Working in France: advantages and disadvantages

When we talk about the world of work in France, the questions I am asked are almost always the same:

"What is it like to work in Paris?

"Is there work? "

"Are wages better than Italy? "

My answer is always the same: It depends on a lot of things.

Everything is related to one's personal attitudes and ambitions and especially the kind of work you're looking for. It is impossible to give an absolute answer to all these questions, but after nine years of living in Paris I feel able to make a balance between the things I love about my French expatriate and Other I appreciate it less. Many of these relate to the professional sphere, which I have been able to fully discover during my stay.

My experience is limited only to the city of Paris and above all to scientific field, In particular, in terms of salary, resources and above all implication. But my professional "history" still allows me to summarize what, in my opinion, are the main advantages and disadvantages of working in France.

Benefits: opportunity, flexibility, social security and... vacation!

Professional opportunities in France, especially in Paris. High demand and also fairly well paid are the catering professionals, as well as economists and engineers in the civil, computer, electronic and biomedical fields. France is a country where meritocracy is rewarded and a good resume is always recognized and valued.

Although the "card to be stamped" always exists for some professions, then France working hours are mostly flexible, in particular for company managers. This may also lead to some disadvantages, which I will discuss later.

In academic and scientific fields the competition is much higher, but the selection of staff is made in a meritocratic and transparent manner. Good news for expats: It is not said that the CV of a Frenchman must have priority over that of a foreigner. One example is the growing number of Italian researchers who decide to make a career in France.

France is also a country very attentive to social security.

A good percentage of taxes and contributions serve to ensure very important services for the French state: social security and unemployment. In most French holdings, supplementary health insurance (mutuals) is partially paid by the employer, as are meal vouchers and public transport subscriptions. In addition, it is sufficient to have worked for at least 6 months in the previous 2 years to be entitled to chômage, i.e. unemployment benefit obtainable in the event of dismissal, conventional breakage or termination of a fixed-term contract.

There are also numerous economic subsidies that employees can enjoy in France, especially in the case of large families and low income. Social security is such a complex subject that it certainly deserves a separate article!

Last but not least: French contracts have a lot of paid holidays.

Employees are entitled to at least 5 weeks a year of paid holidays, excluding weekends and public holidays, the latter very frequent in France. To these are added other days of additional leave called RTT, or Réduction du temps de travail. A 2002 reform implemented by then Prime Minister Lionel Jospin set the legal duration of a 35-hour working week against the previous 39 hours. For some sectors requiring a great deal of time flexibility (such as the medical and academic field) compliance with these "office" hours is not always possible, which is why the employer grants extra days of leave to the compensatory rest.

Disadvantages: Presentism, short maternity, not always adequate salaries.

Despite the holidays and the many rights of the worker, France could improve in terms of life-work balance.

Flexible hours are advantageous, but the famous 35 hours are rarely respected, often resulting in endless working days. This is in my opinion one of the major disadvantages of working in France.

Then something paradoxical happens: for an employee who arrives at the office between 9:30 and 10:00 nobody gets scandalized, but everyone remembers him/her if "sa" going out at 17:00. Although not in all jobs (luckily!), the tendency to work late to "be seen by the boss" is still a little too widespread. It doesn’t matter that coffee-kiss breaks last an hour, that the lunch break lasts more than two hours and that the actual work starts around 11;00: the important thing is to finish late, to prove that, by staying in the office, "you care about your work".

Leaving work at 17:00 is perceived as "ending up early", unless you have children to pick up from school. For all others, perhaps single and childless, it is assumed that they do not have urgent priorities and that they can work late. The exact opposite of what happens in countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Iceland, where Overworking is ill-seen and discouraged. For the same reason there are still few companies in favour of work from home or télé-travail. In some respects, working in France means "to be seen in the office".

I worked for several companies in Paris and often noticed a lack of balance between private and professional life.

Or there are workaholic I have noticed in the public sector. We are light years away from the four-day week, from the efficiency, the sense of duty and the reduced hours of the North European countries.

The situation is also difficult for new parents who have very short paternity leave.

It's 16 weeks for new mothers and a maximum of 25 days for dads. So it is no surprise that in other countries the birth rate is much higher than in France.

My area is very particular: scientific research knows no timetables, has unforeseen agendas and is never paid enough.

For a doctoral student, researcher or laboratory technician it is very normal to have a last minute experiment, a deadline sudden or even a vacation to postpone. The most banal excuse is always "we do it for science", but passion cannot and must not justify the absence of freedom and right to rest, especially if at the end of the month The salary is inadequate.

Clearly, French wages are on average more than dignified.

Since I live in Paris I can easily pay all the expenses, allow myself travel and leisure and also finance future projects. But working in France also means accepting demanding jobs and qualified professions at a lower cost than in other countries. Teachers for example are paid very little in exchange for long holidays: July and August full plus two weeks every two months during the year! But is that really enough?

In 2020, the average salary in France amounted to just over €2000 net per month. What in Italy would be an excellent salary, in cities like Paris is just enough. This situation affects most French citizens, apart from a few elected ones working in certain sectors, such as finance.

It is not surprising that some professions are paid more than others, but in the long run they risk giving life to one elitist society, in which only very few lucky people can buy homes, invest and have a certain standard of living. This is especially evident in real estate, one of the sore keys of life in Paris: without permanent contract it is very difficult to rent a house and almost impossible to buy one. Banks and owners require continuous guarantees and for this they demand a fixed seat and a generous paycheck.

The French labour market is perhaps a little too attached to the myth of fixed jobs and prestige work. Not for a matter of social pressure, but of necessity linked to the dear life and the difficult housing market. Fortunately, things are gradually changing, especially among young people who do not hesitate to have various experiences or to leave a job they do not love.

Before signing a contract in France, account must therefore be taken of many positive and negative aspects that characterize Oltralpe’s work culture. It remains an intense and very educational experience, but my advice is always to inform and think about it well. Let me know in the comments if you would accept a job in France and why.