Looking for a job in France? Mister Bilingue is here to help you to make sense of the different types of employment contracts that exist in France!
CDI, CDD, stage, intérim… If you've looked for a job in France before, there's no doubt that you will have already come across some of these words. These somewhat confusing terms define the type of employment contract attached to a job offer in France.
An employment contract is an official document (usually written) that engages one person, the employee, to work for another person, the employer, in exchange for remuneration. This document sets out the rights and obligations of each party, so that both sides are clear as to what is expected of them for the duration of the agreement.
Still with us?
So, let's get straight to it. Which is the best employment contract? Which one protects employees the least? Which contract is best for students? In this article, the Mister Bilingue team will answer all your burning questions and explain everything there is to know about the different employment contracts in the French job market.
Ready to sign on the dotted line of your future job contract? Let's go!
The CDI (or the contrat à durée indéterminée) is a permanent job contract. It's the most common type of employment contract, and it also happens to be the holy grail for anyone looking for a job! The reason? Simply put, it's the most advantageous contract for any employee. Whether you're working full-time or part-time, this type of contract guarantees that the employee will be remunerated at a level that is equal to or greater than the minimum wage (in 2020, the gross minimum wage is currently just over €1,500).
What's more, the CDI is an open-ended contract with no end date. This is probably the most important thing to know about this type of contract, because this is what guarantees an employee continuity in their job and total job security. In other words, an employee with a permanent contract can retain their position for as long as they want to. The contract only ends if the employee chooses to resign, if the two parties reach a contractual termination, or if the employee is dismissed for serious misconduct.
A full-time CDI is the only type of contract that is not required to be documented officially in written form. In this case, the pay slip can act as sufficient justification your work, but in most cases the contract is documented in written form anyway, as a way of protecting the employer as well as the employee in the event of any legal disagreement.
The CDD (or the contrat à durée déterminée) is a temporary, fixed-term job contract. As you may have guessed, this type of contract doesn't afford the employee the same type of long-term job security. Unlike in the case of the CDI, the employer recruits the employee for a specific and temporary task, with an end date established in advance.
Rest assured, the fixed-term contract can cover a long period ranging from a few days to several months, and it can also be renewed upon the agreement of both the employee and the employer. Lastly, the CDD guarantees, just like the CDI, a salary equal to or higher than the minimum wage.
The CDD is beneficial for employers because it allows them to hire employees for specific, temporary tasks and projects. In general, employers choose to hire someone on a fixed-term contracts when they have to replace another employee absent for a valid reason, such as sick leave or maternity leave.
On the employee's side, the fixed-term contract doesn't offer any job security to the employee, who has no way of establishing a stable or lasting position in the company. For this reason, employees on fixed-term contracts receive a financial bonus at the end of their contract that is intended to offset this instability.
Are you currently studying at a French university or school? Then it's very likely that you'll need to complete one or more internships as part of your program!
A stage is a student internship that allows students to immerse themselves in a professional environment. It's intended as a learning experience, whereby students can acquire important professional skills related to their studies. It's during this internship that students may find themselves in a practical working situation for the first time, in preparation for entering the world of work shortly after completing their studies.
An internship can only be offered by an employer to candidates with a valid internship agreement (known as a convention de stage). This document is only available to students currently enrolled at an institute and you won't be able to sign this type of contract without valid proof of your studies.
An internship can't exceed a period of six months per one year of teaching, and the employer is obliged to pay an intern if the duration of the contract is more than two months or 309 hours of work. Below this threshold, remuneration is only optional, and the employer is under no obligation to pay their interns.
If you're looking to pursue your studies while embarking on professional work, a work-study program in the form of an apprenticeship contract (a contrat d'apprentissage) is probably for you.
This contract is open to all young people aged between 16 and 29, allowing them to become an apprentice in a public or private company in order to perfect their theoretical and practical knowledge within a professional environment.
At the end of this type of contract, the apprentice receives a state diploma (whether it be CAP, BAC, BTS, a degree or a master's) or a professional title as evidence of their expertise in the field.
As an apprentice, you alternate between theoretical courses in a specialized training institute and practical teaching with your employer. You're remunerated throughout the duration of your contract in relation to your age and seniority as an apprentice. A young person under the age of 18 and in the first year of their apprenticeship, for example, would receive 27% of the minimum wage, while an apprentice over the age of 26 would receive 100%.
Note that this type of contract can be established to cover a fixed period (the time is takes to complete your training) or as part of a permanent contract. The advantage of the latter being that, at the end of your training within the company, they're committed to hire you right away. Not a bad way to get a foothold in the world of work and secure your first job!
Staying within the wonderful world of work-study contracts for now, the professional training contract (the contrat de professionnalisation) allows students to formalize their theoretical education while training in a specific profession within a company.
Much like the apprenticeship contract, the student alternates between work and study and receives a salary that corresponds to their age, but at a percentage that varies between 65% of the minimum wage for those under 21 and 80% of the minimum wage until the age of 25 (this increases to 100% of the minimum wage for those 26 and over).
The training involved in this type of contract isn't exactly the same, since this arrangement places a greater emphasis on the work completed in the company than on the theoretical element. A professional training contact allows for 150 hours of study per year, compared with at least 400 hours of training for an apprentice.
The financial implications for the employer are also different with the professional training contract, as they are expected to pay the trainee's fees. The employer is also obliged to act as a tutor for the student and provide them with practical training on the job. For the majority of employers, the objective of this type of contract is to hire the trainee at the end of their training, so as to incorporate a new employee into the company who is already fully trained and well-integrated.
The CTT (or contrat de travail temporaire) is similar to a CDD but set within a triangular relationship. Lost? Don't worry, that's normal, but we'll break it down for you.
A CTT is a temporary work contract, sometimes referred to as an interim contract, and it allows an employee to be hired and paid by a company offering temporary work (the ETT or the entreprise de travail temporaire) in order to complete work for a client company. As with the CDD, this type of work must be carried out for a pre-defined period or for a period corresponding to the completion of a specific task.
This contract is often seen as slightly risky on the employee's side, as it doesn't provide job stability with one fixed employer. The employee is subject to the needs of the temporary employment agency and to the jobs they have to offer at any one time. For the client company, the advantage of this type of contract is that they have no administrative or financial responsibility to the temporary worker. Instead, it's the company offering the temporary work (the ETT) that is responsible for remunerating the temporary worker. The latter signs a contract with the ETT and the ETT then signs a contract with the client company: a triangular relationship! Simple, right?
Congratulations, you've graduated and you're now an expert in French employment contracts. A whole new world has just opened up to you!
On a serious note, even if this kind of information can seem a little complicated and tedious, it's pretty important for understanding the type of contract that you're signing your name against with a future company. It'll also help you to make a more informed choice that better corresponds to your expectations and needs. Employment law is no laughing matter!
If you're still stuck on looking for a job, we have just the right article for you on that, too!
And if it's specifically bilingual job offers that you're looking for in France, you may as well head straight to our great list of offers!
We hope that this advice has been useful and wish you all the best in your search for a job!
Check out other similar articles on job search tips
