Back to School!

Introduction

C'est la rentrée !

In America, the first Monday in September is special because it's a bank holiday (Labor Day). 

In France, it's also a special day but for a different reason - this is the official start of the school year, the rentrée scolaire. Children are back in school, and adults are back at work.

Time to Focus

The stereotype for France (and southern Europe more generally) is that "nobody works in August." This is true to an extent, but the counterpart to that cliché is that now, as we enter September, your French workforce is rested and ready to focus. It's going to be a sprint to finish the year strong.

Some Exceptions

It's going to be a sprint...except for possibly two cases.

First, there will be a 2-week school break in late October (« Vacances de la Toussaint »), meant to take into account Toussaint ("All Saint's Day"), a bank holiday on November 1st. Remember how in France, bank holidays are defined to fall on a specific calendar date? In 2025 Toussaint takes place on a Saturday, meaning employees don't actually get a long weekend. However there is still a school holiday following the pattern "6 weeks on, 2 weeks off." Specifically in 2025, Vacances de la Toussaint will take place from October 18th through November 3rd, so don't be surprised if business slows down and a number of employees take vacation during the second week (Monday, 27-Oct through Friday, 31-Oct).

Second, there may be a few employees, generally those without schoolchildren, who choose to work through August and instead take vacation in September. The logic is simple: with everyone else back at school/work, there are fewer crowds and prices are much lower. In French there is even a word for this: « Septembriers ». At most companies this is discouraged or banned via the Fermeture Estivale HR policy, but if your company does not have a rule in place then it might be something you encounter (albeit unlikely).

Conclusion

Now that we have entered September, the "European vacation season" is over, it's back to school and back to work. With the small exceptions of Toussaint and Septembriers, it's going to be a sprint to finish the year.

For more information about school holidays in 2025-2026, here is a guide from the French government.

For more insights about doing business in France, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Au revoir !