I (US Citizen) took a job with a reputable organization in France that sponsored my visa. I have a spouse, kids, and 3 pets (pets alone cost $6k to relocate). We sold our belongings in the US and had all just begun to really adjust. However I was notified last week that my employer is actually getting rid of an entire segment of their business which includes my job.
My employment contract does not contain any job loss protections outside of my trial period which was 3 months, which they had originally specified verbally is standard in France and would only end if I failed to pick up on the job.
I realize I have no legal protections as it was my naiveté to not pursue additional contract language regarding job loss during the trial period. I just never imagined this.
I’ve applied to over 50 jobs in a week and have already recieved rejections for most, as most employers won’t sponsor visas for whatever reason.
Not sure the purpose of the post but to say that when relocating, please protect yourself and truly realize how much you’re putting on the line by accepting a job abroad. My husband has not found work either in France so we’re at the point of having to go back to the US, pay all of the travel costs to do so, and have nothing there for us.
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The Netherlands. If you can’t get a job soon then pls research the DAFT visa. All the best!
Just cross the road ma’am. That’s what Emmanuel Macron, King of France told us, poor peons.
I had a coworker living in a northern city 2 hours away from London paying about £500 per month for rent. My employer asked him to move down to London (because “teamwork” and “work culture”) and he got a room in apartment for about £900 a month and signed a year long contract. After just 2 months, they laid him off and he’s now stuck paying the rest of his apartment in the old city AND the one in London. This is why I never have ANY loyalty towards any company
Yep this is why I now work multiple contract/consulting roles, never full-time for any single company anymore. Having a full-time role with benefits is better and easier in so many ways, and sometimes I miss that a lot, but I’ve been burned too many times to ever put my whole security in the hands of one employer ever again. They don’t see us as anything but expendable. Sending good vibes to your coworker!
Omg Fuck these companies. My friend moved to a different country for a job and got laid off 2 days before he was due to start
He had just signed a 1 year lease and 4k upfront for the apartment then had to pay to get out of the apartment and move home
You relocated the entire family without having tested if the job fits you and the company for at least 3 months ? Sorry for you, next time you need to handle risks and remediation. You hadn’t a plan B and now you’re in a bad situation.
France is notorious for unionization, striking, and claims against employers. Check the union and lawyer up. Record all direct losses (financial and otherwise, e.g. cost to ship goods).
I am not a French law expert, but there are generally three types of misrepresentations in Europe, fraudulent, negligent and wholly innocent. The burden of proof differs on the former two but do a google about misrepresentation law in France - did they misrepresent the job by knowing they might shut it down (being a cause of action)
I think Germany does the ancestral nationality for citizenship too.
The stuff I’m going to list here is a little more far fetched but just want to put it out there. Not sure what your financial situation is, but look into Portugal as they have some easy to obtain visas like the golden visas and the D-7. They would take some time to get. Spain also has a golden visa as well as a digital nomad visa (though this is not long term as of now). These would at least allow you to expand the job search to something global remote.
I would also look into countries where English is more at a premium and companies want native speakers. Unlike what others are saying, this would not be the Netherlands (nor Scandinavia) as English is not an asset there. But could be again, Portugal, Spain, as well as Czechia (ton of expats in Prague), Poland, etc.
I really hope things turn out for you. I know how stressful facing being removed is firsthand.
Apply around entire Europe. (But you’d still have to move again, so at that point maybe consider US as well)
Thanks for your story - I’ll remember to not commit to a relocation until I’m secure on the job. Meaning rent a room for 3 months and live there before moving the whole life across the ocean.
Yes this ☝️. We did not move entirely until after the trial period. Rented by month (flathotels) until after trial. Had company pay moving expenses there and back.
In addition to my last post, I had a quick look at your post history to see if I could see what industry you are in and will make another post.
Don’t take mental health lightly - things could have worked out for the best going out. You seem to be on top of your situation so I won’t write lots on this.
You speak French fluently, so countries where that is an asset are:
- France
- Belgium (in the south and Brussels)
- Switzerland (in the Francophone cantons)
- Luxembourg (multilingual state (Luxemburgish, French and German), with english-only jobs everywhere and A LOT of English-only speaking migrants, such as from Portugal)
- Channel Islands (they speak a dialect of French and English, though the latter is what is needed for jobs).
- Monaco - they speak French and English widely.
Portugal is a lovely place to live and Poland has a lot going for it, and both have outsourced jobs in French due to how relatively low the income is. I would consider Portugal if you don’t need to maintain a US-level income as the quality of life is really good there, it has a nice culture, racism is shockingly low for Western Europe (this is based on my own lived experience and second-hand from my friends who differ from me, but this is very circumstantial and varies person-to-person).
Andorra is NOT part of the EU, I am not sure what kind of jobs there or special arrangements for visas but you may be on a level playing field with EU workers? I never researched this. Andorra is a small principality between France and Spain, which uses Catalan language but French, English, and Spanish are widely used and specifically needed in some jobs. Watch some tourist videos of the place as you may not enjoy living there.
Thank you so much for the help :)
Please try Switzerland
That’s rough. Apply everywhere where you’re authorized to work. Now is not the time to be picky.
Next time you spend 5 figures relocating your entire household to another country, you might want to negotiate some protections (relocation expense, repatriation expense, signing bonus, 1-2 year employment guarantee, whatever).
Not sure what your background is or if this helps, but I was looking for career possibilities in France the other day and found this company with job listings. They’re based in Paris with remote work encouraged and want fluent English speakers. Looks like a cool company with tech/sales opportunities.
Holy shit I am sorry. Look for jobs in Luxembourg with that background!
Let people know what industry you’re in. You never know the reach and kindness of this Reddit community. It may just be the link to finding you somewhere to land.
I realize I have no legal protections
You should investigate this. The probation period in France is designed to protect companies against unqualified new hires. There have been workers who have won cases against their employer firing them before they had a chance to demonstrate their skills (source)
Your case is almost explicitly mentionned : “L’employeur ne peut, par exemple, rompre la période d’essai pour des raisons économiques.”
You might wanna start looking for a job back in the states. They just freeze pay for KPMG. The UK is rocking too. Unless you can land a job with a US companies overseas branch. End of the year too. This is when they don’t hire anyone. Sigh. Good luck.
How is the UK “rocking”?