France is one of the power houses of the European Union and has attracted much interest from foreign residents looking to relocate overseas. The country itself has a style and look all of its own, and is often mentioned in the same breath as Italy as a popular country for romantic breaks.

There is however a lot to France behind the scenes, with culture, art and architecture once again coming to the fore. This country certainly has a lot to offer both in terms of employment and everyday life and a deeply engrained freedom of speech which forms the basis of French law and culture. These are some of the reasons that the Expat community living in France grows every day.

Content: Culture in France | Employment in France | Property in France | State Benefits in France | Key Facts on France

French Culture

France is one of the true metropolitan countries of the world, taking in a variety of different cultures - which has in the past resulted in a number of internal disputes. The country is heavily localised with certain elements of religion and culture prevalent in different areas.

The country is well known for its love of the arts and architecture and has a long and great history, taking in revolutions, wars and major changes in the way that the country is run. An over ruling right to freedom of speech has attracted a number of out spoken and controversial figures to the political arena, with all areas of society under discussion.

Employment in France

France has for many years been a hive of private enterprise with over 2.5 million companies registered in the country. However, the government still maintain a stranglehold on the major industries including defence, transport and insurance and banking although slowly but surely they are loosening their grip.

The working arena is still suffering from the days of massive unemployment over 30 years ago, and France has the lowest percentage of 15 - 64 year olds in work, throughout the developed world. While this is slowly improving there is still a long way to go to compete with the likes of the US, UK and Japan. However, this has left a gap in the market for foreign nationals actively looking for employment, and the fact that French students continue their education for longer than their European counterparts is also of assistance.

Unfortunately the tax situation in France is a lot harsher than other European counterparts, with up to 60% of gross pay being diverted into the French State Benefit system. It is a requirement of French law that either you or your employer register you with the authorities as an official worker in France - failure to comply with the regulations can lead to grave consequences for your long term residency in the country.

French Property

The housing market in France has historically been a lot steadier than for example the UK market (and many other European partners). The last decade has seen a large number of European residence relocating to France where property prices are on average substantially lower.

However, there is a large difference in pricing, depending on location, with older housing less expensive than new builds (this is a market which has attracted UK buyers, who tend to look for history and character for their properties). Inner city accommodation is obviously the more expensive, with countryside property prices much lower. Widely fluctuating property prices are one less worry when looking to relocate to France.

State Benefits in France

France has one of the most lucrative and expanding state benefit budgets of the developed world, with little hope of this trend changing in the immediate future. The country has one of the most work force protective benefits systems across Europe, with the jobless well compensated for their lack of genuine income.

Unemployment benefit, income support and maternity pay are just some of the major costs to the state benefit system. As the working population can contribute up to 60% of the gross salary to the state, this has often provoked anger from the business community.

The current government are committed to spending million of euros encouraging the unemployed back to work, but with the benefits system ingrained in French society, this will be a long term project. However, this does leave potential for foreign nationals to find employment in France, safe in the knowledge that they will be looked after by the state if they were to lose their employment at any point in the future.

Conclusion

While France has many attractions to foreign nationals looking to relocate, there are a number of areas which need to be addressed. While there are genuine gaps in the employment market which can be exploited by overseas workers, the downside is the taxation situation.

It is easy to see why France has the most foreign visitors of any other country in Europe, but relocating there is a different matter. It requires careful planning and an appreciation of the cultures of this widely differing nation.

More facts about France :-

Capital : Paris

Official Language : French

Government : Unitary Republic, with a President and Prime Minister.

Size : 674,843km2

Population : 64.1 million

Currency : Euro / French Franc

International Dialling Code : 33+

Economy : 6th largest in the world

Religion : Mixed (although 51% of the population are Catholics)

France has a significant English speaking expat population, mostly consisting of retired and so-called inactive expats - ie below retirement age, but not in active employment. The workplace in France is very protected, and finding work if you are not a native French speaker will prove difficult. In the Brittany and Dordogne regions there are a high number of English speaking expats, and many people find employment by providing services to this (wealthy) community. Corsica also attracts a certain number of expats, but does not yet offer significant employment possibilities.

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