Crossing the Channel

Nearly 6 months ago, I decided to leave my job in Paris to start a new adventure abroad (more precisely in Cardiff, Wales).

Doctor Who and the local beer aside, what I wanted was to taste something new, to step outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to experience a new culture, speak a different language every day, and so much more (we can talk about food too later!).

I had the chance to join a great company where I met many brilliant people and have had an interesting time seeing how things and people differ here from my homeland and how they are shaped by their country’s way of life. Sometimes they comply with stereotypes and sometimes they totally don't!

In this talk, I want to humbly share my “froggy developer” experiences and examine the subtle differences and commonalities between the French and the British cultures. This will be both from a developer perspective and more generally so expect some crossover!

Transcript

2. Crossing the channel Aurélien Thieriot Web developer Box UK @a_thieriot
3. Aurélien Thieriot ▪ Web developer / SCRUM Master @ Box UK ▪ Worked 10 years for French IT companies – Java background – Web lover – Polyglot developer – Open source enthusiast (athieriot )
4. ▪ A fast-growth software development company in Wales ▪ 80+ people ▪ FTSE 100 clients ▪ 40% revenue growth last year ▪ 30% of revenue comes from abroad (US, South Africa, NZ) ▪ Creating 3 jobs every month in the digital sector ▪ Run a free Masterclass series for aspiring developers ▪ Aim to become a global leader in Agile software development ▪ Technical partners of Careers Wales Online service Box UK - Quickly
5. The boring story Once upon a time... ▪ … in a land far far away called the UK, ▪ There was a Parisian couple in holidays. ▪ After a Dr Who bus tour and a pint of Brains ▪ They decided to go and live in Cardiff, Wales ▪ 9 months later they finally moved ▪ And lived happily ever af... wait... what?
6. Warning: Subjectivity inside (tm) This is just my opinion (And I'm French...) I have seen only 1 company in the UK Cardiff is not London I am probably wrong P.S: I like beer
7. The French side / The British side
8. Language barrier I don't know much but... Hard on the mistakes A lot of different countries Strong accent = no problem I didn't feel rejected
9. Nature God saved your Queen The British are positive Very kind Try to make others happy More introverted They say what they think... Eventually... (Warning) Nothing really unsaid We killed our Kings The French are grumpy We have strong opinions And we complain But we express ourselves We say what we think Sometimes rudely Even if some “unsaid” things
10. Consequences at work Emotional Seeking for trouble Don't care about problems More disruptive Transparency in decisions A job can be really fun Brilliant people Like to work alone Seeking for harmony Try to fix problems More pragmatic Too optimistic Don't mind challenges Brilliant people You can't make everyone happy
11. Contracts Law in favour of employees Holidays... I Miss you A lot of benefits Hard to quit/leave a job Need good grades at Uni Fidelity is not always rewarded Law in favour of employers Lucky to have health plans Easy to quit/leave a job Experience is rewarded
12. Consequences on management Probably not on your side Politics is a family business You can feel the Peter principle We complain a lot about it Promotion is common though So you play the game Probably on your side Helpful Easier to propose solutions You will know it if you don't fit There are still pressure and control freaks
13. Quality of life Easily a lot of hours (Bad looks if you leave early) Take care of your health Harassment happens Pressure When it's time, it's time (No bad looks) Lots of sports-people Can't say about harassment Pressure
14. Food Coffee and coffee Restaurant at lunch time Family time (not just food) French food is *obviously* the BEST food is the world Coffee and tea Lunch time is quick
15. After work Métro / Boulot / Dodo (Metro / Work / bed) Difficult to socialise Friday night is crazy Easy to integrate
16. CODE ! Good practices Code quality Tooling Testing Social events Great talks Great people (Even if pair programming is harder)
17. Q&A