Work

Do you receive additional paid leave following a family death in France?

Additional ‘bereavement’ leave is available in some cases

Why the removal of a bank holiday in France is under debate - and which

Right-wing senators claim it will raise over €2 billion for social security fund

Popular lunch voucher system to be revamped in France

Scheme faces significant changes amidst digital shift and market competition

practical

Debate rages over freelance worker status in France's hospitality sector

Covid led to many former salaried staff switching to freelance roles

Former French minister calls for end to 35-hour week - but does it exist?

There are many misconceptions about the world of work in France

Can my French employer insist I take my holiday in the summer?

France has a culture of July and August summer breaks to coincide with school holidays

French rules: can I work from home – or not at all – during heatwave?

Employers are obliged to make working conditions more comfortable during extreme temperatures

What is France’s workplace ‘right to disconnect’?

The precise ‘right’ can differ company by company

Reform to tighten France’s unemployment rules suspended after election

The controversial changes included cutting the maximum time that most people can claim benefits from 18 to 15 months

France to tighten rules for unemployment benefit: what is changing?

People will have to work longer to qualify

Row over France-Switzerland cross border workers’ unemployment benefit

The current system leaves France hundreds of millions of euros out of pocket each year, an MP says

French woman finds job by strapping CV to back - and going for a run

With just one run, her novel marketing strategy was seen 250,000 times on social media, been the subject of news articles and resulted in ten interviews

How to apply for seasonal work in France as a non-EU citizen

Job adverts, work permits and visas - we explain the rules for employees and employers

Workers in France to pay €100 towards previously free training

Reforms to the compte personnel de formation are expected to result in 20% of trainees abandoning their courses

How can I learn ‘business French’ to improve job prospects?

Many jobs require will require people to be fluent in the local language

Must I take a course to become a tour guide in France?

There are various regulations dependent upon the precise role of a guide

Business accounting in France to get simpler for some

We explain the new income thresholds that trigger accounting and auditing obligations

New website offers free help to start your own business in France

Market research and an income guide are two ways the online platform can support entrepreneurs

Can I get seasonal work as a non-French person?

It is more difficult, but still possible, to work in certain sectors on a short-term basis

French people still work less than other Europeans

France is second only to Finland as the EU country that works the fewest hours per year

Unlimited paid leave is good for business, says US firm in France

Employees who can take as much paid holiday as they like are more productive according to recruitment company

Free training for small business owners in France

The business skills courses are part of the government's Covid recovery plan. We look at what is on offer and who is eligible

Workers in France can now earn holiday days during sick leave

Court rules that right is retroactive, leaving employers concerned over a flurry of potential claims

EU plans to recruit more external workers to fill skill shortages

It coincides with a report which showed that France is experiencing major skills shortages across a range of key sectors

Millions of workers in France can receive up to €600 a month in aid

The Prime d’activité is open to salaried staff and freelancers - we look at who is eligible and how to apply

Heatwave in France: Do I have to go into the office?

Your employer might encourage home-working, be more flexible with hours or halt physical labour during the hottest part of the day after making a risk assessment

French tax service Urssaf’s four-day week proves unpopular

Workers gave various reasons why they did not take up the offer at the tax collection service

New website for self-employed in France shows ‘no common sense’

Union des Auto-Entrepreneurs criticises online ‘one-stop shop’ and how some self-employed missed out on social charges help

Aim to boost apprenticeships key to France’s reindustrialisation

For years, academic success was seen as the way to a good job in France, but things are starting to change

Does homeworking change rules for frontier workers who live in France?

We look at the latest rules for French residents working for Swiss businesses

Macron expresses shock over wage gaps at France’s biggest firms

One CEO earned 1,484 times their company’s average wage in 2021, according to Oxfam

French training fund deemed success despite scams

Scam artists took advantage of a simplified system to trick workers in to paying for non-existent training schemes

Career change in France: I Googled ‘can animals talk to people?’

Colleen Kersey tells how a Reiki experience helped her discover she can talk to animals

Two million workers in France receive boost to driving tax allowance

Drivers can access this allowance – which has been increased by 10% – if they cover a certain distance in their vehicle for work each year

Three women on how they forged their own French lives in Dordogne

We hear how the women broke the expatriate mould to lead independent lives in their adopted country

The jobs that French employers have the hardest time filling

Some posts are so difficult to fill that employers have been lowering their recruitment standards

Explainer: How France’s 35-hour week works in practice

We guide you through exceptions to the rule, overtime allowances and other legislation related to how much time you can spend on the job

Immersion in French language is stressful but leads to huge confidence

We speak to two people who have thrown themselves in at the deep end to improve their linguistic skills

French retirement debate: your experiences of working in your 70s

Readers who worked on for many years past the standard retirement age - some even into their late 80s - share their thoughts

How France learned to embrace the four-day week

Awareness of the environmental benefits is among the drivers for change, which could see one in 10 French firms adopt the practice in the next decade

How death benefits work for family of self-employed workers in France

We explain what a typical lump sum payout might amount to, as well as what happens in the case of salaried people and civil servants, and how to claim

Website lists all strikes taking place in France

Cestlagreve shows ongoing and future strike dates, and users can search by region

