City Ville Guide

WORKING IN PORTUGAL

Before you leave
The language :

 You should take language lessons or improve your existing level.

The quality of job that you could obtain depends on your grasp of the language.

There are numerous language institutes in France which can help you to learn or improve quickly.

Formalities to be completed if you are working for a French company :

In the case where your employer is a French or an international company you don't have to worry about the formalities, usually the administrative service of the company will deal with the formalities concerning the registration of expatriate personnel. Unless of course you are the only representative of your company locally (e.g. sales rep. or manager of a liaison bureau ...), in this case your will have to deal with it all yourself.

Preparing for departure and looking for a job:

You could start getting information by writing to French associations already established in the country, to economic expansion services, commercial services in foreign banks in France or in French banks abroad.

The French consulate has a service dealing with employment - training- study grants and reinsertion in France and can put you in touch with local companies wishing to employ French personnel.

The French Chamber of Commerce also offers information on the job market, the sectors of the economy which are working well, and they edit a bulletin which is reserved for French companies and local members. You could publish a job application in this bulletin.

The PEE (Post of economic expansion) in Portugal or the CFCE in Paris have a list of French companies which are established in the country.

Generally the Portuguese Embassy in Paris has plenty of documentation about the country in their cultural service.

You could also prepare your departure in a more decisive fashion by making a personal appointment with the Franco-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce to complete your information and get professional advice.

While you are gathering information you could also contact companies directly by sending your candidacy and proposing your services.

You can usually find the necessary information in the international Chambers of commerce and industry. Directories and useful dossiers on each country will help you to check up on the sectors of activity and the economic life locally.

Specialized organizations like the ANPE, the APEC, the APECITA and the OMI can also be of help. Local ANPE delegations or OMI offices exist in the main towns.

You can get a copy of the Portuguese Yellow Pages Directory from the PTT.

Where to go for training ? :

You could always go to an employment agency (ANPE) and there are also the MIF (maisons d'informations) which are open to the public.

The addresses of these MIF are available, as well as other information on training possibilities at the Centre Info in Paris 01 41 25 22 22
or on minitel by dialling the 3615 INFO.

You can also go directly to one of the AFPA or GRETA centres, which are organizations concerning professional training for adults.

People interested in benefitting from a CIF (Training leave) can go to the Fongecif office in their region, that is where the CIF funds are managed.

Where to look for job offers ? :

In the French press (Le Monde, Le France Soir, Figaro, moniteur du Bâtiment, expat magazine... ) for French companies employing overseas.

In the local press : (Correio da Manha, Dario de noticias, etc.).

In the international press, practically in all the main dailies there is a column or selection of job offers (The European, The Guardian, Vacature, Coriere della sera, La Tribune de Genève, ...).

The main recruiting bureaus in Europe, temporary work agencies, have international jobs on offer.

Via Internet you can have easy access to numerous data banks offering jobs locally.

On minitel, by dialling 3614 mgs you can find a selection of telematic services on 3615 or 3617 which propose job offers abroad.

Writing your CV and the covering letter:

The candidate's dossier is a deciding factor in recruiting. It is the first step towards getting an interview.

The CV should be very clearly set out and detailled, typed preferably in the language of the country and has to be accompanied by a covering letter. This should also be typewritten, unlike in France where recruiters ask for a handwritten letter. The Portuguese don't have much confidence in graphology as an exact science!

In the case of the company being French or a French subsidiary it is better to write the CV and the covering letter in French, but it is a good idea to check first if the person responsible is French or Portuguese.

Don't forget to attach a recent photo, preferably with a smile

It is not necessary to send copies of diplomas or work certificates at the beginning. As they are probably written in French, unless your interviewers also speak French, they won't be of much use in the first selection processes.

Your CV should be very detailed giving the address of your past employers (list your educational qualifications at the beginning), so that the company can easily check up on essential points, enabling you to avoid sending masses of documents with the CV. You can always present these documents when you go for an interview where they may be asked for.

You should know, if ever you are tempted to send in a false or 'enhanced' CV that a study from the Florian Mantione Institute shows that 45% of the CVs are verified by the employer, that 34% of the candidates are eliminated following the verification and that 60% of the verifications are done with the last employer.
Whatever your reasons are for changing your CV to fit the job offer, it is not often a good idea and will not help you during your interview, and could even play against you

What questions should you ask before being expatriated?
- What is the job mission?
- How long is the contract for?
- Do you go alone or with your familly?
- What is the life like locally?
- What about when you come back? What will your financial situation be for fitting in again?
-Do you have all the necessary qualities to be an expatriate?

