STUDENT VERSION

I02 – FINAL INTEGRATED INTERVIEW- READING

Experiencing French Culture

Foreigners in France often find the French culture can be tough to navigate at first. It can even be shocking
at times, but it's always fascinating. Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, preparing psychologically for a move
to France involves simply typing "French culture shock" into Google and then checking a long list of websites
with related information. Of course, the results bring up countless mentions of the language barrier, the
kissing, the smoking and the shops being closed on Sundays. However, the more experienced travelers know
these culture shocks are child’s play. Here are some less conventional French culture shocks.

1. No matter how cool you are, you’ll find it hard to make friends.

Most conversations that you have with French people will stay at a surface level for a long time, even among
peers. It feels like an endless round of fact-based exchanges until you can get into those really deep and
meaningful conversations with the French, with true friendships
taking sometimes a year or more to form. Additionally, French
people tend to keep their friends close throughout their schooling
years. There are usually strongly established friendship circles by
the time you arrive on the scene. It may hurt at first to realize that
they don’t need you as a friend as much as you need them. But
they’ll eventually give in, so don’t feel discouraged.

2. Business meetings may seem chaotic at first.

Perhaps you expect
business meetings to serve as a forum to talk about specific, pre-
defined points in an agenda in order to reach a firm decision or
agree on a clear action plan. You may have to leave those
expectations at the door – this isn’t customary in French meetings.
What you’re likely to experience is the wonderful French passion
for debate, discussion and intellectual challenge. The meeting
agenda can be put aside at any moment. This happens because
students in the French school system are taught to disagree
openly, so French business people intuitively follow a similar
pattern in meetings. Conflict and confrontation are seen as a way to deconstruct an idea, challenge it to the
maximum to see how robust it really is, ultimately resulting in an even better idea. If it’s your idea the one
being discussed, remember: it is not you who is being attacked, it is the idea, so don’t take it personally.

3. Pack your emotional armor, you’ll need it.

According to INSEAD Professor Erin Meyer’s book, ‘The Culture Map’, the French,
along with the Israelis, Russians and Dutch, are well-known for being the most direct
when it comes to giving negative feedback. In the working world, you may find that
your big successes and a job well done go apparently unnoticed, but if there’s a
mistake or improvement to make, you’ll hear about it immediately. You should be
prepared to feel like it’s never quite good enough at all times. In terms of friends and
family, well… anything from your weight to your dressing style might be evaluated and
commented on. You may even get comments from strangers too… all in the name of continuous
improvement.

Paying attention to the information above will surely better help you face the French culture shock… and not
get so shocked!

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