Disability: Breaking The Taboo

Marie-Line Séférian finished her Master’s in International Security at the School of International Affairs (PSIA) in 2018. Since then she has earnt a place in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a recruitment stream specifically for people with disabilities. She will start working there as a Secretary of Foreign Affairs. She describes her journey from Sciences Po up until now, including her work abroad, and the Competitive Exam Preparation classes which she did for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

You have just completed your Master’s at Sciences Po. Can you tell us a bit about the academic path you took?

I came to Sciences Po for my undergraduate degree after finishing the baccalaureate in 2012. In my third year, I studied abroad at the University of Melbourne in Australia whilst there I began to focus academically on international relations. When I came back, I began my Master’s in International Security at the School of International Affairs (PSIA). Alongside studying at Sciences Po, I was also heavily involved with charities with a humanitarian, educational, and development focus. I did volunteer work in Cambodia and Burkina Faso. After the first year of my Master’s I took a gap year which I spent working for a charity in Cambodia called Toutes à l’école, which helps to educate young girls in Cambodia. At this point I still thought that I wanted to go into the humanitarian sector...

What led you to apply to the European Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

After my time working at Toutes à l’école, I was searching for an internship in a different area. I wanted to get some work experience at an embassy, for example in Armenia, because I am of Armenian descent and I would have really liked to go there. In the end, though, I got an internship at the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs in Paris, in the United Nations and international organisations department - I could not have imagined a better place to be! I quickly realised that working in the French diplomatic service was something which really interested me. When I came back to Sciences Po to finish my final semester of studies, I had something other than humanitarian work in mind for my future. I orientated my studies towards the field of diplomacy, international relations, but also defence and security, so that I had a well-rounded view of the profession. I signed up for the Competitive Exam Preparation course offered by Sciences Po, which helps students who are applying for governmental ministries and the ENA (Ecole Nationale d’Administration), and I began to study for the ministry exams.

How did the Competitive Exam Preparation classes go? And which stream of diplomacy were you studying for?

The Competitive Exam Preparation classes provides material and references essential for the exams, but also Professors suggest reading and help us to develop a methodology. This helps you to conserve the very little time you have to prepare for the examinations. On paper you have a year to prepare for the entrance process but, in reality, because of the amount of work which it requires, it seems like no time at all. With regards the entry process for the ministry, I had access to a different channel of recruitment because of my disability. For people who have an RQTH, a certificate of recognition for workers with a disability, there is a specific avenue of recruitment. This year there were three positions on offer by means of this channel. Preselection is made based on a submitted dossier, and then after that there are interviews and language tests...

Can you explain what you will be doing in your new job?

I will start off working in the IDC, the diplomatic and consular institute, where I will complete three months of training to acquire the necessary skills for my job. There will be talks with diplomats from differents countries, and also simulations of potential situations, for example security exercises or crisis management. Then I will start my first position in June. I still do not know where my first placement will be, but for the first four years we train in central administration. It is from our second position onwards that we go abroad, to work in embassies, consulates, or even as a French delegate at the heart of international associations. With regards my work, when you first begin at the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs your first job is often as a copywriter. You can be for example the copywriter for a specific country, or have a more thematic portfolio, but the principle remains the same - lots of writing up of diplomatic documents and preparing case files for superiors within the hierarchy. The job could also be principally organising meetings with foreign diplomats or events like lectures. It is nonetheless a job with a lot of responsibility attached.

You are partially sighted, did your disability make studying difficult? What did Sciences Po offer you to overcome such difficulties?

Despite the difficulties it can pose, I have been very lucky to be at Sciences Po because the help given to students with a disability is incredible. The Sciences Po Disability Support Service made sure that my teachers knew beforehand that I was going to be in their classes, which meant that they knew about me before I went to speak to them about my needs. This was particularly useful as I have an “invisible” disability - I am partially sighted. In my case, I needed written documents to be digitally adapted, because the library books, documents in PDF format, or even documents sent to us by our tutors were often inaccessible. Sciences Po made sure to digitalise the texts which I needed, so that I could read them. Finally, I had a third more extra time in exams, and I did my exams on a computer. The help given to me by the Disability Support Service and the Sciences Po library allowed me to pursue my studies like anyone else. It was very reassuring for me; I knew that if I came to them and explained what I needed, or the difficulties which I was facing, they would always find a solution.

Does the French Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs have a similar system in place?

Yes, there is an Equal Opportunities department and I was in contact with them from the very start of the application process. My first interview was with this department and we spoke directly about what would be required to help me work around my disability - for example, the required computer software, working hours, and even the possibility of being posted abroad… I think that it is important to talk about such things, and to remove the taboo surrounding them.

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