job hunting in france

[letrangere]

Is it realistic to think that at least one of me or DH (one french, one fluent french speaker) should find jobs within 12 months? We are flexible on where in France we end up but want to get over there to jobhunt get kids used to it etc.

Hopefully someone who has lived in France longer than me should be along to answer your question. I suppose it really depends on what kind of work you specialise in/want to do?

I would like to think 12 months shouldn't be a problem for a native French person and a fluent French speaker, even if unemployment is high. Are you both bilingual? That should help too.

Good luck!

Yes, I think it depends alot on what you want to do, where you are going to be and what experience/diplomas you have.

12 months doesn't seem very long to me when you see the job offers there are and how many people are applying for them.

Our friend is a financial director and there are hundreds of people applying for each job (northern France).

This is from a 2008 study of average length of unemployment in Ile de France. I don't suppose there has been much improvement on these figures since.

"Si dans les 10 % des localités les plus favorables, la durée de chômage n?excède pas 9,8 mois, elle dépasse 13,7 mois dans les 10 % les moins favorables."

From the Centre d'Etudes d'Emploi, document 97 if you want to read about other region.

that's a bit worrying really - will take a look, thanks. we are both bilingual, yes

Of course, those figures are just averages.

You could find work really quickly but there are plenty of qualified and experienced people who are/have been without a job for more than 12 months in France.

Have you tried looking for work from the UK?

I work in France and it's taken a long time for me to get my job, I work as an English Language Assistant in a college and lycee. I wrote to the regional department of education for my area in July 2008 and was given a job in October 2009 so a long wait. However, my interview was on the telephone (10 mins) had to pop along to school to meet the teachers and tell them my availability and then start a week later. It's only 12 hours a week and it's a temporary contract which only runs during term time - so I figure 4 months unemployed a year, the salary is the equivalent of a newly qualified teacher, but at least I'm paying my cotisations and keeping up with my contributions in France.

I teach students aged between 11 and 22 and basically have to run a class. It's very challenging but I'm enjoying it.

Apparently the language assistants have to be native speakers so would only be open to British people.

So I would say pick an area you want to live in and then write to the academie for that area and take it from there.

I also work from home for a company in the UK as well, so I've managed to split my time quite well and am now making a pretty decent livable income. Of course childcare is great in France with the availability of the garderie at school.

Good luck in your move.

thanks for all this. I lived in France a long time ago and unemployment was high (although I did have quite a lot of happily unemployed friends who had no intention of being anythign else at the time!) I guess it's a lot down to luck as much as anything.

we have been looking from the UK and dh has made a few applications but they haven't come to anything so far. we will be carrying on doing that in the hope we land something before the move but I feel it's going to be easier once we're there - although that might be stupid

Do you have qualifications that translate (iyswim?)

I found it very hard to get any kind of work bar teaching outside the big cities (I was told that in Paris they are v. interested in "real" bilingual assistants etc.).

I didn't even get an interview for jobs I knew I could do, because I was over-qualified in one way, but underqualified in others.

They are very hot on you having the 'right' diploma here.

Could you look into doing a course if you want to move over and do that while you're job-hunting?

There are lots of possibilities for adult training courses in all kinds of things, at v. reasonable prices.

My brother now lives in France (his wife works at an international school there) and he has had great difficulties finding work over the past 12 months. His French is excellent (not fluent), but he has found that his British qualifications (degree, teaching qualification etc)are discounted. It has been an unpleasant surprise for him as he didn't have any problems finding good jobs in the UK and they live close to a major city.

thanks - hmmm. DH is french so his quals are french - up to a point, most of his career has been in the UK. I have been talking to him about updating his qualification when we get there to make sure he has the right paper work.

will keep looking out for jobs too ...