I know work visas are nearly impossible to come by. Does anyone have suggestions for getting yourself prepared to try to live/work in Paris?
I%26#39;m getting closer to becoming fluent and considering looking for work in the US with an international company so that there might be a chance of transfering within the company in the future.
Any other tips, suggestions, advice?
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If I were you, I would work on getting that dream-job to start with and not worry about all the technicalities. All the pieces in your jiggsaw-puzzle (sp?) will fall in the right place - when you need them to, not before. As long as you are only %26quot;considering looking for work%26quot; - - - all you have are castles in the air.
Get back to us when you have a signed contract in your hand - and we will turn GREEN with envy !
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When I wanted to move to England, %26quot;everyone%26quot; said that it would be impossible to get a work permit. I ignored them, sent hundreds of CVs, got on a plane using my own money, and came home with a job in hand. I lived there nine years, and have permanent residency.
Just go do it.
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The route that you%26#39;re choosing will involve lots of schoozing, politics, wheeling and dealing in whichever company that you work for.
I work for an International company that has offices in Paris. I%26#39;m planning to do a site visit, during my trip in June, provided all the approvals work out for me. My official business reason is to share best practices with a branch that we never, ever have anything to do with. My secret personal reason is to develop contacts in that office - for who-knows-what kind of opportunities!
Good luck!
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mickeytor - and don%26#39;t forget to go to Le Basilique !
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Hi AW -
What level of education do you have? Are you leaning toward any particular industry?
My thoughts would be to look on the internet to first determine what industries sound appealing to you and start researching companies (using your friend the internet.) I just Googled %26quot;corporations in France%26quot; and came up with this webpage that gives a huge alphabetical listing of corporations: …msu.edu/countryInsights/corporations.asp…
Once you%26#39;ve found an industry or company that interests you, you%26#39;ll need to really do your homework to find out what level of employee the company is likely to agree to transfer (ie, because it may be expensive and complicated, they may only be interested in transferring very skilled employees or those at a VP level or higher, for example.)
And then - the really hard part - you%26#39;ll need to determine what you need to do to get yourself to that position! What educational degrees do you need? What kind of work experience?
Good luck. It may take you more time than you want it to, but I think it anything is possible if you set your mind to a goal!
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The problem is that the unemployment rate in France is so high they hire French first. If they want to hire a foreigner, they must prove to the government that the skills the foreigner offers cannot be found in the pool of French candidates. This is a major hassle for French companies (lots and lots of red tape), so unless they are desperate for you or you can offer something they can%26#39;t find elsewhere, they will go with a French candidate.
One way to circumvent this is to be a student. If you are a student for one year, you have the right to work afterward, even on a carte de sejour. Then, when the company you are working can more easily give you a visa since you already have a residency established. I did that when I was a student in Paris.
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See that website www.theboldsoul.com It%26#39;s from an self-employed American woman who moved to Paris.
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I did it exactly the same way robertzimmerman did. But in France you will usually need to prepare by speaking French fluently, that means a good plan would be to spend at least some time studying in france. an intensive course (4 hours/day) for 3 months or so would work well :-) and then if you qualify for a student exchange work permit, you could work for 3 - 18 months. With the work permit it is easy to get a job because once you have it the company doesn%26#39;t need to worry about whether or not any french person is qualified to do the job.
For the transfer in the international company, that will be tough unless your company has some sort of rotation plan set up. A lot depends on your field. A few US law firms have rotation programs where lawyers can spend 2 years in Paris. I know several people who have done that.
Many people decide to make a career change at the same time they are planning to move to Paris. This doesn%26#39;t work so well, because what will interest French companies the most is significant professional experience in your field. While they might like to give Americans a hard time, in business they respect us and as such will be interested in what you have to offer.
If you have expertise in certain areas, like software development or sales %26amp; marketing, you can pretty much write your own ticket (if you can speak french). Startups on both sides are so eager to get good people with experience on the other side that they will often do what it takes to get you a visa. And now the law has been changed that it is very easy for people in technical fields to get a work visa in France.
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