Summer jobs in France: What’s available and where to find one

Seasonal summer jobs are now becoming available in hospitality, holiday camps, fruit farms, and supermarkets in France – with up to 150,000 vacancies within restaurants and hotels alone.

Certain sectors that were especially hit by the health crisis have significant vacancies, such as hospitality, where it is estimated that 450,000 workers quit between 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.

Hospitality

Between 100,000 and 150,000 vacancies are open for summer across France, including for wait staff, cooks, multi-skilled employees (kitchen assistants, dishwashers, cleaners, etc.), and maintenance staff.

As a result, some employers are attempting to make their vacancies even more attractive. Some restaurant owners in Brittany have notably joined together to offer accommodation for new staff, as it can be difficult for workers to find affordable housing during the summer season in tourist areas.

Salaries are also up 16.33% in a bid to make the jobs more attractive.

Holiday camps

The entertainment and childcare sectors are also recruiting, with holiday camps especially looking for group leaders and entertainers (animateurs) for the school holidays.

Many of these roles require a BAFA (Brevet d'aptitude aux fonctions d'animateur en accueils collectifs de mineurs), but for some, a CAP diploma in early childhood or a degree in education sciences may suffice.

Roles can also include childcare and pool lifeguarding.

Supermarkets and retail

These include jobs for cashiers and people to help restock shelves.

The summer period also corresponds to that of the summer sales (the official Soldes d'été), which will take place over four weeks, from Wednesday, June 22 to Tuesday, July 19. Companies are seeking more staff to help over this busy period, including people to help manage supplies.

Tour guides

Tourist sites are often looking for tour guides over the busy summer months, in a job that is especially popular with students. Often no set qualifications are required, but guides will need to be cheerful, curious, ready to learn, happy and able to speak with the public.

Language skills, such as bilingual French and English, or other popular languages, are likely to be an advantage; as is an interest in culture and history. A reasonable level of fitness will also be needed, as guides are often required to do several tours a day, requiring many hours of walking.

Farming

The fruit picking, cereal harvesting, and farm maintenance sectors are all looking for seasonal workers. These vacancies often struggle to be filled as the pay is usually minimum wage (Smic).

How can I find a summer job in France?

• Pôle Emploi is a good place to start, with many vacancies advertised

• Students can consult the government website "1 jeune, 1 solution", which was created during the health crisis and which has thousands of vacancies advertised for the summer and throughout the rest of the year

• Enquire directly with hotels, restaurants, shops, supermarkets, or cultural sites

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