Tu faisais quoi avant ? Avec LISA| Dialogue en français COURANT avec sous-titres.

Welcome to the podcast Fluidité for foreigners who are learning French. And today I'm going to have a discussion with Lisa, whom you've already seen on my YouTube channel or heard in my podcast. And with Lisa, we're going to talk about the jobs or jobs we did when we were younger. Seasonal jobs, as they say, or temporary jobs. So we're going to talk about all of this together in an improvised discussion. So we're going to talk about our respective anecdotes. You'll see, it's going to be very nice. But first, generic. Before we start, I invite you to join our VIP club. It's my Patreon page where you have material to deepen my content and become better at French. For example, for each content I make, you have bonuses like the vocabulary list, bilingual transcriptions, the audio version and a private group course where I explain the grammar of the contents. The VIP club is also a large community with more than 300 members, 300 learners. And we talk together every day on the Telegram group and on the Discord server. We do different activities of French practice. So you can also practice your French. Find or share resources with other students, other learners. And it's very important for you to not feel alone in your learning and to always be motivated. So you have the link on podcast platforms and on YouTube to sign up for the VIP club. And you can stay as long as you want. Come with pleasure. In the description of the episode, you also have the YouTube video version, if you listen to me in audio. With subtitles in French or in other languages to improve your oral comprehension. And you also have the free French transcription in the description. Hi Lisa! Hi Fabien, how are you? Yeah, very good and you? Great, thank you. Okay. Listen, we're here today to talk about work. To talk a little bit about what we've done in our past experiences. Being young or being very young, for example. Small seasonal jobs that we did, for example, or student jobs. So in French, we often say job to talk about something that is rather temporary or rather short, in general. And we say a seasonal job when it's something we do for a season. For example, when we work during the summer. For example, when we work in a swimming pool station. We're going to work, for example, there are jobs that only exist in the summer. Or in a ski resort. These are jobs that only exist in the winter, etc. So we call them seasonal jobs. So we're going to tell each other about the jobs or the little jobs we've done. And then talk a little bit about the subject. We're going to improvise a discussion because I didn't prepare any questions. So I don't know what you're going to tell me yet. And you don't know what I'm going to tell you yet. So it's going to be nice. Very good. So yes, what did you do as a job, for example, during your studies? The very first job you did. We'll start there. So the very first one, I gave private lessons to children. And I started when I was 15. Oh yes? Yes, but it was something very informal. And regular, but it wasn't a lot of work either. And so I did that. And then when I was 15, I started working as a life assistant. I took care of elderly people. Oh yes? Yes, an old man who was waiting for the parking lot. Okay. And I took care of him on the weekend and a few nights a week. I liked it. Okay. At 15, it's super young. Yes, yes. At 15, it's really, really young. Yes, it's young, but very quickly I wanted to have some money, some pocket money. So I started looking for a job. I found it on the Le Bon Coin website. Oh yes? Yes. And I was taken. So I started like that. And the Le Bon Coin website already existed more than 10 years ago? Yes, it already existed. Okay. And it was already positive. Yes, in fact, the Le Bon Coin website is known to all French people, I think. It is a site where there are small announcements of individuals. In general, there are also professionals, but it is mostly known to individuals. And there are really all kinds of announcements. So at the beginning, it started, I think, with the announcements like selling items of occasion. It started a bit like that. And now there is really everything. So yes, there were jobs too. There were announcements for work, for example. And now there is really everything. And it is true that all French people know it because we have this reflex to use Le Bon Coin. As soon as we want to buy something for an occasion, it is sure, it is LeBonCoin.fr without advertising. And if we want to find too, if we want to rent a house, it is true that we will go first, generally, on Le Bon Coin. There is really, it is the HQ, as they say, the headquarters of small announcements. And it is true that you found your job on Le Bon Coin. Okay. And there are still job offers and service offers. So between individuals, not necessarily paid. But we can find people who have an expertise and who can help us with something. And it was paid to the blacks, I imagine, by hand. Yes, of course. And even it was not very, when I think about it, it was not very well paid. Especially since it was a little far from home. So I took an hour of transport by bike to get there. And then I was paid an hour, but I was poorly paid. It was not the best plan of the year. But hey, at the time I was happy to