John Barthere, a graduate of France’s Audencia School of Management, explains how his Masters in Management helped him secure a job in financial management, based in India.
"My argument in high school was very simple - I wanted to study in a reliable management school that could allow me to get a challenging job at the end. But to be honest, I had no specific professional project in mind," John says.
However, what he did know was that in France, more than any other country, a business degree was what he needed if he were to reach his goal of that challenging job.
Preparation for future challenges
"In order to get into a French business school, we have two years of preparation. It's only after the written exam that I studied the opportunities depending on my ranking in the different schools.
"In my situation, after the competitive entrance exam, I had the opportunity to get into AUDENCIA. According to the rankings and the reputation of the school, it was my best opportunity - so I jumped in," he says.
That was three years ago. In 2008, John graduated with a Master's in Management and is now working in the New Delhi office of Freyssinet Menard India, a subsidiary of the Freyssinet Group of France, as a financial manager.
"It is very challenging to work in this incredible country that is India. While most countries face economic difficulties, India is growing fast and people work differently.
"I am in charge of the finances of the company. I make and update budgets; I report figures to France; I maintain relationships with local banks; I deal with taxes, accountancy, law, custom duties with the great help of my Indian co-workers - I am the link between France and India for my company."
Professional experience
AUDENCIA Nantes Master's in Management program includes a number of opportunities for students to participate in internships. As a result, John had almost two years of professional experience before graduating, including one full year as a financial auditor and six months as a buy-side equity analyst for an asset management company in Paris.
"The school gave me the basis of business and the knowledge required to be operational but the most interesting part was the professional experience. During these internships, I acquired various technical skills in finance and enough confidence to start a career, like how to behave in a company, how to interact with people, and so on."
As a graduate from a top French business school, John has given his career the grounding it needs, but he's still not sure what that career will involve.
"Where do I see myself in ten years time? That's a very hard question to answer. Six months earlier, I would never have imagined that I would work in India so I really don't know where I will be in ten years. The only thing I know is that I like working as an expatriate and Asia is very challenging!"