Resigning for a career change and getting unemployment benefit: the steps before you leave

Step by step

1. Check the conditions first. You must be on a private-sector permanent contract when you resign and have worked at least 1,300 days in the last 60 months (5 years), for one or more employers; unpaid leave and career breaks (périodes de disponibilité) do not count. The Démission-reconversion online service (demission-reconversion.gouv.fr), run by France Travail, lets you check these conditions: have your count checked there if you have had sabbatical or parental leave, or long sick leave.
2. Get support from a career guidance adviser. Ask for career guidance (conseil en évolution professionnelle, CEP), which is free, before resigning: it is compulsory. It is provided by approved operators (Apec for managers or Cap emploi, for example; France Travail and the missions locales are excluded), listed on mon-cep.org. The adviser helps you build the project and gives you a summary document.
3. Put your file together. For training: the CEP summary document, the ROME job sheet for the target job, the course programme, schedule and cost, three recent job offers for the target job in the region where you want to work and, if the course has prerequisites, your diplomas. For starting or taking over a business: the summary document, a market study and a 3-year financing plan.
4. Submit it to Transitions Pro. Send the file, which you download from your regional Transitions Pro website, to its joint board. It assesses how coherent the project is, how well you know the target job and the job or business prospects. Stay in your job while it is being reviewed.
5. Get the certificate, or challenge a refusal. If the project is judged genuine and serious, Transitions Pro gives you a certificate. If it is refused, the board must explain why, and you have 2 months to ask it to reconsider (recours gracieux). Don't resign until you have the certificate.
6. Resign, then register within 6 months. Once you have the certificate, hand in your resignation. From the date of the certificate, you have 6 months to register with France Travail and claim benefit. You are then paid like any other jobseeker: same calculation, same waiting period and deferrals, during and after your project.
7. Carry out your project. Within 6 months of your entitlement opening, France Travail checks that you are taking the planned steps (starting the course, setting up the business). Without a valid reason, you are removed from the register for 4 months and your benefit is stopped for that time.

Documents to prepare

• Your payslips or contracts showing 1,300 days worked over 5 years
• The summary document from your career guidance adviser
• For training: ROME job sheet, programme, schedule and cost, three recent job offers
• For a business: market study and 3-year financing plan
• The certificate from Transitions Pro stating the project is genuine and serious
• Your resignation letter and your employer's France Travail certificate

Pitfalls to avoid

• Resigning before Transitions Pro approves the project: you get no benefit through this scheme, even if the project was sound; all that remains is the review after 121 days of unemployment.
• Going straight to Transitions Pro: prior support from a career guidance adviser is compulsory.
• Going over 6 months: the deadline runs from the date of the certificate, not from your resignation.
• Counting your years from memory: unpaid leave and career breaks don't count towards the 1,300 days, and sabbatical or parental leave needs checking.
• Dropping the project once you are paid: France Travail checks, and the penalty is 4 months off the register without benefit.