Practical work

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

practical

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

Preserving tradition in every drop: The travelling French distiller

Meet the fourth-generation mobile Armagnac distiller and his 110-year-old copper still called Marie-Jeanne

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

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

What is a French CDII work contract?

These contracts are used in many sectors, giving temporary workers the same benefits as full-time employees

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

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

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

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

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

‘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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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?

Covid-19: Can gardeners continue to work?

My husband and I are registered gardeners and work alone. Are we allowed to work or is it deemed non-essential?

Covid-19 in France: Pool and garden help

Reader question: Can we ask our pool maintenance man to come and get our pool running?

Covid-19: Organisations and aid to help

Reader question: I have lived in France for over 20 years but due to the fall in value of the pound and the loss of small part-time work - cooking for others - I will have difficulty with my rental payment this month. I am 82, fit and well, but am in the so-called 'vulnerable' classification. I am in the French health system and don't want to go back to UK but my situation is going to be very difficult for at least two - three months. Are there organisations that can help or advise me? I live near Nice in the Alpes-Maritimes.

Covid-19 France: can gardener work at second home?

Reader question: I saw a Connexion website post about gardeners working in France (possibly they are) but my gardener says he is not allowed to cut the grass at our holiday home in Brittany because we don't live there permanently. We are happy for him to do it and give him some income. Is this correct?

Can we do renovation work away from home?

Reader question: We have a renovation project house in a village 10km away from our home. We haven't been there since lockdown but really need to get back working on it. We wouldn't come into contact with anybody else, so would this be allowed?

UK tax law: can I work from my second home in France?

I currently have to work from home for my company in the UK. If I don’t have to go to my office, can I go to my second home in France and work from there, without paying income tax in France?

How to ‘convert’ any foreign qualifications to use in France

Post-Brexit, it is harder to get UK qualifications accepted in France, but in some instances an ' attestation de comparabilité' can help your qualification be understood under its equivalent French qualification

French olives: Quality over quantity

As olive pickers in France set about gathering this year’s harvest, we meet a leading producer and head of the growers’ profession, France Olive

Brocante vendors in France limited to just two events a year

As brocantes and vide-greniers start to animate towns and villages again, warnings have been issued that individuals can sell at only two events per year

How I changed career: Banker to cheesemonger in France

Runner up at this year’s World’s Best Cheesemonger Competition in Tours, Grégory Giraudon talks about his career change from finance to fromage

Pay gap means women in France start working ‘for free’ from today

EU statistics suggest that on average women earn 16.5% less than men, leading feminist newsletter Les Glorieuses to petition France’s presidential candidates for change

‘Why artisans in France should vote in Chambre de Métiers elections’

A business owner in the south-west says that your local CMA organisation can make a significant - and positive - difference to your working life

‘Work from home’ Covid tax rules kept for French cross-border workers

The practice of counting ‘days worked from home’ during the health crisis as if they were ‘days worked from the office’ will be maintained until the end of 2021

14% drop in Paris office demand over next 10 years, study predicts

The number of workplaces required could fall by more than 27% if firms switch to two days of home work a week, according to the IEIF

Animal mountain rescue charity in France is a world first

The Equipe de Secours Animalier en Montagne, created in 2019, covers most of the Alps in the departments of Isère, Savoie and Haute Savoie

I am a plumber - can I work during lockdown in France?

Can independent contractors, such as electricians and plumbers, still carry out work in the houses of other people if they wear a mask?

New French language course to be offered to foreign workers

French as a foreign language is to be offered as an option under the government’s lifelong learning scheme which is open to all workers.

Post-Covid-19 recovery: new apprenticeship grants announced

New measures to increase the number of apprentices have been brought in by the government from July 1 to avoid a “lost generation” as so many businesses are in trouble because of the lockdown.

How to socially distance at work: coworking

Coworking spaces are proving to be a useful tool to keep businesses going while maintaining sufficient physical distancing.

Are you eligible for workers’ benefit?

French crafts in focus: clock and lock-maker

Locks, clocks and a busy time for one French horloger / serrurier

Self-publishers, try your book in French 'aussi'

Ask almost any author and they will tell you it is tough to find an agent or a publisher these days, however good your book is.

French Chambre de Métiers – what does it offer?

Official support is available for the hundreds of thousands of artisanal businesses specialising in trades and crafts.

Financial kick-start for sole traders to be cut

Financial benefits offered to small businesses and micro-entrepreneurs for three years to help them get off the ground are to be significantly reduced.

Got it taped... art of retro music recording

A new generation of music lovers are being introduced to the joys of cassette tapes, thanks to a French company.

Loi Madelin policies for the self-employed in France?

What are the Loi Madelin insurance policies for the self-employed?

New maternity leave pay for independents in France

Paid maternity leave for independent workers has been lengthened so that it now covers the same number of weeks as for salaried employees.

Working for foreign firm in France

A firm in Italy wants to employ me working from home in France. Is it possible? H.E.

Make sense of: fake practice offices in France

The unemployment rate in France went down earlier this year for the first time in six years. It means that it has dropped from its record of 10.5% in 2013 to 8.5% (March-June 2019 figure). But the rate is still one of the highest in Europe, although behind Greece, Spain and Italy. We look at two schemes that France uses to get people into work, including a network of 110 “pretend” offices where 7,000 people go to “work” every day across the country.