The Grind Of "Prepa" & The Tour de France: Business Education Trends

The Grind Of "Prepa" & The Tour de France: Business Education Trends

Viewpoint by Andrew Scharf, Head of the WCW Group

Right now everyone is discussing Spain Germany and the World Cup. Go to a cafe and the talk is football. People cannot get over the quick elimination of the South Americans with the exception of Uruguay. Chat focuses on the soundness of European tactics. Whether or not this is really true, this sport creates a lot of hubris. Another key sport soon to kick off is the Tour de France. Bicycle racing is big in Europe and the Tour de France will capture a lot of press and attention, particularly with Lance Armstrong back in the running this year.

There is another "Tour de France" taking place this month, which is little talked about except by students who wish to be admitted to undergrad business school in this country. What this entails is that students prepare the French "Grandes Ecoles" Competitive Exams for 2-years known here as "Prepa". Imagine 2 years of prep and then it all comes down to One Big Exam. On the basis of the results, students are then issued a list of schools with whom they are allowed to interview. On the basis of the interviews they are either admitted or not. Lucky students can choose, and the unlucky are grateful to be accepted.

This exam process is rigorous and puts potential undergrad business students under enormous pressure. In the States, students sit the SAT, but this is cats meat in comparison. Visiting 5-7 schools is called by the post-lycee students here their "Tour de France" hence the title of this article. What is also unsettling for would be business or engineering students is this is just the beginning. Even when admitted the pressure mounts and the competition is stiff to find employment and internships. Therefore, the right school choice by the student is imperative.

Climb Every Mountain

Young "Prepa" grads as well as other students already see 2010 shaping up to be a steep climb to the employment ladder. Seeking employment is never easy for young grads and finding the right solutions requires creative thinking, risk taking, and breaking the mold of traditional patterns both as a strategy and as a plan of attack. In France alone, there are 120k new entrants to the job market.

According to a recent report, only 23k will find suitable entry level positions, which is a similar stat to figures released here in 1998. To tell young grads that you must be patient and wait til the economic crisis is over is not a solution.

French politicians talk a great game about creating employment. The problem is despite their best attentions, the problem does not lie there. Somebody should start by holding seminars and explain the rigors of the job hunt and that a personal branding strategy is necessary to attract the attention of a future employer.

Somebody should also counsel that in that strategy that new entrants to the job market will need to distinguish their profiles to make them stand out from the pack. The last bit of news should be to tell young grads in no uncertain terms that they should accept the responsibility to be vigorous in their quest. Nobody owes any body anything. Networking is crucial, but even the right network can only open a door not secure any one employment.

How The Masters Enhances Profile Building

Another way to explore profiling is to suggest that a Masters degree can open doors to the world of business in a concrete way. Many French and European students have found that a specialised masters degree is just the ticket to the first step on the employment ladder of career development.

In France alone, there are 550 specialised programmes on offer. Choosing the right one depends clearly on interest, however, know that by choosing the "right" one that your profile becomes more credible to an employer. The specialised master is also another option to job opportunity and career advancement rather than doing an MBA degree programme.

French Masters

France offers many opportunities for a masters degree and these programmes are highly regarded by major international firms for the quality of their content delivery and faculties. Programmes which stand out are those at HEC-Paris, EDHEC, Grenoble School of Management, Audencia-Nantes, EM-Lyon, Euromed, ESCP, and ESSEC. For many programmes, fluency in French is clearly mandatory. Some schools offer programme delivery in English as the schools continue to internationalize their class diversity.

Job Trends

On the job front, one of the biggest trends in France is the rush to join the luxury goods sector and banking. Firms such as LVMH, l'Oreal, BNP Paribas top the list of firms in terms of desirability.

Joining an international and recognisable corporate brand lends "calling card" status to professional development. Career growth in these organisations is rapid for hard workers who perform. In addition to the top three, Ernst & Young, Groupe Danone, VendiaEnvironment, KPMG, Apple, PwC, and Google round out the top ten list.

Another interesting factor dictating career choice is salary. Expectations on starting salaries continue to drop by 5%. The big draw to investment banking continues to be the salaries offered by Goldman, Morgan Stanley and the others. Not everyone is interested in audit and banking.

Oddly enough, there is still a strong demand among young grads to join the ranks of communications. This business practice is a broad church and can also offer many opportunities. Clearly a masters degree will confer more expertise in landing a position in the media, sports management, events management, advertising, and even in corporate communications.

For example, ESC-Dijon offers a Masters in communications with an accent on cultural and events management, which has received good press and feedback. Clearly, the best programme in France is delivered by HEC with its specialised degree programme in Media, Arts, & Creation.

For International Luxury Brand Management, potential candidates should contact ESSEC or ISC School of Management. Both programmes offer straight from the source training in the field of luxury with an accent on ready-to-wear and accessories.

For Further Information

If you are seeking help with "Prepa", undergrad business or non-business school selection or even a Masters whether in France or elsewhere and would like counsel on how to best choose and plan for your career development, please send us an email with contact details and we will be happy to guide and counsel you.

Visit:
http://www.whitefieldconsuting.com
or send an email with your CV as an attached word document to: enquiries@whitefieldconsulting.com

About The Author

Andrew Scharf is a regular contributor to WCW inSIGHT on leadership and Business Education Trends. He is also the head of the MBA Coaching & Career Development division of Whitefield Consulting Worldwide, whose unique coaching methodologies have helped countless professionals harmonise their professional aspirations with their developmental needs at levels from "Prepa" to Executive education.

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