“Exhausted by life in Paris, my partner absolutely wanted to quit her job and leave the capital. But at that time, it was impossible for me to end my CDD as a nautical engine engineer in a prestigious research organization. And then, for me, leaving Paris was a heartbreak, until the third confinement, which overcame my last resistance.
We started researching Leboncoin by typing ‘house by the sea’. Marseille, the Landes, Saint-Malo… For weeks, nothing. And then, one day, we responded to an ad for a property near La Rochelle and, for the first time, our file was accepted. After the move, we teleworked 100% in a small house located 200 meters from the beach.
All the ingredients for being well were there, except that from September 2021, I had to come back to the office in Palaiseau every day, 600 kilometers away. I finally managed to get, with great struggle, to spend Mondays and Fridays working from home. For eighteen months, I juggled between TER, TGV and RER. In Paris, I slept in an Airbnb, with a roommate or with my family. A real ordeal, especially during the winter months which seemed endless to me. In addition, each week cost me a lot, both financially – my employer didn’t want to pay for the journeys – and personally: my partner and I were having a hard time with these separations. When my CDD ended, the management offered to extend it, but this rhythm was physically impossible to maintain! I was so tired that I had to stop for three weeks.
“Every week was costing me a lot”
This break allowed me to rebuild myself and I looked for a new position locally. I then set myself the goal of working in the field of boats and green energies. I did not believe at all that such a conversion could be achieved, especially not here! Nevertheless, armed with my CV, I went to the La Rochelle boat show, where I met the founder of a start-up based in La Grande-Motte, which distributes eco-designed engines. After several interviews, he created a telecommuting position especially for me in La Rochelle in April 2022.
I went from a structure of 2000 employees to a three-person company where I am an engineer, project manager and engine installer all at the same time… I travel two days a week, but the conditions are not at all the same ! I travel between the south of France, Brittany and Finland. All with great autonomy: I am encouraged to take initiatives with a professional benevolence that I have never seen before.
Today, I have a better salary than in Paris and my trips are taken care of. I often hear about the loneliness of the teleworker, but I feel much less isolated at home than when I was surrounded by colleagues who were not interested in what I was doing. Not all interesting jobs are in Paris!”
Arnold, from Aix-en-Provence to Paris
Arnold, lawyer in Aix-en-Provence, works two days a week in Paris
© / Marie Janiszewski
“I moved to Aix-en-Provence at the beginning of the summer of 2022. I go to Paris two days a week, which is a priori sufficient to discuss on site with my colleagues and my clients. The costs are limited TGV tickets, because I’m lucky enough to be able to stay with my family when I return to the capital.
With a few weeks of hindsight, the organization is well established. The only downside is that I sometimes find myself in an in-between that does not allow me to really anchor myself in the South, nor to take full advantage of Paris. And then, as a business lawyer, my days are busy: so it’s hard to see my friends again.
Even if, for the moment, telecommuting in the South gives me the chance to spend more time with my wife and my son, I aspire to separate work and private life. Soon, I will rent offices in the center of Aix to better integrate myself professionally. It will also be, for the city dweller that I am, the opportunity to reconnect with the pleasure of doing everything on foot.”