Hi everyone!! My name’s Joel and I’m currently in my third year at Southampton studying French and Business Management. Right now, I am still in Sainte Maxime, I don’t return home until September, but I thought I would write my blog now to catch all you guys up with my progress!
By September, I would have spent 8 months in France in total, 3 months in Reims and 5 months in Sainte Maxime. I knew from the start of my 2nd year in Southampton that I wanted to do a work placement. I knew it would be the best option for me to improve my french language skills and add lots of experience and skills to my CV. And boy was I right! However, I also was aware of the fact that doing a work placement was by far the hardest one out of the 3 options to organise, as the onus was completely on you to source your own employment. Moreover, what manager in France in their right mind would hire an englishman who was still learning french, when they could easily hire a frenchman to do the same job? But alas, I persevered and scoured the internet for days on end. I finally came across a lady who specialised in helping foreign students find employment in France. I had fully struck oil and contacted her straight away. After a brief conversation over email, she came back with a few options for work placements, as it is France, they didn’t offer just one work placement for the full year, I had to split it in two. I decided on a 3 month internship in Reims and a 5 month internship in Sainte Maxime, both of them working as a receptionist in a hostel/hotel. After interviews and exchanging forms, I was offered both jobs and was over the moon. I was incredibly nervous as it was a completely new experience and the next step for me in life, and I knew my french would really be put to the test, facing and dealing with clients and computers everyday.
My first internship was in Reims, working as a receptionist in a hostel called Centre International de Séjour Reims, based right in the middle of the city. Me, my parents and youngest brother drove from our house in London to Reims a few days before my internship was meant to start, so I could explore the city a bit, settle in and feel a bit more at ease. I was incredibly nervous, starting a new job in a new city in a new country was never going to be easy, but my nerves were calmed after exploring the beautiful city that is Reims. I learned about its long history and historical relevance in Roman times and also during the World Wars. I would highly recommend doing a tour of all the wineries in Reims, as you are in the heart of the champagne district! Me and my family didn’t have the privilege but we did the check out the massive cathedral, which I would also recommend. We also did a little tour with a guide of all the buildings and monuments in Reims which were built by the Romans. It was awesome to witness the history that had happened in Reims, and I felt content knowing I would spend 3 months there.
I started my internship right at the end of September, and I was welcomed in right away. I had my own room in the hostel, with lots of space and a big bathroom. It took me about 30 seconds to get to the reception so i was never late for work (except one time!). The first couple weeks were extremely difficult and challenging for me. My language skills were not the best, and doing simple and basic things took a lot of time for me. I was learning the language and learning the ropes of my new job at the same time! Luckily, all of my colleagues were extremely kind and understanding, so they took extra care and time in explaining things to me and always helped when I needed it. It also helped that a few of them were fluent in english, so I always had an easy way out of a jam. At first, I was incredibly nervous speaking to clients and getting used to the management system, but once i got into the daily routine after a couple weeks, i felt comfortable. People came to the hostel for lots of reasons, if they were staying there, if they had a driving theory test, if they had a business meeting and lots of other things. It was my job to prepare all the rooms in the morning so it had the correct layout, and make sure to know the planning for all the rooms. I worked on the front desk so i always had to be smiling and greeting clients. My day to day would comprise of setting up the rooms, making reservations, debiting cards, sending invoices, welcoming clients, the occasional translation task, and answering the phone. The hardest part for me was definitely answering phone calls. It could be incredibly difficult to understand clients, if they spoke fast or if the connection was bad. On top of that, you could not see them, so they couldn’t help with gestures or hand signals that you benefit from talking in person. I still struggle to this day (but much less so). I noticed after the first month, my french language skills and day to day conversational skills had improved drastically. I have to thank one of my colleagues, Louisa, who had been in the country for 5 years learning french. She told me that the biggest thing that would hold me back is if i thought too much before speaking. She told me that if i knew the main verb of the sentence, i should just go for it without thinking, and not to be disheartened if it wasn’t right. This helped me massively, allowing me to reply to people quicker without thinking as much, even if i got it wrong. By the time i finished in late December, i noticed that my french had greatly improved, whereas my english had gotten worse. I had to think more before i spoke in english, i was quite rusty to be honest! I am happy to say that i made some good friends in Reims and gained some valuable experience for later life. The only thing i didn’t do as much was explore Reims and the surrounding area. I went to Paris a couple times, went out for drinks in Reims, and even went to watch a football match. But i felt like i could have explored the region more. I would highly suggest on your days off to go explore, because you have to enjoy it whilst you are there, because you will regret it.
