Business Cool went to meet Jérémie Bory, a recent graduate from EM Strasbourg and a former student at the French Football Federation. For us, he looked back on his academic and professional career.
The journey of Jérémie Bory, from EM Strasbourg to the FFF
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background?
My name is Jérémie Bory, I am 23 years old and I have just finished my course at EM Strasbourg. I entered there directly after high school by integrating a Bachelor in International Affairs, which can be completed in three years. These three years have been very enriching because they are very different from each other. During my first year, I took a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the main goal being to improve our English. It was great.
In second year, our plan was to create and sustain an association or business. With a group of friends, we chose to create an association around football, because we are passionate about it. We then organized several events: e-football tournaments, several 5-a-side football competitions, culminating in a 10-day trip to Morocco to, again, organize a tournament there. On site, we were in contact with associations in order to provide them with sports equipment and to raise their awareness of alternative practices, such as Cécifoot, a practice dedicated to people suffering from blindness. The children loved it, it was a wonderful moment of sharing.
For my third year, we had to do a 6-month internship in a company and I joined the events/communication branch of Wurth France. Despite the pandemic which interrupted my internship for a while, it was a superb experience which allowed me to enrich my knowledge in this field!
What was your trajectory after this Bachelor?
I then continued my studies at EM Strasbourg for a master’s degree. The first year was complicated because it mainly took place via videoconference. However, the courses ended in April, which gave me the opportunity to do a two-month internship at Adidas (the French head office is located in Strasbourg), which I loved.
For the fifth and final year, I had the opportunity to join the French Football Federation as an apprentice business manager, an unforgettable experience.
How did you manage to join the FFF?
EM Strasbourg has created a unit called Cap Career which allows us to develop professionally by teaching us, among other things, how to sell ourselves. Through this system, we were invited to join the MyJobGlasses platform, a place of free exchange between students and professionals where the latter volunteer to explain their profession.
I had several telephone exchanges and in particular participated in a videoconference hosted by an employee of the FFFmy future work-study tutor, with whom I had kept in touch by email because he had suggested that we write to him to improve our CV and our cover letter. Subsequently, I applied for the work-study offer as an Apprentice Business Manager at the CNF in Clairefontaine by following the classic recruitment process via the FFF website, and after a few interviews and great motivation I got the job.
The daily life of a work-study student within the FFF
Can you tell us about your experience there?
I worked at the National Football Center (CNF) in Clairefontaine, in the commercial/events branch. Having the opportunity to play in such a prestigious setting was special, even more so for a football fan like me. I was able to meet several players and other personalities from French football, it’s obviously special. Beyond that, the missions and the team I was part of were awesome. It was a real pleasure to get up every morning and go find the people I worked with, a bit like at school; finding people with whom you get along really well is the essential element in enjoying your work.
Do you have any advice to give our readers to successfully complete their post-baccalaureate journey?
As a sports enthusiast, my goal has always been to turn my passion into my profession. We must not wait for opportunities, we must seek them out. For example, many students at my school pay little attention to Cap Career. From a personal point of view, I saw an opportunity, I was curious and it turned out to be beneficial since I met my future tutor there.
At the beginning of September, my school contacted me to participate in a conference between alumni and students to talk about our careers and I was surprised to see that the amphitheater was almost empty. These kinds of encounters can change a career so I find it a shame not to take advantage of them if the opportunity presents itself, however small it may be. Sometimes we will hit a wall, but we must persevere. Thanks to this curiosity, I was able to expand my network and multiply enriching experiences, which allowed me to find the position in which I thrive today, at Adidas France, as a Sales Assistant.
