The employment contract in France

The CDI (Contrat à durée indéterminée) is a contract with no set end, the safest, entitling full rights in dismissal and compensation.

• The CDD (Contrat à durée déterminée) is permitted only for specific reasons (replacing an absent employee or a temporary increase in activity or seasonal work), and its maximum duration is 18 months (with two renewals), and it gives a prime de précarité (precarity bonus) of 10 percent of pay at its end.
• Intérim works via an agency that pays you and refers you to the user company, and you get an end-of-assignment bonus.
• The apprentissage and professionnalisation contracts for young people and jobseekers combine work with training with pay as a percentage of the SMIC.
• And there is temps partiel with a minimum of 24 hours a week often, and temps plein 35 hours.
• And for seasonal work and restaurants there are special agreement rules.
• Always ask for a written contract, and if hired verbally the contract is treated as a CDI and you have the right to demand it in writing.

The law sets a minimum pay, the SMIC (Salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance), about 11.88 euros gross an hour (about 1800 euros a month gross for full time in 2025) and updated yearly.

• Pay is set in collective agreements with a minimum by category and seniority.
• Pay is given monthly gross (brut) then social contributions (about 22 percent) are deducted leaving the net before tax (net avant impôt) then income tax prélèvement à la source and the net after tax remains.
• The employer must provide a bulletin de paie (payslip) every month showing the details, so keep it for life since it is the basis of pensions and unemployment.
• The employer pays part of the mutuelle and it is compulsory, and titres-restaurant and covers 50 percent of the transport subscription.
• And if paid less than the minimum report to the Inspection du travail or consult the union.

The legal working time is 35 hours a week, and above that are overtime hours (heures supplémentaires) with a premium of 25 percent for the first eight hours and 50 percent after or with compensatory rest, and the maximum is 48 hours a week and 10 hours a day (12 as an exception).

• You have a daily rest of 11 hours and a weekly one of 35 hours, and a 20-minute break after six hours.
• Night and Sunday work has restrictions and compensation.
• Annual leave congés payés is 2.5 days for each month of work, that is 5 weeks (30 working days) a year, earned from 1 June to 31 May, and its timing is requested from the employer.
• And RTT (Réduction du temps de travail) are extra rest days in some companies.
• For paid public holidays 11 days (the holiday calendar).
• And for sick leave, maternity, paternity and family leave there are rights.
• Ask about the droit à la déconnexion, your right not to reply outside work.
• Record your hours.

In a CDI the probation period (période d'essai) is two months for workers and employees, three for supervisors (agents de maîtrise), and four for managers (cadres), renewable once if the agreement provides.

• During it the contract can be ended with short notice.
• After it you can resign (démission) with notice (préavis) according to the agreement (one to three months), and the employer may dismiss (licenciement) for a real and serious reason (such as economic or personal), through a procedure: a summons to a preliminary interview (entretien préalable) then a registered letter with the reasons for dismissal, with notice and compensation (indemnité de licenciement) after eight months' seniority.
• And there is the rupture conventionnelle, ending by mutual agreement with compensation, which permits unemployment benefit.
• And in a CDD the contract ends at its end.
• At the end of work the employer gives you a certificat de travail, an attestation France Travail and the solde de tout compte.
• If you are dismissed without serious reason you may resort to the conseil de prud'hommes within 12 months.

The worker has the right to a safe work environment (santé et sécurité) and protection from harassment and discrimination, and the right to the CSE (Comité social et économique) employee representatives in companies of over 11 workers, and the right to join a union (CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, UNSA and Solidaires) and to strike.

• For free consultation contact the Inspection du travail (the labour inspector's office) or Service-Public or your union or the Défenseur des droits or the Maison de justice et du droit.
• And for disputes the conseil de prud'hommes decides individual disputes, and you can use a lawyer and legal aid (aide juridictionnelle) for the low-income.
• And foreign workers have the same work rights regardless of residence status, even irregular ones have rights to wages and compensation for actual work.
• And for accidents (accident du travail) there is special compensation.
• Keep copies of your contract, payslips and correspondence.

What is a CDI?