European network :

It is a European network of information and documentation on working abroad.

Established in Lille, Eurès transfrontalier is specialized in job hunting in the European Community countries, particularly in Great Britain and Belgium.

Curriculum vitæ :

The cv must be typed, as well as the candidate's letter. The candidates should develope with precision the themes of professional experience and training and only shortly outline their civil status.

The English very rarely send a photo with their dossier.

Job Centres and Job clubs

Job Centres : British and European applicants can consult job offers and get information concerning training courses.

Job clubs are advice centres where people who are out of work can use the telephone, a photocopier, read the newspapers and send letters free of charge.

The Job club is open to everyone in the European Union but the huge number of demands means that there is sometimes a wait of several weeks.

In England it is impossible to survive on unemployment benefits. A top executive gets less than someone on the RMI in France : about 2,500 FF a month for a maximum of 12 months.

The Safe Start Foundation :

This association was founded by the Irish, it proposes to job hunters a total initiation in the techniques of job hunting in England. Everything is totally free and the quality of the service is very high.

The press :

The Sunday Times, the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Evening Standard, TNT and Loot regularly propose job offers to their readers.

More than half of recruitment is done through adverts.
Le Graduate Opportunities (édition britannique) :

The Sunday Times, the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Evening Standard, TNT and Loot regularly propose job offers to their readers.

More than half of recruitment is done through adverts.

Graduate Opportunities (British edition) :

You can consult it or get it in the public librairies and Career Services. This document gives you addresses of companies interested in employing young graduates.

Training Courses :

Training courses in England are very difficult to find. However there exists the International Exchange Centre, definitely the best organization to find a training course, which works in conjunction with the Charles Peguy Centre. Backed by the main French institutions in London, like the Chamber of Commerce, the Consulate, the Embassy, the Tourist Board, etc, it offers training courses in all the sectors. It has existed for 13 years in London and also proposes a service to find housing and a language course.

There are two different kinds of training courses possible :

- 1 to 2 months, professional immersion (with a beginners' or intermediary level of English)

- 3 to 6 months, a real professional experience (with an intermediary or advanced level of English)

Courses of less than three months are rarely remunerated.

DIPLOMAS RECOGNIZED IN BRITAIN

Here are some diplomas which are recognized and sufficiently appreciated to be useful when job hunting :

- diplomas from the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce, the head-quarters are in Paris

- exams from Cambridge University : the First Certificate in English (beginner)

- the Certificate in advanced English and the Certificate of Proficiency in English, which can be sat in several schools in London

-exams from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in London (LCCI) for business English

-Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for management and companies. There are several schools in France, as well as in the UK, where you can sit this exam which is recognized nearly everywhere in the world.

For a short trip :

Your passport or identity card is enough.

For a longer stay :

For a stay which is longer than 3 months you must ask a resident's permit from the Home Office and register at the French consulate.

Job possibilities for your partner :

From time to time there are jobs coming up as holiday replacements in the Embassy or in local French schools (with a teaching diploma).

In other sectors, such as banking, hotels or secretarial you need to be qualified with very good references and have an excellent knowledge of English.