The best student jobs are found at Junior Consulting

Sciences Po Junior Consulting was founded in 1980, making it one of the first junior enterprises in France. The student-run consultancy puts students to work on real-world commissions—a great way to gain experience while earning some extra cash. We met with Junior Consulting President Marine Poylo, Quality Manager Roxane Salabi, and the association’s head of public affairs, Rozenn Bichon.

There are junior enterprises at many graduate schools and universities. What is the trademark of Sciences Po’s junior enterprise?

Junior Consulting: Like all junior enterprises, we operate as a consulting firm. Our clients arrive with a brief and we assign students to fulfil it. But what makes Sciences Po Junior Consulting special is the incredible diversity of skills in our pool of students. There are many different specialties among the Master’s programmes, which means we can recruit people with both generalist and specific skillsets that really complement each other on projects. We are also the only ones to offer expertise in public affairs, one of the main fields taught at Sciences Po. Apart from our centres of expertise, clients particularly appreciate the analytical skills that Sciences Po students are known for.

How would you define this added value?

Junior Consulting: It’s the cultural capital that our Sciences Po education gives us. Clients appreciate the students’ ability to connect things and put them in perspective. We were recently chosen by a major communication agency because our students were trained in sociology as well as communication. We are also the only junior enterprise to have a fund for pro bono missions so we can take on assignments for non-profits.

Who are the students who work for Junior Consulting?

Junior Consulting: Each year, we have a team of about 25 master’s-level and undergraduate consultants. We want to diversify even more; the students don’t always know it, but they’re qualified for a lot of missions! The wide range of nationalities at Sciences Po is a real asset. If the brief requires someone who speaks Polish or Hindi, we’re sure to find someone who fits the bill on one of the campuses. With our regional campuses, we can work across the whole country—and even further afield thanks to our pool of students spending their third year abroad. The students work on diverse missions ranging from public policy evaluation, consumer studies and communication strategies to business plans.

What do students get out of the experience?

Junior Consulting: They get a lot more than they would babysitting! And not only from a financial point of view: the students do a job that’s very similar to what they’re doing in their courses, with a concrete output and the satisfaction of having made a difference to the client. In terms of experience, it's invaluable. The consultants learn to work to a client's requirements and get to explore different professional spheres. It’s useful for finding a career direction. We also have strong links with the Sciences Po entrepreneurship centre (fr); we share the same premises and sometimes work for incubated start-ups. Two of our former consultants have already created their own start-ups. For the association’s permanent staff like us, who take care of administration, contracts and answering tenders, it is a bit like we already have a job in parallel with our studies.

Find out more

Founded in 1980, Junior Consulting (fr) undertakes an average of 60 projects a year for public authorities, entrepreneurs, SMEs and large companies. Its areas of expertise are public affairs, finance, marketing, communications, human resources and CSR. In 2017, Junior Consulting has been named among the top 30 junior enterprises in France. Its clients include the French ministry of culture and communication, EDF, Sanofi, Hermès, TBWA and BNP Paribas. Follow Junior Consulting on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and through its newsletter (fr).