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One of my favourite Paris ex-pat blogs is called “La Mom“. It’s about an American woman, married to a Frenchman, who is living and raising a family in Paris. Her experiences are centred around the “16eme” – the 16th district or area of central Paris, which is renowned for being the most wealthy, aristoctatic etc. So many “Anglo-Saxon Women Married to Frenchmen” (there are so many of them that surely they deserve their own official title) who then write books/blogs, seem to find themselves in this area, or with Frenchman who closely resemble those from this area. Think of all those classic French cliches: perfectly manicured women wearing Chanel suits to take their perfectly preened poodle to the local cafe, darling childen in perfectly matched sailor suits looking up at “maman” with big blue eyes etc etc. I love La Mom’s blog because she tells some great stories of these stereotypical Parisiennes, because she tells them with delicious sarcasm – and because her life has very little similarity to mine, despite us both living in the same city and having French “significant others”.
I cringe when I read that she’s been openly criticised by her in-laws and husband (in front of her children too, no less) for not taking the cheeses out of the wrapping and arranging them nicely on a platter. As I was having dinner with M’s family last week, with beautiful cheese cut straight from the wrapping (no plate), everyone man-handling the shared baguette, and a round-robin of leg-lifting farts at the dinner table (his 7 year old niece being the main contributor), I wondered whether La Mom would swap her dream experience for a bit of down-to-earth enjoyment occasionally.
I sometimes think that maybe I missed out on a ‘real’ Paris experience because I just didnt manage to get into the 16eme circles. I have done so much study on high Parisian culture that I would love the opportunity to see if I could “blend in” and get those endlessly elegant people to accept me as “one of them”. But if I had the choice between being openly criticised for my cheese-handling skills, or eating cheese out of the wrapper, then I think I choose the latter.
Two peas in a pod! A great description of our motivations to step outside the box for a while…..
why-i-quit-my-job-to-travel-around-the-world.
I came to Paris knowing that finding a job without working papers, and without being fluent in French, was going to be hard. Add in labour laws that favour employees (therefore providing a MAJOR disincentive for employers to hire new staff), a high unemployment rate (currently 10%) and a global financial crisis, and you really have to be a glutton for punishment with ovaries of steel to be a job-hunter in Paris.
I came anyway.
Even if I dont find a job this year, the research and the contacts will be invaluable for the future. And with my passion to live in France, my motivation, perseverance and resilience has been pretty good.
But there have certainly been some pretty big differences about job-hunting in France that I wasnt expecting.
For example, the fact that unemployment is akin to leprosy. Maybe you’re a Nobel Prize Winning Neuro-scientist, maybe you were the head of a global investment bank – it doesnt matter, you’re unemployed and therefore unintelligent (all your qualifications seem to have magically disappeared with your pay-cheques) and likely to spread your unemployed germs to those gainfully employed.
I find this amazingly apparent every time I go to a EPWN (European Professional Women’s Network) event. Maybe it’s just because the French are still learning how to network, but I can now guarantee that once a French woman finds out that I dont have a job – that’s it. End of conversation. She will usually also turn her body slightly away from me and towards the closest French woman. I thought it was because I was a foreigner, but I noticed that they were actually more interested in American women who had good jobs. What a way to feel welcome….
My old flatemate (who grew up in Paris) told me that I should just wait until I have a job, and watch how many French people decide they would like to be my friend…..
This really explains why the French hold onto whatever job they have, even if they are absolutely, thoroughly miserable there. That soul-destroying job is better than no-job leprosy.
I saw this article late last year which included a quote by Xavier Darcos, France’s labor minister:
“Nonetheless, a job, even a highly stressful one, is better than unemployment, he said. “For us, unemployment is the absolute failure,” Mr. Darcos said. “We prefer to have people who don’t feel totally happy at work, or to work part-time, rather than people being unemployed.
The unemployment rate in France stood at 9.8 percent in July, up two percentage points from a year earlier. It probably would have been even higher without government programs to subsidize keeping workers in the auto industry and others on the payroll, at least part time. ”
During the recent regional elections, I watched a broadcast where members of the various political groups all participated in a discussion televised live on TV.
The members of France’s governing political party (the UMP, headed by Nicolas Sarcozy, and generally right-leaning, although still pretty left by Australian standards) were trying to explain that France needs to create more jobs in general, not just try to find ways to improve the effectiveness of national job-seekers service and job board (the government run “Pole Emploi”, a bit lite Centrelink).
