Living and working in Paris

Moving to Paris means living in a multicultural metropolis that offers a wide range of opportunities. Given the large number of expatriates, finding a flat in Paris may not be as easy as elsewhere. Our advice? For larger and cheaper apartments consider moving into a shared flat or to the suburbs.

Thanks to the Navigo pass, which makes the whole city and the surrounding suburbs accessible, you can easily travel anywhere by bus, metro, and RER. The monthly subscription costs 75 euros, but 50% of the prize will be covered by your employer.

In terms of walks and leisure, you will be spoiled! You can climb the Eiffel Tower, visit the Louvre, stroll around the Latin Quarter, explore the Sacré-Cœur, walk along the Seine, go shopping on the Champs-Élysées... In Paris, each district has its own style and reserves many surprises: in the same district, you can stumble on such unusual alleys! Living like a local, you will discover the secret side of this city: you will fall in love with aperitifs on the Saint-Martin canal, jazz club evenings in Saint-Michel, rooftop evenings during summer.

You will also learn about the "charm" of the Parisian life. Enjoy a world-famous cuisine – you can finally taste THE real chocolate crepe! – and be inspired by the fashion and the local "French attitude". A little artistic, a little "bobo" (bourgeois-bohème): it is no coincidence that the word "chic" was born here!

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.

* 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.