Find work in France
French Republic — 68 million people, Euro (EUR), French. Full employment compliance handled for you, paid every Friday.
Capital
Paris
Population
68 million
GDP / capita
$44,410
Currency
EUR
Euro
Time zone
UTC+1 (CET) / UTC+2 (CEST)
Working in France: what to expect
Key employment law provisions that affect your engagement. Corpshore handles compliance so you don't have to navigate this alone — but knowing your rights matters.
Standard workweek
48h max
35 hours (since 2000 Aubry laws). Cadres (managers) often work under forfait jours (218 days/year) instead.
Annual leave
11 public holidays
25 working days (5 weeks). Many collective agreements add RTT (reduction du temps de travail) days, bringing total to 30-40.
Maternity leave
16 weeks (6 before + 10 after), fully paid up to social security ceiling
Paternity leave
25 calendar days (since July 2021), including 4 mandatory days
Notice period
1-3 months depending on role level and collective agreement. Cadres typically 3 months.
Severance
Indemnite de licenciement: 1/4 month per year for first 10 years + 1/3 month per year thereafter. Applies after 8 months tenure.
Overtime rules
25% premium for first 8 hours above 35/week, 50% thereafter. Contingent annuel (annual overtime quota) typically 220 hours.
Probation period
2-4 months depending on role category (renewable once for same duration)
Tax landscape in France
Indicative tax ranges for general orientation. Always consult a qualified tax advisor for your specific situation. Tax year: Calendar year (Jan-Dec).
- Income tax
- 0% to 45% (progressive, household-based quotient familial system)
- Corporate tax
- 25%
- Social contributions
- Employer: ~45% of gross (among the highest globally). Employee: ~22% of gross. Covers health, pension, unemployment, family allowances.
- VAT / GST
- 20% (standard); 10% (restaurants, transport); 5.5% (food, books); 2.1% (medicine, press)
Treaty network
Over 120 tax treaties
Your fee is always zero
Corpshore charges the hiring business, never you. You receive 100% of the agreed rate, regardless of tax jurisdiction.
How you get paid in France
SEPA Credit Transfer is standard for French payroll. Monthly payroll is the norm (le bulletin de paie). Stripe Connect supports EUR natively.
Bank transfer (SEPA)
Stripe Connect
Wise
Settlement
Every Friday
No net-30 waits, no chasing invoices
Platform fee
Zero, forever
The business pays Corpshore, never you
Currency
EUR
Local currency where supported
Regulatory landscape in France
Corpshore manages compliance so you can focus on the work. Here's what shapes the regulatory environment for workers in France.
Worker classification
The lien de subordination (link of subordination) determines employee status. Auto-entrepreneur regime exists for genuine independents. URSSAF aggressively pursues requalification (requalification en contrat de travail).
Data protection
GDPR + Loi Informatique et Libertes (1978, updated). CNIL is the supervisory authority. France has been a leader in GDPR enforcement, imposing some of the largest fines (e.g., EUR 150M against Google, 2022).
Right to work
EU nationals: free movement. Non-EU: work permit (autorisation de travail) needed. Passeport Talent visa for skilled workers. French Tech Visa for startup founders.
Non-compete enforceability
Enforceable if: limited in time (typically 1-2 years), geographic scope, and specific activity. Must include financial compensation (contrepartie financiere), typically 30-50% of salary.
Collective bargaining
Extremely structured: branch-level agreements (conventions collectives de branche) set sector-wide minimums. Company-level agreements can deviate within limits. The 2017 Macron ordonnances gave company-level agreements more flexibility.
Working culture in France
Business culture
Formal, intellectual, and debate-oriented. The French value rigorous analysis and well-structured arguments. Lunch breaks are cultural: the 2-hour dejeuner is common. Hierarchy is respected. French language ability is valued even when English is the working language.
Key industries
Talent pool strengths
Historical context
France's 35-hour workweek, introduced by the Aubry laws of 1998-2000, was one of the boldest labour experiments in modern history. Rather than simply reducing hours, it created the RTT system and forfait jours, reshaping how French companies think about time, productivity, and work-life balance. The 2017 Macron ordonnances reformed collective bargaining without touching the 35-hour principle.
At a glance
- Official name
- French Republic
- Languages
- French
- Time zones
- UTC+1 (CET) / UTC+2 (CEST)
- Data region
- Europe
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