1. Professional Distance

You. Are. The. Job. Professional distance is a biggie. Just as you can expect French friends to take longer to warm up to you, your colleagues may not give you the welcome you expect from day one. In France, people probably won’t ask you how your kids are, wait, in fact, most don’t give a rat’s ass if you have a family and probably prefer you not mention it.

They’re there to work, not to make friends. The good side of this is that you don’t get the opportunity to play favorites with someone based on their personal life. Theoretically, you’re judged on your work. Theoretically.

The downside to that distance is that it makes it really hard to connect with colleagues. Everyone seems, to me, to be in their own little bubbles and not really concerned with the emotional investments and motivations people harbor for their pet projects.

2. Perceptions of Hierarchy

Nobody likes a cocky noob. Though this goes without saying in any company, I think it goes double for French companies. Status is very important in this culture. By this I mean both hierarchy and seniority. You should be aware of your ‘place’, it’s key to not pissing everybody off.
>more

Established photographer (images above) and fashion stylist (below) seek a volunteer stylist’s assistant for June 20-23 (some half days OK) for test a fashion shoot in Montmartre. Here’s the photog’s portfolio and a recent fashion shoot by the stylist. No pay but could be a good experience for someone starting their career and seeking to build contacts. Duties will include showroom appointments, schlepping, assisting stylist in creating ensembles, generally helping out on the day of the shoot (june 22) and returning clothing afterwards. Email here for more info

Following in that grand tradition of “If you build it, they will come,” I’ve decided that I’m going to have to create my own (non-lame) music scene in Paris because at the moment, my current (lame) music scene involves me playing and singing at home, to an audience of two (hubby and baby). The big idea is to have musicians from far and wide (friends and friends of friends) play a private acoustic or slightly electrified concert in our just-painted hall—a music hall, if you will. The evening will consist of great music, plenty of wine and yummy nibbles, all included in your €25 ticket price.

Meanwhile, a Brit who used to work in the music industry and then taught English here in the city has started up AngloBuddy, a new site for meeting English speakers. Frogs can use it to encounter folks to help them improve their anglais, and Anglophones, especially those with not-so-great French, can find friends who speak their language. It’s like the “community” component of the wonderful site Francophilia, only more focused on language exchange idea-at least at this outset. What’s promising is it will facilitate meeting French people—something Anglophones often have trouble with—in a non-hookup environment.

Lastly, the new job site Job Hunt Paris features part-time and full-time posts for Anglophone or bilingual candidates. Since this is an issue of great (if not dire) interest to so many of us, I have asked founder Natalie Rhodes to write an article for The Paris Blog on what she knows about stints such as voice-over work, film extras, and life modeling for art classes. Besides the usual au pair, teaching, and translating gigs, of course. So watch this space!

>more

Although in concept I think these vouchers are a great idea, I often find myself either spending extra money on lunch or buying more food than I originally planned just to use the entire ticket (because the majority of places don’t give change back). Where I work, there aren’t many low-priced lunch options that will allow me to eat a good and healthy meal under 8 euros. It’s either the local boulangerie where I find myself purchasing le menu (sandwich + drink + dessert) to get my full voucher value or a nearby café where I end up having to spend around 5 or so euros extra just to eat a salad.

>more

The first time I was told that bringing up the word is a major faux pas, I decided to nix it from my vocabulary while in the company of a native. I was soon to learn that is easier said than done. Even though I am aware of it, I am struck by how much we Americans actually think about it.

For example, someone offered me a temporary job that would have paid a lot of money. For one reason or another, it wasn’t going to work with my schedule, so I declined the offer. I told the person that I appreciated her proposal and I certainly could have used the money (OOPS, I used it again!) but it just wasn’t going to work out. Another French person who overheard the conversation told me that most people would not ever speak to me again after saying that one sentence. Can you imagine!?

>more

>read what’s on my rider