Expat life in Paris: can you tell us about yourself and your experience in Paris? What brought you here? How did you feel at the beginning?
Introducing Myself: From Italy to Paris
I’m Alessandro, and I’m Italian from the Marche region in the center of Italy. In Italy, I moved for work first to Modena (the city of Pavarotti, Ferrari, and Tortellini) and, after a few years, to Milan, where I lived for almost four years.
My First Expat Experience in Paris Moving to Paris is my first expatriation.
I moved here because my wife has been working for L’Oréal in Paris since March 2023, and after a few months of commuting back and forth from Italy, we decided to move our lives here.
Excitement and Early Challenges.
I’ve always been curious about living abroad, but I hadn’t tried this experience yet. So, I was happy about it, even though the initial period was quite tough. I arrived in Paris in January 2024, when the weather was bad, I spoke very few words of French, and I didn’t have any friends, even though my wife introduced me to some of her new friends.
Overcoming the First Weeks.
During the first period, I felt quite frustrated. Adapting to a new country, language, and lifestyle took time, but every challenge has been a learning opportunity.
Could you tell us more about your career journey? Did you have to change career paths when moving to France? What challenges did you face?
My Career Before Moving to Paris.
In Milan, I was working as a Digital Marketing Manager for an international group that produces materials for interior design. My company couldn’t offer me the opportunity to work remotely full-time, but they did offer me the chance to continue our collaboration as an external consultant.
Starting My Own Business in France.
So, I started my own company in Paris: je suis auto-entrepreneur! This decision turned out to be very positive, as it gave me the flexibility to work from anywhere, while also allowing me to dedicate time to learning French and settling into my new life in Paris.
The Challenges and Advantages of Entrepreneurship.
Opening a small company in France, in my experience, is not that difficult. At first, I had some doubts, since I had always worked as an internal employee. However, I soon realized that this new professional path was not only manageable but also quite rewarding.
What were the biggest challenges you faced when settling in France Cultural differences, language barriers, administration…?
Italy and France are quite similar, and everyone says that we’re cousins, so life here is similar as well. Honestly, L’Oréal offers a great expat partner package, which helped a lot. The main challenge for me was the language barrier, especially the pronunciation, which I’m still struggling with. Even though Italian and French come from the same language family, they have many differences.
How has Absolutely French helped you integrate in this expat life in Paris? What was the most valuable aspect for you? Language, culture, networking?
Absolutely French has been a huge help in my integration process as an expat partner in many ways. It’s a community of expat partners, so it helps me make connections: we share common and different experiences, and we could help each other. It’s a language school, but not a traditional one: thanks to their alternative learning paths, studying French is both fun and effective.
If you want to explore more about expatriation and discover useful tips on integration, career, and life in France, visit our blog for expats for valuable resources and inspiring stories!
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