Everyone who wants to get a job in Lille needs first to find a job in Lille. A good start can be a job website like Pole Emploi.fr in Lille or Indeed France in Lille.
You can look for recruitment agencies or employment agencies in Lille. And you can look for jobs also on Facebook groups in Lille.
Once you find a job, you may need a work permit. You can do this from abroad or in France. French citizens, and European Union nationals, don’t need a work permit. In most cases, every other nationality needs to apply for a work permit. You can do this together with your new employer, or employment agency.
Lille, in the north of France, is the city of French Flanders. It has a long history in textile manufacturing and finance. Every year, it receives a huge number of people as a popular student city. The city is part of the European Metropole of Lille. That includes Lomme, Lambersart, Roubaix, Tourcoing, and Villeneuve-d’Ascq. You will enjoy a dynamic and multicultural atmosphere. It has a variety of professional chances.
Read more below on how to find a job in Lille and on how to get a work permit for France.
How to get a job in Lille?
Whether you are a French or a foreigner, the first step in getting a job in Lille is to find a job in Lille. Find out where to look for work in Lille in the sections below.
Once you have a job offer, you may need to apply for a work permit, or a work visa, together with your employer or on your own. You will not likely need any permit if you are a resident of Lille.
In most cases, you apply for a work permit with your new employer, a company, or an employment agency. They will get you a visa to enter the country if you are not in Lille already.
Once you have an employer who can sponsor you. You will need to handle together all the paperwork to get you a work permit or a work visa.
First, find a job, and after you’ll worry about documentation if you need it.
How to find a job in Lille?
You can find a job in Lille by searching online for job opportunities in Lille. You can find a job either with a company, or with a recruitment agency, or through an employment agency.
Job websites in Lille
A good start is to search for a job on these popular job websites.
Baidu, Google, Naver, Sogou, Yandex, or any other search engine, can be a good start for a job search. You can search for a job that you want. That can be for example, “Construction worker in Lille” or “Babysitter in Lille”. Use the language that you feel most comfortable speaking. Don’t stop at the first pages and go deep with your search. You’ll get an immediate feeling of what’s around and of which job websites are best suited for your needs.
Google Maps, Baidu Maps, Naver Maps, 2GIS, or any other map app, can help you find employers near you or abroad. Look for the kind of organization that might have job opportunities for you. You can look for “Retail in Lille” or “Mall in Lille” for example.
Facebook Jobs can be also an option to start to see what’s around you. You can search for Facebook groups that talk about Lille or about jobs.
Pole Emploi.fr in Lille is one the most popular job website in France. Pole Emploi is the official French job agency that helps people to find work. It is present with offices all over France.
Indeed France in Lille is another popular job website in France. It is part of the international job website Indeed.
NordJob is a popular job website for the North of France. It covers Lille as well.
Glassdoor France in Lille is another popular job website in France. Glassdoor is an international job website, it talks also about careers and salaries.
Welcome to the Jungle is a European job website. It has jobs in Lille.
Cadremploi in Lille is for management jobs in France.
Apec is for management jobs in France.
Erasmusu in Lille has jobs for students. It is about Erasmus, the European Union student exchange program.
Graduate Land is a European graduate job website. It focuses on jobs for people who have just graduated.
Websites to get a job in Lille
These are more websites that can be useful when you are looking for a job.
Le bon coin is a very popular website of classifieds. It has listings about jobs as well.
Wannonce is another very popular website of classifieds. It has listings about jobs as well.
ParuVendu.fr is another very popular website of classifieds. It has listings about jobs as well.
Trovit is another very popular website of classifieds. It has listings about jobs as well.
Mon Compte formation is about internships and training. It’s a government website that wants to develop your work skills.
Facebook groups and other social media to get a job in Lille
Facebook groups help you to connect with people about jobs in Lille.
You can use your favorite social media to look for groups that talk about jobs or about Lille.
LinkedIn France is also a popular choice when networking for jobs.
Any social media or communication platform can help you to find a job in Lille. It can be for example Instagram or any WhatsApp group of people in Lille.
Recruitment agencies in Lille
A recruitment agency receives a description for a job from an employer who needs someone. Then the recruitment agency looks for a person to do that job.
Recruitment agencies look for skilled workers to suit the job role available. A skilled worker has some experience, and certifications, to work in a particular role. Examples can be a nurse, an accountant, a chef, a construction worker, or a truck driver.
Recruitment agencies specialize in particular sectors. Those can be care, computing, engineering, nursing, accounting, catering, construction, or other sectors. Sometimes an agency can contact you first if they struggle to find people.
You can look up a recruitment agency that can help you to find a job that matches your skills. You can type ‘recruitment agency near Lille’ on Google Maps or any other map website. There you can find a list of good agencies that you can contact. If you are not in Lille or in France, you can search your area for local recruitment agencies. They can help you find a job in Lille.
Employment agencies, temp agencies, temporary job agencies, staffing agencies in Lille
Employment agencies hire people to do jobs. The agency employs you to work for another company. Employment agencies can be temp agencies (temporary job agencies), or staffing agencies. An employment agency registers someone who’s looking for work, a job seeker. The agency then contacts employers who have positions available for the new person.
These agencies can hire new workers for new jobs. Agencies contract those new jobs from other companies. An employment agency will assist any job seeker. Unskilled workers are more likely to find a job with an employment agency. An unskilled worker has no qualifications, or experience, in the job that they want. They have finished school recently, or they are changing industries or they are new to the region.
These agencies specialize in particular sectors. Those can be care, computing, engineering, nursing, accounting, catering, construction, or other sectors. Agencies offer full-time jobs, part-time jobs, temporary jobs, seasonal jobs, or freelance jobs.
If you, for example, type ‘employment agency near Lille’ on Google Maps, Baidu Maps, or any other map website. You can find a list of good agencies that you can contact. If you are not in Lille or France, you can search your area for local employment agencies. They can help you find a job in Lille.
Be aware that you should not pay an agency when they find a job for you. So be careful when an agency asks you for money.
Ask around you for jobs in Lille
Form connections, ask around, and find opportunities among your contacts. Speak with friends of friends of people who may have traveled or worked in Lille or in France. You will see that some of your friends or family know someone who knows someone.
You can email local businesses and companies for jobs in Lille
You can search for companies and local businesses in the Lille area. An easy tool for doing that can be any map app or map website. Below is, for example, a Google Maps search for “farm near Lille”.
Walk around Lille for possible jobs
If you are in Lille, you can explore the area and see what job opportunities are around you. You can look for organizations and businesses around you and visit them. For example, below is a search on Google Maps for “market near Lille”. You can visit these places asking for job opportunities.
Search for employment schemes
You can apply for an employment scheme or an employment support program that can help you to find a job. Those programs can be local or national. They can be open only to French residents but they can be open to foreigners as well. You need to look for a program that fits your profile. You can search for employment schemes at your local government or embassy. You can search for “Lille employment scheme” or “France employment program”.
Lille’s most promising job fields
Most industries in Lille are commercial and personal services. They account for a big part of the local economy. Take a look at the following promising areas:
- Cleaning services
- System/Network Administrators, Project Managers, and Developers in Information and Communication Technology
- Animation
- Construction
- Industrial production
- Catering and Hotels (kitchen staff, clerks, waiters)
The above cover image is somewhere in Lille, France. Photo by yves talom on Unsplash
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