earn my first money. Yes, and in fact, at 15 years old, it's the very first job. We are ready to do anything to try to work because we have never done that. So we wonder how it is. And we want to try the experience. Indeed, when we are young, we can do things that we would not do nowadays. Exactly. An hour by bike on the way and an hour on the way back? No, on the way back. Ah, okay. Because otherwise it would be a bit long, indeed. Yes. Ah yeah, so ... And that was my first job. And how did you start with student or seasonal jobs? So yes, the very first one I did, I don't know how old I was, I think I was 16. Because in my opinion, seasonal jobs can be started legally from the age of 16, it seems to me. I don't know the French law anymore, but I guess, because if I remember correctly, I was really quite young and I think I was 16 in my opinion. So really the very first, very first, it's ... So we're going to talk about internships before the internships, but the real job, the little job. The very first one I did, the seasonal job, was to work at the town hall. It's working at the town hall of Arcachon, where my parents live. Well, it's the city next door, but it's almost the same. So I worked at the town hall of Arcachon in the party service. Ah! Do you know what it is? Well, not so much. On the other hand, it was your job. Did you have to organize the village parties? No. So already the name is nice. Well, it's almost that. That is, it is the service that lends, the municipal town hall service, which lends furniture for parties or events. So in fact, there are benches, tables, tents, for example. So in the summer, for example, when we have a party outside, we put a tent in case it rains. In case it rains, we put a tent and like that we put the tables underneath, etc. So that kind of thing. There were barriers too. So everything that is eventful, all the furniture that is used for the eventful. That was it. So in fact, it was super simple. You just had to put up the barriers. You just needed a little physical strength. Get on and unload the truck tables. Then put them back in the truck, load them in the truck, bring them back to the warehouse, put them back in the warehouse, etc. Things like that. And could you stay during the parties? Or did you come before and you left and you came back afterwards? No, no, no. We weren't invited to the parties. We didn't have a VIP pass or anything like that to stay at the parties. But it has already happened that we arrive after a party the next morning and there were still people partying. So it happened only once. But otherwise, yes, we arrived, we intervened before and after the parties. But afterwards, it was also events like, I don't know, David Grenier or things like that. Not necessarily parties, but everything that was an event. OK. Yes. But in fact, in this town hall of Arcachon, at the time, it was at a time when the town halls were much less monitored. And since it was a smaller city at the time, now there are a little more people, it's very, very, very touristy. At the time, it was, but it was still on a slightly smaller scale. And in fact, they had taken way too many seasoners. I don't know, we were ten. And every day, maybe two or three left. And in fact, the others stayed at the hangar, they stayed at the warehouse. And we played cards, we played games. I don't remember what we were doing. Well, it was really the typical job of the town hall. Because in fact, I explain to everyone, but a long time ago, maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago, in the town halls, there were still a lot of jobs where the employees didn't do much. It depends on the services, but it was famous for that. I don't know, in Montpellier or near where you lived? I don't know much. Yeah, you don't know much about this world. No. But there are clichés about municipal employees, the town hall employees. Like, at the time, in any case, there may have been a big budget and there were jobs or employees who didn't do much, in general, during the day. So there was that kind of thing. So the seasoners were a bit like that. Did you have that for several seasons or was it just once? Yes. I did one season in Arcachon. And I don't know, two or three years later, I did another season, but at La Teste, so the neighboring city. I did the same thing. This time, there were only two of us. So we left the warehouse every day. So yeah, we did things all day. But it was also nice. It was a good atmosphere, actually, since these are services that are quite summery and it's quite relaxed. So it's pretty quiet. It's not an office job. So there's not much. It's not too difficult to do. It's just putting things away. It's nice. There's a good atmosphere. That's often the characteristic of seasonal jobs or student jobs. We make a team. And if we're lucky, there's a good atmosphere. And often it's summer too. So there's a bit of a holiday atmosphere for the majority of people. And so, yes, I think it's always nice. Good seasons. Exactly. And then what did you do? Did you do any other? Summer jobs, for example, or winter jobs? I rather did small jobs. I did seasons. And I worked once in the harvest of potatoes. And that was pretty hard, honestly. And it was still mechanized. So we were on a kind of machine that was pulled by a tractor and that harvested the potatoes. And