French harvest season offers work for curious travelers
With 27 wine regions, France is one of the world's largest producers of wine. To produce more than seven billion bottles of wine a year, the French wine industry offers a range of seasonal job opportunities for those wanting to spend some time enjoying French culture, learning about the grave harvest and even improving their French language skills.
The first grapes of the harvest have already been picked up in some French regions such as the Rivesaltes, marking the beginning of the 2012 season. The season is set to last until the end of September and possibly into October.
Smaller and less industrialized farms are often the ones looking to recruit either locals or foreigners to do the job. Working conditions depend on the size of the farm and the region and range from a reasonable salary to lodging and food only.
Those with an EU passport can consult Appellation Contrôlée (www.apcon.nl/) which offers grape-picking work in the wine regions of Beaujolais and Maconais.
For French speakers, the government agency's website Pôle Emploi (www.pole-emploi.fr/accueil/) offers a wide range of jobs under the category of "Vendangeur / Vendangeuse," or harvester in French.
Grape-picking jobs in France can also be found through the international website WWOOF (www.wwoof.fr/eng/), specialized in helping people find volunteer work in organic farming.
Working in France without a permit is possible for European nationals. Non-EU passport holders can find more information on working visa requirements in France by consulting this Information letter for foreign nationals seeking a job in France released by the Immigration Ministry: (pdf) www.immigration.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/immigrationprofessionnelle_etrangers_anglais.pdf