The faces of the left-wing parties dropped, eyes wide with horror. Heresy! Blasphemy! Mais non! The government must create and find the jobs for its citizens!
It was a hilarious clash of French/Anglo culture and I loved every minute of it.
I also read that the French regard people setting up their own business as a type of failure. “Oh no, the poor things have had to resort to creating their own job!”. I know lots of French women who have decided to get out of the rat-race and set up their own companies, so I wonder if maybe at least this idea is starting to fade.
Do I feel sorry for myself? Yes. But then, I realise that it’s not just foreigners who get a tough time in France. I’ve met several French people, highly qualified and experience, who have been looking for a job for more than a year. So I think, if they cant find a job, then what hope do I have? At least for them, they can access state-funded unemployment benefits and get good job-hunting assistance from Pole Emploi, which takes off some of the bitter taste.
But anyway, I’m not a French citizen, and I’m not entitled to the warm hand-holding of the Pole Emploi. I’ve done so much research on all the different ways I can work in France, that it makes my head spin. So here is what my year of research has uncovered for those of us not entitled to work in France…
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Auto-entrepreneur
This is a fairly new government initiative. Sarcozy’s catch phrase is “work more to earn more”, which can also mean “work more to win more”. A lot of people said “yes, but the poorest in the community are typically stuck with the 35hour working week limitation – how are they supposed to earn more?”. So auto-entrepreneur was brought in as a tax and administratively efficient way to set up a business on the side. It was also seen as a great way for women during child-rearing phases to work part-time, on their own terms.
The other brilliant thing is that they didnt exactly draft the rules that tightly when they set up the scheme. So you can technically apply for this “status” with ANY type of residency card – even one that doesnt allow you to work (like mine). Theoretically, I could apply over the internet, then turn up to the prefecture and ask for a new carte de sejour with a working permit. I dont know anyone who’s tried it, but it could work….
The downsides: for people providing a service, there is a Euros 35k limit on income pa. That really isnt enough to live off. Especially when I’m not getting any state benefits.
And it is still a very undeveloped regulatory regime, with the potential for further tightening of regulations (including to carve-out foreigners). I just cant afford (a) to earn so little and (b) to risk having my residency card annulled.
Consultant/Start up own business
Yep, I could be a consultant or start up my own business. If I want to have the flexibility to earn lots of money, then I cant use auto-entrepreneur. I need to set up own company. This is not like in Australia though. The French wont allow you to pay $100, fill out a form and have your company ready in 2 hours. You need to pay (it costs a bomb), fill out your forms, prepare a full business plan, provide financial forecasts for the next 2 years, have solid documentation to verify your financial assumptions such as letters of intent from potential clients, and formal research reports on the industry and market. Most French people use a lawyer and an accountant to help them through the process. It is possible, but the whole thing takes forever and costs a bomb. And anyway, what would my business be? And apart from that, I dont think I really want to work for myself either. This just isnt an option for me.
“Stage”
This is essentially a trainee role. I was applying for them until I found out that you actually have to be registered as a student with an educational facility where on the job training is an essential requirement to the completion of the qualification.
Again, not me….
Working Under the Table (“Black”, “Cash in Hand”) and using fake papers
This next section is going to sound really racist. People who know me will know that this isnt true. I’m also only generalising about a certain part of the population, not saying that every member of a particular race is the same. Maybe I’m wrong, but this information is based on news reports and people I know that have close-knowledge.
In general, working cash in hand seems to work well for North African and Tunisian men. If you have a family member or a friend who already has the right to work in France (perhaps because they were squatting and the police randomly selected them to get their papers, or perhaps they had a marriage of convenience with a French citizen, or, they have been lucky enough to be sponsored), and if you kinda look like them, then you can take a bad photocopy of the carte de sejour and give that to potential employers as proof of your “right to work”. This works well for restaurants and cafes where all the hard, heavy work of cleaning and cooking takes place. The restaurant may suspect that the person has fake papers, but will turn a blind eye in order to get some cheap labour. I said to an acquaintance who worked in a restaurant that I would be more than happy to wash dishes for some cash, and whether I would be considered if I turned up and applied. He laughed and said there is no way they would employ a “rich” white woman in the kitchen. And besides, I dont have access to fake papers, so I couldnt even make it past the first stage. Talk about reverse discrimination! lol
Australians find it strange when I tell them I cant work under the table at bars and restaurants, or for any employer actually. The difference is that employers are fined Euros 15k if they are found to have illegal workers on their premises. And there are actually officials who come to check employment sites and verify that everyone employed has valid papers.
