When you go to live and work in France, you’ll also understand where this expression comes from. Plenty of space to live, beautiful nature and a dynamic culture, and of course the famous French cuisine!
Working in France
A standard work week in France is 35 hours. The country has 11 official national holidays and employees in France have many vacation days. They are entitled to 30 paid vacation days per year.
Food is an important part of French culture, so the French take ample time for it. A full 3-course meal is often enjoyed. That means an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Work-related matters are often discussed during lunch. The thinking is often that a 3-hour lunch can save a 2-hour meeting.
Salaries in France
The minimum wage in France is also called the SMIC (Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel de Croissance). An employee legally cannot be paid less than this amount. The established SMIC in 2024 is €1,766.92 gross per month.
Additionally, the average net monthly salary in France in 2024 is €2,340.
Taxes
If you’re going to work in France, you’ll of course have to pay income tax and social security contributions. France uses a progressive tax system, so it’s comparable to our system but with 5 brackets instead of 3 in the Netherlands. So the more you earn, the more tax you have to pay. The tax rates in France range from 0% on the first €10,225 of income to 45% on incomes higher than €160,366.
Working in France: Contracts
When you’re offered a job in France, you’ll most likely first get a CDD (contrat durée déterminé), or a fixed-term contract/annual contract. If your employer is satisfied and everything goes well, after a while (after a maximum of 36 months) you’ll get an indefinite contract, a CDI (contrat durée indéterminé). So there are two types of contracts.
The Work Culture
In France, rules and hierarchy are very important. You always address your manager with the formal ‘you’ (vous) and everything is usually done precisely according to the rules. It’s not appreciated if you act too independently or show initiative.
Also keep in mind that the French don’t communicate as directly as the Dutch. In France, people often chat first before actually getting to the point. The French like to have meetings during a long lunch or an elaborate dinner. The French first get to know each other extensively before they really talk about business.
Also, punctuality is not so important in France. It’s not unusual for someone to arrive half an hour late for an appointment. As a result, meetings can often run over. That’s not a problem, but you’re then expected to work longer.
In summary, this requires some adaptability from us Dutch people.
Tip: Take a look at the website of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency for more information about doing business and work culture in France. Doing business in France (rvo.nl)
Networking in France
When you go to live and work in France, you of course also have the opportunity to build an international network. This can be very beneficial for finding a (new) job and you can also learn a lot from your international contacts. A good way to get in touch with other professionals in your field is to attend various networking events.
Tip: Want to get in touch with other expats in France? Consider joining the Facebook groups Expats living in France, Expat life in France and Expats in France.
Advantages of Living and Working in France
The French culture and a wonderful climate make France attractive to live in. The cost of living in France is fairly similar to the cost of living in the Netherlands, although many products are cheaper in France. The French find it important to be polite to each other at all times. In short, if you want to work abroad, France is a very good choice!
The French Language
The French are extremely proud of their language. Did you know that the French language is an official language in 29 countries around the world, including Canada and Monaco? In addition, over 220 million people can speak and understand French. If you’re going to live and work in France, it’s certainly recommended to get a grasp of French. You’ll definitely score points with the French! For example, start by creating an account on Duolingo. With this app, you’ll quickly learn many basic words and phrases that come in handy.
Healthcare in France
France is considered the country with the best healthcare in the world. This is how the WHO (World Health Organization) has rated France’s healthcare. French healthcare not only provides many high-quality services but is also very accessible.
It’s mandatory to have health insurance in France and as a resident, you automatically have the right to medical care. You can take out health insurance through your employer, but it’s also possible to do this through the government. If you can’t afford health insurance yourself, you’re eligible for free health insurance from the government. This health insurance is financed by taxes. If you do have money for health insurance, you pay about 5.5% of your monthly salary to the health insurance fund in France.
Keep in mind that nowadays you often have to pay a personal contribution for treatments that are not covered by your basic insurance. These costs are often very low, but by taking out private insurance, you can avoid having to pay this personal contribution for certain treatments. The nice thing is that private health insurance in France is often much cheaper than in the Netherlands.
You can choose your own general practitioner (médecin traitant) in France. In addition, you can also decide entirely for yourself which hospital you want to go to.
Housing
If you find buying a house in France too definitive, it might be a good start to first rent a holiday home for a while. Finding a suitable rental property for your emigration is not difficult, the supply of rental properties in France is reasonably large.
Finding a Rental Property
A large part of French rental properties are rented out by private individuals themselves. The other part is rented through an agency, a régie. If the régie is affiliated with the CNAB, you can assume that everything is arranged neatly according to reasonable conditions. You can register with a régie. The viewings and drawing up of the rental contract are then done by the régie. This is against payment of one-time costs if they successfully find a rental property for you. You can look for rental houses offered by private individuals through door-to-door newspapers, regional newspapers, or via websites such as bonjour.fr. Some real estate agents also have rental houses in their database and you can find properties in rural areas through notaries.
Rental Contract
What you need to pay attention to when signing a rental contract is what it says about the condition of the property. What agreements are made about the condition of the property at the start and upon departure. It’s not uncommon for there to be an inventory list. Check if everything on it is correct. Check the rental property yourself for any defects or damages and, if necessary, record these in writing with the landlord. For more information, see among others: https://www.vertreknaarfrankrijk.nl/
Our Services
We’d be happy to look at your chances in the French labor market with you and show you the way. You can send an email to werkenineuropa@uwv.nl and we’ll contact you as soon as possible. Do you want to practice your current profession in France? Then we can look together at what might still be needed to do that. Want to further orient yourself online towards work in France? Look for information at offredeserviceprimoarrivants_versionanglaise27790.pdf (francetravail.fr)
Our colleagues from EURES France can also advise you further.
Did you know that we have a clear description of living and working per country on the EURES portal? You can find the description of living and working in France here: Living and working conditions: France – European Commission (europa.eu)