How do i transfer my British qualifications/grades to French

[retrojazzblues]

I'm also going to write up a French cover letter and CV.The problem is I haven't got any GCSEs or A-levels and well I don't have much academic achievements other then certificates and a few NVQs. What do I write on my French cv to express that?

Thank you.

[DejW]

Originally Posted by retrojazzblues

I'm also going to write up a French cover letter and CV.The problem is I haven't got any GCSEs or A-levels and well I don't have much academic achievements other then certificates and a few NVQs. What do I write on my French cv to express that?

Thank you.

You are sending you letter and CV to France? (it could be to Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, or other francophone countries!).

The French equivalents to NVQ are CEP (Certificate d'aptitude professionel) and BEP (Brevet d'Etudes Professionelles). Sorry, I don't have any detailed experience of them.

You may want to say something like " I have an UK NVQ which is approximately equivalant to..." I warn against saying that you have the Fr diplomas - the French are very good at checking administrative details further down the line! Perhaps your CV should highlight your work experience and achievements?

Perhaps you are already aware that there are many cultural differences between CVs / letters in English and French. I've taught UK CVs / interview technique to French masters students some found it difficult, even though they were very bright.

What type of job are looking for? The job market is a bit difficult in France at the moment, and it seems employers prefer local grown talent.

Kind regards.........DejW

[retrojazzblues]

Hi, I'm looking to live and work in île-de-france, I'm mostly interested in Paris or Hauts-de-seine.
The type of job I'm looking for is:
Retail assistant/shop assistant
Picker or packer
General work
Something casual just to get some money in whilst I'm living there.

[Bevdeforges]

There are a number of websites that give examples of French style CVs - they are actually more like the American résumé than like the British style CV. Google "French CV form" or "French résumé" for a whole bunch of possibilities. Or, you can find any number of books in most newsstand book shops on résumés and lettres de motivation.

For the UK certificates and qualifications, just list them by their UK titles (spell them out rather than using the initials) and put something in parens next to them mentioning the equivalencies.

For the type of work you're looking for, you may just want to hit up some of the larger chain stores - Carrefour, Intermarché, Bricorama, etc. - as they tend to hire more foreigners and may only require you to fill out their application form, rather than submitting a formal résumé or CV.
Cheers,
Bev

[retrojazzblues]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

There are a number of websites that give examples of French style CVs - they are actually more like the American résumé than like the British style CV. Google "French CV form" or "French résumé" for a whole bunch of possibilities. Or, you can find any number of books in most newsstand book shops on résumés and lettres de motivation.

For the UK certificates and qualifications, just list them by their UK titles (spell them out rather than using the initials) and put something in parens next to them mentioning the equivalencies.

For the type of work you're looking for, you may just want to hit up some of the larger chain stores - Carrefour, Intermarché, Bricorama, etc. - as they tend to hire more foreigners and may only require you to fill out their application form, rather than submitting a formal résumé or CV.
Cheers,
Bev

Thank you!

[retrojazzblues]

Originally Posted by DejW

You are sending you letter and CV to France? (it could be to Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, or other francophone countries!).

The French equivalents to NVQ are CEP (Certificate d'aptitude professionel) and BEP (Brevet d'Etudes Professionelles). Sorry, I don't have any detailed experience of them.

You may want to say something like " I have an UK NVQ which is approximately equivalant to..." I warn against saying that you have the Fr diplomas - the French are very good at checking administrative details further down the line! Perhaps your CV should highlight your work experience and achievements?

Perhaps you are already aware that there are many cultural differences between CVs / letters in English and French. I've taught UK CVs / interview technique to French masters students some found it difficult, even though they were very bright.

What type of job are looking for? The job market is a bit difficult in France at the moment, and it seems employers prefer local grown talent.

Kind regards.........DejW

Thank you!

[_Sarah_]

If you really need to get a translation/equivalence of your qualifications done, you should read up on this (though it involves a fee):
ENIC-NARIC France - CIEP

[Henri]

hi,

You can have an idea of equivalent certifications with the European commission, I can't post the link online due to my low number of posts but if you Google "Compare Qualifications Frameworks" it should be the first link to appear. You'll then have an interactive table to convert it.

Here is the equivalent for levels 1 to 3:

NVQ level 1 = CAP (Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle)
NVQ evel 2 = BEP (Brevet d’etudes professionnelles)
NVQ level 3 = BT(X) (Brevet Technique) the last letter depending on the specialization.

As dejW said do not put the french diploma alone but rather "equivalent to" in french " équivalent a un CAP/BEP avec une spécialisation en..." (write the specialization in french). Otherwise french people would think you try to trick them.

Good luck, feel free to ask me any other question.

Henri from myfrenchresume

[retrojazzblues]

Originally Posted by Henri

hi,

You can have an idea of equivalent certifications with the European commission, I can't post the link online due to my low number of posts but if you Google "Compare Qualifications Frameworks" it should be the first link to appear. You'll then have an interactive table to convert it.

Here is the equivalent for levels 1 to 3:

NVQ level 1 = CAP (Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle)
NVQ evel 2 = BEP (Brevet d’etudes professionnelles)
NVQ level 3 = BT(X) (Brevet Technique) the last letter depending on the specialization.

As dejW said do not put the french diploma alone but rather "equivalent to" in french " équivalent a un CAP/BEP avec une spécialisation en..." (write the specialization in french). Otherwise french people would think you try to trick them.

Good luck, feel free to ask me any other question.

Henri from myfrenchresume

Thank you, very much.

[GALLUS]

NVQ and certificates are OK
do as said above.

good luck

No academic institution will certify your British credentials (unless you register to a new course, then an "equivalence" will be de-facto issued.)

kind regards