MINDING YOUR BUSINESS - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 326

should all be done as far in advance as possible, for it can
take several months for the dossier to be completed.
France has, for some years, discouraged the hiring of
non-EU nationals, as the level of unemployment for its own
citizens is too high. Thus, it has the right to veto the request
for a foreign employee if the monthly gross salary offered
is less than

4,000, and if there are unemployed French
in the specific field. And since there is unemployment in
just about any sector and for any position, the request may
well be automatically denied, unless the employer can
demonstrate the unique qualifications of the candidate. On
the other hand, there are some positions—such as teaching
at universities—that are not covered by this regulation.

€

PERMITS AND CONTRACTS
Some long-stay documents will indicate salarié , meaning that
the holder is a salaried employee. A carte de séjour temporaire
salarié is generally valid for one year, although there may be
variations. Most cards show the type of professional work
allowed and the French departments in which the holder
is permitted to work, although one type of carte de séjour
temporaire salarié gives the holder the right to work for any
employer and anywhere in France. The permit may be renewed
two months (or more) before its expiration upon presentation
of an existing labour contract.Once a 10-year carte de résident
has been obtained, the holder may work at any profession
and in all capacities, including being self-employed, running
a business, or even managing a corporation.
An employé salarié receives a monthly salary, from which
Sécurité Sociale costs are deducted. Salaries are either stated
as salaire brut (gross salary, before deductions) or salaire net
(net salary, after deductions). The pay is often automatically
deposited into the employee's bank account, which is
efficient because all cheques are chèques barrés or crossed
cheques (indicated by a bar across the check) and they
must be deposited by the payee, not cashed. The employee
receives a fiche de paie (pay slip) recording income and
deductions. A contrat de travail (work contract) is required,
following a lettre d'engagement (engagement letter).