After a brief interlude between internships between January and March, i jetted off to Sainte Maxime in the start of April, and boy was it completely the opposite to Reims. Most of the time, Reims was cloudy, grey and rainy, whereas Sainte Maxime was gorgeous, sunny and hot. It has beautiful beaches, the classic coastal vibe on the Cote D’Azur and a lovely landscape. On my first day, i was welcomed by my roommate Badis, as i realised i had to share a room with somebody else. I felt a lot more confident this time around as i had previous experience working in the hotel industry, and knew all the specific vocab. However, this was a 3 star hotel, as was almost completely different to the hostel in Reims. I had to effectively start from scratch again, learn the management system, settle into the team, and learn the ins and outs of my new job. This hotel was massive, over 120 rooms, 2 swimming pools, a massage parlour, 2 bars, a gym and a games room and even a steam room. At the start, i had to take a backward step, and let my colleagues show me how to present the hotel to clients, and all the right words to use. I was even more nervous to answer the phone this time, as clients were demanding all different types of things. For the first couple weeks, i didn’t take any phone calls. Most of my team spoke english well, but this time i didn’t want to rely on my english to bail my out of tricky situations, i tried to speak as much french as possible, and soak up any useful words and phrases like a sponge. The first few weeks were by far the hardest, and i was struggling to process all this new information. But as each day went past, it started to get easier and easier, as i became accustomed to the processes of the hotel. I began taking phone calls slowly but surely, once i knew the management system and the things the hotel offered. My day to day would involve welcoming clients, answering phone calls, treating emails, making reservations, sending quotes and invoices, taking payments, and even the rare occasion of making a clients bed! All these skills are great and valuable to note on my CV, including learning how to be proactive and patient. Patience has definitely been the hardest thing to master, as clients in this hotel can be extremely demanding and rude. Some people just do not take no for an answer, and they don’t understand that no availability means no availability! On a more positive note, i wanted to get out and explore more to make up for my shortcomings in Reims. On my days off, i would go to the beach and soak in the sun, St Tropez is only 15 minutes away by boat and i have made the most of it. It is incredibly expensive though! I have explored the South Coast, visiting Cannes, Frejus, Nice and Cavalaire sur Mer. I have still not gotten used to this weather, i have really been suffering, being 30+ degrees almost every day. The A/C is on 24/7!
I still have a month or so to go until i finish my internship, returning in September, but i am relishing the opportunity to improve my french, explore the region, and gain valuable skills for the world of work. I am incredibly glad i decided to go down the work placement path, as i have improved my french so much, talking to clients and colleagues every day. I have gained incredibly useful skills to note on my CV, and i have made new friends and wonderful memories. If i had one piece of advice to students thinking about doing a work placement abroad, i would 100% say go for it! You will need to put in the effort to source your own work and pass interviews, but the payoff is huge. You will be nervous, but use that nervousness and energy to push yourself out there, you will grow in confidence in no time and gain more of a sense of independence that you can bring back with you in the UK. Not to mention how much you will improve in French, you will start to take in information passively and pick up on useful words and phrases.
Thank you all for reading, i hope you have more of an insight into my work placements, and hopefully i have convinced some of you to follow in my footsteps! I would whole heartedly recommend and it has done wonders for my French language and employable skills.