2015 has well and truly landed. The 1st of January has been and gone under a sprinkling of champagne bubbles and the cold, wet reality of January is here to stay. I could use the first post of 2015 to talk about my many resolutions, my good intentions to write in this blog more regularly…
Category: Paris
English Copywriter in Paris: the little French details
The title of my recent post about the solitude of freelancing may have (misleadingly) seemed a little negative, so I thought I’d clear up any confusion with a more cheerful topic to start to the almost spring-like month of March. I’ve already touched on some of the big cultural differences between France and the UK,…
English Copywriter in Paris: surviving as a freelancer in France
It’s been a while. I had angelic intentions about writing regularly, but they were slowly washed away by waves of work and long weekends with friends and family. However, now that August is on the horizon and my clients are heading off to the beach, I can finally stop, take some deep breaths and find…
English Copywriter in Paris: finding fresh inspiration
The Rentrée has been and gone with October hovering ready to land on Thursday. It’s been a busy month in “back-to-school” mode after the long, sunny summer days when nearly every company and agency in Paris closed its doors for at least a couple of peaceful weeks. It’s back to routines and daily life, to administrative…
English Copywriter in Paris: 5 Parisian signs of Spring
Summer is glimmering far off on the horizon. The first energizing rays of sunshine are gently falling. The clocks have raced back an hour. It’s official. Spring is here! In the French capital, this means… 1.) Long lunches basking at outdoor tables with chilled bottles of chardonnay. It is important to realise that as temperature increase, so…
English Copywriter in Paris: French attitudes to job security
The last few weeks have been filled with red-hot striking and protests here in Paris. This time, it’s all about, amongst other things, proposed labour reforms. What kind of radical changes have the French government cooked up to incite so much anger? Hollande & Co. are trying, among other things, to make it is easier…
English Copywriter in Paris: the French art of striking and protesting
Strikes from air controllers, train drivers, metro workers, teachers and students mean things have been grinding along at an excruciating pace in Paris in recent weeks. The latest instalment involves blockading oil refineries to disrupt petrol distribution! And, in many cases, patience is wearing thin among the famously strike-happy French who feel that they are being…
English Copywriter in Paris: A little less English?
I recently applied for French nationality. Partly in a reaction against Brexit. Partly because (nearly) my whole life is based in Paris now: my clients, my apartment, my partner and now my soon-to-be-born child, who will be educated in France and feel more French than British. This decision got me asking lots of questions. Does…
English Copywriter in Paris: How to freelance for a French company
I was recently asked the best way to find freelance work with French companies. The London-based freelancer in question wanted to know the secret to breaking into the French copywriting market. This got me thinking about how I find work and whether cultural differences are at play when hooking new clients. Before starting though, I’d…