Guide to finding a job and working in France

Minimum wage and hours

Salary can be discussed in gross or net. Gross salary (salaire brut) refers to the contract amount prior to all deductions, taxes, and social contributions. Net salary (salaire net) refers to the amount that enters the employee’s bank account after these deductions.

The salary indicated on your contract will be the gross salary. In France, the minimum wage is referred to as the SMIC (salaire minimum de croissance). It is denoted as a monthly figure, since wages are paid once a month, not every two weeks. Full time is considered to be 35 hours per week. As of 1 January 2024, the minimum wage is €1,766.92 in gross, or €1,398.69 in net, for a full time position (35 hours).

Vacation and holidays

All employees, full or part time, are entitled to 2.5 working days of vacation per month (or monetary compensation equivalent to such). By the end of 12 months, they will have accumulated 30 days of paid vacation. If you have a CDD (fixed term contract) and you don’t use all your days, your employer must pay you the unused balance.

There are 11 public holidays in total. In the Alsace region, there are two extra holidays: Good Friday and the day after Christmas. Note that in France, holidays are generally observed on the exact day that they occur (even if on a weekend), not pushed to the nearest Monday or Friday.

Reduced work hours (Réduction du temps de travail, RTT)

RTT refers to a practice used by employers to increase time off for employees who work more than 35 hours per week. For example, if a manager (cadre) regularly works more than 35 hours, (s)he may be entitled to accumulate an extra week of paid vacation. That way, the average over the year can be brought down to 35 hours per week. In theory, every hour beyond 35 hours translates to an hour of RTT.