People often talk about French expatriates abroad, but not much about the other way around. And yet, they have a lot to tell us about our society, and offer a refreshing view of it.
Thanks to the survey “Expatriates in France: tell us about your life” carried out by Paris 21 in September 2014, we could draw some lessons from the opinions of foreign expatriates.
For 72% of them, integration into their new team was a positive experience. But we can see that many complain about cumbersome procedures (88%), but also about their hierarchy, which is too heavy-handed (75%) or doesn’t communicate enough (also 75%).
When it comes to daily life and the French in general, 30% of expatriates consider their welcome to be unsatisfactory… The clichés about the French therefore undoubtedly have a basis in truth, as they are considered arrogant and unfriendly by 79%, but also and above all bon vivants by 66%. The main difficulty encountered by expatriates in France is language fluency (44%), which is not surprising given that the French are a little behind in this area. In the end, 80% of them say that their least favorite thing about France… is the human relationships! It’s a sad fact that reveals a great deal about the efforts the French have to make…
But let’s not worry! They love the French quality of life, food and culture!
In any case, if you too would like to test expatriation and make up your own mind about the customs of a new country, don’t forget your health insurance in France!
