Jean-Baptiste Baudat, class of 2018

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

Originally from Romorantin-Lanthenay, in the Sologne region, (where I grew up and obtained my scientific baccalaureate), I was mechanically destined to become an engineer, which, deep down, I was not very happy about. Then one of those rare moments occurred that changed everything: while dragging my feet to accompany a friend to an "open house" that was being held the same day as the end of the post-baccalaureate applications, I discovered by chance the existence of a preparatory class that was literary, economic and mathematical: the B/L. It was a dream for me: an eclectic, complete education, in the style of the Antiquities or the Enlightenment. So I went home right away to change my choice on the Admission Post-Baccalaureate (APB) site with 30 minutes to go. "Saved" by a good internet speed.> 

After two years of intellectual effervescence in the hypokhâgne-khâgne B/L of the Lycée Pothier in Orléans, in the Loire Valley, I joined the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris in a double degree of Philosophy and Political Science; hesitating between preparing the agrégation of philosophy or the administrative competitions. Preferring to "act as a man of thought" rather than "think as a man of action", I chose the public service and undertook a degree in Law at Paris Assas University and a Master in Political Science at the Sorbonne on the "majority fact of the Fifth Republic" before joining Sciences Po, in the Master in Public Policy. 

Entering Sciences Po offered me great freedom (one can choose one's own courses, opt for one's own internships) and the opportunity to make decisive encounters (professionals, professors, French or foreign students, invited personalities). The professionalizing dimension of the Master in Public Policy also allowed me to pursue internships in parallel to the courses: at the Fondation Jean Jaurès, at the Ministry of the Environment, at the Senate, in a publishing house and at the Council of State. These experiences were essential compasses for questioning, testing and consolidating my choice of direction.  

Finally, joining the ENA (Ecole Nationale d'Administration) launched me into a fabulous administrative odyssey in international proceedings where I represented the Quai d'Orsay as a space editor, overseas with the Prefect of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, or on the boards (or rather the backstage) of the Comédie-Française in Paris. The first confinement of March 2020 was the occasion for a part of the promotion to volunteer in the administrations in need, for my part in the "mask cell" of the Ministry of Economy which aimed at coordinating the production and the importation of masks for the French.  

Passionate about the legal world, I chose to become a magistrate at the Administrative Court of Paris after graduating from ENA, a position I have held since October 15, 2020.

WHAT WERE THE MAIN STEPS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROJECT?

Contrary to what one might think, I built my career plan in fits and starts, without a predetermined plan. I decided to take the administrative exams a month before I was supposed to register at Sciences Po. My desire to take the ENA was precipitated, in the chemical sense of the word, 6 months before the ENA exam when I was at the end of my internship at the Conseil d'Etat - very late (you will notice that I am used to this)! I often repeat that not having a pure and perfect legal background did not prevent me from becoming a magistrate. I know many brilliant people who have never stopped evolving in their higher education.  

So, I think that building a professional project does not always require a construction plan or a building permit! Above all, you have to be open to opportunities, not hesitate to multiply your experiences and remain curious.  

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR JOB AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE MAGISTRATE TODAY?   

The first characteristic of this profession is perhaps its ability to reconcile opposites. Firstly, because its DNA consists of deciding between opposing positions, but also in the performance of its duties. It is at once collegial (in judgment or deliberation) and individual (investigation of a case), oral (in hearings and deliberations) and written (drafting of judgments), profoundly intellectual (legal research) and at the heart of the action (need to judge, urgency of summary proceedings). 

Secondly, being an administrative magistrate means being invested with specific guarantees and requirements that allow us to settle a dispute, to say the law and to strike the right balance between the public liberties of individuals and the general interest in complete impartiality. We judge "in the name of the French people", which requires us to follow a strict and demanding code of ethics, in accordance with our three core values: integrity, impartiality and independence. 

The third characteristic of this profession is perhaps the high level of responsibility that comes with freedom of judgment. To paraphrase Victor Hugo, who wrote that "everything that increases freedom increases responsibility", this freedom to judge is a strong responsibility to decide the fate of individual situations, sometimes harsh. Every word of a judgment counts and must therefore be weighed and balanced - it is not for nothing that the scales are a symbol of justice. It is therefore the fascinating search for a balance between the clarity of the law and the complexity of the facts that makes it possible to draw this judgment "with a human face". Moreover, this responsibility has only increased today with the current triple context of security, environment and health, marked by an increased "interventionism" of the administrative judge, who is increasingly called upon to rule on the departure from ordinary legality by the public authorities in the name of necessity.  

WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS DID YOUR TRAINING AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (MASTER'S DEGREE AND PREPARATORY COURSE) MAKE TO THE POSITION YOU HOLD TODAY?   

To summarize, it seems to me that there is a kind of watershed in higher education: where the preparatory classes generalize their teaching, the universities specialize and the Grandes Écoles professionalize it. The first awakens curiosity, the second nurtures it, and the third serves it. 

This is what happened to me. After a general education in khâgne, I was able to deepen the study of philosophy, political science and law at the University, which SciencesPo helped me to convert into professional wishes. The practical dimension of the courses at the School of Public Affairs (EAP), taught by civil servants or legal practitioners, offers a concrete knowledge of public policies, which is essential to project oneself into a professional environment and to nurture a general administrative culture that is useful for passing competitive exams. The choice to favor internship experiences is also a very powerful pedagogical choice to define one's professional project, especially for the generalist and hesitant profiles, as it was the case for me! 

More broadly, the swarming of ideas and desires, the mix of very diverse profiles and the concern for action, whether for the EAP or Sciences Po Paris more broadly, have familiarized me with community life. With Raphaëlle Sananes and Antoine Dumoret-Mentheour, both of whom are also EAP alumni, we were inspired by this momentum to take over the Prépa Concours A+ association in the summer of 2020, which aims to fight against the lack of information on the professions, access routes and tests for administrative competitions.  

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO GO INTO FRENCH PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS? 

If you had to remember only one: never censor yourself! Whatever your profile, your social or geographical origin, whether you are a woman or a man, nothing should restrict you. There is nothing worse than self-censorship, since it is self-fulfilling: not believing in yourself is already a path to failure. It seems to me that we must accept the risks: failure is then no longer a taboo, it is constructive.  

ON THIS SUBJECT OF SELF-CENSORSHIP, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE INITIATIVE "FROM LOIR-ET-CHER TO THE GRANDES ECOLES" THAT YOU HAVE JUST LAUNCHED? 

Coming from a rural department, I myself was confronted with a lack of information and self-censorship in my career. This is why I wanted to launch the association Du Loir-et-Cher aux Grandes Ecoles to promote territorial equality of opportunity. To this end, we have just created a sponsorship program allowing graduates from the Loir-et-Cher to advise and guide high school students from our beautiful department. Moreover, if you are from the Loir-et-Cher and a student or graduate of Sciences Po, you are welcome to join the association! 

MORE INFORMATION

The Public Administration policy stream of the School of Public Affairs

The preparation for the French administrative exams at the School of Public Affairs

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