The editor has sent me on a new mission to
clarify unemployment rights for the British
in France, after a conversation he had with a
subscriber. One of his clients has a son, who
wanted to register for work, but the ANPE
at Confolens stopped him from doing so, saying
there was no work and remarked that he
is English. After insisting, he still didn’t get
anywhere. My first reaction was horror. How
could he be treated like that, but then it
dawned on me that he was in fact going
about things in the wrong way. Even though
there is an increasing tension between the
French authorities and the increasing numbers
of British, I am sure that the young
man was badly informed on what to do.

This first thing to understand is that the
unemployment services are set-up in France
differently than in the UK. There are several
organisations, who administer and manage
your rights to unemployment.

If you wish to declare yourself as without
work (au chômage) and wanting to find work
(demandeur d’emploi), your first port of call
is the ASSEDIC.

In the french social system, unemployment
insurance is managed by the Unédic and
carried out by the Assédic. This is the organisation
that registers your unemployment
and evaluates your rights to benefits.

So off I went to undertake my research and
to my first port of call the ASSEDIC.

My primary concern was to clarify our rights
to unemployment in France. The ASSEDIC
confirmed my understanding that all persons
on the French soil, have the right to subscribe
as a jobseeker (demandeur d’emploi)
and be assisted with their search for work
and their return to active life.

The only document you need to provide, if
you have never worked in France, is a valid
passport. If you have already worked – employed
or self-employed – you will have to
bring the documents relating to employment
and how and why you no longer have work.
Obviously, if you have never worked in
France and have not built up your Assédic
contributions, they are not going to give you
anything. If you were employed, you will receive
a maximum of approximatley 55% of
your brut salary (i.e. before they have taken
off your social contributions) over 23
mon