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

Former Community Member over 8 years ago

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 Former Community Member over 7 years ago

To mike Wrigley and other Fr
Com bloggers

I was a founder member of
ITEME from France. I spent a few years on the ITEME committee so I
know what time is needed. Most committee members were in state
owned industry or the civil service.

I find that IET has lost its
way, is not respecting its non electrical / IT members and not
respecting non C Eng members.

If you want something you
have to work for it. I started engineering at Tech school at 11 and
have spent 50 years practicing I was invited to a top post in the
French R&D so I have a right to speak about what is working and
what is failing in France and in IET.

The IET French community is
an IEE out post.

I have asked communities at
HQ to un-subscribe me as I see point in continuing with IET
France, after being locked out for 33 years.

My point is that IET has
lost its way, that UK PEIs have failed the UK Professional
engineers and that it is becoming a lame duck in the UK and
France.

So let a new comer like Rob
get into creating a new circle of information and communication in
France.

In reply:

I don't recall ever
having welcomed you to an IEE or IET meeting, where ever these have
been across France.

No no one informed me
about the French community system until Lisa contacted me and other
IET French residents.

Engineering education is
amongst the best in the world and entry to the Grandes Ecoles is
much sought after.

Perhaps some one could
explain the French Napoleonic system and Prepa to IET French
resident members.

Then they would
understand the Grande Ecole old-boys system that keeps them out of
the best French jobs.

As you have been in
France for so long, presumably you have French nationality.
Right

No - I am not French, I am
British. I reside here under the EU agreements before –
BREXIT!

You say you are retired
and that is why you don't feel able to get
involved.

I believe that the PEIs
should be run by active members. I am not in a position to spend
time on money on visits.

A pitty no one informed
the Fr members of the last few visits, I could have helped explain
the history and reasons behind many of the visits as I was a
leading engineer or consultant to most of the companies
visited.

The Unsubscibe button is
there if you want to use it but why not put your energy into
working with Rob, Phil and Co?

No - No one tells me to
unsubscribe.

I have contacted HQ and the
Paris community for details of the IET community in France, with no
success.

I was not in a position to
travel around France and now I am not going to get involved with
IET except for information on Technology.

The French Grande Ecoles are
a select society now being dismantled. Napoleon set up a pretty
solid institution. My last employer is now creating the biggest
university – industrial R&d centre in Europe if not the world,
look at Grande Ecole – Paris see the silent
revolution.

I have mentored A&M
final year students and I took a taught master at "X" Polytechnique
INP Grenoble so I know what a Grande Ecole is (I did this with a
HNC before taking a second UK-BA in Science).

Rob is doing a good job, and
as you say France is big and transport is all centralised on
Paris.

We are not all Highly paid
Cadres or expats, the majority of engineers in France are not elite
Grande Ecole ; only Licence and Interim or contract
workers.

These are the power house of
French Engineering.

I have resolved some tough
engineering problems for France - H Bomb, Nuclear etc The G Ecole
were not able to solve these problems.

This blog sums up the UK IET
(IEE) CEng attitude.

I wanted the silent members
of the community to get involved, or will they go the same way as
IEng in the UK.

If we do not have a Macron
type reform, I see no use in IET or the French
community.

Is IET out of touch and out
of control.

I get emails now informing
me that there is a Paris meeting the same evening!! I do not live
in Paris and now My car is not allowed into the city.

I do not have to be
threatened with resigning.

I challenge IET to put its
house in order and to get rid of the dead wood.

I believe the Paris
committee was in the December ULIP EPR, Paris meeting, I only met
Rob after the meeting, the Paris crowd kept to themselves as
usual.

I have new objectives now,
getting ITEME working and all that led to IIE and at last IET was
fun.

Engineering in France was
fun.

Good luck with the Fr
Community.

John Gowman

Garanti sans virus. www.avg.com
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0 Former Community Member over 7 years ago

To mike Wrigley and other Fr
Com bloggers

I was a founder member of
ITEME from France. I spent a few years on the ITEME committee so I
know what time is needed. Most committee members were in state
owned industry or the civil service.

I find that IET has lost its
way, is not respecting its non electrical / IT members and not
respecting non C Eng members.

If you want something you
have to work for it. I started engineering at Tech school at 11 and
have spent 50 years practicing I was invited to a top post in the
French R&D so I have a right to speak about what is working and
what is failing in France and in IET.

The IET French community is
an IEE out post.

I have asked communities at
HQ to un-subscribe me as I see point in continuing with IET
France, after being locked out for 33 years.

My point is that IET has
lost its way, that UK PEIs have failed the UK Professional
engineers and that it is becoming a lame duck in the UK and
France.

So let a new comer like Rob
get into creating a new circle of information and communication in
France.

In reply:

I don't recall ever
having welcomed you to an IEE or IET meeting, where ever these have
been across France.

No no one informed me
about the French community system until Lisa contacted me and other
IET French residents.

Engineering education is
amongst the best in the world and entry to the Grandes Ecoles is
much sought after.

Perhaps some one could
explain the French Napoleonic system and Prepa to IET French
resident members.

Then they would
understand the Grande Ecole old-boys system that keeps them out of
the best French jobs.

As you have been in
France for so long, presumably you have French nationality.
Right

No - I am not French, I am
British. I reside here under the EU agreements before –
BREXIT!

You say you are retired
and that is why you don't feel able to get
involved.

I believe that the PEIs
should be run by active members. I am not in a position to spend
time on money on visits.

A pitty no one informed
the Fr members of the last few visits, I could have helped explain
the history and reasons behind many of the visits as I was a
leading engineer or consultant to most of the companies
visited.

The Unsubscibe button is
there if you want to use it but why not put your energy into
working with Rob, Phil and Co?

No - No one tells me to
unsubscribe.

I have contacted HQ and the
Paris community for details of the IET community in France, with no
success.

I was not in a position to
travel around France and now I am not going to get involved with
IET except for information on Technology.

The French Grande Ecoles are
a select society now being dismantled. Napoleon set up a pretty
solid institution. My last employer is now creating the biggest
university – industrial R&d centre in Europe if not the world,
look at Grande Ecole – Paris see the silent
revolution.

I have mentored A&M
final year students and I took a taught master at "X" Polytechnique
INP Grenoble so I know what a Grande Ecole is (I did this with a
HNC before taking a second UK-BA in Science).

Rob is doing a good job, and
as you say France is big and transport is all centralised on
Paris.

We are not all Highly paid
Cadres or expats, the majority of engineers in France are not elite
Grande Ecole ; only Licence and Interim or contract
workers.

These are the power house of
French Engineering.

I have resolved some tough
engineering problems for France - H Bomb, Nuclear etc The G Ecole
were not able to solve these problems.

This blog sums up the UK IET
(IEE) CEng attitude.

I wanted the silent members
of the community to get involved, or will they go the same way as
IEng in the UK.

If we do not have a Macron
type reform, I see no use in IET or the French
community.

Is IET out of touch and out
of control.

I get emails now informing
me that there is a Paris meeting the same evening!! I do not live
in Paris and now My car is not allowed into the city.

I do not have to be
threatened with resigning.

I challenge IET to put its
house in order and to get rid of the dead wood.

I believe the Paris
committee was in the December ULIP EPR, Paris meeting, I only met
Rob after the meeting, the Paris crowd kept to themselves as
usual.

I have new objectives now,
getting ITEME working and all that led to IIE and at last IET was
fun.

Engineering in France was
fun.

Good luck with the Fr
Community.

John Gowman

Garanti sans virus. www.avg.com
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Cancel

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

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