Anyone live in rural France - have you managed to find a job?

[bunjies]

Hi

I live in the Haute Vienne about 50kms from Limoges. We've been out here for just over 2.5 years. Dh is converting a barn into our home while we live in a couple of mobile homes. There's the two of us plus our three kids, who are ds(10), dd1(6) and dd2(4). It's getting to the time when I need to find work and I could do with some advice. I've already registered with ANPE but they're about as helpful as a chocolate teapot. The problem I suppose is that in the UK I worked in the public sector but don't feel my French is good enough to work in that capacity. So, I'm wondering what my options are. Anyone in a similar situation? How have you found work?

You usually have to pass a 'concours' to work in the public sector in France. Then you are pretty much guaranteed employment for life. So it's very competitive so in areas of high unemployment you get people with the equivalent of a masters degree applying to work behind the counter at the post office!

The ANPE don't tend to be very open about your options. When I was involved with them about 8 years ago they didn't seem to believe skills could be transferred from one type of job to another.

But they did offer me a very useful course about how to look for work - all basic stuff I already knew in English eg how to write a CV, covering letter, role playing job interviews. It helped my confidence to do it all again in French. I found my job through an advert in the local paper.

Good luck!

OSOTC - thanks for the reply. Yes, I found the website dealing with the concours - very intimidating - although I thought I'd give it a go just for some application experience. What level of French did/do you have? I'd say my level is competent and I'm having 6h of lessons a week to improve. What kind of job did you get?

You sound very motivated!

I studied French at uni and live in France because I married a Frenchman so in 2001 I was fluent in family situations and when talking about classic French literature but very nervous with 'business' French.

I work in an office with lots of English speaking customers but I work with both French and English customers. When I first started, I would get my colleague to read through all my letters in French before I sent them out but having studied French for so long meant it didn't take too long before this was no longer necessary.

The job market is very slow in rural France. I contacted all the local companies that had international business but there are probably more of those around here (northern France) than in your part of the country.

My advice would be not to let the ANPE get to hung up about what you have done in the past but to make sure they focus on what you could do. Is there anything you would like to do for which there is a demand in your area? Would you be able to follow a training course in French?

That's really good advice. I know what you're saying about the lack of jobs - the downside of wanting to live in the countryside! I think I will make an appointment with my ANPE advisor and see if there are any training courses I could do. Do you mind telling me what part of Northern France you're in?

I think a training course is a good idea, especially if it would also help improve your French.

I think getting a job in the public sector will be impossible for you, as a foreigner. This is what a foreign but French native speaker friend of mine was told when attempting to apply to teach English in state system...

Could you train to teach English? French companies have a large budget for training and seem to use it quite often for English courses..

Would love to know how you get on, I always found the work situation in France pretty dire...

I'm in Pas de Calais not far from St Omer.