So employers sone want to get fined, and me, I dont want to get caught and sent on the next plane back to Sydney, never to be allowed back into France again, and with zero possibility of getting working papers.
Other “black” options are English teaching. There are heaps of people giving private English tuition here in Paris. I could too. But I’m not a qualified English teacher, so I cant charge the same as the language schools, or qualified private teachers. I’ve worked out that I could charge around Euros 20 per hour. So I would basically have to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to get just enough to live off. And with most kids in school all day, and workers in the office all day, there’s just no way I could squeeze enough clients in to pay the rent and food.
Writing – I’ve been talking with lots of people about ways to get my working papers here without sponsorship, or just ways to make money to live off while I’m sorting things out. People keep reminding me about how well books on Paris sell in Australia, the UK and the US. Some of these books are really poorly written, really self-indulgent, or just plain ignorant. It doesnt matter though, people will still buy them! And I have to admit that they’re right because I think I have probably bought every stupid book on “an Australian living in Paris”, even if they were stupid. And someone said to me that I could easily turn my blog into a book, take couple of snaps of classy looking women sitting in a cafe to make a pretty cover and voila! There could at least be some bucks hitting my bank account. I’m not sure though. Its a long lead time. And I dont know if I would respect myself if I sold out and wrote something with a Cheese Factor 9.
But anyway, lots of people seem to make money from it. Take Bryce Corbett – an Aussie journalist in Paris, who wrote a book and also wrote articles for gourmet traveller (I’m assuming he was paid for these articles!). There’s also the American woman who started the blog “French word a day”, and was approached by a publisher to compile all her posts into a book (which continues to sell amazingly well years later).
This all sounds great. But its not reliable, and wont ensure there’s euros in the account every month (or even every year). Yes, you can do this from the comfort of your own home, without the French government knowing about it, but that’s not my objective. I want to live here LEGALLY. I dont want to have a clandestine writers studio and claim to be “on a sabbatical” for 20 years. And what about my “real” career? Everything I’ve worked and studied for? I just cant leave that behind…
Working Holiday Visa
I’m too old.
Student Visa
Students are allowed to work 21 hours per week. OK, its not fantastic, BUT it’s enough to live off, its enough to get you a part-time job in a big company, it’s enough to get you a “stage” job AND it’s quite easy to flick a Student Visa into a full-time sponsored working visa (about 2 weeks, so I hear).
Too good to be true hey?
Believe me, I tried.
The problem is that you must be studying to further your existing studies. I tried to get a student visa with a confirmation from Alliance Francaise that I was a registered student. The visa application asked for a copy of my educational qualifications. My law degree obviously isnt relevant to my French language study, so I didnt provide it. What a nice surprise when the guy at the embassy told me that studying French in France just didnt cut it.
The only way this can work is if I do a Masters in Law here in France. These are all 1 or 2 year full time courses, and cost on average Euros 12k. That’s A$24k, people. And your course has to be full time to qualify you as a student. I just dont have the time, or the money, to take this option…..
Sponsorship
This is my Holy Grail. This is where a company says that they want to hire you and they go through all the formal processes to get you your working papers. It’s pretty much the same process as in Australia and the UK….EXCEPT that (1) the French government would rather give these jobs to one of the 10% of it’s unemployed citizens, so they will try every trick in the book to delay the application and (2) the company has to prove that there is no one else in France, nor in the entire EU, who can do the job. Oh – and it costs money.
So, the only type of companies who are willing to go through all this blah blah are large, rich, international organisations (international lawfirms, consultancy companies, branches of companies like Apple etc).Which is great, because these are the type of companies that I think I would work best in, and who would value my English language skills and international experience. There’s also a better chance that they are specifically NOT looking for a French candidate, which is also great for me.
You local bar will most certainly NOT go to the trouble or the expense, when they have 5 new CV’s handed across the bar every week.
So the problem? The problem is that the process to get sponsored takes minimum 2 months, sometimes 3 or 4. And most companies just cant wait that long to hire someone, not when there’s a fresh faced Pom with their bright and shiny EU passport that means they can start work immediately.
