What did you do before joining IFP?

I got my Baccalauréat Littéraire in 1984, and spent the following 11 years doing a variety of jobs (sales and desk work, mainly) in a number of companies. That was when COTOREP awarded me Cat. B Disabled Worker status (I had a chronic rheumatic disease). I took a few French and Math tests, and it was suggested that I go back to school to train for a new job. I looked through the options and decided to go for a TESLIC vocational degree, to work on industrial applications in chemistry labs, in a school in Bouffémont (in Val-d'Oise, near Paris). So I got my math, physics, chemistry and biology up to speed, and got my two-year official Ministry of Labor diploma.

How did you get to IFP?

I had to do a three-month practical training course to get my diploma. IFP and another company offered to take me in. I decided to take up IFP’s offer in Rueil-Malmaison because of the fascinating research projects they were (and still are) working on. There is really nothing quite like it anywhere else in France – or even Europe.

I told HR that I wanted to stay on as soon as my three months were up. I qualified on June 2, 1998, and they hired me as an Applied Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Technician a month later, on July 1, 1998. They gave me a fixed-term contract at first, but switched it to a permanent contract soon afterwards.

What did you do when your disability got worse.

When my disability got worse, I knew I wanted to stay on at IFP, but I also knew I had to change jobs. So I figured there was probably a way of combining my dual qualifications (humanities and technical), so as to stay in touch with the technical side of things. My supervisor, training correspondent, Human Resources and Occupational Health got together, and we found a solution. They sent me on a tailored IT and office-software course and bought me a special armchair, so I could move to a part-time job as Assistant to the Director at the Applied Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Division in 2003. So I spent three years there, mostly proofreading and correcting technical reports and memos.

What do you like about your job?

Multitasking, mainly. The engineers and technicians knew I had worked in the labs, so they trusted me completely. They were especially happy to have someone with my dual background.

As far as my disability was concerned, I felt IFP was genuinely keen on taking my needs into account. The people I talked to listened, and they were really keen on integrating people in similar situations.

What is you career development?

I have decided to move to a Project Assistant job now. My health has stabilized, and I really want to get my teeth into a project again (albeit part-time). I don’t know what my future at IFP holds, but I do know I’ve come a long way. I have learnt a lot over the past nine years – and that alone makes it all worthwhile. IFP did its bit and I did mine. I think of it as real teamwork. It worked both ways. I can’t travel for my job. But that’s the only downside. Other than that I find it really fulfilling.

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