‘Successful Integration Depends on Bringing French and International Students Together’: A Look Back at Melt’Working
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On 20 October, the Maison des ESSEC hosted the fourth edition of Melt’Working, organised by Melt, the ESSEC student association dedicated to the integration of international students. Conceived by the association in 2022-2023, Melt’Working was selected as a winner of ESSEC Alumni’s ASSO REZO call for projects. ESSEC Alumni then supported the team through to the first edition, in autumn 2023. Following this initial success, Melt wanted to make it an annual event. ESSEC Alumni now hosts it every year at the Maison des ESSEC and helps the team identify and engage international alumni. Several organisers from previous editions attended, including the project’s two co-founders, Jérémie Defiez (E26) and Côme Schaeffer (E25). We spoke to Salma Ben Salah (E28), co-head of the association.
Could you tell us about Melt’Working?
It is an evening in two parts. First, international alumni who now work in France present their careers, their backgrounds and how they got to where they are today to ESSEC’s international students. Then, speakers and participants are invited to talk over drinks. The idea is to help students who are considering staying on to work in France after graduating to integrate into the French job market and to understand its subtleties, its rules and sometimes even its unspoken codes.
Which alumni attended?
We wanted alumni of all ages and all levels of seniority: work-study students, but also senior consultants and senior managers. The diversity also came from their career paths and sectors: strategy consulting, finance, marketing. Many of them came to France for their master’s degree and then settled here.
What feedback did you get from students?
We gauged the mood at the end of the drinks reception. The students loved being able to talk directly with the alumni and ask more personal questions about their careers. It creates a closeness, and these are relationships that can last.
What is the purpose of the Melt association?
Melt works to integrate international students at ESSEC and runs a range of initiatives every year. The association has around fifty members, mostly French, but many other nationalities are represented too: Moroccan, Indian, Malagasy, Italian, German, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, American… I am Tunisian myself. Our starting point was that successful integration depends on bringing French and international students together. All our events are held in English and are open to every programme at the school.
What are the specific features and difficulties international students may face?
Administrative procedures can be complicated, especially as English remains the common language at the school. So not everyone speaks French. I am lucky enough to speak it, and my integration was much easier than it was for others. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to get involved in Melt.
What other programmes have you set up?
The Melt Buddies programme pairs an international student with a French ESSEC student for a few months or the whole academic year. The buddy helps with administrative procedures and answers all practical questions about life in France. We form around thirty pairs every year. The participants I know loved it, on both sides: the international students have a go-to person for all their questions, and the French students open up and build a strong relationship with an international student.
Find out more about Melt’ESSEC
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