And the crisis is still showing it’s teeth here. Companies are just still too scared to hire, and this goes double for the risk-adverse French.
So while I’ve been close to getting 2 jobs here, they’ve both been pulled at the last minute because it would take too long for my papers to be processed.
And who knows how many more I’ve missed out on because they’ve seen my application, seen “Australian” and put my CV in the rejected pile.
Still, I gotta keep up the faith, something will come along, one day, I just know it…..
The Not So Direct Option – Marriage
So when I spoke to an immigration lawyer, she actually suggested this to me as a viable option. I choked.
“I’m not that sort of person!” I protested.
But she had a point: if we intend to get married one day anyway, there’s no shame in just bringing the date forward a little for practical purposes.
Hmmm…..
The downsides?
By the time I get all the necessary papers from Australia, translated, with all the proper approvals and stamps, and we organise a date with the “Maire” (in France it’s your local Mayor who is the only person with authority to marry you), and we get married, and I get all my documents into the prefecture, and I get my shiny new carte de sejour with the right to work……it will be 6 months later. And financially, mentally, and career-wise, I dont have 6 months up my sleeve. And that’s just to GET my papers – I will still have to find a job after that. So maybe a year’s process if I took this option? I just cant do it.
And, call me proud, but I want to get my papers because I earned them myself, and not because I met a hot Frenchman at a cafe.
And, call me practical, but getting married is a stressful event anyway, let alone when its being done for papers. I just dont want to put our relationship through that.
And, call me romantic, but when I get married, I want it to be on our terms, in our time, when we feel that it’s right to make a commitment. I dont want to reduce a special event to a technicality.
Et voila! C’est fini!
Sometimes I really surprise myself with how single-minded I can be about certain things.
For the past year, I have been living and breathing my goals of getting a job and settling down in Paris. Its gotten to the point where I actually cant do anything nice and relax because I keep thinking about how that’s taking me away from my job search, and how not having a job is delaying my “settling” in Paris.
I really DO need to stop and smell the roses and bit more. I’m in PARIS for christ’s sake! (Note: no religious connection intended, its just a nice phrase that accurately describes my frustration).
So, the things that I’m obsessing about are:
- Getting a job in Paris – looking up recruiters websites, looking up company websites career sections, reviewing my daily job ad emails, looking up people on LinkedIn who work for companies that I’m interested in and trying to get coffee meetings with them, what other networking functions are on, maintaining contact with current contacts, etc.
- Getting a job in London – as above.
- Getting a job anywhere else in Europe – as above.
- Where I will have dinner once I sign my contract – including who I will invite to celebrate with me, what champagne I will drink etc
- What clothes I’ll buy (once I have a job) – where I will get my work suits from, what new heels I will buy, what new clothes I can buy for weekend wear etc
- Finding an apartment to rent with M (once I get a job) – looking at internet and magazine ads for apartments to rent, which arrondissments (suburbs of Paris) I would like to live in (currently 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 11th. The 10th only if its in a really nice spot.), what furniture I’d like to put in that apartment, what parties/dinners I will have once I have that apartment and who I will invite, what I will cook etc
- Getting a little black and white French Bulldog – what we will name him (already decided: “Biloute”, which means “little dick” in Cht’i, the language of the North of France. It’s actually not meant to be offensive, it’s more like a term of endearment. I think its hilarious!), when we will walk him, how much fun it will be to take him to cafes and restaurants with us etc
- Where we will go on weekend’s away (once I have a job).
I’m dreaming about a time when I finish work for the week, M and I have a drink somewhere after work then head home for a quick comfort meal. I wake up Saturday morning and go for a jog in one of Paris’ beautiful parks, then have a leisurely brunch in a cafe, reading a French newspaper. The afternoon I’ll visit a new modern art exhibition (free), then home for a nap. That evening we start drinks, have dinner and continue on at a bar in Rue Tuiquitonne. Sunday is sleep in then croissants then meet Adam for shopping at the organic markets around lunchtime. We have a gossip and a crepe then head home. That afternoon I cook up a storm and M and I have a fantastic meal together with a lovely glass of red.
I kinda like that I’ve been so, hmm, “goals focussed”. I really have been doing a lot of “positive visualisation”! But when I cant relax and enjoy a coffee with someone because I’m wondering whether they’re going to know anyone to send my CV to, then really, I need to just chillax and get a life!
