Raphaelle Sananes, class of 2018

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL background?

To be completely honest, it started with a failure in the Sciences Po entrance exams after the baccalaureate, with two catastrophic marks in English and economics: a shame when one works today in the Economic Diplomacy Department of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs...> 

As I wanted to join Sciences Po to become a lawyer, I went to law school, at the Assas University, where I pursued a course of study in the Bachelor's degree and the College of Law. With my level of English having improved somewhat since then, I had the opportunity to pursue a dual Master's degree and to spend a year at Oxford University, during the year of the Brexit campaign.

I finally entered Sciences Po upon my return from the UK in 2016, graduating in 2018. And since I guess I still felt like pushing the revision sessions in the library a bit, I applied for the ENA (Ecole Nationale d'Administration) competitive exam, which I entered at the end of 2018. 

This was followed by a year of internships: at the Directorate of the United Nations and International Organizations of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, where I had the chance to do interim monitoring of the subjects of protection of women in armed conflicts; then at the Prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, during the G7 summit in Biarritz; and finally at Microsoft France on subjects of digital technology and equal opportunities in particular. 

The second year of ENA and its dreaded exit ranking finally allowed me to make a choice from my heart, that of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, which I joined in October 2020, as a chargée de mission to the Director of Economic Diplomacy. 

WHAT WERE THE MAIN STAGES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROJECT? 

It is customary to explain in interviews that our career paths are perfectly linear and logical; while I sincerely believe that this is the case for some of my classmates, it is far from being the case for me. 

I entered the university convinced that I wanted to become a criminal lawyer. When I discovered the administrative law courses in L2, it was decided, I would be a lawyer in public business law, as I had mentioned in my admission interview at Sciences Po. 

It was finally when I was surrounded by friends who wanted to take the competitive exams that I decided: why not me? My M2 internship at Sciences Po at the Directorate of Strategic Affairs and Disarmament of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs complemented my first internships in legal affairs departments focused on European and international law, at Bercy and at EDF headquarters in London. It was these experiences that made me aware of my attraction for economic regulation and international affairs. 

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR JOB AS A DIPLOMAT TODAY?   

The first is the constant balancing act between proximity and distance, because you have to understand the diplomatic strategy pursued by a partner, without ever completely putting yourself in their shoes at the risk of losing sight of your own diplomatic interests. The balance is far from obvious, even more so when leaving for a post. 

The second characteristic, which necessarily follows from the understanding of diplomatic strategies, is the intellectual richness of the profession. Our generation places great importance on the meaning of its profession, and the world of diplomacy offers a high level of reflection on what our positions should be in a whole range of areas, from non-proliferation to cultural cooperation. And I must say that this is impressive in two respects: first, because you have to try to rise to the level of expertise of your colleagues very quickly after taking up your post; second, because the work does not stop there and the same level of requirement is placed on the concrete implementation of the positions advocated. 

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

I like the word "training" because it says that what EAP offers goes far beyond just studies, and that's what I learned. 

The University instills the essential place of knowledge, reflection and learning - and incidentally the ability to work on rather heterodox time slots when the lecture halls follow one another from 8am to 10pm. 

The School of Public Affairs is a fantastic school for learning about everything that revolves around raw knowledge: the ability to express one's ideas clearly and convincingly with the famous 10-minute presentations; exchanges with lecturers who are also young professionals in master's programs, but above all in pre-preparatory programs for competitive examinations; the codes and references of the administration, in short, that Sciences Po makes accessible to its students, who do not all have managerial staff in their entourage. 

In order to share this valuable experience in preparing for the competitive entrance exams, in 2019 I took over the Prépa Concours A+ page along with Antoine Dumoret-Mentheour and Jean-Baptiste Baudat, which offers voluntary support to candidates for the administrative entrance exams, by winners of the exams and young professionals. 

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO GIVE TO A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO GO INTO DIPLOMACY? 

To aim wide! I would have liked to know, when I was preparing for the ENA, that diplomatic positions were very few in number - 3 or 4 places out of 80 per year - that diplomatic positions were not exclusively found at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, where not all agents are diplomats. If you are motivated by France's international positions, a whole ecosystem of international departments of public administrations is open to you. 

Diplomacy is an incredibly rich field of activity where we constantly ask ourselves the question "what for" when we interact with our partners. This recurring question is also the one that should irrigate the reflection of a student attracted to international careers. It is not only the question of professional vision that arises, but more generally that of life choice, especially when one is destined for a career as intense and exciting as a diplomatic career. 

LEARN MORE

• The Public Administration policy stream of the School of Public Affairs
• The Competitive Exam Preparation at the School of Public Affairs

Download our brochure