FRANCE is a country full of intellectual people. Or that’s what people from all over the world have as an impression. Located in the European mainland, France is said to be the most romantic place in the continent thanks to its very beautiful architectural works which have been preserved by their government – works such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Speaking of the Notre Dame Cathedral – even if it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site – it is still used as a place of worship today. Right now, thousands upon thousands of people flock at the cathedral to celebrate All Saints Day, France being a predominantly Catholic country. The day before and the day after are also important holidays in the Catholic calendar of France. October 31 is the culmination of Rosary Month which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary while November 2 is All Souls Day.

And consider this – November 1 is a public holiday in France just like in Spain and the Philippines and certain other countries in the world. It is when the French folks troop to the cemeteries to visit their loved ones who have been entombed there. They offer not just flowers but also the favorite food of their loved ones. It is not surprising therefore to find a bowl of bouillabaisse at the foot of the tomb of a loved one here in France. All Saints Day is actually the feast of all saints who don’t have a specific day commemorated for them. And since Catholics believe that all souls who have died are assumed as saints, that’s why they visit the cemeteries at this point in time.

Toussaint is only for Catholics though but not all of France is Catholic. There are a lot of Muslims in this country and they do not celebrate Toussaint at all. The other alternative to Toussaint for them is to celebrate the highly-commercialized Halloween. During Halloween which is celebrated every October 31, the non-Catholics scour around the neighborhood looking for candies which are usually chocolate. This is the treat-or-trick that we all know about. For the non-Catholics, the day after is funnily considered a holiday because it is called The Day That We Fall Sick from Eating All of the Chocolate.

But Catholics have their own celebration on October 31 here in France. It is the culmination of Rosary Month and everywhere around the country, balloons are flown and whoever retrieves these blue rosary-shaped balloons gets a prize. They are usually in the forms of a one-night stay for two at some of the luxury hotels here.

The hotels in France are some of the best in the world. After all, students from top Swiss hospitality schools are sent here for their internships. All of these hotels – the Marriott, the Sheratons, the Hiltons and the Ritz Carlton – are stamped the blue flag accreditation, the highest accreditation a hospitality establishment in Europe can ever get. Hotels here in France have their own version of Halloween parties. They get down gyrating every night during Halloween week, looking for the spookiest costume wearers among the audience. They then give special prizes like novelty items to these lucky patrons.

BEFORE venturing into any business in France, one must be familiar with all facets of French culture even in subtle ways like the way of the people or their avarice for rugby or football. France’s currency is euro. Its GDP is $1.8 trillion, making it the sixth richest country in the world. Even if it is not as superior as far as military establishment is concerned to that of the United States, Britain or even China, France still spends lavishly on its armed forces at $65 billion or roughly two percent of its GDP.

Because of this otherwise exceptional stature of affluence, France is often the haven of poor immigrants from other countries. These immigrants enjoy a relative peace and serenity here while infusing themselves to mainstream society as the French people, being conservative, always accepts lowly people in various blue- or even white-collar positions. In fact, there is a total of 27.8 million workers in France and not all of them are French natives, mind you. Some of them are foreigners so when one goes to France to make a living, there are only two possibilities – to earn as a self-businessman or to employ oneself as a freelancer in one’s field of expertise. Seventy one percent of the work force in France goes to the services sector.

One of the compelling services in the country is hospitality. France is a tourism-induced country since it has been touted from Africa to Alaska as the most romantic spot in the world. Think of the Notre Dame Cathedral where the writer of The Hunchback of Notre Dame got his inspiration. Think of the Louvre where the Mona Lisa is stored and displayed for tourists to see. Think of the magnificent Eiffel Tower. Think of the Shakespearean Library where French intellectuals and tourists spend a few hours confused on which book to buy. And you know what I mean. The second compelling working sector in France is those employed in the industry sector. The main industries in France are machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles and food processing.

Let’s take a look at the automobile industry in France. Lyon is the center of the automotive industry in France. Thus, even if you have a Nissan or a Mitsubishi or a Lamborghini or a Ford, don’t be surprised that some of its parts come from France. In Lyon alone, there are a total of 100,000 jobs dedicated to the automotive industry. That’s in a city of 470,000 populations confined in 47 square kilometers, that’s about one-fourth already of the inhabitants there. There are a stunning total of 922 firms dedicated solely to the automobile industry based in Lyon. That’s really a lot. That’s why Lyon has about a dozen community and technical colleges with exclusive course offerings, all honing skills of Lyon residents and prepares them to be employed in any of those 922 firms.

Next, let’s talk about the aircraft industry. Even if Concorde has met its ill fate, the French people are still ingenious. They have dissected and separated each part of the Concorde and bid them all online. Now, that’s business.