MINDING YOUR BUSINESS - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 327

Contracts are of the two types described below, but
receiving three pay checks is also seen as binding. Make
sure that all pertinent items are specified in the contract,
including job description, salary, vacation and retirement
benefits. Most contracts also mention the convention
collective , which details employee rights. Périodes d'essai
(trial periods) vary from one month for lower-level jobs, to
three months for managers ( cadres ); they may be renewed
once. The maximum période d'essai possible is a year, for
executive positions. This system, benefits employers, of
course, but it is standard.

Contrat à durée indéterminée (CDI): a contract without a
term limit, although there is generally a période d'essai
before the contract binds either party. This protects
the employee.

Contrat à durée determinée (CDD): a contract for a fixed
term, generally from three to six months, with a maximum
duration of one year. These contracts may only be renewed
once and for a total duration of 18 months.

Travailleurs indépendants are self-employed professionals
such as lawyers, CPAs or architects, who have obtained
a licence to practise. Those engaged in project-oriented
professions such as consultants, editors or translators also
fall within this category. The carte de séjour required for
travailleurs indépendants is easier to obtain, since neither
URSSAF (the body overseeing the Social Security system),
nor the Préfecture has the right to veto a request. Indeed,
URSSAF simply verifies the legality of the request based on
the activity proposed, although there are strict guidelines
defining which jobs can be taken on by the self-employed
and how they must be performed in order to qualify;
the applicant must prove the soundness of the project to
the Préfecture.

An independent worker must register for Sécurité
Sociale and make contributions that are extremely steep—
sometimes up to 40 per cent of gross earnings; inquire
at URSSAF. Some companies prefer to use a travailleur
indépendant rather than hiring a full-time employee, thus