
As my mother and now my mother-in-law like to remind me, I
should be looking for a job. A nice sensible pay-your-mortgage kind of job. The
problem is I am quite happy in Cloud-Cuckoo-Chomage-land.
The “Chomage” is the French version of ‘Signing On’. Except
that here they really do it in style.
When my contract finished in December, I had the pleasant
surprise of the last months pay cheque. A couple of weeks later, and for the
first time in my life, I found myself in front of a very nice lady at the
Social Security office who explained that I was entitled to 7 months of
unemployment benefit.
Unlike English dole, the sum I receive is directly linked to
how much I earned last year. Let’s just say I nearly feel off my chair when she
told me how much it would be. Suppressing my inner Homer Simpson (“Whoo!”), I
made my obligatory follow up appointment at the equivalent of the Job Centre.
At this point I should give some context to my employment
history. I graduated from art school 10 years ago with a wonderfully creative
degree in Jewellery Design. Over the years I have been a self-employed
jewellery designer, a gallery owner, commercial director for a very well known
British jewellery designer and commercial manager for an award winning French
home ware design company.
All of with makes for an interesting and varied CV. However,
it seems that here in France my career path is considered a little too creative.
There I was in my interview at the job centre – form filling
and data entry onto their system – and it’s all about putting your skills into
a nice neat category that sums you up in two words. The poor woman interviewing
me had a hard time trying to fit me onto their “system”.
After half an hour of scrolling through lists she whispered
that perhaps I should start my own business. “I don’t think we will have much
to offer you” she ended with.
So for the last couple of months have been very happy at
home. After a morning visit to the local swimming pool (free to whose
registered as unemployed – “Whoo!”) I settle down in front of the computer,
surfing the net “researching” (well if I’m truthful, 80% blog reading, 20%
research).
There is nothing I would love more than to be my own boss. I
have an idea, just a little grain of an idea that I’m nurturing, hoping it will
grow towards the light and put out a couple of leaves, then a couple more. I
have a few potential options and offers of help to get me started and the
security of a few more months’ social security payments.
Yes, I am scared of the prospect of paying 55% of my
earnings in taxes and social security and yes, it’s daunting to do this in a
language that is not my mother-tongue. But I’m going to give it my best shot.