Opening up to the International Staff Community to Better Support Students
Chloe Thiriot: Administrative Assistant, International Relations Office, IAE Metz
What motivated you to take part in a mobility within the EURECA-PRO Alliance, and why did you choose this particular partner?
I’ve been working as an administration assistant in the International Relations Office of the IAE Metz for almost one year now. And I’ve been working at the IAE for two years. My manager, Atef AZZI, wanted me to participate in a staff mobility as I’m fluent in English and it was also an opportunity for me to meet some of our partners. My job mostly involves missions that are mainly conducted in my office, so it was nice being able to see how things are done outside of my usual framework.
Back in April, one of our partners, the Hochschule in Mittweida went to the IAE Metz to talk about our different processes and one of their students was doing an Erasmus program within our walls. The colleague told me they were organizing an International Week in June involving partners from all over the world but also for the EURECA-PRO Alliance.
Being still pretty new to all these aspects of the Université de Lorraine, I thought it would be a good idea to attend this International Week because what’s better than getting a «field experience»? Also, we have many German partners and talking with colleagues from over there, sharing experience can also be beneficial for everyone.
How has your mobility enriched your teaching, research, or professional practice?
As I said before, my work mostly revolves around administration matters. At first, I was rather impressed because during the International Week I was able to meet many people but they were mostly teachers, directors of International Offices, etc. So, I felt a bit like an outsider but then, we had some colloquiums regarding International students’ needs, how to help them settle in a new country, the difficulties they could encounter. And at that moment, I didn’t feel that out of touch because I see students on a daily basis. It was also interesting talking with teachers in charge of some departments because they were able for example to share what they set up for these students. In a way, we shared a lot of best practices.
Also, this mobility was also a way for me to gain confidence as it was my first ever mobility for work and I went to Mittweida on my own. Attending events, conferences, meeting new people can be a bit overwhelming but then you can develop your ability to adapt yourself, to talk to people coming from different backgrounds. These skills can be used in many situations when you are working in a university.
I was then able to learn technical facts, develop some hard skills but also to feel more confident in my soft skills that are as important.
What ideas, methods, or best practices have you brought back to your institution, and what opportunities for future collaboration do you see emerging as a result of this mobility?
Each year, during the new school year, the IAE Metz organizes a «Welcome Day» for International students. They get many information about the institution itself but also about the «DRIE» (who also organizes Welcome Days with Welcome Desks) and they can play games together. What stroke me the most at the Hochschule Mittweida was the students’ involvement/engagement. During the International week, we had a Campus Tour and a City Tour. Students were our guides and shared many stories and «fun facts».
The IAE Metz also organizes activities in the city center as part of the Integration Days (students and International students participate but it is mostly 3rd-year and 4th-year students. We do have 5th-year students/international students but they do not participate). So, I have not really talked about this with my manager but I think, it could be interesting to ask our students, on a voluntary basis or as part of the projects they need to work on all year long, to organize maybe a City Tour where they could show International Students the city of Metz, where important buildings are and maybe nice places to visit. Being in small groups could also help to create more easily connections and mutual aid between students. That would be one of my main ideas based on what I saw in Mittweida.
Original Version
This interview was originally published in French by the Université de Lorraine.
We are pleased to share the English version with the EURECA-PRO community to make Chloe Thiriot’s experience accessible to a wider international audience.
