The jobs you can do in France (if you don't want to teach English)

There’s much more in terms of employment opportunities - depending of course on your level of education, qualifications and French-language abilities.

If you already live in France or are looking to move to the country, here are some ideas to get you started.

Working for a start-up 

The start-up scene in France is hot right now. So hot, in fact, that some people are referring to it as the "Startup nation". 

Indeed, Forbes has started releasing a French version of its business magazine in efforts to chart the progress of France on the startup scene.

"Many people say France is becoming the 'startup nation' and the discourse is changing. We have a president who is promoting entrepreneurship and free enterprise," Dominique Busso, the media entrepreneur behind the venture, told AFP in October.

And don't forget that Paris has recently flung open the doors to the mega startup hub "Station F" (pictured below), a converted railway station that aims to house 1,000 startups.

Photo: AFP

Relocation expert

As ever, France is a hotspot destination for many people from abroad, especially in times of political turmoil in the UK and the US. But we all know it's no walk in the park to just up sticks and move to France. So why not work as a relocation expert (or handler, as they're often called too)?

Given that you have been through the ups and downs of moving to France, your experience could be invaluable to others and you could even get paid for it. Companies are often on the look-out for relocation consultants and managers and you could also set out on your own to help others avoid making the same mistakes as you.

The job could involve anything from giving simple advice to showing potential new arrivals around a certain area and even helping them buy a house or find the right builder to renovate it.

Remember that many people are willing to pay for things to go smoothly, especially if they don't have the language skills and you do.

Keep an eye out for jobs in this area or set up your own website and sell your knowledge and experience. For an example of an expat successfully established as a relocation consultant in France you can CLICK HERE.

French red tape expert

Again this is a case of making the use of your unique knowledge of how things work in France. If you have lived here for a few years you will probably know a fair amount about where the red tape is and how to cut through it, whereas others who are new in the country will be lost in a sea of bureaucracy and often pay someone to help them navigate it.

You would need to swot up on all the rules and regulations and the small print on all the tax laws, but with French administration not looking like it will get any simpler in the coming years, it would be a sound long term career investment. One person who made this jump is Andy Denison, who spent years working in bars in Paris before setting up his own consultancy service.

Needless to say your level of French must be excellent as well as your knowledge and expertise of the bureaucracy.

Photo: WikiCommons

Estate Agent

France remains one of the most attractive places for Brits and Americans to move to with many wanting to sell up and buy their perfect new home in France. Hence the fact that Anglo-run estate agents exist right across the country from the Dordogne to Brittany and from the Var to Paris.

If you are good sales person but perhaps your French isn't quite up to scratch then this could be an option for you. One of the biggest estate agents in France is British-owned Leggett Immobilier, where they are always looking for new staff. To find out more about working for them, you can visit their website by clicking here.

Photo: AFP

Embassies

Granted, you are unlikely to get the ambassador's job but there are plenty of other jobs going at the embassies of various English-speaking countries in Paris as well as the consulates and outposts around the country. You'll normally be employed on a local contract, which means your job may start as a CDD (temporary contract), you'll be paid in euros and it will be under French law.

Embassies normally require a high level of written and spoken French – you'll be liaising with the French quite a lot – but the good thing is they mostly look for those with English as their native language. Jobs are normally advertised on their websites. For jobs at the British Embassy (pictured below) you can CLICK HERE. Here are a couple of links to information about jobs at US embassy, the Canadian Embassy and the Australian Embassy.

NGOs and think tanks

Paris is home to a good number of NGOs, think tanks and institutions that regularly advertise jobs, although more often than not on a short term basis. One of the biggest in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), which as it claims on its own website “publishes new job opportunities almost every week”. The OECD offers various “entry level” and short term opportunities with salaries ranging from €2,300 to €4,000 a month.

Then there's Unesco, which employs around 2,000 employees from 170-odd different countries. It may be hard to get in the door but it could be worth it. And with Unesco there's always the chance to travel. There are also agencies like Sofreco, which works in development and Action Against Hunger. There are also various human rights organisations in France like the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights.

