A Year Abroad with Sunseeker?

[B175Chris]

OK guys, thanks for the input

I seem to have struck a nerve that I didn't even see coming.

When I say 'manual work', I mean with regards to working on engines etc. Complicated mechanical stuff. I can't do it - full stop.

As for cleaning and refuelling, I did that all the time with my own boat in france, as I've said numerous times here before there was never a boat on the pontoon as clean as mine.

I have no aversion to hard work, I could clean boats all day long but ultimately I don't want to end up a boat cleaner, I want to work more in the management side of things, but I understand that those who get to the top have to start at the bottom.

The idea of my year abroad is to get experience of how the management side of things works in France. Whilst a job cleaning and refuelling boats would be beneficial to start working there as a career; in the eyes of the university approving my placement, would they see it as beneficial experience?

The idea behind getting involved in the boating industry was to find out if there was potential for a career afterwards as the whole idea excites me more than most industries. So far my post seems to have garnered a few people offering advice (that is appreciated) but others suggesting I'm dissing 'manual' work, which I'm not.

 

[jfm]

There are differeing views on the handwriting thing (possibly different customs in differnt countries?) and I dont claim to have any better opinion than anyone esle, but fwiw I would not send a handwritten letter. This is 2009 and everything should be typed imho. The goodness/badness of your handwriting is way down an employer's list of priorities, much lower than your ability to compose a nice letter

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I agree with jfm....

i'd personally discount a handwritten letter nowadays, as putting someone in the "not confident with a computer" camp....

Who writes a letter by hand for business purposes in 2009?

 

[benjenbav]

When I was doing postgrad in NY back in mid '80s the rules were "type it" - period. A quarter of a century on, surely everyone expects this?

Re eng: it's a sad reflection of the anglo-saxon attitude to see an engineer as being the one with the oily rag fixing the machine, rather than the one who designs the machine in the first place.

Chris, How about offering to get yourself down to Genoa and sell those boats! An enthusiastic sales operative with languages and a knowledge of boats who isn't part of the fixed overhead must have some appeal and once you've got your foot in the door... There must be enough time before the Genoa show to get up to speed on the particular product and Genoa's only a coupla hours over the border from France.

 

[Nick_H]

The idea of my year abroad is to get experience of how the management side of things works in France

Then starting at the bottom is perfect! In my experience the management ladder in France is less of a meritocracy, and more of an ...err... ageocracy, so you tend to work your way up the ladder through your career, rather than dazzling the boss in the first year and being fast tracked through. Anyway, if you want to find out how French management works, why are you trying to get work with a British company?

On the engineer means oily rag in hand debate, it reminds me of the classic story of the leading UK manufacturing company who agreed to show a class of children round their factory. At the end of the tour the teacher got the kids together and said, "Now remember children, if you don't work hard, this is where you'll end up".

 

[BartW]

Chris, I think I understand what you're after (?)
for your management degree you have to do a job / project for one year in a foreign country, but it should give you some management / sales experience.

my advise as a company owner would be to get a personal contact from a common reference (some are mentioned on here above),
and try to get the opportunity for a personal meeting,
eventually first phone call followed with a letter (not hand written!!!)
but again a personal meeting would be most appropriate,
and try to offer some of your skils, eventually offer them a FOC project
such as:
- market survey
- new marketing plan for ...
- organisation survey
- communication plan for...
- coordination of an event / exhibition....
eventually part time payed,
or something they need to do on the management / sales side, but don't have the funds /time

and you can still do the boat cleaning jobs after the working hours to get an extra income

its nice if you can make a living in the business that you really enjoy,
but be carefull, after some years you have to find a new hobby
thats how I came to boating

by the way,
try to get in touch with the "right " person or the person in charge, from the first moment,
not an assistant who has to asc his boss (when he has time and doesn't forget it )

you're right that an e-mail out of the bleu doesn't work. (they must get many of these IMO)

all IMHO ofcause

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

On the engineer means oily rag in hand debate, it reminds me of the classic story of the leading UK manufacturing company who agreed to show a class of children round their factory. At the end of the tour the teacher got the kids together and said, "Now remember children, if you don't work hard, this is where you'll end up".

Arggghhhh... mind you... the correct response would probably be... "Miss..... so why does the man working on that machine earn more than you then?"

 

[rafiki_]

I think the UK boat manufacturers use a local main agent as distributor abroad, less likely to carry the cost and overhead of their own operation. You might like to google a few, and ping some introductory requests off, but you need to emphasise what value you are bringing to them, not vice versa. It is a tough world out there.

As a professional engineer (not technician), I now spend most of my time running the business. However, I believe the spatial awareness needed to be a good engineer is a real benifit in business, as you tend to see all the angles. It is frustrating that in the UK we do not value engineers, and call anyone who does not sit behind a desk an engineer, Refuse Engineers, Domestic Engineers etc. It is particularly galling to hear people say " I will call an engineer to fix the boiler!" Enough of the rant.

 

[jfm]

It is frustrating that in the UK we do not value engineers, and call anyone who does not sit behind a desk an engineer, Refuse Engineers, Domestic Engineers etc. It is particularly galling to hear people say " I will call an engineer to fix the boiler!" Enough of the rant.

Well ranted, Rafiki