Leonie: German-speaking Customer Care Agent at Farmitoo

Can you introduce yourself and your professional background?

I did the equivalent of the Baccalauréat in Germany. After that, I went to Boston and nannied for about 13 months. Then, I went back to Germany and started studying in the management field in Munich. During my studies, I had to do one semester as an intern, which I did in Berlin. During my third year, I had to study abroad which I did in Troyes, France in a Management School.

Following this, I went back to Munich and I had a year left before finishing school. After my studies, I didn’t really want to stay in Munich and I wanted to explore new languages. I started looking for a job and saw an advertisement from MisterBilingue online. I registered and I received a call from someone who worked there.

How long have you been in France for?

I have been in France for 2 months.

How did you find a job in this company?

I looked for jobs on your website as well as other ones. I had a few interviews with some companies including Farmitoo. I really liked their team, they are French but some of them also speak German and I wasn’t really comfortable speaking French at first. I did not want to join a company where people only spoke French. Now, I can speak French if I want to but I can also speak English or German!

How would you judge your previous experience(s)? How did they benefit you?

When I was in Berlin for my internship, I did almost the same tasks as for my current job, which revolved around speaking with customers. Thanks to the languages I speak, I am more open. Also, speaking on the phone and my studies helped me a lot.

Did you have any problems while looking for a job? If so, which ones?

The problem I have encountered is the language barrier. I applied for a few jobs that were only in French. My interviews went well but it was kind of challenging for me at the time. Some of the jobs required a lot of previous experience, which I didn’t have yet.

How would you describe the hiring process you experienced? How many steps did it take?

First, I spoke with someone from MisterBilingue. Afterwards, I talked to someone from the HR team, then to the Operations Manager of Germany. Then, I spoke with the Head of Operations Manager, who is my current boss. I also had an interview with the co-founder of the company. It took about 5 steps, and I felt like it was long though it happened within 2 weeks. I also like the fact that I talked to many people.

Why did you come to France in the first place?

I have already been in France before for a semester in Troyes, which was at the end of 2020. It was really strict because of Covid, so I felt like I was trapped because I could not really go outside and enjoy the French lifestyle. I really wanted to try to go again later as I love French culture and I started learning French in Germany. I also wanted to learn French because I already spoke English, and improving my language skills was one of the main reasons why I went to France. The cultural interest is what made me want to come to France.

What are the differences in the "everyday life" that surprised you the most in France?

For example, at work, everyone arrives much later than the Germans. We often start work at 8 o'clock, but they will arrive after 9 o'clock and stay longer at the end of the day. They are much more relaxed, and I have the impression that Germans love routines.

On the other hand, France has much more culture than Germany. If you take eating for example, the French take their time and eat slowly, whereas the Germans will hurry up.

What do you miss the most about your home country?

Compared to Paris, Munich is much greener, you can find a big river in the city where you can swim, there is a lake and people cycle a lot. I would always take the bike and I never once took the metro, and I find it a bit dangerous to take the bike in Paris. Also, it is really busy in Paris. In Munich, it is much less crowded though it is a big city. I really miss going outside in Germany, and there are so many parks there compared to Paris.

How did you find housing in France?

It was a little bit tricky to find an apartment because things go really quick in Paris, you can basically start looking for housing 2 weeks before moving in. It is different in Germany, where you can take over 2 months to find a place to live.