Myriam Lemire is a third year International Business student getting ready to do her last work term at Andros in France. Through her hard work and persistence, she managed to find an international work term placement on her own. Myriam shares her experience with her program, her extracurricular involvement with AIESEC and her journey in finding an international work placement.

“After graduating from CEGEP in Montreal, I decided to attend Dalhousie University for their co-op program, amongst other things. For my first two co-ops, I worked as a Research Assistant at Nova Scotia Business Inc. My role was to conduct national or international market research for companies from Nova Scotia looking to expand their current market. Because of this experience, I realized that there are a lot of opportunities to help Canadian businesses impact our global economy.

A major in International Business requires a completion of either a study or work term abroad, I found it really relevant to my goal of wanting to travel and connect with people from around the world. When I graduate, I know I will have enough understanding of the international market to make sure Canadian businesses are able to have an impact.

I am also part of AIESEC , the largest student-run and not for profit organization focusing on developing students around the world through leadership opportunities. My role is to create opportunities in Halifax for the International Students who are a part of the organization, as well as help students go abroad. Because I was part of this organization, I know how important International Business is.

When the time came to look for an international placement, a family friend from France offered to pass my resume and cover letter around as I continued to apply for jobs in other countries. The job search was stressful mainly because of the difference in technical languages, in culture, and in requirements (diplomas, certifications, classes, etc).  Because I couldn’t meet with the company in person to discuss the work term, my friend met with Andros and sorted all the details out. Also, being able to converse in a professional French made it easier to communicate with Andros. I had to figure out the type of Visa I had to apply for, as well as all the documents required for the Visa on my own. I ended up going to the International Centre at Dalhousie University and they answered all of my questions.

Andros is an agri-food company set up in Biars-sur-Cere, France. They have more than 5,000 employees working in 20 locations across Europe. I will be working as a Commercial Exporting Assistant supporting the Area Manager in the treatment of trade issues/questions, assisting the Functional Manager in daily trade relations, and ensuring the coordination between the subsidiaries/customers and in the transmission of sales forecasts.

I’ve been preparing for my work term by reading a lot about the European and the French business world and researching Andros’ international activities, and the types of regulations that are applied to that kind of trade in Europe. I feel that an international work term gives you an entirely different perspective of the business world compared to a study term abroad. I hope I can come back to Canada in September with a new understanding of what it’s like to do business in France.

I am also looking forward to all the connections I will be making. As I saw through my job search, connections are so useful. People are more than happy to help you find a job, especially as a student. They want you to succeed, and they want you to discover their culture, and their world. We are global citizens whether we want it or not, and it’s our choice to take the lead”.