van!!
They are a credit to your company and good ambassadors too.
I would recommend Anglo French to any of my friends still out in France/Spain as you completed the task very professionally and efficiently.
Thank you, once again,
Anne Saville, Cornwall
Dear Anglo French Team,
Many thanks to all of you form me and my family which thanks to Nuno and Co are nicely settling in France and despite the stress related to moving a household with young kids, an office and a mother of a lathe it was all made that little bit easier due to you. Many thanks again!
I wish you and the people around you a joyous and lovely Christmas break and all the best for the year ahead of us!
Nikolay, London
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