Lacking experience?

Maybe this post should be entitled "Insolite #2" or maybe not, I don't know. But one thing is for certain: the way French employers determine whether or not someone is employable is very small minded (my personal opinion of course, but well founded I would say). This has become very evident over the past few days, as follows:

Hubby and I currently looking for jobs. Hubby is well qualified and has lots of extremely valuable experience in the UK. However, to a French potential employer's way of thinking, (a) 6 years in the same job is too much, and (b) if the 6 years of experience was gained in a university rather than a big company, it counts for nothing. Never mind the fact that Hubby has 10 years experience, of which the last six were spent single-handedly "designing", ordering, setting up and then managing over 600 000€ worth of equipment. Apparently his level of experience (and therefore the level of pay he can expect when starts working in France) is equal to a just out of university level employee, ie. he has no experience. Apart from being rather dispiriting, there are a few points which come to mind:

1. If Hubby accepts a job equal in pay and responsibility to a young inexperienced thing just because he can't get anything better as his experience isn't experience in France, surely this is exploitation - I mean I'm sure all these companies can see he has experience and are only too happy in this case to use the French mind-set to the full and pay him nothing for actually being brilliant (again, the latter is of course my opinion, but extremely well founded of course!).

2. Apparently the fact Hubby does not have a degree from a posh Engineering school means he is useless. Erm, if you follow this logic, doesn't that condemn half the French university educated population to earning peanuts in an unrewarding job because they are apparently, useless?

3. Also, what is this French obsession with needing to be of a certain age before you can take on any responsibility, make decisions, handle money etc etc? Where does it come from?

4. How can France expect to decrease its currently very high unemployment rate if its mindset is so inflexible (and that's a nice way of putting what I actually wanted to say). It seems to me Sarkozy has a VERY long way to go if he wants to change things (and on this point I have to say I tend to agree with him (for once), ie. the Anglosaxon system is preferable!).


Anyway, I guess it's the same for lots of people around the world. i can certainly sympathise more now with those who, for example, come from outside the EU, have brilliant skills and experience but just not EU (or French?!) recognised qualifications. What a cauchemar.

Meanwhile, there is another job related conundrum we have to get through. I have been offered a job if I want it, but to get the contract sorted out, I would have to provide an address in Paris. Well, have you tried searching for an apartment to rent without a job and not even a signed contract to wave in front of someone? Not easy in the UK but in France - impossible. So how does one get the contract sorted (without bending the truth)? Well, the answer is........I'll let you know when/if we get that far.

So all in all, this is turning out to be a frustrating week, but nothing's going to change (in the short term at least), so either we'll have to be very lucky indeed or we'll have to change to fit in with the ways things are here. I guess, when in Rome.....