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How I Got A Job In France (And How You Can Too)

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Do you remember the quote from Alice in Wonderland that goes:

Door: “Why, it’s simply impassible!

Alice: Why, don’t you mean impossible?

Door: No, I do mean impassible. (chuckles) Nothing’s impossible!”

Keep this in mind if landing a French work visa is your goal.

To be frank, it isn’t a matter of finding a nice company that will sponsor you. There are tons of those, but they’re not in control of whether you’re granted one or not. It’s quite nuanced, in fact. The number of jobs that can provide the needed prerequisites where the French government will allow you to work for a French company is very few, but they do exist. Even for the (seemingly) disadvantaged.

I don’t have a degree from a university and have few formal qualifications. If you feel your working background will hold you back, don’t. There are more options than you might guess.

The Dream vs. The Reality

A couple of weeks before my arrival in Paris, a friend called me to share a job listing she stumbled upon. Actually, she was looking for a new job herself, so it was touching she thought of me at all. And to my surprise, the position forwarded to me was work I could realistically be hired for in France: Customer Care Specialist USA.

It wasn’t the most glamorous job description, but it sounded like something I could qualify for. I was really excited.

Living in Paris, I’ve often met French people who have cool jobs. I have multiple friends who work for Chanel, friends who are lawyers, illustrators…I learned a friend was recently written up in Vogue.

The French job market is primarily reserved for the French, and if you’re shooting for a position like one of those I mentioned, you’ll have to stand out in greater, arguably unreachable, ways. Be reasonable about what kind of work will suit you here. What qualifies you for work in the States may not qualify you for work here in France.

Ask yourself, what can you bring to the table that a qualified French person can’t? Maybe it’s your command of the English language (though many Parisians speak English well) One step further, maybe it’s your understanding of American culture which sets you apart.

The “geared towards the US market” job description is crucial because companies need to justify why a foreigner is the best choice for their available position. They must prove to the government that a foreigner is more qualified for this role than a French citizen. They’re required to be thorough to the point of advertising their listing in the post for three weeks. Since the vast majority of French citizens are not (also) American, I felt I had an advantage with these jobs.

Use Growing Up in America to Your Advantage

American culture is generally optimistic compared to other cultures. We are often willing to take risks in ways people from other parts of the world simply wouldn’t. It could stem from the idea that Americans can’t afford to be lazy. I mean this literally. Healthcare isn’t heavily subsidized (unless you’re elderly or destitute), government aid isn’t as accessible (see healthcare), university beyond community colleges are outrageously priced (and tied to the sweet slush funds of student loans), etc. If you don’t work, you simply do not eat.

In the case of the position I was going for, why would they go to such great lengths to find someone for this position, and why was it so difficult to fill? It requires no degree and little to no experience.

The official statement is, they need an American who understands American culture.

The unofficial statement is, they need an American to deal with the Karens.

My company is a tech startup, which meant it was possible I could qualify for a French Tech Visa. A quick Google search showed this visa is valid for four years and renewable. If I could go this route, I could bypass the “justification” step in applying for my work visa.

Customer service is a developing concept here in France (here on the blog we’ve got both positive and negative experiences with it). According to my French friends, it’s much better than in the past, but hasn’t matured to the point we know so well in the States. Although French culture has a rich emotional vocabulary, it’s still developing the necessary skills to handle the demands of the very odd “customer is always right” mentality.

Teaching English is a go-to for many Americans. However, your chances of being able to settle in France while teaching English are slim. There is no shortage of English teachers (getting paid right around minimum wage). Being a native English speaker can still earn you a valuable place here, however.

Tourism is huge in Paris. I met a German guy who settled in Paris working for German tourism. There is no shortage of Americans working in the tourism sector, which is coming back strong after its toughest two years since probably the Second World War. Frankly, there are plenty of avenues an American could take in that field.

I had already received my Long-Term Visitor Visa and gotten rid of all my stuff, so I didn’t know what to expect if I chose to move forward with this job posting. I decided it couldn’t hurt to send them my CV.

It’s important to note that to obtain the visitor visa, you must write and sign a letter to the French government promising not to work for a French company in France. Since I was attempting to do exactly what I attested to not doing, I would only move forward if everything was legal. 

A few days after sending them my CV and cover letter, the company emailed me to set up my first interview. We met on FaceTime, and I was upfront and transparent about my legal status in France. I was happy to find out they were willing to work with me on this, so we continued to the next part of the hiring process. I mentioned I would be in Paris the following week, so we had our second interview in person.

