International Focus: A Key Element at the Heart of ESC Clermont BS’s Programs and Strategy

At ESC Clermont Business School, international experience is a cornerstone of our commitment to both outgoing and incoming students. Immersing in an international context fosters profound personal and professional growth. Much more than a simple expatriation or trip, it is also a powerful catalyst for the development of valuable soft skills.

Our International Relations department is dedicated to providing comprehensive support to students interested in international opportunities and to international students wishing to study in France and enrich their studies through multicultural immersion at the highest level.

To find out more about the activities of this important team, we asked Audrey Esteves, Head of International Relations, a few questions.

HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE “INTERNATIONAL” AT ESC CLERMONT BUSINESS SCHOOL?

Internationalization is at the heart of our strategy and mission at ESC Clermont Business School. We firmly believe that cultural diversity enriches the educational experience and prepares our students to become leaders in a globalized environment.

Our School maintains a large number of partnerships with universities and institutions around the world, enabling students to benefit from an international experience as part of their programme, whether for an academic semester, a double degree or for shorter programmes such as Summer School, 8-week-Fall Semester and Study Tour.

Every year, the school welcomes around 35% international students, contributing to a multicultural learning environment and increased intercultural understanding among our students.

Our faculty is multicultural, with professors of many different nationalities. This diversity gives students a global perspective on management, enriching their academic experience.

In all our programmes, courses are taught in English, attracting international students and preparing French students to work in multilingual and multicultural environments, an essential skill in the professional world.

WHAT ARE ESC CLERMONT BS’S ADVANTAGES IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES?

At ESC Clermont Business School, we are fully invested in providing an exceptional international experience for both our outgoing and incoming students.

For outgoing students, we maintain strong partnerships with prestigious institutions around the world, offering our students a range of destinations from which to choose. Whether in Europe, America, Asia or elsewhere, our students have the opportunity to explore new academic, cultural and professional horizons. In addition, we strive to make international mobility accessible to all our outgoing students by ensuring that there are no additional costs on tuition fees. Through effective contract negotiations with our international partners, we are able to offer exchange opportunities at competitive rates, enabling a greater number of students to enjoy an enriching experience abroad.

Incoming students are welcomed and integrated as soon as they arrive. Our dedicated team ensures that newcomers feel at home at ESC Clermont Business School by providing personalized support and practical advice. Assistance is also available to facilitate settling in, finding accommodation, understanding the French education system and integrating into student life.

ESC Clermont Business School is proud to have been awarded the ‘Welcome to France’ label, in recognition of our commitment to welcoming and supporting international students. This label guarantees incoming students high-quality support throughout their stay in France, from administrative procedures to integration on campus and even, when applicable, to graduation.

WE’RE IN THE MIDST OF THE SUMMER SCHOOL PERIOD. WHAT DESTINATIONS ARE AVAILABLE THIS YEAR?

This year’s Summer School runs from 6 to 24 May 2024. We have worked with our partners to offer our students an immersive international experience, combining learning and improving their English language skills with cultural discoveries. Each Summer School is designed to offer participants with an enriching and memorable experience, preparing them to consider further international opportunities as part of their curriculum.

This year, our students were able to attend one of the 7 following universities, including a new one for 2024:

• Universidad de Loyola, Sevilla, Spain
• Escola Universitària Mediterrani, Barcelona, Spain
• The University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
• Dublin Business School, Dublin, Ireland
• Nova Business School, Lisbon, Portugal
• Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
• Beijing Language & Culture University, Beijing, China (new in 2024)

For this final experience in China, we are offering students the opportunity to extend their international experience by completing their 1st year work placement in China right after their Summer School.

WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT?

The main missions of the International Relations department are as follows:

• Promoting the School worldwide
• Recruiting international students
• Monitoring existing partnerships and developing new agreements with international partners
• Developing and managing the School’s international programmes
• Coordinating the international mobility of students and faculty
• Ensuring the general well-being of both incoming and outgoing students

Our department is made up of six full-time members, representing a diverse team with members from the UK, Egypt, China and France.

We have 3 people dedicated to international students:

• Lisa, who has been working in International Relations at ESC Clermont BS for over 30 years, has seen generations of international students step foot on the Boulevard Trudaine! She works mainly on recruiting students from partner institutions and is the main point of contact for all international students studying at ESC Clermont.
• Mohamed, our International Recruitment Manager, who knows the school from many different perspectives, as he was also an international student before joining the team. He is in charge of promoting the programmes and recruiting international students who are not from partner institutions (freemovers).
• Angèle, International Recruitment Officer, our most recent recruit who joined ESC Clermont BS in 2022, working with Mohamed on the promotion of programmes and the international recruitment of students from non-partner institutions (freemovers).

One person dedicated to managing international mobility:

• Alexandra, in charge of outgoing students. She is the key contact for any student wishing to go abroad for a semester or for a double degree. Thanks to her in-depth knowledge of our partner universities, she can also provide help and advice to students in their choice of destination to ensure that their international project meets their expectations.

A person in charge of the administrative management of international programmes:

• Yuejia, IR assistant, who is in charge of the administrative management of the international programmes and also of the Summer School for students enrolled in the 1st year of our Bachelor in International Management programme.

I’m lucky enough to work with all these wonderful people and coordinate their activities. I’m also responsible for monitoring our international partners and developing new partnerships.

We are a very complementary team with a common goal: the satisfaction of all ESC Clermont BS students.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE?

We are currently working on establishing double degree agreements for our Bachelor in Digital Communication and E-Commerce programme. We are already well advanced with two partners: Pforzheim University in Germany and South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences XAMK, Kotka, Finland.

We are also working on our International Week project, which we will be relaunching in February 2025 with the objective of inviting research faculty from partner universities to teach at ESC Clermont BS and take part in various research events with our research faculty.