there was a rolling mat and we had to sort the potatoes from the pebbles. Oh, yes. Yes, but it had to be very fast. And we were moving and it was a bit difficult to keep the balance. And honestly, it's one of the hardest jobs I've ever done. It's really tiring. Yes, it's tiring, yes. So I don't think I'll do it again. I would like to work again in the harvest. I like that. But maybe not the potatoes. And how old were you at the time? No, I was an adult. I think I was 20, 21 years old. Yes. Yes, a job where... An age where you are able to do this kind of job, where you are able to do a physical job for seven hours, this kind of thing. Yes. And I didn't get along very well with the owners. Yes. And so it wasn't very pleasant either. Well, in this case, there wasn't the right atmosphere that I was talking about just before. And how long was it? For a month or two months, things like that? It can take a long time. I only did it for a week. Because... Yes. But when I had the opportunity, I had planned to do it for a week because I had very little time off. Yes. So I did the time I had. But yes, I think I would have done more. Okay. Yes. Have you ever done sales or agricultural work? No, not at all. No? No, I wanted to do it. Like all young people, 20, 21 years old. I wanted to try, but I did something else. Since I lived in a very touristic city, there were a lot of seasonal jobs for the summer. For May, June, July, August, a little September, things like that. There were a lot of people. And so there are always seasonal jobs. So that's why I didn't go to see, I didn't go to do sales, for example. But it's true that it's the typical job that students do or that young people do. Because there are a lot of wine regions in France, we know that. So there are a lot of sales to do, even if they are still done by machines in the majority. But there are still vineyards where they are done manually because it's not possible or because there is no budget, etc. Yes. No. And it also seems to be a good atmosphere, the sales. Often it's ... For example, there are groups of young people who form and who apply in groups. We are told if we can come and do sales in your viticulture field. So we work with friends often. It's nice. Yeah, that's usually it. We go there with friends. And in the evening there is a good atmosphere, I guess. I wasn't part of it, but according to what I was told, even if we are tired after maybe 7 or 8 hours of sales, at 20 years old, it's okay, we can party. We can go to bed late and start again the next day and work again the next day. It's possible when you're 20 years old, actually. Yes, meals are often included and with a glass of wine, it's a good atmosphere. Or several. Yes. Or bottles. Yes. I guess. Me neither. I've never done sales, but a lot of friends have participated and it always attracts me. And did you work at McDonald's or as a waitress? I worked as a waitress, but in Mexico. That's it. Yes? Yes, when I arrived in Mexico, I started working as a waitress. And yes, that's all. But in France, I didn't work like that. Oh yes, I worked as a waitress. And that was funny. It was during the Tour de France caravan. Yes? Yes. And I sold coffee. Okay, quite simply. That's it. It was a small caravan that only sold coffee. I didn't know that. But it's nice too. Yes. And you? Did you work in the service, in the restaurant? I worked in the restaurant. And in fact, I served. Do you know the cafeterias called Crescendo? No. No? There may not be that in Montpellier, I think. Maybe there is. Okay. Because in any case, in Aquitaine, there is a chain of cafeterias. It's like a fast restaurant called Crescendo. That's how it's pronounced, like in Italian. And in fact, because it's like a company cafeteria. That is to say that the customers put things on their tray and they go to the table with their tray. They have a tray, like in self-service, for example. It's a type of self-service. So in fact, there are no servers, but there are waiters. So now people, there are tray racks. So people actually bring their tray on the racks. And then we bring the racks. So at the time, maybe there were no racks or people didn't do it. But there was a need to serve the tables. In fact, once the customers had finished eating, to remove the trays. So there, it's the same. I was 19, I think. And since there were a lot of people, it was also in La Teste, in a very touristy area in the summer. I had to do that maybe in June, July, August, September. I don't remember. And there were a lot of people. There were maybe, I don't know, 300 customers per... Because it goes fast, it runs a lot. So there were maybe 300 customers per service. Something like that. Or 400, I don't remember. It was pretty big. So you had to run everywhere to get the trays and serve them. And bring them back to the plunge. Yeah, the plunge. I explain because it's slang too. It's the dish part. That is, it is the part in the kitchens where we wash the dishes. So generally there is a plunger. That's how it's pronounced. It's someone who washes the dishes. A plunger who plunges. I think it has to do with water. Because normally a plunger is someone who plunges underwater. But a plunger is someone who does... It's slang to say that it's someone who does the dishes. We don't use it in job offers. Plunger. We don't use other terms. In