France for the summer

briano

Hey,

I posted something like this up on the work forum, but had no joy. They must have all been too busy, ummm, working.

Has anyone here spent any time in france? like for the summer or on erasmus or anything? Did you get a job over there?

I'm thinking of going over for the summer and was just wondering if anyone had any advice or whatever.

Cheers

simu

Yeah, I got a job as a waiter in Nice one summer.

My advice:

Ask everyone you meet for advice on jobs.

Look at job ads in the local paper and at the ANPE (French version of FÁS).

Go around to cafés, restaurants and bars with you CV and don't get discouraged at rejections.

Lie on your CV and say that you have experience in the sort of job you're looking for(I'm presuming you're not looking for a "real" job, though!).

That's about all I can think of - I presume you have some French, make sure you have the vocabulary for talking about jobs and working in a bar or whatever.

strawberry

Apparently if you're looking for bar/restaurant work etd, being good-lucking helps no end. Wear something nice

Philbert

I spent a summer in France when I was younger.

Its very difficult to get job, especially now. I would highly recommend you work half the summer here and save up enough money to spend the other half in France.

Whatever you do dont go to France expecting to get a summer job, its very very hard.

briano

Hmmm.

I'm sort of thinking of going over at the start of the summer and looking for some bar work. I have to come back to Ireland on the 15th of june for a day anyway, if I have found a job I'll head back over after, if not I'll just stay here. Hopefully the fact that I have quite a bit of experience (7+ years in bars) will make up for the fact that:

1. I'm not great at French (which is the whole reason I am going over)

...and...

2. I am not shockingly beautiful. Which will be quite a hinderance according to strawberry.

simu: if you don't mind me asking, How much did you get paid? Was it enough to get by? I hear tips are non-existant.

simu

Originally posted by briano


1. I'm not great at French (which is the whole reason I am going over)

...and...

2. I am not shockingly beautiful. Which will be quite a hinderance according to strawberry.

simu: if you don't mind me asking, How much did you get paid? Was it enough to get by? I hear tips are non-existant.

My salary wasn't great and was just about enough to live by. Then again, I was living with friends so my rent was exceptionally low. (I can't remember how much exactly - this was the year before the euro). Tips are ok for waiters but the amount you get can vary from night to night - I just used tips as drinking money. People don't really tip much at all in bars though.

Being good-looking does help but the most important thing is to put on a charming image, dress well etc.

If your French isn't great, maybe you should stick to places whose clientele is mostly English speaking. The only problem with that is that you might not get to improve your French a lot at work.

DadaKopf

Loadsa Froggies are fugly anyway.

It's all about le style.

shellseaker

forget paris too dear....the place to go is amsterdam....sure its a bit unoriginal but a good summer will be had...
a.as much drugs as you can consume...
b.a good social life
c.easy to get back from if not working out
d.ifn no bar works...theres always bulb picking....and with a little of the "sweet smelling herb" to take the edge off working...

what more could you want for a care free summer.....

briano

what more could you want for a care free summer.....

To not spend it stoned? Not my cup of tea I'm afraid, no matter which 'coffee' house it comes from

shellseaker

well if not amsterdam...hw about somwhere inn asia...very cheap...1500 will do you for the summer and you wont have to work at all

shellseaker

basically anywhere sounds good...cos if your finished college...then your in great form...why not do a tour in south america for a couple of weeks...also very cheap and wont have to work......id love to go to south america...but alas ..perhaps next year....back to the study

simu

1. I'm not great at French (which is the whole reason I am going over)

It would be hard to improve your French in Amsterdam or South America (apart from French Guyana).:rolleyes:

briano

Well, Ignoring the oppertunities to learn french in asia for the time being, that ANPE site has quite a few jobs on it for bartenders with 3+ years experience and good english in the south of France.

Do you know if you just send in a CV to the address on the site (I think its the regional ANPE offices) or do you have to call in and register in person? It would be great if I could sort something out before leaving.

shellseaker

sorry brian..missed the bit where the object of going to france was to actually learn french...i taught you were open to sugestions foe how to spend your summer...

shellseaker

if you dont mind doing other work...most of the local goverment agencies will take on students for placements during the summer....it depends on wht your chosen subject area is....the pay wont be the best...it a good way to spend the summer and meet other people..etc

shellseaker

i actually think there is something wrong with me today...i just cannot sit down to study...i have done everything but dig a hole in the back yard...(may give it a go next)...and am just dying to talk to somebody

simu

Originally posted by briano

Do you know if you just send in a CV to the address on the site (I think its the regional ANPE offices) or do you have to call in and register in person? It would be great if I could sort something out before leaving.

I don't remember exactly how the ANPE works. Does it not say on the site?

All I do remember is that I went to their office in Nice. I took down the reference numbers for the jobs I was interested in (out of all the jobs they had posted up on the walls) and then went to talk to an advisor about it. He asked me if i had the relevant skills and so on and once I had convinced him I did, he gave me information to get in contact with the different employers.

But, in fact, I found out about the vacancy for the job I eventually got in a drunk conversation with another Irish girl that I bumped into in a pub. The ANPE is okay in theory but i found that a lot of the jobs they had advertised had been filled ages before and it appears that many employers are wary of the ANPE.

MidnightQueen

Hi Briano!
If u dont mind me asking, which part of France are you going to? I'm going to the South of France in July to a place called La Palmyre, its only 20 mins from Royan. Great place near beaches and all. I've been going there every summer since i was 9yrs old except last year cos i was sitting my Leaving Cert.
I wouldnt fancy working there while i'm on hols, but i would love to try it sometime!

briano

Well, I was thinking of going down the south of France but sadly its not going to happen now.

*sniff*

I might just go for a holiday instead and roam around for a bit, instead of working over there.

Ah well.

MidnightQueen

Let me know if you need any info!