Job prospects for a trainee lawyer?

[lola777Email [email protected]]

I am a trainee lawyer in England (22yrs), and I am able to speak advanced French. I have been researching life in France, and decided quite a while ago that I would like to relocate to the Burgundy region of France. However, I am worried about the employment aspect of things, in view of the high unemployment rates in France generally. 

I have contacted the french equivalent of the jobs centre (anpe.fr), but they said that I need to be a French resident before I can submit my CV etc. I have a degree from an excellent university, a Post-Graduate qualification and the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Diploma. I am desperate to work, and evidently, improve my French and meet new people.
Any advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[tkndnv]

You would probably not be entitled to practice law as your qualifications would not be recognised. However, if that is somethng you really wanted to do, it is perfectly possible to take exams at the French bar and work as an avocat. Failing that, there is the possibility as working as a secretaire bilingue in a lawyer's office which, whilst patently not the same thing, is at least in the same field.

If you are simply looking for work of any nature, the TEFL certificate is probably a good way to go, at least at the beginning and will serve as a good means of getting into the job market and acquiring a social security number etc.

As for employment rates in Burgundy, I am not an expert. However, if they are low and opportunities are few, why not move to a major city such as Paris for a few months where work will be easy to come by. You will then be able to build on that experience and your CV will be more appealing to other French employers.