Policeman - as a job

French Culture

Policeman - as a job

Jill 08/03/2008, 22:13
Looking on the education forum, someone had made a comment about policing as a job possibility. I was wondering, those of you who live in France - how do the French people around you look on policing as a job. 25 years ago, we were visiting French friends and we went with them to visit a friend of theirs who was in the police and no one passed any derogatory comments about that. However, another of my French friends, well she herself is German but married into a French family and living in France, well she was appalled when her son decided to join the police. It was as though she was ashamed of it. Now, his younger brother is talking of joining the police having been studying for a business/accounts orientated bac. She doesn't seem happy about it. In England, I think people have always looked on policing as a respectable job, but it just doesn't seem that way for my friend's family. So, have you found this to be the case too?

Jill (99)

Re: Policeman - as a job

Tourangelle 09/03/2008, 13:14
Respectable, yes, but not necessarily something people are proud of. For example, they will say a person is a civil servant rather than a policeman.

Re: Policeman - as a job

Georgina 09/03/2008, 13:34

When I was introduced to a Gendarme last year at a party, he acted like he should be apologising for it. He was certainly not proud to announce it to me.

Georgina

Re: Policeman - as a job

tournesol 10/03/2008, 10:34

Hello

It is a career that my son is also considering , he is the only one in his year at college considering it . We do live in a rural area which may have some effect on this where careers for the boys seem to link to agriculture. The girls seem to be looking more at hairdressing or childcare . He has found generally amongst his peer group both male and female that they do not like Gendarmes and therefore would not want to be one. Perhaps this comes from the parents influence or just the importance of being popular among my sons age group . But in spite of their dislike for the Gendarmes they still have a respect for them and would not cross them .

However, from the information we have already received it still seems to be very popular and therefore competitive to gain placement with a 1 in 10 success rate . This was the statistic quoted in the gendarme recruitment information which I find interesting given their lack of popularity amongst my sons age group . However , the earliest age of recruitment is 18 so by then ones assumes perhaps that popularity has a little less importance. Either that or the statisitical information is a little distorted ?

The Army recruitment officer at a college careers day said that the Gendarmes offered better pay, career advancement opportunities and an overall better package than that offered by the Army which I found quite amusing - perhaps he's in the wrong job.

Re: Policeman - as a job

lizzy h 10/03/2008, 12:03
hi there, just a query is your son british or french as my son would love to be in the french police but was told( I don't know who by )that as he was a brit he would not be allowed to be a policeman and I said as he was educated from the age of 7 its unlikely he would get in the Uk police force so this has really upset him so can anyone confirm if this is true

liz x

www.holidaybandb-limousin.com

Re: Policeman - as a job

Clair 10/03/2008, 13:09
Here is a page with some details: http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/metiers_et_concours/police_nationale

The gendarmerie is a branch of the French army. To be a gendarme, you need to have French nationality http://www.armees.com/Devenir-Gendarme-dossier-garde.html

Clair, a Real Virtual French Person

Re: Policeman - as a job

lizzy h 10/03/2008, 14:06
What I have read there is that you have to be of french nationality for both the gendarme and the police national, could he get dual citizenship to get in, or does this not count now as we are all europeans?

liz x

www.holidaybandb-limousin.com

Re: Policeman - as a job

moonraker 10/03/2008, 15:50
My son has been in the police nationale for nearly 20 years and at the moment is a recruting officer in Bordeaux. I just rang him but he was busy and will ring me back later; he just had time to say that you need at least the Bac and usually French nationality but he'll explain that later!

Re: Policeman - as a job

Jane and Danny 10/03/2008, 15:52

"I said as he was educated from the age of 7 its unlikely he would get in the Uk police force"

That made me laugh, lizzy h ! I hope it was a typing slip rather than your real view on the educational prowess of the British policeforce!

Seriously though, if he has a british passport and wants to apply for the job in the UK I really don't think a french education will hold him back, as long as he is reasonably competent at reading and writing in english. If he has the french equivalent of O'level qualifications then that should suffice. I don't know the figures but I believe that the pay in the UK (for the Metropolitan police at any rate) is significantly higher than in France.

Bear in mind though that he may find that it's just not for him once he has started, and to move countries and find that out is harder than finding it out nearer to home and in a familiar environment. If he has lived here since the age of 7 he should be able to apply to be a French national.

Good luck,

Jane

specialist flute repair

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