Your experience in France

@Cb_bdbd i m interested

@Cb_bdbdinteresting questions!!

How long have you been an expatriate and what is your country of origin?

3.5 years USA

    Which company do you work for, and how long have you been in the same job?

I manage a village in St Tropez, doing this job for 2 years now

    Do you have family in France?

I am married to a Frenchman 🫤

    What were the main challenges you faced during your expatriation?

language barrier and French administration, being discriminated for being American

    How did you manage these challenges?

Took French lessons, have my husband deal with the French administration mostly, be confident and “use” my individuality and American perspective to my advantage

    What were the most positive aspects of your expatriation experience?

Integrating into French culture, being out of America, changing careers

    What were the most difficult aspects of your expatriation experience?

same as above-I also miss my kids, family and friends terribly

   What are the differences between the working habits in your home country and those in France?

work ethic, working less hours here, admitting failure/mistakes is revered in France unlike in America, so taking the blame is ok here where in US there is always a fear of being sued

   Can you tell me about the cultural differences you have noticed between the two countries?

France is more relaxed and puts more value in time off and quality of life. French people are self-deprecating, never good enough vs Narcissism of America, French people are quiet, Americans are LOUD. You can discuss politics in France and respect each others durent views…politics divides in America. Yoga pants are not ok to where out to the store in France…there’s more of a national sense of style and sophistication, more traditional.

    What surprised you the most during your expatriation?

the lack of progress in patriarchy, most French do not work overtime, News being more non-biased/fair in their broadcasting giving equal time to all views, the relaxed atmosphere of the news and professional people (drs, lawyers, politicians, etc), unemployment support, government support, ability to stay employed through long cancer treatments, etc

    What did you learn during your expatriation and how did it influence your world view?

i learned America is whacked!!! I now view America as an isolated island with media control and a “dumbing down” of the population. Learning about other countries’ election processes was fascinating.

    What lessons would you learn from your expatriation experience for someone who would like to have a similar experience?

just having a bigger world view is huge, deprogramming the way you were raised

    How has your expatriation experience affected your personal and professional life?

I have completely changed my life…career, marriage…I am much less stressed now

    If you are a manager and you manage a team on a daily basis, what differences do you observe between management in France and in your country of origin?

work ethic is less here, doing your very best is different. It may have to do with my employees/contractors because there are some who are very dedicated to their job and very good at it, but generally most people don’t care 100% about the work they do, they are not aiming to please. This is very different than in America where everyone is looking to promote and be the best. I find the people here are just fine with their social status and do not have goals to “move up” I think this is a cultural thing with clearly defined classes and no promises that “you can be whatever you want” here. There are so many holidays and breaks and no urgency to get a job done, much less done correctly. Then there is an easy “I don’t know” thrown around when something goes wrong and a deflection onto another system. It’s interesting. When someone does say they messed up, there isn’t an urgency to fix it. Now I work with a lot of different nationalities…British, Portuguese, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian, Filipino, Swiss, Australian so sometimes it’s hard to discern what is actually culturally French

@EricaArtes

Wow thank you very much for your answer! There are many cultural aspects that I didn't know about the US ! I'd like to bounce off a few points:

Is it true that the hierarchy is less pronounced in the US than in France?

Is it true that teamwork in the US is much less developed than in France?

Is it true that in the United States, the use of first names is more common?

I am also very impressed by the fact that you work with so many people of different nationalities! I would like to ask you some questions about your point about the different nationalities you work with:

    How do you manage cultural differences in your team?

    What are the challenges you have faced in managing a multicultural team and how did you overcome them?

    How do you create an inclusive and respectful working environment for all members of your team, regardless of their nationality?

    How do you communicate with team members who do not speak the same language?

    What are the benefits of working with a multicultural team and how do you make the most of it?

    How do you encourage intercultural learning and mutual understanding in your team?

   How many people do you manage and approximately how many have different nationalities?

And a little question I forgot to ask at the beginning!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to come to France like you?

Can you give me a little more information about yourself !

• What are the types of missions that you carry out in your job in Saint Tropez?
• How many years did you live in the US before coming to France
• in which sector / type of company do you work in the US
• how many people are under your responsibility now in Saint Tropez

Once again, thank you very much for your answer which raised many interesting points about the cultural differences in France and the United States!

Hello again cb_bdbd,

We will be having confidentiality issues if members are to respond on the public forum. Furthermore, the forum is not appropriate for posting surveys etc.

I invite you to drop an advert in the Looking for testimonies in France section of the website and invite members to reply in private.

All the best

Bhavna

[Topic closed]