I’m the first person to fill this position so my company let me choose my schedule and my salary. I can work from home, or anywhere for that matter. Although I was hired, and was ready to start as soon as possible, my current visa status meant I couldn’t be contracted with the much sought-after CDI. They suggested a band-aid solution that could work long-term, freelancing, which is one more piece of evidence that contradicts the line given by many in Facebook groups and other places that one cannot legally work remotely while in France on a visitor visa. In this case, I was working remotely for a French company, and happened to choose to live in France. I never said I wouldn’t work remotely for a French company, and you need to have no legal status in France (or any country) in order to work remotely for a French company.

Freelancing involved writing a contract between me and the company outlining the terms of indefinite freelance (and in my case, also remote) work. In order to get paid, I simply personally invoice the company through their US subsidiary. I don’t get paid in Euros and since income paid to a US citizen for a remote French job isn’t directly concerned with French taxation, that’s one less wrinkle. That income will indirectly show up, as part of filing taxes in France as a foreigner is declaring your overseas income, but that’s a single line item, and collects all my sources of income without further details, and in any case, as already noted, it’s not possible, legally, morally (or logistically), for the French government to audit where the remote workers of French companies live or work. What they are concerned with is the legal status of those who do live in France, and I was (and am) in France on a valid visa.

As long as your pay for a given remote employer is connected to your fiscal address in the US, you’re good to go. 

The Reality

There are a few disadvantages to the freelancing option, but if you’re looking to settle in France, this is a good first step. Like I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t provide you with the magical CDI and many landlords won’t accept tenants who freelance. I obviously don’t have the famous five paid weeks of vacation either. Don’t get me wrong, there are many pros that outweigh the cons. The most obvious being stable work.

Thankfully, for the sake of training, everything is in English. This doesn’t help my French at all, but I mention this because of a valid point my friend brought up the other day. We were talking about a possible relocation for her to Paris, and she was hesitant about working for a French company speaking French. The idea is intimidating, but the reality is not so.

You were hired because you possess a skill that others here don’t. You’re an asset. Further, they’ve jumped through the hoops necessary to get you here, so they want to keep you. Even if it means for a while they speak English, so be it. The reality in French tech, by the way, is that the office language usually is English, even if the majority of the workers are French.

The fact that you’re a foreigner is not a surprise to them, and generally (minus the stubborn few) people are quite nice here. The changes and transitions involved can be uncomfortable, but if you’re determined to grow past all that, take my experience and move through it. If it’s right for you, it’ll work out, and it’ll be easy.

I have to return to the States to change my visa next year (I failed to check the 12+ month box when applying, and clicked the 6-12 month one, which gave me a nonrenewable visa), so my next steps won’t concern me for a while. And if I do pick up that French Tech visa, I promise I’ll explain how to get that too.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying carving my own way in this country and city.

Photo was taken while working remotely in Montmartre.

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Mailbag: the Non-Existent “American ban,” Work Possibilities with the PL Visa, & Snake Oil

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In the last eight weeks I have received an avalanche of questions from those hoping to immigrate to France.  In the past when I received a lot of questions I would collect them into a post like this and call it the “mailbag.”  But since creating my Facebook group and videos on Visitor and Prof Lib status, I haven’t had to.  The last mailbag post was in 2016!  But there have been so many questions I’ve answered recently that I thought to collect just a few of them here to share.  The questioners have been anonymized and their questions have been corrected for spelling and grammar and/or redacted for privacy when necessary.

I keep hearing that due to COVID-19 Americans are not welcome in Europe right now.  Hence If I file for a long-stay visitor visa (greater than 1 year), am I wasting my time?

It is fake news that Americans are not welcome in Europe.  Very rarely, if ever, is an entire nationality banned from someplace, as that might also include expelling anyone of that nationality already in the country.  What the media isn’t saying, because it’s so intent on portraying an inept US response to Covid, is that US citizens, traveling for leisure, coming from the US, cannot currently enter France and some European countries.  Americans themselves are free to travel around Europe given that they have valid residence in a European country.  Those Americans who have never lived here but are confirmed on student status for this autumn are also welcome to come to France in particular and Europe in general.

That said, your application process will depend on where you are applying from.  In some countries consulates and embassies are running again at normal capacity, with certain safeguards in place, and in other places those consulates and embassies remain closed or unable to assist applicants at the moment.  But you won’t be denied just for being an American.

I have a long-term visitor visa but of course, I’m stuck here in the US. So I will have to renew it before 4/15/21 and I haven’t even left yet! Can you help?

