France`s Lost Generation

www.anglophonie.fr
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No Hope For France’s ‘Lost Generation’?
(CNN, 2013)
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2013/06/27/pkg-bittermann-france-lost-generation.cnn
Like, month after month, you’re maybe less confident, wondering why and maybe asking yourself, what
did I do wrong? Do I have a problem?
Marie Guimbert has had a problem, but it certainly wasn’t her fault.
At 24, she’s done more than most to enter the job market. She studied hard, earned a bachelor’s degree
from one of the best business schools in Canada, a master’s (degree) in Finance and Strategy from one of
the top universities in France, which included studying in Brazil, she speaks four languages,
and yet, for months after graduation, she could not find anyone who would hire her -- even though she
sent her résumés and CVs everywhere.
-How many of those did you send out?
-A lot, maybe, like, a hundred maybe.
Since she’s still living at home, her parents started to get concerned and involved.
I think they were, like, supportive, but they were also worrying, like, we were not really talking about,
like, the job matter, ‘cause when, like, my mom is asking me, did you send a lot of CV today, I get angry
and like, I don’t wanna talk about it.
And sometimes it can feel unjust. At first, I was thinking that my situation was a bit, like, unfair
compared to my other friends who find a job. So I think sometimes it’s unfair, but recruiters get so many
CVs, like, if you go on LinkedIn for example, there will be a job offer and you can see how many people
send their CVs. Sometimes it goes up to, I dunno, three hundred!
Still, despite the odds, despite the tough competition and weak economy, earlier this month life suddenly
changed for Marie Guimbert. After four months of sending out résumés, and interviews, and tests, and
job fairs, Marie finally got a break. A company offered to hire her to manage retail store outlets.
I was so thrilled. I called my mom; I called my dad, Yeah! I got a job offer. I told my friends. I was pretty
happy about it.
And so, Marie’s story has a happy ending but it’s not the same for hundreds of thousands of other young
people in France.
I think I’m pretty lucky ‘cause, I looked for a job, like, for four months, I guess. I’ve seen like, a few
people that have been looking for, like, a year. Like, more than six months at least, so yeah, I feel really
happy.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
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Vocabulary
0. like ...
1. no hope
2. confident
3. wondering
4. enter the job market
5. earned a bachelor’s degree
6. a master’s (degree)
7. and yet
8. after graduation
9. hire
10. even though
11. everywhere
12. since
13. concerned and involved
14. to be supportive
15. job matter
16. ‘cause (langage oral)
17. I don’t wanna (langage oral)
18. a bit unfair
19. get
20. I dunno (langage oral)
21. still, despite the odds
22. tough competition
23. weak economy
24. job fairs
25. got a break
26. retail store outlets
27. thrilled
28. pretty happy
29. a happy ending
‘genre’ … (langage des jeunes !)
pas d’espoir
confiante, sûre de soi
se posant la question
entrer sur le marché du travail
a obtenu une licence
une maîtrise
et pourtant
après l’obtention de son diplôme
embaucher
même si
partout
puisque
inquiets et impliqués (se mêlent)
être d’un grand soutien
la question de trouver un emploi
= because
= I don’t want to
un peu injuste
reçoivent
= I don’t know
pourtant, malgré les chances contre elle
concurrence rude
économie faible
salons des métiers
a eu de la veine
des boutiques
ravie, extrêmement contente
plutôt contente
et non “a happy end”
No Hope For France’s ‘Lost Generation’?
Exercise: fill in the blanks with the correct words
Like, month after month, you’re maybe less _c________________, _w___________________ why and
confiante, sûre de soi
se posant la question
maybe asking yourself, what did I do wrong? Do I have a problem?
Marie Guimbert has had a problem, but it certainly wasn’t her fault.
At 24, she’s done more than most to __e________the j_______m_________________. She studied
entrer sur le marché du travail
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hard, _e_____________ a _b____________d___________ from one of the best business schools
a obtenu
licence
in Canada, a _m______________ (degree) in Finance and Strategy from one of the top universities in
maîtrise
France, which included studying in Brazil, she speaks four languages, and_y___________, for
pourtant
months _a_____________g__________________, she could not find anyone who would _h________
après avoir obtenu son diplôme
embaucher
her -- _e__________t_____________ she sent her résumés and CVs _e_________________.
même si
partout
-How many of those did you send out?
-A lot, maybe, like, a hundred maybe.
_S___________ she’s still living at home, her parents started to get _c___________and_i____________.
Puisque
inquiets
impliqués
I think they were, like, _s__________________ but they were also worrying, like, we were not really
d’un grand soutien
talking about, like, the job matter, ‘cause when, like, my mom is asking me, did you send a lot of CV
today, I get angry and like, I don’t wanna talk about it.
And sometimes it can feel unjust. At first, I was thinking that my situation was _a_b______, like,_u_____
un peu
injuste
compared to my other friends who find a job. So I think sometimes it’s unfair, but recruiters
_g_________ so many CVs, like, if you go on LinkedIn for example, there will be a job offer and you
reçoivent
can see how many people send their CVs. Sometimes it goes up to, I dunno, three hundred!
_S__________, _d__________the_o______________, despite the _t___________c_____________ and
Pourtant
malgré les chances contre elle
concurrence rude
_w_________ economy, earlier this month life suddenly changed for Marie Guimbert. After four months
faible
of sending out résumés, and interviews, and tests, and _j_______f__________, Marie finally got a break.
salons des métiers
A company offered to hire her to manage _r___________s___________o__________.
boutiques
I was so _t__________________. I called my mom; I called my dad, Yeah! I got a job offer. I told my
extrêmement contente
friends. I was _p______________ happy about it.
plutôt
And so, Marie’s story has a _h____________e__________ but it’s not the same for hundreds of
fin heureuse
thousands of other young people in France.