Ariane Forgues-Enaud, Class of 2016

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND? 

After living abroad until the age of 15 and graduating from high school in Lille, I went directly to Sciences Po's Collège Universitaire, where I did my "3A", third year of studies abroad, at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. I then joined the Dual Master’s in European Affairs offered by Sciences Po and the London School of Economics. 

After graduation, I embarked on a rather crazy civic project, which was to go out and meet citizens in all the departments of France to gather their ideas for the Europe of tomorrow. It took seven months and we met nearly five thousand people in the streets, published a book on the subject and raised European issues in the local press everywhere we went. 

After working in a communications agency, I became the parliamentary attaché in Paris for Alain Lamassoure, Member of the European Parliament. In 2019, when his mandate ended, I joined the National Assembly to work alongside the deputy of Loiret Caroline Janvier.  

WHAT WERE THE MAIN STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PATH? 

It was during my undergraduate degree at Sciences Po that I discovered my interest in subjects related to social cohesion. After a lengthy deliberation, I opted for European affairs rather than urban planning, two different ways of thinking about living together in a city. I plunged into the world of pro-European civil society thanks to the association of British Young Europeans and then my tour of France with ‘Des Europe & Des Hommes’. When Alain Lamassoure gave me a chance, I seized it with enthusiasm under the angle of European citizenship. I then started to get a taste for politics, and here I am again at the National Assembly...  

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR POSITION AS A PARLIAMENTARY ATTACHE?

On the Assembly side, political staffers share the common features of multiple duties, being dedicated to an elected official, and possessing a skilful mix of autonomy and teamwork. The variety of duties translates into a wide range of work themes, depending on the legislation, but also responsibilities that can range from communication to legislative monitoring and political advice. Being dedicated to one's elected representative is inherently linked to the position, since our commitment is made in the shadow of the person who has been chosen by his or her fellow citizens to represent them in Parliament. It is a job that requires loyalty, responsiveness and sincerity: Iznogoud would have no place in it! 

Finally, working both independently and in a network creates a very strong human experience. There are thousands of parliamentary attachés working for hundreds of different elected officials, but it is not uncommon at the National Assembly to find real solidarity among us, within a parliamentary group and even beyond. This allows us, individually, to do our best for our respective deputies. 

YOU ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN THE ASSOCIATION OF PROGRESSIVE EMPLOYEES AND HAVE CREATED THE WEBSITE ‘EMPLOIS POLITIQUES’. WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WITH THIS? 

The ACP is the association that brings together the employees of the current presidential majority. As vice-president, I am in charge of the work relations department, which includes welcoming new employees, listening and advising them, as well as the links with the Questure and the Presidency. Our association aims to animate the community of employees of our political persuasion. I am very attached to this concept of community. Just think, the parliamentary majority counts nearly a thousand parliamentary collaborators! 

I created ‘Emplois politiques’ (Political Jobs) in 2019 after noticing that there was nowhere to gather job offers in this field, especially among parliamentarians. There was no forum to disseminate such offers, so elected officials were left with the choice of contacts within a given professional network. This in itself is detrimental to the ability of the political world to open up to more atypical and less traditional profiles in this field. Today, along with Alexandre Renoux, with whom I now run the site, we can see that candidates are pouring in. The challenge now is to continue to make the site known to elected officials through word of mouth.  

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR NEXT CHALLENGES WILL BE? 

The main challenge for parliamentary staffers is to define which facet of their role as "Swiss Army knives" they wish to pursue. In my case, it is the task of the pen that has been a real discovery. 

Right now, my priority is to get ‘Emplois politiques’ up and running. The concept of open recruitment is gaining ground in the political arena, but much remains to be done. We must therefore take advantage of the legislative elections to reaffirm to newly elected officials the value of this approach, to offer all those who want a chance to serve the elected officials of the Republic. By the way, if any elected officials are reading this, please note that you can send your job offer directly on the site! 

WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS DID YOUR STUDY AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, MORE SPECIFICALLY THE DUAL-DEGREE WITH LSE HAVE ON THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?    

Studying European affairs at both Sciences Po and LSE was a great help in reconciling public policy management at an international scale. The European Union is unique in the world because it acts in a concrete way on certain public domains, thanks to the directives and regulations linked to its competences, while bringing together very diverse political cultures within it. The way Paris and London view Brussels was very different even before Brexit, and the academic viewpoints were affected by this. Moreover, Sciences Po offers students a close link with the professional world, while LSE focuses more on academic research. In the end, this dual training is very complementary in terms of understanding European political culture.  

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO GIVE A STUDENT OR A FUTURE YOUNG GRADUATE?

Don't limit yourself! Sciences Po is a school where we are fed with general culture and it can be tempting to compare ourselves to young graduates who have become lawyers, economists or others. The diversity of the classes you will have received is your added value and sets you apart. Trust yourself. At Sciences Po, you learn to learn, and learn fast. Don't hesitate to contact alumni who hold the position of your dreams, and find out about their career paths. You'll find that, as a filmmaker once said, eighty percent of success is about showing up. What do you have to lose? Go for it. 

learn more

• The Dual Master’s Degree with Sciences Po and the London School of Economics at the School of Public Affairs
• The Master in European Affairs at the School of Public Affairs

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