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.