“English companies give a lot of responsibilities to young graduates”
Nice Premium: Introduce us to the company you work for and your role within it?
Claire Michel: I am a “School Marketing Manager” at Nottingham Trent University in England. “Nottingham Trent University” is one of the two universities in Nottingham. With over 25,000 students, it is one of the largest universities in England. It has a record employment rate of 97.7% for its students within 6 months after graduation. The University consists of 9 Faculties (“Schools”) grouped into 4 Colleges. I am in charge of Marketing for the Faculty of “Arts and Humanities” which includes courses in History, English, Media, Journalism, International Relations, Foreign Languages… up to Masters and Doctorate levels. All the marketing activities I organize aim to recruit students for the next academic year. This includes producing brochures, flyers… organizing open days, developing the website, placing advertisements in various media, representing my faculty at Higher Education fairs as well as providing marketing support to the Faculty Committee (Dean and Program Heads) for their various activities targeting university students as well as the community.
NP: How long have you been in this position?
CM: I have been in this position since July 1, 2007, so it’s still quite new!
NP: What have you done since you graduated from school? What is your professional background?
CM: I finished IPAG in June 2003. I then did a DESS in Management of International Tourism at the Faculty of Economics in Aix en Provence. This led me to an internship in Nottingham, at RPA Communications, an organizer of international medical conferences, where I was later hired for 3 years (until June 2007). At RPA, after being a Conference Manager, in charge of organizing 4 medical conferences a year, I became an International Project Manager. Besides organizing the conferences, my work involved publishing 2 medical journals, managing 2 medical societies, and creating a new activity for RPA: an e-marketing website and developing sales for this activity.
NP: Have you always wanted to pursue this profession, or is it the result of opportunities?
CM: Since I started at IPAG, I wanted to work in marketing. I did all my internships and theses with this in mind. My first position perfectly matched my expectations: based abroad, marketing and events activities, business tourism, international work… This year I wanted to refocus my career on Marketing. That’s why I decided to work for Nottingham Trent University as a Marketing Manager.
NP: What is your educational background, what degree(s) have you obtained?
CM: I have a Baccalauréat ES with European Mention.
Management Diploma from IPAG, Nice.
DESS in Management of International Tourism.
NP: How are the students from your old school perceived within your professional circle?
CM: I don’t know if there are other IPAG graduates working for an English university. But the school is well perceived by Nottingham Trent University – Erasmus exchanges take place between Nottingham Business School and IPAG (the reason I first came to Nottingham) – and my manager himself studied at IPAG Paris during an Erasmus exchange and has fond memories of it (which might have helped me get this position!).
NP: What advice would you give to students considering a career in your sector? Do you think it’s better to start with SMEs or large companies?
CM: Having started my career abroad, I realized that English companies give a lot of responsibilities to young graduates… there is less of a feeling that you have to start at the bottom and progress slowly. If you are good at what you do, it is possible to progress quickly. The English work hard, but work relationships are much more “relaxed” than in France and any occasion is a good one for a pub outing at the end of the day: “Work hard, play hard!!”. Salaries are also relatively higher than in France! RPA Communications was a very small SME. I was immediately in charge of my conferences from A to Z, including financial, logistical, marketing, administrative, and human resources aspects… this allowed me to learn a lot. This would not have been possible in a large company where my role would have been confined to a specific, well-defined function. I therefore advise starting with a small company where you can more easily prove yourself, and then try to join a larger company where there are more opportunities for development/progression.
I also advise working abroad for some time, it is an experience not to be missed that will only enhance your CV.
NP: Why did you choose to work internationally?
CM: When I was looking for my DESS internship, unlike the one I found in England, all the offers I had in France were little or not paid, and for positions with very little responsibility and few opportunities to be hired after the internship. So, it appeared to be the best decision to make.
I have also always liked living abroad (following my two Erasmus expatriations), speaking foreign languages, and discovering new cultures.
NP: At present, what are your career progression prospects, your professional aspirations?
CM: Having just started in this position, I have not yet thought about my progression within the company. But I know that I want to continue in marketing and events… if possible with an international focus. I would like to return to France in the coming years, more for personal reasons than professional ones because I think there are more opportunities abroad.