Qualities you need to have :

emotional stability (which will allow you to react rapidly in different situations).

autonomy (so that you are able to take decisions on your own in different situations)

mobility and availability concerning your job mission, be able to move rapidly

good contact with people (don't forget that an expatriate is an ambassador for his country in his professional and social life)

adaptability (you have to be able to adapt easily to culture, climate and lifestyle changes. The change of environment should not be perceived as an obstacle, rather the opposite).

you should be able to accept and understand different cultures

you have to be tolerant and respect the traditions and customs of the country you reside in.

 Your family and expatriation :

Your wife should share your ambitions. It is an important factor in the choice of recruiting an expatriate.

In fact some recruiting agencies or large companies, when recruiting for a post overseas, especially if it is a long term post, often include an interview with the candidate's wife during the selection process, to check that there are no intermarital problems which could evolve abroad and disturb the mission.

Family postings are often proposed to management staff to help them maintain a stable family life.

For the interview :

Punctuality and precision are appreciated all over the world. So be on time for your interviews.

Whatever position you are trying for, we recommend that you dress well for the interview. It can be important to the employer, the way you dress and how you present yourself.

First interviews are often quite short, but could last several hours if your candidacy retains their attention and depending on the post offered or if you have to do psychotechnical tests (graphology analysis) or aptitude tests.

Be very careful not to appear pretentious about you knowledge, and don't exagerate your professional competence.

You must not forget that at present the work market is generally a chronic problem in most of the world.

In Portugal the unemployment rate is high and although it is less dramatic than in France, you must not take lightly a job interview that is so hard to get.

Emphasize your competence, your ease of adaptability, you mobility, your capacity to work in a team and your readiness to bring along your experience.

The company and the expatriate :

A lot of companies abroad like to show that they employ expatriates.

International personnel often bring in experience and competence which is valuable to the company.

It never hurts to be modest, and it may be appreciated by your interviewer and play in your favour.

Salaries - and what you would like to earn:

When a candidate does not know the country, or when he is finding it difficult to get his first job, it is not always easy to negotiate a salary, especially if one is already marked on the job ad.

However, nothing stops you from showing your previous salary and from trying to negotiate your new one. The recruitment agent or the local employer might appreciate or evaluate your worth during the negociation.

It is often difficult to compare French salaries with those that you find in other countries outside of the EEC and North America.

The standard of living is not always the same as the one you are used to in France and higher salaries often mean higher costs of living.

There are numerous reasons, and important ones are salary and health and welfare conditions, why it is preferable to choose to go abroad with a European company.

French companies sending people abroad take into account the different cost of living. The expatriate has a guarantee that his purchasing power will at least remain the same as it was in France.

The main part of the salary can be paid in France or locally, and you will also receive a living allowance to pay the costs of accomodation, food etc.

This allowance is based on the known cost of living in the country.
Generally the French company gets its information from the French Embassy or from other companies having local branches in the country.

 Taxes :

If you work for a local company, or have a local contract you will have to pay taxes in the country.

With an international contract you could negotiate a salary net of income tax.

In some countries income tax is deducted in advance by the company.

Accomodation - Company car - fringe benefits:

It is practically impossible to negotiate company accomodation if you are applying for a job locally. A car will depend on your job and your level in the company.

If on the other hand you are an expatriate or sent abroad by a French company you will very often find that you get marvelous fringe benefits, like a company house, car, travel allowance, air tickets to France etc...

Work conditions :

They are the same as the local ones with all the advantages and disadvantages of working in a foreign company.
An expatriate is often considered as an immigrant and has to deal himself with the local formalities.

Work or living conditions in European companies overseas can often be difficult when there are important projects at stake, especially if they are to be carried out in zones which are inhospitable or even dangerous, but this is not very common.

Usually in international contracts wage earners have 15 days overseas leave every three months in the Middle East, and 2 months leave after 10 month in Africa.

In local companies it is often difficult for an expatriate to negotiate a ticket home once a year.

Expatriates usually don't have to worry about local administrative formalities like police, customs, immigration, taxes, visa, consular declarations etc.
European companies overseas always have administrative departments dealing with all the formalities concerning foreign personnel and any problems which might come up.

Working hours :

They depend on the local conditions.

Foreign companies are subject to the legal obligations f the country.

  FORMALITIES TO BE COMPLETED

If you are only visiting you only need to have a valid identity card.

For the Azores you need an identity card or a passport.

If you are a student you need an entry visa which you can get from the Portuguese consulate in your own country.