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Working: Visa, S’il Vous Plait |
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Enjoying
the cafe culture in the South of France. InsideOut Travel. |
The most important thing you have to show is sufficient evidence that you won’t be a financial burden on the state, so telling French immigration officials that you speak English, your mother is French, and you fix computers for a living won’t go very far.
If you work for a multinational corporation like HP Packard, Intel, or Microsoft, then ask about their overseas placements. Otherwise, check out job boards on the Internet, international job fairs in your local town, and temporary staffing companies that specialize in transatlantic positions.
Types of Work Permits
Depending on what type of work you are interested in—seasonal or long-term—there are quite a few work permit variations. The two most common types of work permits are “temporary secondment” and “full work.”
A temporary secondment applies to a non-French company who wants to send their employees to work with their French counterparts. The maximum permit length is 18 months and can be extended for another nine months.
A full work permit applies to a French company that wishes to employ a non-EU national and there is no time limit on the permit.
Get the Books
Besides buying an indispensable copy of Lonely Planet, consider buying a book geared for expats who want to work in your country of choice. This will cover the French bureaucratic systems on tax, insurance, health care, finding a job, and will probably dispel some myths.
There are several books written by expatriates who have acquired a valuable knowledge on living and working in France. “Live & Work in France” by Victoria Pybus, and “Living, Studying and Working in France,” by Saskia Reilly & Lorin David Kalisky, both offer helpful information.
Go Headhunting
Whether it’s seasonal, temporary, or long-term jobs you are seeking, there is a wealth of information to be found on the Internet, newspapers, and message boards. Temping agencies are also always looking for bilingual secretaries, au pairs, nannies, English teachers, hotel, and restaurant workers.
Temping agencies like GR Intérim (www.grinterim.com) act as a middleman for companies wanting to hire bilingual workers. Bruno Navarre, director general, says potential candidates must be motivated and show a speciality that is uniquely different from French nationals.
“[French companies tend to be] more reluctant to consider applications from individuals living abroad because they would not be sure of their real motivation to relocate, and they think they would have to pay for you to attend interviews,” he said.
When you prepare your CV, emphasize your professional background and job objective to increase your chance of getting an interview. Being a native English speaker can be a bonus, but you have to remember there are more than 300,000 English speakers living in Paris alone, and competition is tough.
Browse through international and French newspapers like the International Herald Tribune, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, and Le Figaro.
For seasonal jobs, checkout: www.jobs-in-europe.net/france.html. The site has good information and many interesting links.
For those who want to work and pay their way around the world, see: www.payaway.co.uk, and, www.toxiclemon.co.uk. Both are definitely worth a visit.
Andrew Comport, a 26-year-old student from Australia completing his Ph.D. studies in Rennes, sent out e-mails to French companies specializing in software research and development that interested him. Finally, he said one replied back and a half-day interview was arranged.
“The interview was informal. Just treat like it like any other job interview you would have in your own country,” said Comport.
“They quizzed me on my level of studies, scientific topics, ideas, and motivations. Do your best to impress and show that you are confident in your work. The whole visa process took about two months and the company handled everything— I just have to renew the permit every year.”
Study Abroad Programs
This is probably one of the easiest ways to work on French soil even though it isn’t long-term. Student exchange programs like Eurolingua, based in Montpellier, offer work experience and internship programs.
Students have weekly French tutorials and paid work experience in a hotel plus free accommodation and yummy French meals.
Barry Hayward, international director of Eurolingua, says they offer visa support documentation like “Attestation de Sejour," a letter that confirms that you are living in France, or “Lettre d’Invitation," an invitation to reside in France.
Sometimes
Eurolingua can help with a “Certificat d’Herbergement,"
a residence certificate showing arrival and departure dates, where the
student will be staying, and French course information required by the
French embassy in the country of origin. Students will have to provide
a return air ticket and personal funds.
The Work & Travel France program run by the Council on International
Educational Exchange is one of the largest programs. It is managed by
a US organisation and endorsed by the French Ministry of Labor. You
can check out their website at:
www.ciee.org/index.cfm.
They offer comprehensive information on practical matters like finding a place to live. The only prerequisites are US citizenship or permanent residence, full-time student status (or recent graduate), and intermediate/advanced college-level French. One added bonus is there is no age limit, so someone fresh out of graduate school, say, can take advantage of the program.
Getting a French work permit requires some work, but as you can see from Andrew Comport’s example and many people like him, it is possible. As the French say—bonne chance and bon voyage!
Jocelyn Fong is a writer and photographer based in Western France.
