> DOCUMENTS If you are an EU National your Identity Card or Passport are the only documents you need to go to France. You can live and work in France for up to three months without any kind of work permit, but if you are planning to stay longer then you must apply for a Carte de Séjour. This work permit requires that you have a job and housing for the whole period you are planning to stay. You can submit your application form to the Préfecture.
You can apply for your Carte de Séjour at the (CRE) Centre de Réception des Etrangers or prefecture de police of your local arrondissement. Note that general telephone inquiries can be made at ++33 (0) 1 53 71 51 68.
If you are not an EU National, you should apply for a visa before going to France. Please ask the French Embassy nearest to you for more information (For a list of French Embassies around the world you can go to www.embassy-worldwide.com)
Required documents for the Carte de Séjour applicants (EU Nationals):
- Passport and three photocopies of passport
- Four passport-size photographs
- Two letters from employer called contrat d'engagement stating the duration of contract, qualifications, and working hours
- Proof of residence, or attestation de domicile (EDF-GDF bills in your name) or a bill in the owner' name and a letter from him or her attesting to your living at the said address and photocopy of his or her Carte d'Identité or Carte de Séjour Fiche d'Etat Civil (obtained at your embassy upon presentation of your original, long-form birth certificate)
- One self-addressed and stamped envelope
Hiring procedures tend to be more formal in France, and employers usually take longer to make hiring decisions. You can either find a job while still in your country of residence or while already in France. Please note that employers do not usually hire in August or December due to the holiday season.
Salaries vary from city to city, and they also depend on the type of job you are looking for. The following weekly wage figures might give you a good idea of what you should expect to earn if you worked in Paris: Salesperson (Euro 330), Waiter/Waitress (Euro 400), Office Worker (Euro 440), English Teacher (Euro 470).
French wages are generally paid monthly, so it is advisable that you bring enough start-up-funds (1.100 is recommended) to support yourself until you receive your first paycheck. Remember Paris is a very expensive city.
The national employment office is the ANPE (Agence Nationale Pour lEmploi). Go to www.anpe.fr to find a job online and post your Curriculum Vitae. The ANPE has more than 600 agencies throughout the country, where you can apply for any job that suits your needs.
> USEFUL LINKS
TROVIT: http://emploi.trovit.fr/
JOBTONIC: www.jobtonic.fr
MONSTER: www.monster.fr
STEPSTONE: www.stepstone.fr
LUSINE NOUVELLE: www.usinenouvelle.com
ANPE (Agence Nationale pour lEmploi)
4 rue Galilée
93198 Noisy Le Grand /Cedex
Phone: ++33 (0) 1 493 17400
> FOR MORE INFORMATION
FRENCH EMBASSY
(Rome, Italy)
Piazza Farnese, 67
00186 Roma (ITALIA)
Phone: ++39 06 686011
ITALIAN EMBASSY
(Paris, France)
51, rue de Varenne
75007 Paris (FRANCE)
Phone: ++33 (0) 1 49540300
