If you know anything about life in France other than the usual clichés, the words “French administration” will strike a cord with you. Maybe even a gag reflex…Or an actual migraine… I’m sure you’ve learned a lot about French administration while living abroad, or maybe you are still struggling to understand. But don’t worry, because I think that even French people find it frustrating. It is especially difficult for Americans to deal with, coming from a country where everything runs smoothly, and can be completed with a few clicks or a phone call. And if it doesn’t go smoothly, we just ask for a manager and it’s usual resolved. It doesn’t work like that in France.
I can offer you an anecdote if you haven’t experienced the service yet, (if you have and can already imagine what I’m going to say, then skip this paragraph and read on to the 1st thing I wish I knew, or stick around for laughs).
So, the story begins with me sitting in a brasserie, where I order a salad. Sounds like a pretty safe choice right? I thought so. So my salad arrives, the server places it in front of me…I begin eating…and then I notice something black on my plate…from my knowledge salad is mostly green. So, I look at it closely, push it around with my fork…and yep, as you probably guessed…it’s a nice little spider. Or was it was a fly. Who cares, point is, that’s disgusting. So I called my server over and discretely pointed it out, so as not to alarm the other diners and ruin their experience, as well as the reputation of the brasserie (I’m way to nice). I should have said it as loudly as possible, because that server apologized and brought me a new salad. You may be thinking, oh that was nice of him. But then you probably aren’t American. I was thinking to myself, is this even a new salad? He might have just removed the bug. It could be the same salad from the same bowl where that bug made itself a home… As you can see, I wasn’t satisfied with his service. If this were the USA, he would’ve offered to remove the salad from my bill, or given me something else from the menu free of charge. Okay, so Americans feel entitled, you are probably right. But still, I never returned to that brasserie.
So this leads me to, what I wish I knew about the administration here, and I would like to share it with you so that you don’t find yourself in the same dilemma.
1) Administration will only put in the effort that is necessary, or none at all.
In the USA, we have this concept called service. I can say, that in some places in Paris, I have seen pretty good service. But other than that, they just don’t have any motivation to provide it. They don’t have to smile, they don’t have to go above and beyond, because no one is going to pat them on the back or give them a raise for their superb service. So, if we need to get something done properly, we have to insist, and insist, and insist. This means, being annoying, calling back, sending an email, sending another email, asking someone else, a colleague or even their boss. Always insist.
2) Be patient
Don’t forget that this is Europe. They aren’t in a hurry as much as we are in the USA. It will get done (or not). You just have to take a deep breath, have a coffee, smoke a cigarette, and wait it out a bit. Find the “juste milieu” between #1 and #2. But don’t forget. Because if you do, they may as well. And then the whole ordeal with drag on longer than necessary.
3) Send important mail with “un avis de réception”, “accusé de réception” or “lettre recommandée”.
This lets you know when the recipient receives the mail, or provides you with a receipt as proof that the mail was sent. Administration has so many “dossiers” to deal with, that they may conveniently lose, misplace, or never receive your mail. Having this extra document protects you in the event that this mishap/headache occurs. Keep these documents for the entire year, until the issue is completely cleared.
4) Know your rights
There is such thing as “service-public”, a website that lets you know you rights as a foreigner and a citizen. The information is completely free and can help inform you about things like requesting a marriage visa. If you google further, you can find information from lawyers providing explanations of laws you should know about. They will even provide examples of letters to write (in French) for administrative purposes.
Did you know? If administration doesn’t respond to your request within 3 months, you have the right to ask for an official letter stating why they rejected your request, within that 3 month delay? May not sound very important…But when you decide to cancel an inscription and they request the infamous “attestation” or “justification” as proof of your inability to attend, you will be happy that you have this document and it will save you your inscription fee (true story).
I hope that you’ve found this information helpful. If you have any comments or personal experiences you’d like to share, feel free to comment below. I would love connect with you.
Expand The comfort zone 