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What do I expect from IET – Community - France & Paris.

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
Firstly who are the IET Fr MIET members?

I joined this PEI in 1980 from Grenoble. I was on substantive leave from MoD. I decided to stay for a longer period and got married here. At that time we were the first to come over with the EU agreements of that period.

There were already ex-patriot UK people with huge benefits living here, there were the UK EU adventurers with no objectives but work was abundant, there were the first student exchanges, and some had married into French families. I did not meet any UK people who simply came here to live and work at that time.

 

Most of us found the difference between the UK and France as difficult as between the UK and China. They just did not live, eat or drink like us.

 

I was advised by the first UK settlers to just join in and enjoy myself, which I did.

I first met French culture when I organised the “entente cordiale” between the Concorde R&D groups of UK RAE and French ONERA. It was unbelievable, when the opportunity to have a job and career change came, I took up nuclear engineering in France.

 

I returned to the UK which had drastically changed – Thatcher, strikes, riots. My name  was plagiarised in my work. I had to leave the UK after my employers failed to protect me. I returned to France.

The first time every one talked of the quality of life in France, the second time it was the Iraqi wars and crisis.

 

So what do you need to work and survive in France now and how can the IET French Community help.

France is huge; it is not realistic to travel from SE or SW France for a meeting in Paris.

Maybe we need a newcomers guide such as most French towns give to new arrivals.

France is still totally different from the UK.

We have different categories of IET members who are at least engineering & technology related.

 -Ex-patriot, UK enterprise sales & marketing staff, Erasmus students, Enterprises from the UK that have delocalised with their staff, those that have married into families, entrepreneurs and SMEs in IT technology and those that now just want to work and live in France etc.

What would you advise
  • Should we have a MIET arrivals’ guide

  • Should we have guides to French language courses

  • Should we have guides to CPD in France

  • Should we give advice on French administration

  • What about the dos and don’ts of French culture.


Or should we just mind our own business and keep it to ourselves?

 

I recommend reading : Stephen Clarke – 1000 years of annoying the French and other titles and most of his references. French English history is not as taught in schools.
  •  Out of season hotels in France are cheap, maybe one or two visits with IET families or friends to E&T venues could be affordable.


And the French Community AGM & voting should be on line and at distance.

I’m retiring from E&T have fun in France

 

Give Rob McCann some help

 

John Gowman MIET (ex ITEME Grenobl 1980)

 

Parents
  • 0
    Reply to John Gowman,

    You have probably identified a major failing when you say that you have seen no postings from IET members resident in France. This "Community" arrangement is fundamentally flawed. Just take a look at the list of members. What percentage of the IET French membership is there (not to mention the rather strange number of non-French residents.


    However, I find your posts a bit strange in that, whilst I was Chair for too many years, I don't recall ever having welcomed you to an IEE or IET meeting, where ever these have been across France.


    For information, there is no "Paris office" of the IET. In 2008 (I think) I made a budget proposal to set one up in line with the instructions received from London to "go and spread the word". My proposal was swept away with a request to "start it ourselves". We had already made a pretty good job of starting it ourselves but France is four times the size of England and has a population of something like 60 million. Engineering education is amongst the best in the world and entry to the Grandes Ecoles is much sought after. No "image problem" here. In short, it is not a handful of volunteers that can sustainably "spread the word" across France. In London they didn't like my use of the word "naïve" but it was appropriate.


    As you have been in France for so long, presumably you have French nationality. Right? So what is the job issue? When all else is equal, the local boy gets hired.


    You say you are retired and that is why you don't feel able to get involved. Maybe we could remember that a very recent IET President only got involved in IET volunteering when he retired?


    It seems that every post from you ends with a (is it a threat or a promise?) to "bow out". The Unsubscibe button is there if you want to use it but why not put your energy into working with Rob, Phil and Co? Or, perhaps you won't receive this because you found the Unsubscribe button already?
Reply
  • 0
    Reply to John Gowman,

    You have probably identified a major failing when you say that you have seen no postings from IET members resident in France. This "Community" arrangement is fundamentally flawed. Just take a look at the list of members. What percentage of the IET French membership is there (not to mention the rather strange number of non-French residents.


    However, I find your posts a bit strange in that, whilst I was Chair for too many years, I don't recall ever having welcomed you to an IEE or IET meeting, where ever these have been across France.


    For information, there is no "Paris office" of the IET. In 2008 (I think) I made a budget proposal to set one up in line with the instructions received from London to "go and spread the word". My proposal was swept away with a request to "start it ourselves". We had already made a pretty good job of starting it ourselves but France is four times the size of England and has a population of something like 60 million. Engineering education is amongst the best in the world and entry to the Grandes Ecoles is much sought after. No "image problem" here. In short, it is not a handful of volunteers that can sustainably "spread the word" across France. In London they didn't like my use of the word "naïve" but it was appropriate.


    As you have been in France for so long, presumably you have French nationality. Right? So what is the job issue? When all else is equal, the local boy gets hired.


    You say you are retired and that is why you don't feel able to get involved. Maybe we could remember that a very recent IET President only got involved in IET volunteering when he retired?


    It seems that every post from you ends with a (is it a threat or a promise?) to "bow out". The Unsubscibe button is there if you want to use it but why not put your energy into working with Rob, Phil and Co? Or, perhaps you won't receive this because you found the Unsubscribe button already?
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