Whether or not you already work as a freelance in your own country, being one in France is a whole new adventure.  The culture, the language, the tax and social schemes, the red tape, everything is different.  And you do not want to underestimate the importance of understanding and adjusting to those differences!

Having The Right To Work In France
First thing's first, you should obtain the right to work in France..  Anyone who plans to stay in France for more than 3 months is required to have a visa. It is called a “carte de séjour”. To get this long term stay visa, you have to apply for it before you come to France. Your nearest French Consulate will give you all the details for this bureaucratic but necessary process. You may also want to consult a lawyer. Many foreigners live in France without a visa, but if you want to set up a business, there is no way around it. 

Learning The Language
French people are well known around the world for not speaking good English, if at all.  For many reasons, this has improved over the years.  Every year, France welcomes more tourists than the number of its own population, and consequently the country has had to deal with language issue.  The youngsters, particularly through their studies, are travelling and staying abroad more, which makes speaking English a must.

But if the lack of language skills is not as bad as it used to be, the main part of France remains French and only French speaking.  In particular, the French Administration, as any administration I guess, speaks only French.  As a freelance, you will have to interact with many people to develop your business, make contacts, and moreover to cope with the red tape.

My advice : learn French !  At least know the basics.  In Paris, there are many places to learn and practice. Schools, of course, to learn the basis of grammar, but also French-English conversations clubs, who organize sessions, events and evenings in nice and various places in the city.  It’s a great way to improve your language skills, meet French and foreign people, and discover cafés you can come back to.  EscapeArtist.com is the website to consult for finding out all about it.
 

France has a very long history, and its culture comes from that.  During those centuries, there were kings, religion power, land lords, nobles, aristocracy - in other words : hierarchy and state centralization.  Of course, it’s that history that created all the castles, landscapes, gastronomy, art de vivre, philosophy, artists, which many foreigners come to love in France.  But the other side of it is a specific spirit when it comes to economics, business and money.

Firstly, the freelance status is not crystal clear in France.  It is called “travailleur indépendant” and “entrepreneur individuel” by the Administration, but “profession libérale” in the civil sphere.  Also, although the travailleur indépendant is considered as a person, tax wise, and not as an entity, it is for other purposes considered as a company.  So public information, brochures, forms are all designed for companies, including freelance individuals, so that it makes the paperwork rather complicated for such a simple status, and not always appropriate.

Secondly, the French Administration loves red tape.  During the 20th century, the economy developed exponentially, with a huge need of salaried human resources.  Since WW2, everything has been organized for and around the salaried workers, and the employer/employee relationship.  Self-employed persons were basically storekeepers and artisans.  Freelancers were a tiny minority, and their status has remained fluid . The tremendous increase over the years of freelance workers, especially since the 1990’s, when the unemployment wave started to hit France, led the bureaucrats to add new layers to the Administrative lasagna, but not to simplify it.  Hence, the life of a travailleur indépendant can be hell if he/she does not get the right information prior to and during  the course of their activity.