I have decided that any coffees or meetings with people now, even if for the purposes of work, will be conducted in the spirit of friendship and enjoyment of the moment.
Here endeth the lesson.
OK, after a year in Paris, and after reading possibly every book there is on what foreigners think about French culture and values, I think I’m getting the hang of some of the themes….
Politeness
You wont get ANYTHING done in France unless you’re polite. And not just basic common decency, I mean OTT, almost grovelling type politeness. One of my favourite ways to witness this is when listening to French people call someone “official” (including customer service lines for your internet etc – oh, and recruiters…). Their voice becomes soft, higher pitched, sweet as sunshine. They use all forms of politeness: Mr, Mrs, I’m very sorry to disturb you, I’m not disturbing you, am I?, I just have a small problem and I would be SO grateful if you could help me, oh? you cant help me? and you dont know anyone else who can?, oh, well, thank you very much for your time, I wish you a very good day, good bye”. Even if they’re in the wrong, if you’re not polite, they really will hang-up/tell you to piss-off/not answer your question.
The same goes for the markets and boulangeries: you MUST say hello and you must say please and thank you and you must put on your best accent and formal pronounciation. If a stall holder asks you if you would like your potato galette heated, you must never say “Bah, ouah!” (Translation: “Ummm, yeah!”). Just try it, and see the stall holders face look like they’ve just bitten into a lemon. If it’s a fairly touristy market, they will probably bite their tongue, but beware of doing that in a locals market. I wouldnt even dare do that in a boulangerie – even if you do get your bread, it’s likely to be the baguette that is over-cooked, was dropped on the ground and it will be given with a sneer. Most times, I think you’d probably get yelled at or told that there is no bread available (then serve the person behind you, with their pretty French accent).
And public transport: oh dear. Here is where you’ll find yourself yelled at pretty quickly if you arent polite. I have heard screaming rows on the metro because a man had inadvertently touched a woman in a sensitive spot (I’m not sure where, and maybe he did it intentionally, who knows?). Oh boy, did he get a slammed by the woman and her female friends. Even the very polite French will make it very clear to you that you are very badly brought up and that you really had better find somewhere else to stand.
Pride
The thing that I find interesting is the reaction to abuses of politeness. The Japanese are a polite culture, but breaches of these rules are not met with assertive statements proclaiming that a rule has been breached and that there will be retribution. Why do the French make it known that you’ve been impolite? I think it’s pride. They are very proud people. They are proud of their culture and traditions and will shout it to the rooftops. They are also proud of themselves, and believe that they are, quite often, superior to everyone. Without a doubt, the French will tell you, straight-faced, that France and French people basically invented everything. M says that a Frenchman invented electronic/dance music, for example. OK, maybe Jean-Michel Jarre was one of the pioneers of this genre, but, ya know, maybe Kraftwerk was doing some similar stuff at the same time and how can we REALLY be sure who “invented” it? No, it’s a fact, he says, the French invented dance music. Ok…..
Passion
The French are hot-blooded animals. Even those wealthy sophisticated Parisiens will find a way to channel their passion: political debates, hot sexy affairs, lingerie. It doesnt matter what it is, be it the state of the economy, or the quality of the eggplants at the market, the French will find a way to be passionately involved in everything.
I’m sure there are lots of other things, but these 3 P’s just struck me as I was doing the washing up today ((how glamorous!)
I was looking back at my horoscope for 2009 (thank you Jonathan Cainer), and thought that, yet again, he really hit it on the head.
I took his advance and really DID try to just not be too hard on myself even though I really DID feel like things were all too hard, not clear, being pulled in 2 directions. Just when I felt like things were going my way, they would just as quickly start to “rewind” and completely fall away. I did try to just enjoy the ride, and I think that was the best advice anyone could have given me.
I really did think I would find a job in Paris in 2009. Well, I did. I found 2. But then they didnt have time to wait until my work visa was processed. Hence – back to square 1.
I thought I would be able to rent my own apartment, and set up my own little Parisian life. Well, I did get a cool little vibe going, just in a rented room. OK, I’ll admit, it wasnt really what I’d hoped for, but I was so lucky to find great landlords and be located in the best area in Paris (the Marais  .
I did NOT want a permanent boyfriend. Too many things to do, experience, see etc. And yeah. I got a permanent boyfriend. But then, turns out that he’s fabulous and was happy to come exploring with me as well. And without him, I would NEVER have had such an authentic French experience. And my French would be nowhere near the level it is now.
