Living and Working in France

France is an attractive choice for foreign investment offering a skilled workforce, modern infrastructure and a superb location for trading with the rest of the European Union.  Taking advantage of these benefits, however, requires businesses to understand and work within the uniqueness of French business and social culture.  Although close to home, an international assignment in France can be a challenging and stressful experience and a failure to adapt to a subtle range of cultural rules can cause frustration and misunderstanding.

Communicaid’s Living & Working in France  courses are designed to respond to the needs of international assignees by providing practical information and advice on the various aspects of living and working in France, as well as conveying an understanding of the underlying elements that shape French culture inside and outside the workplace.

Benefits

A Communicaid Living and Working in France course will provide you with:

- A comprehensive insight to France and its historical, social and economic development

- An understanding of  French culture or ‘way of doing things’

- Key communication tools and skills to understand—and respond to— business and social

  subtleties and nuances of French culture while living and working in the France

- An awareness of culture and country “shock”—and ways of surviving it

- Essential practical and information to improve  your experience of living and working in France

Who should attend

A Communicaid Living and Working in France programme will be of benefit to you if you:

- Are about to relocate or have just relocated to France for business purposes

- Work on short-term assignments or projects  in France and spend periods of time in France

Course Content

All our Living and Working in France training courses are designed to meet the specific needs of our clients depending on their personal/organisational requirements and existing skills set.   A Living and Working in France course typically includes:

- An overview of French culture

- French people and French society

- Practical information on living and working  in France

- Social and business etiquette

- Working with the French

- French bureaucracy and how to understand it

- Attitudes and values in French business culture

- Management and negotiation styles

- Effective business communication

- Tips and strategies for successful living and working in France

- Working practices and business etiquette in France

Approach

Living and Working in France courses are available seven days a week, 365 days a year, either at one of our  training centres in London, Paris, Frankfurt and New York or at your offices in any location worldwide.  We usually recommend a one or two day course but can also offer a more flexible format to suit your schedule.

Suitably tailored materials will be used throughout your course and your trainer will provide a balance of structured input and discussion of case studies and scenarios relevant to your own particular context.

The most appropriate training format, content and approach for your Living and Working in France course will be discussed during your diagnostic consultancy (please click here to read more about our approach).

Living and Working in France Course Trainer

Your trainer will be assigned to you following the results of your diagnostic consultancy according to your objectives and areas of focus.  Detailed below is a sample profile of a member of our French cultural training team.

BB

BB has over fifteen years' experience in banking, commerce and training in a range of business contexts, including France, the Netherlands, Africa, and the United Kingdom. Whilst in West Africa she worked for a major oil company as a training and development specialist responsible for identifying, designing and delivering a range of language and intercultural programmes and events.  She also delivered  programmes in Dubai, East Africa and Greece.

BB has been based in London since 1998. Until 2001 she worked as a lecturer at the University of North London teaching business French to university undergraduates and designing and delivering seminars in Intercultural Communication. She is currently working as a cross-cultural consultant, focusing on organising and delivering cultural awareness training programmes aimed at senior personnel in the UK.

With a B.A. degree in French, and a Senior Vocational Diploma in International Business Studies, BB is also a member of the ITIM International Network (Institute for Training in Intercultural Management), having followed a four-year programme for trainers in Intercultural Communication in The Netherlands.

BB has delivered a numerous Living and Working in France cultural awareness courses to key Communicaid clients including Cadbury Schweppes, Vodafone and Matshuishita.