Top hiring sectors in Toulouse

Job market in France, don't bother unless you're an engineer and can get a job with Airbus or one of their suppliers before you come. If you're an intern, Airbus won't help you find accomodation. You're on your own so wobetide you if you don't speak or read French.

Only one real estate agent I met spoke any English and most tried to fob off the unsellable properties first - at least they did with me.

France has double the unemployment rate of Germany and nearly double that of the UK at 11.2% and we know that's a lie because lots of Brits here don't claim unemployment and also people who are underemployed are not counted. However, France IS a great place to be if you've been made redundant or are unemployed after working for six months.

Easyjet are advertisng for crew at present, but they expect you to fly to Paris for the interview. This I don't understand. Who would apply for a job in London and then be asked to fly to Edinburgh for a job interview? If you write to the IT help mail, it bounces back which is so laughable it isn't true. It's also misspelled on the company website - how's that for poor attention to detail? No wonder the French won't use the airline. The plane would probably crash on the way to the terminal.

For those incoming to Toulouse without a job, it's very expensive to live here. Also, don't bring a car unless you expect to live in the sticks. It was reported on the national news this summer that fruit and veg had gone up by 15% for no rationale reason. The standard of rental accomodation is extremely low. Think student or hotel. Nothing in between. None of the properties I saw had a half decent sized fridge - even for one person, and only one I visited had a washing machine.

Hi Serif,

Welcome to Expat.com

Thank you for your participation.

Hasnaa
Expat.com Team

Well put. I have been here in france since 2002 and its crushed me completely and from personnel experience the exclusive airbus expats are no more than self obsessed up them selves and stuck up characters from a Jane Austen novel.

the French want and thrive on problems but hate solutions and those that have them.

Julian

Hi Julien,  if you have substantial experience in any business area, e.g.sales, marketing, purchasing, finance,  etc, there's a good chance Airbus will take you on for a while, even if your French is rubbish, as English is their business language. As mentioned, there's a high demand for engineers here.  And if Airbus and their satellite companies fail you, there's always good ole teaching English!  In general, you have to be good at, and enjoy, communicating as it's all about networking here.  The bar is set a lot higher here to get on, but if you think you've got heaps of patience, mental adaptability,  as well as some credible skills to put on the table,  good luck.

Hi Alyson Jayne,

thank you for replying to my post and taking the time to do so. very kind.

ummmmm patience. lol after my 11th year here I would like I have some although the culture here is very different from other parts of the world I have lived and it is pushed. grit teeth, smile and count to 12 lol.

I would love an opportunity with Airbus but despite knowing many people there and some sub contractors, the biggest hurdle is finding where, how and whom to get you through the door.

everyone that I know, nice enough though they are and I have some great acquaintances here and in the aeronautic industry, its so big no one really knows anyone when it comes to it.

would you be able to help that way?

I could write a separate run down for you on my past experience if that would also help? do you work for airbus? a sub contractor? what is your occupation?

I have heaps of solutions to any and every challenge.

anyway thank you and please get back to me. I notice you have had some time in China. I loved it when I lived in Hong Kong, every door I knocked on had an opportunity and from nothing to certain security clearances with the American consulate. here is very different

thank you very much again

Julian:)
[Moderated: Please send numbers in private]

@Alyson: I think Max is right about getting through the door for Airbus especially for newcomers. The people who work at Airbus seem to have no contacts whatsoever inside HR; and there appears to be no way for non-engineers/logistics people to get through the door. I have never seen a website recruiting support staff such as secretaries, security and cleaners. How do they recruit these people? Also you mention marketing and finance,yet I have never seen a website recruiting such specialisms. Can you point newcomers to specific websites and substantiate your claims?

Hi, maybe my experience is slightly skewed.  My (German) partner works at Airbus so we socialise with other expats who also work there.  I get the impression that a lot of them are Direct Entry Graduates, and this is how they have contracts with the company. It is very difficult to get a contract with the company now and they tend to use sub-contractors more.  Before I followed my partner out here, I was a sub-contractor for Airbus in Bristol.  My hopes of getting a contract with the company were dashed when they clamped down on recruitment back in 2007 because of the economic downturn.

Getting back to Toulouse, when I came out here I discovered my office admin exprience doesn't count for anything unless you speak French. However I have a German friend who managed to get a temp contract with Airbus when she dropped her CV into Manpower one day, off the back of her procurement experience in the UK.  Clearly that was a case of being in the right place at the right time.  I know another French guy in his 50's who had a lot of experience in supply chain management.  We did lots of language exchanges while he was applying for a post at Airbus.  Can't remember which agency he used but he got 3 interviews before hitting the jackpot.

As for business support services Manpower at Place Occitane in Toulouse centre manange some of these posts.

Hi Alyson,

Thank you very much for your response. I have just met with a friend of mine who is a sub contractor to airbus. an impossible dream for me perhaps? NO! never give up and I wont. I may not be able to change the French attitude and they will change in the future, they have to survive.

anyway, thank you and soon I will be back in the colomiers area and looking for work as well as my property renovations/selling etc. so please bare me in mind.

have a great weekend

Julian and Maxxx


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Alyson Jayne New member  Alyson JayneFrom: ToulouseRegistered: 2011-12-12Posts: 3

Re: Top hiring sectors in Toulouse


Hi, maybe my experience is slightly skewed.  My (German) partner works at Airbus so we socialise with other expats who also work there.  I get the impression that a lot of them are Direct Entry Graduates, and this is how they have contracts with the company. It is very difficult to get a contract with the company now and they tend to use sub-contractors more.  Before I followed my partner out here, I was a sub-contractor for Airbus in Bristol.  My hopes of getting a contract with the company were dashed when they clamped down on recruitment back in 2007 because of the economic downturn.

Getting back to Toulouse, when I came out here I discovered my office admin exprience doesn't count for anything unless you speak French. However I have a German friend who managed to get a temp contract with Airbus when she dropped her CV into Manpower one day, off the back of her procurement experience in the UK.  Clearly that was a case of being in the right place at the right time.  I know another French guy in his 50's who had a lot of experience in supply chain management.  We did lots of language exchanges while he was applying for a post at Airbus.  Can't remember which agency he used but he got 3 interviews before hitting the jackpot.

As for business support services Manpower at Place Occitane in Toulouse centre manange some of these posts.

Last edited by Alyson Jayne (Today 17:39:53)

Hi Alyson Jayne, please don't take this the wrong way, but I think your experience in Toulouse was indeed atypical. I also think it's very important not to over sell Toulouse and to be circumspect before making sweeping generalisations about job opportunities without substantiation. People looking for jobs can rely on the information they find especially if it supports their own ideas.

If it were as easy as you say Maxtiger1 would most likely have found a job by now. Unlike many people on this website, he actually lives in Toulouse (or its surrounds) and probably speaks some French; so he has two strong advantagess. Many other bloggers I have seen on the forums don't have either.

Furthermore, I have found fewer than two real estate agents in Toulouse's 'hypercentre' that speak English above A2 level and I've spent six months seriously looking for property. I suspect that recruitment agents are even LESS likely to speak English. This would make it difficult for anyone going into an agency - which you suggest (Manpower/Toulouse) if they weren't already confident French speakers.

I revert to my earlier point, unless you're an engineer or intern it's going to be difficult. However, I gracefully concede your point that experience in logistics is another route through the door.