Unemployment in France remains high and it is difficult for a non-French person to find a job in France.  If you are lucky enough to have found a French employer have your position approved by the French Ministry of Labor, and get a long-stay work visa BEFORE leaving for France.

Members of other EU countries are exempt from the freeze on employment of people from all other countries.

If you are a spouse of a French resident, or have the carte de resident, meaning you have lived in France for at least ten years, then you are in a position to apply for employment in France.

The LONG-STAY VISA (Visa De Long Séjour) does offer certain working capabilities.  Check with your local consulate for the working restrictions that are currently in effect with the long-stay visa.

There is another route to earning income while living in France, and that is as an “enterprise individuelle”, meaning a “freelance” worker.  “Have laptop will travel and work” is now a strong part of the expat lifestyle, enabling thousands to leave their desks and offices behind, in search of their Change of Lifestyle. 

You have two choices as a freelancer:  work remotely for accounts in your country of origin and be paid into an account in that country.  Or, register as an “enterprise individuelle” in France and pursue local accounts. 

The Agence Pour la Creation d’Enterprises

http://www.apce.com/index.php?pid=371&espace=1

is an English language site that walks you through the process of officially setting up a business in France.  There is also an American Chamber of Commerce 

http://www.amchamfrance.org/

in Paris, with locations also in the northern and southern regions of the country. The American Chamber offers a list of over 400 American companies in France, a good source for freelance work in France.

FYI:  If computers are your “thing”, France has a prominent area that is the equivalent of America’s Silicon Valley. The Sophia Antipolis science park is only 20 kilometers west of Nice on the French Riviera. Known as France’s Telecom Valley, it has housed companies with familiar names, including:  Nortel Networks, AT&T, Cisco Systems, Compaq Computer, IBM, NCR, Rockwell International and Texas Instruments. The city of Toulouse, home of the Airbus, is another prominent international employer, especially in the aeronautical fields.