Instructor

OK you don't want to teach English but you could teach something else like skiing, kite surfing or kayaking. Or you could become a personal trainer like Alex O'Connor on the Côte d'Azur.

You'll need to have proof of some kind of relevant qualification, which you will need to translate into French, but according to O'Connor it's not too difficult.

Here's what he said about setting himself up.

"It was actually fairly easy in the end, considering the reputation of French bureaucracy. I needed to set up as an auto-entrepreneur so I just had to pop down to the regional sports authority body with my translated qualifications and references so they could verify I had all the equivalents of the necessary French qualifications. I was able to get my professional sports instructor card within about six weeks."

READ ALSO: The ten dream jobs for expats in France

Freelance Writing/Editing/Translating

 

Looking for a job where you don't necessarily even have to leave your bedroom? Working as a freelance writer/translator/editor could just be for you, then. France has a simple to use auto-entrepreneur system for the self-employed, and there is a wealth of companies eager to make their content understandable for the rest of the world.

 

Some are just after native speakers - you don't even need experience writing before. While you might need to be able to read French for some positions, some jobs will just have you correcting English texts, already written by French people. 

 

Read more tips about editing and translating here. 

 

International companies 

 

France is home to some huge multinational giants such as the L'Oreal Group, Orange, Total, EDF or Societé Général which have branches worldwide are always on the lookout for fresh graduate talent and often provide handsomely-paid graduate schemes.

 

They may be hard to get onto but if you have the right qualifications and background and language skills then they are worth approaching whether directly or via an agency such as EuroLondon appointments.

 

Many of France's biggest multi-nationals appear on this list of the best companies to work for in France in 2018.

 

While you'll likely need a high level of French, English is the language most in demand.

 

This is what BBC capital had to say about France-based food services company Sodexo.

 

"English is being adopted as an official language. After years of translating emails, webinars and other materials into as many as eight languages, including French, English and Spanish, or holding massive town-hall meetings in multiple languages, the company announced in January that its senior leadership team would be embracing English.

 

"By year-end, it’ll be English-only for the leadership teams that are responsible for its 500,000 employees across 80 countries."

 

Bartender

 

Often considered the golden ticket of a non-French speaking job, you'll likely find this job to be one of the easiest to get in France without speaking the language. 

 

All you have to do is learn the names of a few French drinks, like demi, Diablo Menthe, Diablo Grenadine, etc and you'll be able to get on and earn some money. Most French young people who like to frequent pubs do so because it gives them a chance to speak in English.

 

So make the most of it. And there's more reasons other than just the fact you don't need to speak French to work in a bar in France. See the link below.

 

SEE ALSO: Why everyone should work in a bar in France

 

Tour guide

 

Are you a good speaker with a good memory and a penchant for facts? Then you sound like the ideal tour guide. France is the most visited tourist destination on earth - and those non-French-speaking tourists often need to a good guide.

 

This is the gap you could fill. While many work as certified guides, there's also the option of relying on your impressive knowledge to land yourself a job. Speaking an extra language besides English can be a big advantage too. But be warned, taking 20 people around the Notre Dame Cathedral is no easy task.

 

You could even become a guide on wheels. Bike tours, either around Paris or France are becoming increasingly popular.

 

(A tour guide in the Louvre museum, Paris. Photo: Wee Viraporn/Flickr)

Import/Export coordinator: 

This is a job where you can put your knowledge of both cultures to work. Serving as the person on the ground in France, your knowledge of logistics, customs rules and even France's yearly calendar of bank holidays will be vital to ensuring the safe arrival of whatever your employer is shipping.

English is a huge asset in this job, but knowledge of other languages like Chinese or Spanish will also help you land a position. There are tons of placement agencies that work specifically on areas like import/export, which generally require multi-lingual employees.

Finance

Banking is a global business and being an English speaker is a huge advantage, plus Paris is home to most major European banks. One of the largest French banks, BNP Paribas, which has outposts around the globe, even presents its job offers online in English. Also, don't worry if you studied philosophy in college, the lack of a finance diploma is not a fatal flaw for landing a bank job.