Working in Paris is the dream of many young people – including the French. In 2018 the capital's unemployment rate fell to 8.4%, which is below the national average. Paris and the Île-de-France region are ideal places to find a job abroad. Would you like to work in an enterprise? Due to the presence of the headquarters of large French and international companies, the various ministries and the main institutions, it is in Paris where the cadres*
population is concentrated, – not to mention the business district of La Défense. If you are more into working in a start-up, good news: with Station F (the largest incubator in the world) and the Cargo Paris has become the European capital of start-ups.
How to Find a Job in Paris
Are you still hesitating to relocate because you don’t even know how to work in Paris without speaking French? We can totally understand this feeling, but there’s nothing to worry about! There are so many job opportunities in Paris that specifically require other languages than French.
English-speaking jobs in Paris are very common, especially in the fields Content, Marketing, and Customer Support. If you are looking for a start-up job in Paris, the job search will be even easier. Most start-ups want to evolve internationally, meaning that they have many international jobs and you will quickly find French companies looking for English native Business Developers.
If you moved to Paris and didn’t find work yet, the easiest way to discover your possibilities and get a job in the field you like is to start networking. The city’s entrepreneurial community is very strong. It will be no problem for you to find networking events and make contacts with people who can open you the door to interesting jobs in Paris.
Salary and Working Hours in Paris
Salaries in Paris are high – up to 25% higher than in the rest of the country: not bad, right? If you are wondering what your professional life in Paris will be like, know that the workweek is set at 35/39 hours, with days starting around 9:30 am and ending around 7 pm. But be careful: In some Parisian companies leaving time is taken with great importance – if you want to leave early, it's better to prevent everyone, because you may get remarks. Our advice? Adapt to the schedules of your open space! Parisians spend a lot of time in the office – this is what they call the “métro – boulot – dodo” (subway - work - sleep) routine. But they also like to celebrate: at the end of the day, they love to relax and have a drink with a good plate of local cheeses and charcuterie.
On weekends, Parisian professionals most often leave the city to enjoy a getaway in nature or in a nearby region. Like them, you will be able to take 5 weeks of paid annual leave and, in the case of a happy event, 16 weeks of maternity leave and 11 days of paternity leave.
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A cadre is an employee generally holding a management, development, or control position in a company and enjoying a special status in many collective agreements. A cadre enjoys a special reputation that does not exist in Anglo-Saxon countries.