Here you can again see the power of fake news at work.  Since the questioner only had access to mainstream news, she was paralyzed.  I explained to her that the long-term visitor visa, which for her became effective mid-April, gave her valid entry into France.  Even though she had never “lived” here, the visa gave her residence status, which was what she needed to travel.  After I assured her this would be fine she booked a ticket!  A late-breaking addition as of just this afternoon – a negative covid-19 test 72 hours before travel will be required on the US side before departure.  This may change in the weeks and months ahead, but as of now it’s a new requirement.

How many times can you renew a long-stay visitor visa? (Initial application would be for 1 year)

Indefinitely.  As I’ve said before, it’s one of the easiest visas to get, and even easier to renew and retain.  After five years and a language test, you can apply for a ten-year card.

What kind of work contract can one be hired under while on a VLS/TS Profession Libérale? I’m attempting to apply for this status as a video editor/motion graphics designer and animator. I’m unsure if this can be considered as a liberal profession, and moreover, my understanding is that audiovisual production companies hire people under CDDU (CDD d’usage contracts), meaning that it’s salarié. My hope is that I can get hired for contracted work under a different work contract. What kind of work contracts exist for your visa?

The Profession Libérale visa is a work visa, meaning you are allowed to work, but it is not the same as a salarié visa — meaning the type of visa you get when sponsored by a company with which you have a CDI.  Should such a company wish to hire you, they would hire you as a contractor via your PL status.  As a contractor you don’t get any of the benefits of a regular employee, and rarely, if ever, sign “contracts” in the French work sense of the word (despite being a “contractor”).  You’re essentially acting as a consultant/freelancer.  That said, this could be an entrée into a job, as perhaps the company will like you enough and recognize that you have a set of skills that’s difficult enough to find in the job market that they are willing to go through the time and expense of sponsoring your work visa, to make you an employee.  To be clear, PL status does not allow you to be employed as an employee.  Should you get a bona fide job offer you are going to have to change visa status to accept it, which also means shutting down your URSSAF account and figuring out what to do with your pension (transition it or keep it in place).

Stephen….I am still weighing the pros and cons of freelance visas from about five different countries.  Could you please clarify something regarding the Profession Libérale?  Does France limit the amount of time that a Profession Libérale holder can physically be outside of France and still maintain his or her immigration status and path to citizenship?  Must a physical address always be maintained during Profession Libérale status (as opposed to a mailbox at the UPS store)? 

Once you have a long-term visa, be in Visitor or Prof Lib (or other classifications for that matter), there is not really any way that the French can track how long you are in the country.  For tax purposes you are essentially stating that you are in the country for 183 days+, but if you are there for less, the French wouldn’t know.  Now, I’m not encouraging you to do that, I’m just saying that for purposes of filing taxes and keeping your status, you have to assert that you are a fiscal resident of France.  There is no box on your French personal or business returns that asks you to indicate how many days you spent in France in the previous year.

To continue to renew your visa status as a long-term resident, regardless of your visa classification, you need to be a fiscal resident of France, and file returns here every single year.

You do need to maintain a physical address, as all correspondence (and trust me, there’s a lot) will be sent there until you get yourself set up virtually, and even then you’re going to receive a fair amount of physical correspondence from the agencies, like the Ministry of Finance, that still send paper notices for a number of things.  We don’t have a “UPS store” but there are various places that I know of that will allow you to maintain a physical address with them…for a fee.

Are you familiar with XXXXXXX XXXXXX, who also assists with visa applications and business formations, and if so, do you have an opinion about this person?   My wife and I were both getting a snake-oil-sales feeling about this person.

Yes, unfortunately I have heard many bad stories about this person, and XXXXXXX has a dreadful reputation in the Paris community.  This person is obsessed with Profession Libérale as the solution to every visa question, manages a Facebook group that is ruled like an absolute dictatorship (people get deleted for questioning/contradicting the narrative), and gives factually inaccurate advice by continuously asserting that a visitor visa does not allow you to have a remote job (it does, I’ve helped dozens of people to get visitor status who had a remote job as their proof of income), hence fueling the narrative that PL solves all.  Moreover, this person charges between $1800-$4900 to help you obtain a PL visa, despite the fact that this person married into his/her immigration status, and hence never had to obtain one of these visas on her own merit.  Your snake-oil feeling is confirmed.  I wouldn’t get within a country mile of this person, and it’s crazy to think that obtaining this visa should cost even 1/3 of what XXXXXXX charges.

TAIP is 100% reader-supported through tipping. If you want to leave us a tip of any amount it would be highly appreciated. These tips help support our efforts to keep TAIP an ad-free environment. Just as at a cafe, the tips are split evenly among the team.