Cordis Hongqiao hotel opened its doors to the 252 students from Grade 9 to Grade 11 of Shanghai French School on Friday, May 14 for the annual Career Fair, an important event organised by the school to present different industries to students.

2 :15, time to leave the school to go to Cordis hotel, located very close to Hongqiao Railway Station. There is great energy on the bus. For the next two hours, students will be introduced to 8 industries: art, healthcare, communication-information, education-research, hotels-catering, engineering, administration-business-finance, and defense.

The main objective of these exchanges is to introduce the career paths and experience of several professionals and give students a clearer idea of the different jobs found in these industries. Following the speed dating formula, each group of 4-5 students has 7 minutes to meet a participant, discover his/her job and industry, and ask questions.

For that matter, students have a lot to ask: what studies should I choose? What salary can one expect? Is competition tough? If some students already have a precise idea of the path they want to take, others try to find themselves or seem to be interested in various fields. Speakers answer questions with transparency and passion, sharing memories on the field or describing a typical working day.

In a constantly changing world, it is essential for young generations to keep an open mind and remain curious, to allow them to easily adapt to different environments.  Shanghai French School promotes these notions through its curriculum and intercultural dimension, more than ever necessary.

It has just gone 5, the Fair is wrapping up, the room slowly empties, a dream job in mind for some, the realisation of interests for others.