Why salaries in France are so low compared to other countries ?
I have senior tech background, managerial experience, and MBA degree.
I asked for 85k € gross for an Engineering Manager position, and the HR's reaction was like I'm asking for something outstanding. Or I'm looking in wrong places?

likehelpful
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Two main reasons for this: 1. France is much less rich than countries like Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada, etc. On top of this it doesn’t have a very strong tech sector compared to many nearby countries for many reasons, which means that even when comparing to a country with similar levels of wealth (eg UK) tech salaries won’t go as high as they will elsewhere

2. French companies are legally required to spend a ton on benefits for each of their employees. Social security contributions there are amongst the highest in the EU, and they also have to pay for mutuelles (private health insurance), commuting benefits, tickets restos, and more vacation days than other European countries. This cuts in to the amount that they’re able to pay staff. And remember that the work week is mandated to be only 35 hours there and if you go above that you have to be compensated in extra holiday days. That will cut into wages as well.

Fwiw I used to live in France & now live in the UK (I’m American, so from neither place) mainly because the job market is so much better here — so I totally get your frustration. Just trying to provide context.

likehelpful

More risk more reward baby!

Idk that's at least 180k in the US. You guys get that good health care though and extraordinary PTO.

like

€85k in France would have the same purchasing power as, approximately $95k or $100k in the US

In France there’s a lot of stuff you don’t have to pay for, such as more public transit meaning less or even no personal vehicle payments. Cheaper healthcare and universities. Also better social safety nets

like

$1000-3000/mo for childcare. I'm a single dad doing this tech racket. Childcare is more than my mortgage.

So don't have kids and get a rental property 😂😭

There are a lot of factors to take into account : the city the job is based in, the size of the company you’re applying to… Also despite the “manager” title, the role might not require as much as seniority as it sounds. You also have to keep in mind that the biggest upside of working in France is affordable healthcare for you and your family , affordable public transportation (depending on the city), public schools, decent benefits if you’re ever fired… Compensation is important and it’s easy to ignore other benefits when you’re young and healthy (I know I did)… so I guess you have to ask yourself what your priorities are at this point of your life.

like

I don't think people in France work 40 hours a week, maybe 4 hours a day. So the salary is less. lol

like

I don’t know much of the market dynamics in Europe but I know devs don’t get paid much there. I’m not sure why that’s the case but something is amiss.

Off topic but do you think MBA worth in EU?

Nobody cares about MBA in EU and even less in France. Master degrees from top business school have more value.

I would say a mix between company tax, France cost of living and the incapacity of France to attract or retain talent.You might also be in the wrong place. In the US you can get paid 300/350 with a profile like yours but the cost of living in big cities is really high. UK might be a good alternative too.

Main reason is that in France you’d work 35 hours a week instead of 40, so obviously you will make less. Then secondly benefits and cost of living.

For sure, I totally understand your point. It was just a dry answer to the author’s dry question. In practice, it can always be different and France is not a fairytale either, as you are saying. The author also does not take into account the PTO and unlimited sick days, which is also an important factor in this discussion.

I live in France, have an MBA from a top school, ~10 years experience. My OTE is 138k, plus another ~30k annual stock refresh. I'm by no means at the top of the salary band for my level (P5). I make more than the majority of my French friends, but not so much compared to my peers in tech! American and international French companies should be able to offer you more

P5 isn’t that a United Nations level?

Related Posts

Hi Fishes,
I am working as a Lead Analyst in agriculture domain. Experience in market research industry- 4.5 years.
Background- Agricultural Enginnering, No MBA.
Looking for opportunities for a profile like mine. Any suggestions would be appreciated

like
like

Anyone know why the US decided to go the route of business loans that can become grants rather than directly subsidizing employee salaries as some EU countries are? Serious question, I’m curious

like

Starting to dream the big dream… anyone exit enviro/ natural resources law? What do you do now? (And how many years experience did you have when you exited?)

like

So I recently went through an interview through telegram chat for a position at ServiceNow. Has anyone done this before because I’m starting to think it’s fake.

likefunny

Hi everyone
How much monthly in-hand for 21 LPA fixed. Includes both employee and employer PF.

Deductions
Home loan

Thanks

like

Is it worthing leaving a managerial permanent role in FMCG to get to a contract individual contributor role in META which offers circa 70% more money than the permanent?

Role is for 12 months which can become 24 or permanent

likesmart

How much CTC can Deloitte India offer having 4.3 years experience in Software Dev.

Current - 19 LPA
Can they give 28 LPA ?
Deloitte India

like

Hey,
Senior associate and manager position open at PWC AC for assurance. Anyone wants referral dm me. ( CA or CPA)

Also if you have a job id for PWC AC opening, I can refer you :)

like

Hi Fishes,
I am looking to switch, need some inputs and suggestion about firm which is doing well and currently hiring in patient and data analytics. Current exp - close to 9 years in product side and life science consulting. Experience with APLD datasets with tool knowledge of SQL, excel, py. basic R, tableau

Axtria , Eli Lilly and Company , GSK

How is Syngenta for technical person considering wlb, cultures, annual hike?

like

If you are hired to a particular BCG/McKinsey office (eg Amsterdam) but you want to start for a few months in New York due to personal reasons, who pays your salary New York office or Amsterdam office. I’m in the middle of negotiations and I don’t want a LCOL salary in a HCOL city

If anyone has gone through a short term transfer (less than 1 year) please let me know how it went with salary payment and taxes

like

Salary compensation @ Microsoft for finance manager anyone?

like

Hi fishes,
Adani Group I’m trying for a Manager role in Adani group. Any insights on work culture and career growth would really help.