any case, the plunge is the dishwashing part of the dishes in a restaurant. So I brought the dishes back to the plunge. And then we put them in the plunge. And we put them away, etc. I made a mess. I don't know if the term exists. But I messed up the tables. I threw the tables away. It's true that our job in the restaurant or the service is very intense. Both physically and mentally. Because we always have to think about a lot of things. And often we are interrupted in our thoughts, etc. So it's true that it's a job... I mean, I have respect for the waiters and waitresses. Because it's not easy. Yeah, me too, because it's a very complicated job. You have to run everywhere. People are waiting for their order. They don't want to wait for plunge. They don't want to wait too long. It's actually complicated. You have to go fast enough. In general, they are always in a hurry. It's not easy, indeed. I have a lot of respect for them too. And actually, I have an anecdote. I was refused McDonald's. I wasn't taken to McDonald's. Maybe I was the only one. Why? I don't know. I have no idea. I was 16 or 17, I don't know. How? Maybe they were complicit. Maybe. I have no idea. Because generally, they accept everyone. It's not complicated. It's the same for McDonald's. It's also for cleaning. Because there are no servers. So there are also people who clean the tables. Things like that. Or in cash too. And I applied. I had a job interview. But then I wasn't contacted again. Okay. So I didn't work at McDonald's. Maybe it was for better opportunities outside of McDonald's. Yes, but at that age, it's not too serious. It's just seasonal jobs. I lived at McDonald's. So it was just seasonal. I found something else. I think I found the town hall. And I had a lot of fun. But I was rejected from McDonald's. I don't know why. In general, they don't tell you why. They reject you. And they never remind you. And they don't tell you why. But that's how it is. And then what I did too. I went to the army. Really? Yes. What did you do in the army? I joined the Air Force. As a volunteer. Because I explain to the viewers that military service is no longer mandatory for a long time. I think the last men who had mandatory military service were those who were born at the end of the 1970s. If I remember correctly. And those who were born after 1979 or 1980, military service was no longer mandatory. Our parents did it. But I didn't do it, for example. So it wasn't mandatory. So you can volunteer in the army. And that's what I did. Because there's the security of work. Once you're in the army, you have to stay there for at least 15 years. So it was for the safety of work, the security of employment. And because it's generally well paid. For the same position, it's a little better paid. And we have a lot of advantages as a soldier. And because my cousin is also a soldier, he had a little of the merits of the army and sold the army a little. Because he likes it. So I tried for five months. I tried to volunteer in the air force. And did you like it? Not really. That's why I liked it. Because I didn't like it too much. There are things in the army that are quite special. Without going into detail. But you have to like the order. You have to like the hierarchy and all that. It's very precise things. I think you have to be ... Not born for that, but it's a state of mind that you have to have. And if you don't have it, yes or no. I think if you don't have this state of mind at most, it's going to be very complicated. I did what are called classes. That is, it is the training before the specialties. In fact, it's the generic training where then you can be a reserve soldier. That is, they teach you everything about the path of the fighter. How to shoot a gun, for example. All the basic things common to all soldiers. Whether in computer science, in any speciality. The menagerie, etc. You see what I mean? These are classes where they train to be military. These are things that are common to all soldiers. General military. That's a bit like that, exactly. I learned how to do that. I still have good memories because it really teaches you cohesion. But really a lot. And was it mixed? Yes, it was mixed. Not the dormitories, of course. Not the rooms. But it was mixed, indeed. There weren't many because it was the computer speciality. It was mixed with mechanical speciality, I think. There were maybe 2 or 3 girls out of 80 boys. But it was mixed anyway. The coincidence was that there weren't many women because they were rather technical specialities. So there weren't many women. But there are specialities. There are hairdressers. There are many specialities. There is also everything that is administration. So there are still women in any case. Yes, I think it must have changed. Yes, I think there are more and more women who are in the technical field. Yes. I think it would be interesting to see the statistics today. Yes, that's for sure. But anyway, I was saying, it taught me a lot about cohesion because it's the team spirit. In fact, in the group, as soon as someone makes a mistake, voluntary or involuntary, it's everyone who takes for the person. And everyone is going to be punished. For example, everyone is going to pump or things like that, or jumps, or I don't know, a sports punishment in general. Or stay all weekend to do the