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
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.
liz x
www.holidaybandb-limousin.com
"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
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