I wrote on my FB profile a sentence also written by Cainer for Aquarians this week:
“To live but one hour in a state of supreme joy is to fulfill the potential of a lifetime.“
And when I think about all the reasons why I felt so strongly that I needed to take the leap and move to Paris, I realise that 2009 was really the year where I lived in a state of supreme joy, despite the difficulties. I fulfilled the potential of a lifetime: for myself, and for my Mum and my grandmother, who didnt have the same opportunities that I have. All those years of crazy dreams about being a “child of the world” and living in a country that challenged my language ability and cultural beliefs – I finally did it. And maybe also (I hope), I gave those who heard about my crazy adventure, reason to keep believing in their crazy adventure, and maybe even take a more confident, excited step towards it.
Looking back over 2009, would I have changed any of it? Nope. Not one thing.
Here’s a copy of my 2009 prediction, for those who are keen on that sort of stuff 
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Aquarius
Aquarius Year Ahead 2009
Saturn and Uranus began to form an opposition towards the end of 2008. They continue to oppose each other all year and won’t go their separate ways till 2010. Thus the sky informs us that you are in a process which has got a lot further to take you and which won’t fully clear itself up for some while.
Meanwhile, Jupiter is in Aquarius, all year. That’s about as good as it gets. It means you are going to be powerful and strong. This, you may need to be because there will be moments when you feel as if you are being torn in two. Already you are trying to be in two places at the same time or are feeling two mutually exclusive demands upon your resources. How bad is that? It depends on whether you want an easy life.
Easy lives are overrated. Lots of people have them, some of the time, at least. They often find themselves feeling empty as a result. There is no chance of you having an empty existence in 2009. Every moment is going to be rich with meaning. There will be moments when it seems to you like it’s all too much, but all that’s needed is for you to stop trying to make everything perfect. At no level of your life do you face a situation which can be neatly squared off and put away with a ribbon round it.
The secret of success in 2009, is learning to deal with paradox and mystery. We have this idea that mysteries must be solved. Actually, mysteries are not meant to be solved but celebrated. They give life depth. You’ve got mysteries in your life now; things you don’t know about and things you don’t know what on earth to do with. Nor, will you necessarily know as the year goes by. If you are going to let that eat you up, you will get eaten up. But if, instead of struggling with the waves of change and challenge that come into your life, you build yourself a psychic surfboard and say, ‘I don’t care.’ you will cruise away from all the issues that have been unsatisfactory up until now. In 2009, along with the impossible things which you have to put up with, are all the impossible things that can only come into your life when you are thinking impossible thoughts. Many of those are going to be wonderful. Embrace them.
Latest update:
You have, I trust, read the accompanying article about Saturn and Uranus, their rare opposition and how, during 2009, they will bring sudden change and challenge to just about every established, conventional institution or organisation on earth. Of course you have. You’re a diligent detail-spotting Aquarian. You went straight there first. Or if you didn’t, you were intending to any moment.
I apologise for insulting your intelligence by telling you things you already know. Or failing to appreciate how ahead of the game you are. In 2009, though, you may be glad of all the helpful reminders and pointers you can get. Something is already taxing your strength and testing your patience. Your sign is governed by BOTH Saturn… and Uranus. Think of them as your guardian angels. Now envisage them standing, back-to-back across the sky, each facing away from each other, each determined to drag you along with them. Now, think of the tough choices you are already trying to make and the many more that await you. The good news? You can make a tense situation work for you, just by deciding to be less hard on yourself and less expectant of ‘perfect solutions’. The only way to fix what looks set to be this year’s biggest problem is through some kind of fudge. Never mind forever. What about for now? Break more rules. Treat yourself to more activites that truly inspire you. That’s the way ahead for you this year. But then, you already knew that, didn’t you!
This is a very sensitive post. It deals with issues of race and immigration which are very close to some people’s hearts.
I have to say upfront that I have no doubts whatsoever that I am one of the most privileged people in the world, and I have no right to complain about minor inconveniences to the achievement of my dreams.
But I want to explain a bit about some of the issues that arise in France, and compare that to how we treat immigration in Australia.
