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How to work in France and where to start if you do not speak French?

Have you ever thought about going to France to look for work? There should be seasonal jobs like grape picking available, so perhaps you could combine working with a holiday in the country, but where would you start if you do not speak French? How do you go about finding work in France?

EU Citizens

If you are an EU citizen you are entitled to work in France, though you should get officially registered if you are going to be there for more than three months. You register at the local county hall in the part of France you are staying in once you get there. 

Tourist areas

Tourist areas are good for finding work in, especially over the summer months when there are lots of holiday-makers around and local businesses often need additional workers. If you are from the UK it is a really good idea to see if you can find a British company that operates in France and is happy to employ British workers that don’t speak French. Getting a job sorted out in advance of travelling to France is recommended, and there are a number of big French employers, such as Club Med and Disneyland Paris that employ seasonal workers.

Grape Picking

There are plenty of jobs if you fancy doing some grape picking, and you can travel around the country because grapes are harvested at different times in different parts of France. Olives are another crop and seasonal workers are employed to help with the harvest, which takes place in the autumn, allowing you to find work after the summer jobs have finished.

Work on a campsite

Campsites are somewhere else you can try looking for jobs, especially in the summer. Many British tour operators are seeking seasonal employees, and they don’t only take younger jobseekers. As long as you are fit enough to do the sort of jobs required on a campsite then you are in with a chance of getting employed. Canvas Holidays run camping holidays in France and are a potential employer well worth getting in touch with. 

Intensive French courses

Of course, if you can at least speak basic French, it will help give you an advantage in the job market, and not just for seasonal and casual work. Perhaps you want to live in France for longer than a few months and will need some way of supporting yourself. This is where taking enrolling on a French course is a very good idea. You can take an intensive course before you actually start work, and only need spend a week or two learning French in advance of taking up your job. It will make life in France so much more rewarding when you can understand the language and speak it too. One such school where you can take an intensive course in French is at our own Ifalpes school, so why not find out more about our Intensive French Courses?

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