cleaning in all the buildings. So in fact, when someone makes a mistake, everyone takes it. And it teaches you to be in a team, to work as a team, to be in cohesion, and to really think about others. When you do this or that action, you think twice, and you say to yourself, this is the best memory I have of the army. Even if I didn't like the whole frame and all that, I really liked this spirit. Yes, there is the same principle in the Zapatista communities in Mexico. Yes? Yes, it's like that. And yes, I think it makes us responsible for the impact of our actions on the community, right? Yes. It does make you responsible. And then, I also did a food job for 9 years. So normally, it's a job that people usually do for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years. And I did it for 9 years. I was a multimedia advisor, customer advisor. And what did you do? In a call center. Ah, ok. Did you work from home? No, it was in a call center. Ah, ok. Yes, so in a building where there are lots of offices like that, as we see in the United States or in the movies. And on top of that, it was American, so it's what they call platforms, whole states, where there are posts with phones and people answering the phone everywhere. It always impressed me, this job. It seems quite intense, because you have to disconnect yourself from all the conversations to focus on... Do you hear other people on the phone, your colleagues? So yes, we have very good headphones. So not at the beginning, but towards the end, they had installed anti-noise panels, things like that, with carpet or fabric. Between each, they had made like boxes. So not like in the United States, but semi-boxes where the sides were separated from the people, and we heard almost nothing. So it was much better. It was rethought. At first, when I worked, no, we were side by side. And indeed, we shouted at each other. Wait, excuse me, I can't hear you well, my colleague next to me speaks a little loud, things like that. And in addition, the client, he heard the person next to him in general. So it's quite difficult, it's very tiring because you're on the phone all day, etc. So that's why, generally, people last a year, two years, and not much more, because it's really a job that's very tiring. Yes, indeed. Yes, but it's the same, it taught me communication because we had to manage conflicts. That is to say, people called, it was the technical service for internet access providers. And in fact, people contacted us if they had an internet problem or things like that. So we had to fix them. We had to fix their problem, for example. So we learned how to manage conflicts, how to communicate well with customers, etc. And it taught me customer relationship, which we don't necessarily learn when we're at school, to do a job later because we need it in a lot of work, in fact, of all this. And these are things I learned with this job. Yes, I think we learn a lot precisely through these professional experiences, right? It's another form of learning than that of the university or school. And yes, it's interesting to experiment to also learn on the spot, right? Exactly. As they say, it's the school of life. Learning on the spot is learning through experience. And that's it, making mistakes, making mistakes, etc. But learning anyway, in any case, positive lessons. There's always something positive to learn, even if sometimes it's hard to find. But we always find the positive. Often with hindsight, right? Yes. With the years or with hindsight, we realize that in the end it was beneficial for this or that. But indeed, it was really nice. But yes, I did that kind of work. So in general, the jobs, yes, between 16 and 21, 22 years old, before we start working, to have a stable job and a non-food job. Indeed. And now, Lisa, what do you do in life? What activities do you do? Apart from the fact that you are a teacher for my website, for the French UT. We'll talk about it right after. But what are you doing right now? Yes, I work as an agricultural engineer consultant in Mexico. I participate in different projects. There is a project that is developing in the south of Mexico, in the Maya region, in Yucatan and Quintana Roo. It's a reforestation and agroforestry project that focuses on a kind of tree native, endemic to this region. It's called the Maya walnut. It would be my pleasure to talk more about it with you, because I think it's also interesting to know the evolution of these species of trees, which at times in history have a very high importance in culture. And then they disappear a little and then they are recovered again. I really wanted to share that with you. You will talk about it with pleasure in another discussion. With pleasure. Great. I remind you that Lisa can give you conversation practice courses in French. I will leave you the links in the description of the YouTube video and the episode on podcast platforms. But you will be able to book a trial course with Lisa. You have the video in her description. You have her availability. Go see her video presentation. And it would be a pleasure to give you a trial course. Exactly. Thank you very much, Lisa, for participating in this little discussion. It was very nice. It also allows you to get to know us better. It's nice. See you soon for a new discussion. Thank you, see you soon. Bye, thank you.