I find it quite funny that I am now an “immigrant”, a “foreigner”, on the outside of French society, willing to do (almost) anything to get the right to stay and work in France. I want to share some of the emotions that go with that “role” – even if I am coming at the topic from a position of wealth and privilege.
Please feel free to add (intelligent, constructive) comments at the end. I would love to hear different people’s views – or any information that adds to the overall picture.
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People often ask me about why I dont have the right to work in France. I’m educated, experienced, willing to work and can bring a lot to the country.
I tell people that it’s exactly the same in Australia. I know so many French people who would nearly kill for permanent residency in Australia – people who are skilled, speak English well and hard-working – but cant get enough “points” to be accepted.
But there really are some big differences between the way the two countries treat immigrants.
I’ll put refugees to the side for the purpose of this post – legitimate refugees have a genuine, life-threatening reason to flee their country. I’m talking more about “financial refugees” or people just looking for a better life.
Have a read of this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/world/europe/11illegal.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
This is the stuff that makes both the right wing and left wing in France go nuts.
The right says that we cant take in everyone, why is the government allowing all these people to remain in the country illegally, and why are unskilled migrants given residency papers without following the normal legal processes like everyone else?
The left says that its disgusting that a civilised country like France has people living in squats, being exploited by unethical employers and why shouldn’t people wanting to work for the country be given the opportunity particularly when they often come from countries with zero opportunities to improve their standard of living?
There is a definitely push and pull even within the government systems (even if we have a right wing government in power). Everyone technically has to follow the same process to gain working papers in France. This ensures a level of fairness. Except that there are a lot of ‘white’ French people who dont want more Africans and Arabs in France, and so the actual process is either:
(a) skewed towards developed countries (eg where documents like birth certificates are readily available. No birth certificate, no visa. Or perhaps the cost of translating the documents is too expensive for some people to pay. No translation, no visa.) and/or
(b) the process is used to weed out people that the person sitting in the Prefecture doesnt like (eg the process allows Prefecture staff to ask for “any other documents that the staff member thinks is necessary” – which means that they can keep asking for more and more documents, no matter how crazy, in the hope that the person will give up, or just flat-out refuse a visa on the basis they they didnt have adequate documentation).
Some of the resistance to give working papers to migrants stems from France’s high-unemployment rate (currently 10%): why should jobs be given to foreigners when there arent enough jobs for French citizens? OK, I understand that. But where would Australia be if not for all the immigrants who helped to build our country?
Hey there French Government! I’m educated! I’m experienced! I WANT to pay taxes! Give me working papers!
All this has made me really think about what it means to be an immigrant. What sort of person do you have to be, what situation do you have to find yourself in, in order to pack up your entire life and move to another country? Why do people want to move countries?
The idea of immigrants is, in Australia and France, demonised. Immigrants as criminals, trying to take jobs from locals, trying to enforce a cultural-takeover of the country with their strange customs and clothes…But is that REALLY what someone thinks when they move out of their home country?
I’ve basically come to my current conclusion (naive? yes. not fully informed? yes.), that there should be no border controls. A national registration system for all residents would be essential. And residency wouldnt give an immediate right to citizenship. Nor would it give the immediate right to government benefits. But I just cant see the point in stopping people who are willing to work and make a better life for themselves and their children. I dont actually think that this would increased immigration numbers dramatically, just a slight shifting of population globally. And wouldn’t an empty country be a big kick up the butt for some of those African dictatorships? Hmm?
I love comparing France’s immigration issues with Australia’s immigration “problems”: “Boat People Out of Control!”
http://www.smh.com.au/world/boat-people-trade-out-of-control-20100408-rv73.html
The idea that it is being “flooded” with illegal immigrants is kinda funny when you consider the statistics:
http://www.unhcr.org/4ba8d8239.html
OK, they dont break the EU figure into individual countries, but its generally known that France gets the majority of them because of lenient treatment of illegal immigrants.
In France, even if you are deported, you are generally sent home on a plane (sometimes a plane is chartered for a small group of people) and given around 2000 euros for “resettlement costs”. I’m not sure how much it costs to pay people smugglers to get from Africa to Paris, but its not a bad deal that you get to re-coup your costs even if you fail to gain residency.
Compare that to Australia’s detention centres, where people are locked into detention centres until they can be assessed, and remain there if they cant afford the flight back home. (Australia is even so kind as to burn traditional wooden Indonesian fishing boats (with no electronic navigation systems) caught in Australian waters so that (a) they have no way of getting home (b) not even some money from selling the boat to find a way home and (c) no income in the event that they do manage to find some money to get home. OK, it’s not cool to be fishing in our waters, or to be over-fishing/fishing endangered species, but really what we do in response is just gross).
