If you’re looking to move to France to pursue a tech career, here are two steps you should follow.
The French tech ecosystem has been growing rapidly in recent years. Venture capital investments in French startups have doubled from €5.1 billion in 2020 to €10.2 billion in 2021. There are approximately 1.7 million people working in French startups and the industry has a shortage of skilled candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. If you’re thinking of moving to France to pursue a career in tech, here are two essential steps that you should take to get started.
The French Tech Next40/120 class of 2023. Source: La French Tech
Check if you need a long-term visa. France is part of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). As a citizen of one of these countries or Switzerland, you’re eligible to work and live here. You don’t need a special visa to visit and you’re entitled to all the rights and obligations of a French citizen. However, if you come from a country outside of the European Union, EEA, or Switzerland, you’ll need a long-term visitor visa.
Welcome to France is an online platform that has been created to help high-skilled workers relocate to France. You can use its automatic questionnaire to find out which visa will be most suitable for your situation. If you’re hired by a tech company in France, you may be eligible for a French Tech Visa. It’s a simplified, fast-track scheme for non-EU startup employees, founders and investors to obtain a residence permit for France. This visa automatically extends to your spouse as well as your minor children, and it’s valid for a period of four years and can be renewed.
Source: European commission
Find your dream job and apply for it. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to know French in order to apply and you can definitely work in English while you improve your French.
LinkedIn is always an excellent option for your job hunting, no matter where you’re located. However, here are a few other sites you might want to take a look at:
– Welcome to the Jungle provides candidates with an overview of 4500+ companies. You can find detailed company profiles and get a better understanding of what companies do, what they stand for, and how it’s to work for them.
– Next40/120 is a government initiative that supports and promotes French technology startups that have the potential to become global leaders. It selects 120 of the fastest growing companies in France every year and provides to the top 40 access to the most powerful growth-stage program. You can find the top 40 here. Additionally, the dealroom app has two great lists for finding French tech work: for France and for Paris area. Make sure you refine your search with the “Job Types” dropdown menu.
La French Tech FT120 logo. Source: La French Tech
– Lastly, here are some Facebook groups that you may want to consider joining. You mightn’t be able to get your dream job from them, but you could find some insider information: French Startups, Paris Startup Ecosystem, The French tech group and The French Startupers Network – FSN.
Here are 4 online resources you can use to learn more about the cost of living in France before you relocate.
The French Way is a relocation and expat support agency located in Paris helping expats to make the most out of their relocation to France at any stage of their life. Contact us today and we'll be happy to help!
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