Practical Paris

Finding jobs in Paris: The CV The first step to finding jobs in Paris is to Frenchify your CV. Some readers may not even know what a CV is given that the term used in the United States is, ironically, the French word résumé (generally written without the accents). In the long run resume means the same thing: to sum up. CV stands for Curriculum Vitae which is a Latin expression which can be loosely translated as [the] course of [my] life. In that sense a French CV or an English one is the same and they tend to be longer than the North American resume which does not exceed one page and does not necessarily  include the entire work history. So how does one construct a French CV, because in fact it needs to be constructed from the ground up and not just translated especially when your working document is a resume. There is no strict style or order to respect although most of the time they are organized chronologically or sometimes by theme or career path. You can personalized i…

Banking Glossary French-English terms What is the origin of the word "bank"? It goes back to Italian. In Medieval Italy a moneylander set up a bench in the town square and sat down behind it to do business. The word for "bench" in Italian is banca. When the banker ran out of money he smashed his bench, it was then a broken bench or banca rotta. Doesn't that sound like bankrupt? (makes one think of "rupture", interestingly in French the word is banqueroute) Here is a set of the most commons terms used in banking/finance in France along with their English equivalents to form a banking glossary French English. Actions : Shares ADI (Assurance Décès Invalidité) : Death and invalidity insurance Agios : Interest paid on loan or overdraft Annuité : Annual payment Apport :  Down payment or deposit you bring for loan or mortgage Approvisionner : To credit funds to your account Argent liquide/espèces : Cash Avis d’opération : Transaction receipt Avis à Tiers Détenteur : Not…

Paris Churches of Expat Communities - Paris and the region Joining the social fabric in your new home is part of settling in. Of course you want to integrate into France and meet French people, but it is always pleasant, and some would say important, to join fellow expats or folks from your own country to pursue your favorite activities as well. Just like sometimes you need comfort food you also need comfort time in your own language, activities and customs. Churches and synagogues in Paris and the region are great resources providing community, study and discussions, lunches, youth groups, fairs, choirs and volunteer opportunities just like at home. Many schools and universities have alumni clubs in Paris. Here below is a non-exhaustive list of Paris churches of the expat community in the area. For a list of clubs associations see this article  Other ideas and activities for meeting people in this article Worship in your own language: St. George's Anglican Churc…

Work papers France Finding a job in France most often requires a work permit if you are from an non-EU country. There are several ways to go about this task and none of them are easy or straight forward (rest assured France isn’t picking on you, it is just as difficult for a French person to go to a non-EU country). But here are a few suggestions for the persistent to obtain work papers for France. See our Glossary of French-English Employment terminology For Americans Founded in 1896, the French-American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) is the country’s premier organization for promoting trade and investment between the United States and France. In the spirit of reciprocity and international understanding, the FACC training program for Americans in France brings together qualified young Americans aspiring to work in France, and companies interested in hosting them. The FACC has a visa program for 18-35 year olds who are currently in university studies or have just graduated. …