Contracting in France

[Boo]

The answer you are looking for, is it possible to work in France? Yes it is and there are many contractors here. If you want to work in the Aeronautical industry then you should come to the south of France. Eurocopter id based near Marseilles, they employ approximately 8000 staff, the contractors do the work and the staff people (locals) spend their time producing presentations which are usually full of inaccurate information; the contractor diplomatically makes sense of things when the client starts to loose confidence and saves the day.

On a more positive note, Toulouse is the Aeronautical capital of France and there are plenty of jobs there.

Sofia Antopalis (close to Nice) has a big technology presence and also there you will find contract jobs.

So how do you get these high-tech French jobs ? I am spammed by slimeballs daily but whenever they talk about rastes they are lower than a street sweeper earns and even if you do say "yes" you never hear from them again. Is there a French agency who can get you an in to these firms ?

To summarize, it is possible but much more difficult if you are not already based in France. From a financial point of view, you are better in the UK unless you are lucky and land a contract working on the ITER project (if you do, say hello).

So what could an experienced French contract Software Engineer expect as an hourly rate ?

Boo

[Brussels Slumdog]

Depends on the project manager

I think your information is out-of-date.

Norrahe lives in the Netherlands and is in the process of learning Dutch. Dutch companies are using 'Dutch-speakers only' these days as well.

I can read and understand Dutch like a native and speak Dutch like an Indian speaks English, but a Flemish project manager will bin my CV. The only projects that I have worked on in Belgium were for British and American Project managers
Learning a language is one thing using it on a project is something else. I have managed to work in France based on an interview in French but the client required me to write documentation in English.

[GiGi]

Currently Contracting in France

I have been contracting in France now for over two years, so hopefully I can provide you with some useful information.

Basically if you work in France you don't necessary need to speak French. Most technical graduates speak a decent level of English and unless you are involved in military or projects that require french security clearance the business language is English. Also a point worth noting, if you study a technical degree in France, you are required to pass an English exam, if you don't pass you don't get your degree. By far the biggest obstacle you will encounter if you want to work in France is the Nationalist attitude. I could write a full page on this subject, but that is for another time.

The answer you are looking for, is it possible to work in France? Yes it is and there are many contractors here. If you want to work in the Aeronautical industry then you should come to the south of France. Eurocopter id based near Marseilles, they employ approximately 8000 staff, the contractors do the work and the staff people (locals) spend their time producing presentations which are usually full of inaccurate information; the contractor diplomatically makes sense of things when the client starts to loose confidence and saves the day.

On a more positive note, Toulouse is the Aeronautical capital of France and there are plenty of jobs there.

Sofia Antopalis (close to Nice) has a big technology presence and also there you will find contract jobs.

France is also the country of nuclear Power, approximately 75% of the electricity is generated by Nuclear Fission in France and AREVA is god here. They have a very strong presence in Paris and are much more open to using expats. Forget the AREVA TA in the south of France, this is the nationalist club and you have less than no chance of being employed by this company.

To summarize, it is possible but much more difficult if you are not already based in France. From a financial point of view, you are better in the UK unless you are lucky and land a contract working on the ITER project (if you do, say hello).

One thing to remember if you do find a contract; do not pay French social security, its one of the highest and will leave you feeling like you have just been through a divorce with a life sucking B.... Do yourself a rather big favour and apply for an A1 from HMRC, which will allow you to pay UK social security for two lovely years in the UK and that should be enough to make you feel really warm inside.

[northernladuk]

I think your information is out-of-date.

Norrahe lives in the Netherlands and is in the process of learning Dutch. Dutch companies are using 'Dutch-speakers only' these days as well.

More like double dutch from what I can see

[up4it]

Thanks for the responses.

I believe quite a few jobs in Airbus are English speaking.

[sirja]

Has anyone ever worked on an IT contract in France?

Also, was it an English speaking environment?
Did they expect you to be able to speak some French?

Any other useful info would be much appreciated.

Companies such as Airbus, Thales, EADS, etc... must use a lot of contract staff.

I've worked twice in France and I guess I was lucky because both times the projects were English speaking. Generally if it's a global multinational, then English is generally spoken.

[SueEllen]

I've seen a lot that say 'French Nationals only' - which is obviously against EU rules but at the end of they they'll just bin your cv if you're not....

I've seen ads in German classifieds that say:

"Attractive Secretary required"

"Flat for rent, Nice German couples Only"

Sometimes think it's only the UK that has gone hyper-PC....

Being PC in adverts doesn't mean your recruitment practices are PC and applications aren't binned.

[stek]

I've seen a lot that say 'French Nationals only' - which is obviously against EU rules but at the end of they they'll just bin your cv if you're not....

I've seen ads in German classifieds that say:

"Attractive Secretary required"

"Flat for rent, Nice German couples Only"

Sometimes think it's only the UK that has gone hyper-PC....

[SueEllen]

I've been offered them but the tax laws don't make it worth it.

Some contracts require French and others don't but if you wish to get on in the country generally you need to speak basic French otherwise everyday life will be a struggle.

[up4it]

I can speak Double Dutch pretty well!

[cojak]

I think your information is out-of-date.

Norrahe lives in the Netherlands and is in the process of learning Dutch. Dutch companies are using 'Dutch-speakers only' these days as well.

[up4it]

Cojak - I know what you mean. It seems Belgium and Holland offer much better opportunities for the English-speaking contractor.

[cojak]

In my experience French companies generally require their employees to be French speaking.

There is very little contracting in France as we know it, you may have to consider Switzerland if you are a mono-lingual contractor.

[up4it]

Has anyone ever worked on an IT contract in France?

Also, was it an English speaking environment?
Did they expect you to be able to speak some French?

Any other useful info would be much appreciated.

Companies such as Airbus, Thales, EADS, etc... must use a lot of contract staff.