Here is the continuation of our article about René, a former student of Ifalpes who, after his courses with us, trained as a baker in Rouen. This second part focuses on his training and his plans for the future.
Apprenticeship in Bakery
- When did you start looking for a school and preparing your application for your apprenticeship ?
I started during my courses at IFALPES. As my visa lasted 1 year, I had to hurry.
- Did you find it easy to find information to prepare your file and apply to schools ? Did you need help ?
Frankly, it was hard, I spent a lot of time for all that, fortunately, IFALPES teachers and administrative team helped me.
- Exactly what degree are you taking ?
This is the ”Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnel en boulangerie”.
- Were there any other foreigners in your training ? Did you have difficulty understanding the everyday French used by your trainers and teachers as well as the vocabulary specific to your profession ?
At the beginning of the course yes, I spent a lot of time on the dictionary. My trainers are very professional and kind. For us foreigners, they explain the terms to us or speak more simply with us.
- Is the education system very different from China and why ?
I don’t know what training is like in China because I’ve never done it there. However, I was surprised at the number of subjects taught for a bakery training. The training is vast, there are courses in technology, management, hygiene, applied sciences, even environmental health prevention.
The future after training
- You will finish your internship in June this year. What are your plans for the future ? Would you like to do another apprenticeship or start working ? Do you want to stay in France ?
First of all, I’m going back to China to see my family and spend a holiday. And then if I can find a job in France, so much the better ! If not, I would also like to do a training course in another field and discover Europe.
Thank you René for answering our questions. We wish you lots of good things in the future and don’t hesitate to keep us informed of your new projects ! See you !