like

Interested in making the switch from Audit to a financial analyst position at a medium to large size company. About to be promoted to Senior at KPMG, wondering if anyone has any advice around how to make that switch or if people have found it difficult to do so?

like

HM is debating between choosing an existing Googler and myself to fill the open role. HM said we are practically the same in terms of YOE and background. What can I say to the HM to gain the edge? L5 IXD Bay Area

like

Am I eligible for hike if I join on August month. Whether it will be default hike or perform based hike?

like

DM if u need referral to Infosys

like

Avg salary of data engineer at quantiphi for 4 years of experience?

like

How do you find out about a company’s earnings before it’s in the news? Ex. TSLA was supposed to release earnings after market close today and their website says there is a call at 3:30 pm in 10 mins but apparently all their earnings info has already been released?

like

More Posts

Hi all,

This is a tough question but one that many of us need an answer to, as I’ve seen a number of posts about the subject... Given all of the client budget cuts and (continued...)

likesmart

Anyone here do writing conferences with the kiddos? I teach 6th grade and I find it difficult to schedule time to meet with every student fairly.

like
like

Apparently Starbuck’s is having a happy hour this weekend? I’ll admit it. I’m basic enough to check it out.

like

How does a VP at BlackRock compare to standard roles in consulting in terms of pay and prestige?

like

Super serious sexy question. Wife and I are mutually busy and ambitious people (workout out, grinding at work, side hustles, saving money etc). We’re very similar in our approach to life, which is why we love each other so much, but as a consequence we have both felt like our s*X life has almost taken a back seat because we get swept up in our immediate day to day. How do y’all approach setting time for and/or prioritizing your s*X life? Open to all tips

like

Am I being underpaid? I earn £52.5k + £52.5k. Corporate AE (companies with 1000-5000 employees), 2 YOE as an AE, although I was an SDR for 2 years too (in my first year at current company). ACV roughly 50k. Quite complex sales cycles with a product that is hard to sell. 350k EUR quota. My company has been through quite a few funding rounds and just raised over 100mm in their latest round earlier this year. Happy to provide more info. Thanks!

like
like

LTI Openings #Oracle technology

Post Photo
like

Hi everyone! When you’re hiring an art director with less than 5 years of pharma experience, what do you look for in their portfolio or resume? any specifics? getting my stuff ready for an interview

Side note: I see people look for awards but unfortunately have won none 😅

like

Just talked to the new CCO of FCB Chicago at a party. Is he a little...off?

like

Need 11 likes to dm. Please help here. Thanks in advance :)

like

We have some soil from flower beds to get rid of, and the official response to remove it is hire a commercial waste hauler.

Do people actually do this?

like

Hello everyone!

Want to hire ~10 professionals with the below mentioned profiles on an immediate basis:
1. Java Developer
2. React JS developer
3. Angular JS developer
4. Java Full Stack developer

CTC: 8-10 LPA (negotiable)
Experience: ~2 years
Location: Noida (WFH available)

What in your opinion would be the right source of hiring for such profiles?

Looking for referral in Big4/MBB/ Product companies. Currently with ACN S&C. Any pointers would be highly appreciated!

PS: Leading a cloud and analytics modernisation under the hood of digital transformation. Past exp in product management and custom application development, roll out as fully fledged solution in market in FS space.

like

Drafting my first Daubert motion. The expert is unqualified and our motion has merit. But I still feel icky attacking this person and their credentials.

like

Soul Searching . . . Any recommendations on courses, programs, books, or methods that will help with career soul-searching?

I have been doing consulting for a few years post MBA and have not felt a sense of fulfillment. I’m exploring what I want to do next and would love to know what has helped you.

like

Additional Posts in Salaries in Tech

Ok, so I have a couple of offers, one kind of lackluster, for the County. The other is for a credit union-I left credit unions a few years ago to join a FinTech supporting credit unions)
I was laid off last month and have had a flurry of interviews…this credit union offer is my favorite so far, I do have another offer I’m waiting for from another tech company which has a much higher salary range, but nothing is written in stone.
Should I counter? The offer is $95k for a project manager.

likehelpful

Google Is there an option to avoid the tax witholding when GSUs vest? I would rather pay the taxes myself in cash than shed a quarter of the vested GSUs. Seems like a lot of potential gains lost, no?

like

Anyone here from IT Distribution like Ingram Micro SYNNEX Arrow Electronics etc @

What's your total Comp: Salary/Bonus structure look like and area of the business that you work in (Sales Rep, Business Development, Product Management etc)?

like

I am debating changing jobs. What do you think about 70k for a senior UX research in Europe?

like

An employer said they will extend an offer in next couple days and they will give me the best offer they can so that there is no more back and forth. Should i still negotiate if the offer is not as expected? Should I accept it if It is what I am looking for? Or should I still see if there is any room for negotiation? I gots what I’m looking for is does employer give best offer or they always leave room for negotiation?

like

I have 3 YOE as a Software Developer. I currently work as a React/Node developer making 87k per year (I know that is pretty low, my manager will admit it) He has made it clear that I am the most skilled developer on the team, and I am getting promoted to Senior Dev. I would like to know what I should be shooting to make? I really like my job and ideally don't want to move companies, but would like some realistic expectations for what I should be earning.

like

How do RSUs in a PE owned firm work? I’m in early stage interview with such a firm and RSUs are part of the comp. I assume I would need the PE firm to sell or IPO the company in order to realise value from the RSUs. Is that right?

like

I have total 9 years of experience. 7 years in India and 2 years in Germany. I have been contacted for Test Lead position by TietoEvry for India location. What salary should I expect for the role ?

like

Any thoughts on potential tech roles for a human capital management manager?

like

Hello everyone, good Morning.

like

Im looking for a work opportunity in te Dominicano Republic, any developer know salary ranges for a frontend developers?