Working for a French company in France

Ever wonder how it is like working for a French company? Well, here goes. It is drama, drama, drama! While some aspects of working for a company remains the same around the world, a French company seems to have a more than a healthy dose of dramatic incidences. It seems to me, from an outsider point of view, the French have the propensity to complain about the slightest matter and a blatant disregard for teamwork.

Job hunting in France

Jobs in France are notoriously hard to get, not surprising considering its unemployment rate of approximately 10%. It seems there are plenty of vultures who advertise jobs in which they have no intention of hiring anyone. What they are interested in, however, are your details on your CV. I find that every time I send a CV, I will experience a period where I get plenty of dodgy phone calls from the continent of Africa or the Polynesian region of the world.

After a few bad experiences which left some bitterness in my mouth, I stopped sending my CV. That has an undesired side effect, the ever-present unemployment, which hangs about you for the foreseeable future.

People in France have notoriously low pay too. Although I have been told time and time again that France has a lower cost of living, I cannot really believe that. With goods and service tax at 20% and active income tax at around 23%, anyone who can do math will tell you that is not really the case.

First week of work

Talk about being disorganized! My first week consisted pretty much of sitting around and doing nothing from 830 to 1630. I did get paid to sit around and do nothing, but boredom never sits well with me. I did not even have a desk. No one has a clue of what I should be doing either. I was allowed to use my personal computer, so I wrote some articles for my blog.

As the week passed by, I started to think that I had been lied to. My job description, as I had heard it, was to be a sort of coordinator between the suppliers in other countries and in France. However, a lot had changed since my interview. Many in the office were referring to me as the secretary. Then, I had to start picking up the phone like a receptionist too.

Second week of work

I finally met my actual employer. Surprise, surprise! I had been elevated almost to the ranks of a director of the factory, but with an assistant pay. According to him, I should be in the know. I am to know about everything that goes on in the office and the factory. I am supposed to lead and I will have someone working under me in the very near future.

Me? leading the whole team? The last time I checked, I am supposed to be an assistant. That means I work under someone, not having someone under me. Subsequently, he went on and on about how I am to be the key person of his company, conveniently forgetting that I am, at the end of the day, still an assistant. Dude, I do not mind leading your team, but I need to be paid for extended duties! that is mostly what I care about.

An improvement in my situation this week – I got my own desk with a computer and double screens.

Third week of work

It seemed like things were settling in at last. Unsure whether it is due to the increase familiarity with each other, rumors about my employer were abound. It seemed he is a joke for everyone at work. Even when they say ‘yes’ to his every word, most actually made fun of him behind his back, claiming that he has no clue of how the company functions.

In addition, things seemed to go missing, causing delays in project completion. No one seemed to have a clue why things are missing. The dramas do not stop here. Every day is a day where the factory workers are scrambling to get things done. It seems having a schedule does not sit well with management. Hence most are left with waiting for the management to tell them what to do.

Fourth week of work

Well, we were in between projects. There was not enough work to keep the temporary workers working in the factory this week. Many had been asked to go home and some are not happy about that. After all, there is a lost of income when you do not work. Since I worked in the office, I did not get asked to go home.

However, seeing the others going home has made me wonder about how my own position in this company, which is precarious at best. After all, I am also a temporary worker, just with a different sort of contract. There were talks that my contract will be made permanent, but honestly, I really doubt it.

Summing up my first month

My first month working in this company had been eventful although not necessarily the good kind. However, since we all need to sell our souls for money at some point in our lives, I have decided to hang on and see how it will work out for me. Stay tunes for more dramas from the dramatic work life in France!

Just when you thought the drama ended, the production manager is leaving soon. It is time to eat some chocolate for de-stressing myself and hope for a better future.