Why does Australia do this?
So ok, I like the idea that France treats people more humainly, but when I’m feeling really down about being rejected from a job once again because I dont have the right to work here, I cant help but wonder whether I might have a better chance of getting my papers if I was hanging out in a squat with everyone else.
Am I just jealous? Am I behaving like a spoilt little rich kid? YES!
I had a good life in Australia. I can return there safely and easily find a job and accommodation and enjoy the peaceful environment and stable government.
I know I am nothing like someone who has come from an African country where young girls are taken in as “girlfriends” for aging government officials, where theft is the only way to make sure you have enough money to feed your family that night, where all the country’s wealth goes to a corrupt President and his “chosen few” which they spend in the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees.
And a lot of people have told me that getting my “carte de sejour” (temporary residence card – as a visitor only) is definitely made easier because I’m a nice white rich girl from a “friendly” country.
But still. I cant help but mumble under my breath when I find out that someone who just turned up in Paris, with no intention to integrate in even the slightest way (including people who still wish to practice and enforce female circumcision – as heard by a friend as she was sitting in an “integration” course for new residents), can be given permanent residency just because the government wants to keep them quiet.
The squeaky wheel gets the oil.
But all things considered, I wont be squeaky, especially when I am lucky enough to have my “Plan B” as the beautiful land called Australia.
And I will continue to follow the “legal” path of getting my papers in France, even if it often seems impossible. It’s nothing compared to what some people have to do to escape war and poverty.
What to you think?
I didnt realise how good my life was until I got here and realised it was gone.
That’s not to say that I didnt realise my life was good – I knew it was great.
Thats not to say either that I didnt appreciate what I had – I was so grateful for what I had.
But I seriously lacked the depth of understanding.
I did, really, take a lot of things for granted. Like the cheap cost of living, variety of restaurants, perfectly fabulous group of friends where each one is an absolute star that I would happily spend hours with. I didnt realise that the friends I have in Sydney are the result of year and years of culling and careful selection, a gradual build-up of fantastic people. I thought I could make friends in Paris quickly and easily, and while I’ve met lots of new people, there are not many I would be willing to keep as friends. Or is a friend an acquaintance that has shared years of trials and tribulations with you, and has become a friend through proof of commitment? I didnt realise that making friends was actually a very complex process.
I thought I would find out who my ‘real’ friends were by those who stayed in contact with me. Actually, staying in contact superficially is quite easy and doesnt necessarily mean that someone is a good friend. Some of the people I’ve realised are good friends dont always contact me. But they are are the one’s who are first to support me when things are a bit tough, the one’s who encourage me to keep going and remind me why I’m doing this in the first place.
That said, what I also didnt realise, was how comfortable I would be here in Paris.
I knew I would like it, that I would enjoy it. I thought I would like living here.
But it’s turned out to be more than that.
I find that I have a lot in common, in general with Paris and Parisiens. I have discovered that I havent really had to change my personality to be “socially correct” all that much at all and that most of the ways I’ve changed have been in ways that I’ve enjoyed changing.
I am loving politeness. I’m loving the bitching about paying too much in taxes and yet getting so excited about government paid leisure activities (Paris Plage for example: 3 “beaches” created next to the Seine by way of truckloads of sand, temporary restaurants, palm trees, book hire, hammocks and deck chairs etc etc – who needs to leave the city for holidays?!!). I’m loving that people dont eat and walk at the same time. I love that at a dinner party everyone will agree that the wine doesnt go with the meal, and the host will put the cork back in and select another. Takeaway coffees dont exist.
I didnt realise that I would be so comfortable with the French acceptance of both the pains and joys in life. Life is lived passionately, joyfully. Even anger, sadness and depression is, I wont say “welcomed”, but “accepted” as a facet of human existence. Emotion is a normal part of living, and there is no shame in showing it publicly.
I didnt realise how much of an English “stiff upper lip” I have, and how cold and repressed I can be.
What I did realise, was that living in France would give me a whole new perspective on life. And I’m still so grateful to have the opportunity to broaden and deepen my experience of life. I hope it makes me a better person. I think it’s started a little already
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Friends
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