Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

visa.lafrenchtech.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

381–390 of 751 posts

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#381

Post by user5994461 »

noplay wrote: post #345
frwo wrote: post #172

French salaries are much lower and taxes are extremely high for high income earners. There's more than one tax on your income! There's the regular "impôt" but also the "contribution solidarité" which is legally considered "not a tax" but cost you a percentage of your income. And a "taxe d'habitation" too (which is proportional to your rent rather than income). There's quite a bit of misrepresentation and wordplay all…

And in the US you have federal and state taxes. For a family with child you will probably pay less taxes in France than in San Francisco. Bonus point: all your taxes are prefilled by governement you just need to confirm on the website.

There are 3 consecutive taxes on your salary. There is only the last ones that depends on your family.

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#382

Post by manarth »

krzyk wrote: post #206
mootothemax wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As someone from the UK, my main reason for not moving anywhere else in Europe is the language barrier. I'm not even sure I'm capable of learning another language I moved to Poland from the UK yonks ago, and have equally disastrous - if not worse - language skills as you. Not long after arriving, I accidentally got a job at a startup, and I'd been led to believe everything was done in English internally: communicatio…

> even variable names in the code, all was in English As a English-is-my-second-language person I can't imagine naming variables using any other language but English. English is most of the times more concise than my mother language (Polish), and it is much easier to share code on the net, find help on stackoverflow, etc.

  I can't imagine naming variables using any other language but English.
I spent some time as a consultant auditing other companies' software. Even with platforms where the coding-standards dictated the use of English, most of the projects I audited in Europe used the local language, rather than English - especially in variable names.

Admittedly there was a selection bias - I wasn't ever hired to audit perfectly good software - but it was remarkably common.

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#383

Post by archagon »

omginternets wrote: post #204
archagon wrote: post #142

Any avenues for self-employed/single-person-company folks? I know Netherlands has DAFT but I'm interested if this opens any similar options in France. I have dreams of living and coding by the Mediterranean Sea. :)

>I have dreams of living and coding by the Mediterranean Sea. :) Not to rain on your parade, but France is still highly centralized around Paris. You'll have _extreme_ difficulty finding clients and building relationships if you're not working (by which I mean: spending most of your time) in Paris.

I'm not freelancing or contracting at the moment, and besides, Paris is one of my favorite cities.

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#384

Post by user5994461 »

jeandejean wrote: post #273
Raphmedia wrote: post #228

As someone who lives in Montreal, that's very strange to see. We import French talent by the hundreds because they are lacking interesting tech jobs over there.

Don't get it wrong, we're not lacking interesting tech jobs at all, we're lacking interesting salaries.

Where are the interesting jobs?

Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citadel, and one thousand small tech and finance firms in London.

The only decent company in Paris is Criteo. And you better have worked abroad at Google, Facebook then Goldman Sachs if you want a chance to be interviewed there.

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#386

Post by chrstphrhrt »

user5994461 wrote: post #369
camus2 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is why can't France even attract engineers and investors from WITHIN the Eurozone, these people don't need Visa. The issue is elsewhere, not in the pool of engineers. France can't even retain its own engineers.

> France can't even retain its own engineers. I confirm! Leaving the country = Best decision in my life :D

I've worked with a number of folks from France in Montreal and they all say the same kinds of things.

I had chalked it up to some kind of national self-deprecation that is the pride and birthright of true French people :)

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#387

Post by School-Cotton »

chrisper wrote: post #377
rublev wrote: post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I have only three years of experience as a software engineer. I made over $200,000 in 2016. What do you do?

He probably included the extra stuff, like equity, bonuses etc. and not just the salary.

Of course, why wouldn't I?

I immediately sell all the equity I get, so it's effectively the same as cash.

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#388

Post by wott »

adventured wrote: post #344
bru wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The education system you're referring to is not free at all. The very substantial income taxes in France pay for it. That's like my whole point… You'll effectively get less money than in the US, but you're subsidising a fraternal economy which you enjoy too.

Here's the same exact same free education logic applied to the US system: US universities are free. The money you don't pay in taxes covers the cost. What evidence would you hold up to suggest the French fraternal economy system is the one to mimic? As opposed to Sweden, Germany, or the UK, which have all produced superior results the last few decades with different approaches from that of France.

> As opposed to Sweden, Germany, or the UK, which have all produced superior results the last few decades with different approaches from that of France.

What???

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#389

Post by tornadoboy55 »

School-Cotton wrote: post #346
renaudg wrote: post #330

Raw salary comparisons miss the point : you can't really compare pre-tax salaries between countries with such a completely different taxation and benefits structure. The take home pay certainly is much, much lower in France than in the US, but it comes with access to top-notch free healthcare, free university, pension contributions, 5-7 weeks paid leave and generous unemployment insurance amongst other things. It all…

I have only three years of experience as a software engineer. I made over $200,000 in 2016. This is more than the Prime Minister and President make in France. I also have health insurance provided by my employer. Granted, I only get four weeks of paid leave, which is less than would be typical for a French person, but not by a dramatic amount. I would understand your point if the raw salaries were closer with France'…

> get cancer, or accident, or kids

> financial life ruined

in the EU, not so much.

Re: A Visa for founders, engineers and investors willing to join France

#390

Post by user5994461 »

jeandejean wrote: post #378
eloisant wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually things have been changing in the recent years. We're seeing bigger investment, so startups can afford bigger salaries. Also multinational companies (like Google, Facebook) are opening engineering and R&D offices in France, driving up the salaries. Anyway, most of the tech jobs in France are in the IT service industry, but if you want an attractive salary you need to go to join a software company with a produ…

By the way, Google and Facebook jobs numbers in France are just anecdotal…

I'll repeat it again.

The first thing that happens to French engineers who interview for Google: "So, this position exists only in our Dublin, London or Zurich offices. Which one would you be interested in?"

Post reply on HN