robertandsharah Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Hello people, my wife and I (with three children) are contemplating moving to France later in 2007, around the Brittany area.my wife has been a care assistant in the UK as well as bar-work and childcare/minding.myself, well I've been a printer, salesman, administrator and am a good decorator....anyone got any idea's of where to start looking for work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Brittany has quite high unemployment in the areas away from the very large towns and cities which is why all the young uns disappear abroad or to the big cities to find work unless they are in the family business of agriculture or fishing etc. To find a job here you will need to speak and write a good standard of french, have recognised qualifications here in a particular field if you are trying for the same profession. You will also need to sign on with ASSEDIC first before you can approach the ANPE (job centre) and to get a social security number etc. If you go down the self employed route, you must understand that you pay hefty social charges here after the first two years of trading and you will never make a fortune, the system is such that the more profit, the more you pay out. You should be aware of these facts and do a great deal of homework before moving and selling lock stock and barrell in case it does not work out as many many have found to their disappointment they just cannot make it here. I am not speaking as a bitter failure but as someone who has lived here many many years, runs a business, works and is involved in the local politics so I know exactly what you will have to face and the culture is a shock to those who have never spent a great deal of time here after a fortnight's holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 To do anything like the sort of jobs you mention you will need very good French language skills before you even get considered, and even then you will be competing with a lot of French candidates. You could limit yourslves to the English-speaking communities, of whch there are several in Brittany, but even they can be hard to break into for newcomers.Reading other forums it seems that there are jobs available in Brittany for those who want them, but they tend to be the sort of work that has a rather limited appeal. Several British work in pig processing plants and the like, but the work is hard and physical, not to mention dirty and gory, so there is quite a high rate of attrition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val_2 Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Forgot to mention that you will only earn the SMIC at 8,27€/hour less charges for a fixed 35 hour week if you are employed plus you have a compulsory yearly medical. Also it is quite normal here not to take tea breaks during the day but to keep your head down and get the work done, the mentality is very different with folks sticking to an employer for life usually and working hard so they have built up a decent pension. You would be able to claim child benefit for two of your children but there are no other benefits like family credit payable here until you have been in the system for a few years and contributed and then you have to apply as it is means tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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