"Non-French bankers are leaving Paris because of the French. It has nothing to do with tax"

I read an article on this site yesterday about bankers leaving Paris as their tax deals expire. There is more to it than that.

I spent six years in Paris and thankfully I am now out. Leaving has nothing to with tax. It has everything to do with the Parisians.

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If you go to Paris to work in a bank and you think it will be like London, you will have a shock. Paris is as parochial as Frankfurt but worse. People in Paris are also rude. 

Paris is not an inclusive place. The Parisians do not want people from overseas among them. It's beautiful there but the French are like a mafia. Within banks they cluster together, collude and edge overseas people out. I'm not the only one who's experienced this - friends have had the same experience. 

This is why so many foreigners have left. If you look at overseas banks in Paris now you will see that almost everyone there is French. This is what the French bankers wanted: it has been a full French takeover. 

It's also why there are so few hedge fund there. Funds are meritocratic and hire from all over the world. Until now, they've preferred to hire people into Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which are much more welcoming to non-nationals. Even after the past week, many people in the UAE would never choose Paris. It's best avoided, in my opinion.

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