Hiring UK staff for French chalet work ‘very complicated’ post-Brexit

It is easier and cheaper to recruit from Australia and New Zealand, says business owner in the Alps

French work permits should be subject to points system, says MP

The idea is under review and could be added to a new immigration bill. Applicants would have more or fewer points depending on their degree, language skills or origin

‘Bring your dog to work’ could lure people back to French offices

Studies show pets in the office can lower stress, improve communication and reduce absenteeism

Sick note clampdown stops French workers ‘shopping around’ online

Permission to stay at home will soon only be accessible from your designated GP – but the tighter rules have been met with criticism

Solution to bug hindering online French work permit applications

A reader who runs a bar in the Alps told of frustration completing the website form for non-EU workers; an official has explained what to do

Explained: Types of employment contracts in France

Job contracts in France come with the terms CDD or CDI, relating to different kinds of employment contract. We explain some of the key differences between them

‘I swapped hairdressing in UK for family window business in France’

Jane Robertshaw, explains how hairdressing kept her away from her sons. Their move to France brought a new family venture

Gender pay gap: Women in France work ‘for free’ from today

EU statistics suggest that on average women earn 15.8% less than men. Feminist newsletter Les Glorieuses launches petition for change

‘My career change in France was all thanks to a rat problem’

In the UK Robert Moon was a private eye but rodents in his French house – plus a friend’s help – kicked off an unlikely new profession as a pest controller

Hope for French amethyst industry as friends open mine

The pair believe there are more gemstones in the ground despite serious efforts to uncover them ending a century ago

Will my UK physiotherapist’s degree be recognised for work in France?

Post-Brexit it is often more difficult to use British qualifications but there are solutions

Les Deux Magots: Behind the scenes at one of the best cafes in Paris

Actor-turned-waiter Kévin Meyer on famous customers, the iconic uniform and how American conventions are gradually slipping in

Explainer: What help is there for people who are carers in France?

We explain the leave and compensation rights for people who care in a non-professional capacity for someone close to them

Discover Bordeaux’s fountains through the man who worked on them

Michel Cessateur has been involved with every fountain in the city since the end of the 1970s and now shows tourists his favourites

A record 520,000 workers in France resigned at the start of 2022

As companies struggle to recruit, employees are finding it easy to move between jobs and find advantageous wage and working condition offers

Will I lose my unemployment rights if I resign from my job in France?

As a general rule, you are not entitled to unemployment rights when resigning from a job - but there are exceptions

Career change: from barber to representing France with luxury woodwork

Mark Collett, 56, explains how he swapped his converted bus hair salon to work with wood like his father and grandfather

Proof of Covid isolation in France: Who needs it and how to get one

If you test positive or are a close contact and need to isolate but cannot work from home, you will need an ‘attestation’ for your employer. We explain

Can I sell my micro-entreprise business in France?

The micro-entrepreneur scheme allows you to set up as self-employed with simplified means of paying social security contributions and income tax

Who can I complain to about discrimination in France?

The state has set up several services that can help people who face abuse

Career change: UK charity CEO close to burnout found balance in France

Claudia Ryan-Jones, 52, moved her family to France in 2017 and swapped a stressful job in youth work for a remote admin role and loves it

Can my French employer make me wear a Covid facemask?

On a national level, it has not been obligatory to wear a mask in most indoor spaces since March 14

Racism still seen as a key problem in France despite rise of far-right

Discrimination in the workplace has more than doubled in the public sector in the past 14 years, according to a new survey

Deliveroo France on trial in Paris for abuse of freelance work status

‘Independent’ delivery staff had a list of obligations and work conditions, including a uniform, that meant they should have been salaried employees, a gendarmerie report found

Different but skilled: French caterers empower staff with disabilities

‘Differences do not prevent us from having talent’, says Olivier Tran, who runs a training programme to give more opportunities to people with disabilities

French firms given financial support to employ disabled workers

Only around half of companies with over 20 employees respect the rule of having 6% of their staff registered disabled

20 proposals put forward to improve status of self-employed in France

Improved social protection, taxes and simplified administrative procedures are among ledges from the government for 2022

What do I need to know to set up a consulting business in France?

We explain different structures and turnover limits for TVA (VAT)

Comment: ‘Mother’s guilt’ is alien to the French

‘All is set up here so family life can run smoothly without mum’

Fears that Omicron case surge could disrupt public services in France

Many workers risk being off sick with hundreds of thousands of cases predicted for January. The good news is initial studies suggest infections will not necessarily lead to hospitalisations

A million workers may miss out on €100 French inflation bonus

Urssaf says that it does not have the bank details of many self-employed and home workers and so cannot pay the one-off sum

Meet the last traditional makers of the Parisian café chair

Paris would not be Paris without its terrace bars and cafés with their signature rattan chairs. When Alexis Dyèvre took on Maison Gatti in 2019, he felt he was buying a small part of the French capital

How to pay chèque emploi service universel employees

I have a regular cleaner, who comes three hours per week, and whom I pay via the chèque emploi service universel (Cesu) system. She has informed me that she can't come until the confinement ends. How should I pay her for the next few weeks?