Compensation Strategies

Creating competitive packages in France requires understanding total compensation:

Salary Benchmarks (2024 Paris Market)

| Role | Junior (0-2y) | Mid (3-5y) | Senior (6-9y) | Lead/Principal (10+y) | |------|--------------|-----------|--------------|---------------------| | Software Engineer | €40-50K | €50-65K | €65-80K | €80-100K+ | | Data Scientist | €45-55K | €55-70K | €70-85K | €85-110K+ | | Product Manager | €45-55K | €55-70K | €70-90K | €90-120K+ | | DevOps/SRE | €42-52K | €52-68K | €68-85K | €85-105K+ | | UX/UI Designer | €35-45K | €45-60K | €60-75K | €75-95K+ |

Note: Add 10-15% for competitive startups, 20-30% for FAANG-level

Beyond Base Salary

Mandatory Benefits (covered in Chapter 3): - Health insurance (mutuelle) - Lunch vouchers (€8-10/day) - Transport reimbursement (50%) - 25+ vacation days

Competitive Additions: - Remote work allowance (€50-150/month) - Home office setup (€500-1500) - Learning budget (€1-3K/year) - Gym membership - Childcare support - Extra vacation days

Equity Compensation: BSPCE

BSPCE (Bons de Souscription de Parts de Créateur d'Entreprise) are tax-advantaged stock options for French startups:

Advantages: - No tax at grant or exercise - Capital gains tax only at sale (30% flat) - Motivates long-term thinking - Standard in tech startups

Typical Grants: | Level | Equity Range | |-------|-------------| | Early Employee (#1-10) | 0.5-2% | | Senior Engineer | 0.1-0.5% | | Engineering Manager | 0.2-0.8% | | VP/C-Level | 0.5-2% |

Best Practices: - Clear vesting schedule (4 years, 1-year cliff) - Transparent strike price - Regular education on value - Secondary market opportunities - Acceleration clauses

Creative Compensation Strategies

For Cash-Strapped Startups: - Higher equity grants - Flexible work arrangements - Accelerated career progression - Unique learning opportunities - Co-founder-like involvement

For Competitive Markets: - Signing bonuses - Guaranteed first-year bonus - Relocation packages - Spouse job assistance - Housing support