Working in France

[Nevermore]

I'm looking for a job in France next year, and one possibility that crossed my mind was working in a theatre. Does anyone have any experience working in theatres on the continent? Any information would be helpful at this point!

[Jivemaster]

Theatre work is usually (ie ALWAYS) anti social hours and often poorly paid, add this to working in a foreign language!

[David Lee]

Do you speak French - a must! Also, some of the terminology is (obviously) different I.e Jardin and Court for OP and prompt. (I think Jardin is Stage Right).

[ceecrb1]

MY story: Last year moved to Valencia from Edinburgh.

 

For me, the thing was the language.. I took enough cash to do 3 months of intensive classes in a school.

Once the cash ran out.. it was job time and the first that came up. it had to be, there was no option.

 

Later I ended up in my current job. All my experience is in corporate sound/video and TV work. I got my foot in the door of a lighting company by being taken on as their new repair tech.. with the idea of getting into AV once another tech left.

 

What was hard.... The language, mostly with clients. workmates are all really good and u learn to communicate with them, and them with you very quickly.

Also if you experience anything like I am, they are all AMAZINGLY patient and help me improve my language all the time.

 

Its not all been good, I was thrown off one job by a %·$(%·$ client who (while I was beside him) decided to call the office and complain that I didnt understand him.

Truth was he was talking Valeciano, the local language. he could speak spanish but just was refusing to. ITs like meeting someone from the north of scotland who complains you dont understand galic.. but can speak english... just wont. Not so much a problem in france tho..

 

Expect to be the butt of many jokes as your the outsider/foreigner. Usually they are all harmless however RARELY I have had to put a few poeple in their place.

Expect to be paid less. I am BY FAR the best tech in the company, but I am paid the same as the idiot who cleans the lanters. The warehouse assistant makes 500€´s a month more than me. I have a LOT of responsibility in the company, where most techs have none.

 

90% reality is you WILL need to go and get a local insurance number / ID /whatever is relavent. (check first!!! Eg in spain, I got a health number, NI number and an ID number with card).

within the EU, you CAN work with uk numbers etc.. but you can be sure, the office girls wont know how to deal with it and they wont want to look, its easier to take a day out, wait in the LONG (take a book) que and just get whatever you need. Trust me! (especially if you get bad luck and it turns out the office girl only does the bare minimum of work she has to).

 

Would I do it again? Without a second thought.

Its hard as hell, the government treat u like crap when trying to get insurance numbers etc.. the language is a pain to learn at first. After a while you just LONG for fish&chips (or I do!!!).

BUT. I´ve seen and done so many things that I would never have experienced if I was still in the UK.

 

IF u wanna know more.. PM me

[Jivemaster]

Well certainly Brittany has Breton as the local language, and there is another local language in the neo Pyrenese area.