The V.I.E, International Corporate Volunteer program, allows young talents to work abroad for a period of 6 to 24 months.
For companies, it's a unique opportunity to recruit international profiles, benefit from their skills and their vision of the local market.
In this article, discover our experience with recruiting a V.I.E, as well as the perspective of Valentin, freshly arrived at TEMO!
A good way to learn more about the advantages a V.I.E brings to a young company looking to accelerate its exports.
Why recruit a V.I.E?
This year, we wanted to focus on the development of our brand in Scandinavia.
Northern Europe represents a market with strong potential in
| A V.I.E ensures sales monitoring and development, network animation, training of resellers as well as the planning and organization of commercial actions with stores and the marketing team: everything we ultimately needed, so why not take the plunge? |
What can a V.I.E bring?
Valentin's position will allow us to develop TEMO's field presence in 7 countries: Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
We already work with a network of specialized local resellers, but it is important to increase our partners and especially to animate this network. Valentin allows us to
What are the advantages of using a V.I.E?
For us, the advantages are numerous:
- Controlled budget: financial aid offered by the Region limits the budgetary impact of the V.I.E
- Contract type savings: on average, a V.I.E costs between 30% and 25% less than a traditional expatriate for a company
- Turnkey solution: administrative management of the V.I.E is delegated to Business France
- Flexible HR formula: renewable contract, regionalizable mission, etc.
- Talent pool: Business France's CV library contains more than 40,000 international candidates
- Valuation lever: international experience is very attractive for young talents
- Openness to the world: cultural diversity fosters innovation and dynamism
How to find the V.I.E profile that suits us?
Sending a V.I.E to represent the company in another country is an important decision that implies great responsibility for both parties.
To succeed in the mission, it is essential that both parties have good communication, mutual trust, and that the V.I.E is autonomous and serious.
At TEMO, we are convinced that certain values are essential: team spirit, dynamism, innovation, commitment, integrity, and responsibility.
We felt it was important that our future V.I.E share these values in addition to the following criteria:
- Be passionate about boating
- Sail regularly
- Have completed an international business curriculum
- Love speaking English or even a third language (German, Spanish, or Italian)
- Have knowledge of CRM functionalities
- Possess a certain maturity and an entrepreneurial spirit
Furthermore, the V.I.E position is only valid for individuals aged between 18 and 28 at the time of their registration.
What are the steps to recruit a V.I.E?
We had to submit a complete application file to Business France, which included about twenty questions. We detailed our market study, our medium-term strategic vision, and the actions we would implement to address them.
Once the file was validated, Business France took care of the rest, and we were able to integrate Valentin into the company.
How to integrate a V.I.E into your company?
We chose to hire Valentin on a 2-month fixed-term contract before his departure to Sweden so that he could meet the entire TEMO team and train at trade shows.
Although Valentin has gone to Stockholm, this does not prevent us from communicating with him daily and from him being an integral part of the TEMO team.
9 questions for a V.I.E.
To complement our article, we wanted to interview our super V.I.E: Valentin. Feedback and opinion from a newly settled V.I.E, right here!
What does your mission as a V.I.E consist of?
The objective of my mission will be to
What motivated you to apply as a V.I.E? What will this experience bring you?
I really wanted to live abroad again after my Erasmus experience in Finland. The V.I.E is an excellent professional opportunity with many advantages compared to other jobs abroad. It allows me to develop my professional skills while being personally fulfilled.
The challenge and the opportunity to work for this company matched my expectations and immediately interested me. I promise, they didn't force me to say that. 😅
How does the city choice work? Where are you based?
When applying for a V.I.E, the company generally chooses the country according to its needs. However, in some cases, it is possible to discuss the choice of country and city during interviews.
In my case, I had the chance to discuss with the TEMO team, and we chose Stockholm, Sweden, because of its strategic location in Northern Europe. This also matched my personal wishes to return to Scandinavia.
What skills are necessary to be a good V.I.E?
Beyond the professional skills that are essential for companies, I would say that you need to be autonomous and capable of easily adapting to a new personal and professional environment. The culture and pace of life are completely different, and you need to find your footing in a new environment. You also need to be sociable, not too shy, and fluent in English (a language you must master, by the way).
Other somewhat more informal intrinsic skills are also required for everything concerning after-work activities, but I won't say more... 😉
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a V.I.E?
Being a V.I.E represents an exciting new challenge for me because I can get out of my routine and live a unique experience in a new country. In addition to my professional mission, I have the chance to discover a new culture, meet new people, and see different landscapes.
The only disadvantage is being far from my loved ones.
What does a typical V.I.E week look like?
Beyond the various events organized in the offices, breakfast, candy breaks, after-work, 😅... my typical week can vary.
In general, in a month, I do prospecting, I contact prospects, I organize appointments, I participate in trade shows, and I do sales tours.
How to organize and integrate abroad when alone?
Organizing one's arrival in a new country can be a complicated task, but as a V.I.E, Business France helps us with administrative procedures.
In addition, there are existing groups with V.I.E members from each country/city, which allows for meeting people quite quickly.
For housing, I would say that it is the only area where we don't necessarily get help. You have to search online or on Facebook pages. Housing is quite expensive, but it is easy to find accommodation without having to provide salary証明. Personally, I chose to share an apartment with someone who has lived in Stockholm for years. If I have any questions, I know I can count on him. 😉
What are the advantages and options available as a V.I.E?
As a V.I.E, the rules are quite clear and leave little room for negotiation. The salary is set by the State with a fixed remuneration and a variable remuneration, allocated according to the chosen country (cost of living, country risk,...).
To supplement the salary, companies can cover the V.I.E's accommodation. If this is the case, their allowance will be reduced by 20%.
Regarding offices, if the company has a subsidiary, the V.I.E will be directly in its offices. If the company does not have one, it must provide offices (the V.I.E cannot be 100% remote).
Finally, health insurance and mutual insurance are covered throughout the V.I.E period.
How to adapt to the pace of life and local life?
The adaptation went very well; I was already familiar with the culture of the Nordic countries due to my time in Finland. I am gradually finding my feet, meeting people through the various events organized by the Chamber of Commerce (thank you for the wine tasting evening 😉) or by events on the V.I.E group, such as hockey matches.
Regarding my mission, it's the same. I'm learning a lot about how things work here and I'm starting to prospect to quickly find new partners.
| In conclusion, the V.I.E is a very advantageous scheme for companies wishing to accelerate their international development. |
At TEMO, Valentin's arrival as a V.I.E has allowed us to strengthen our field presence in the Nordic countries and to
The financial and administrative advantages offered by Business France also facilitated the implementation of this scheme. We are convinced that international experience is very formative for young people.
Indeed, Alexandre, the co-founder of TEMO, was himself a V.I.E after his studies and loved his experience. Taking on a V.I.E at TEMO in turn was a good way to offer a young person the chance to go and live a very formative international experience, and we are delighted to have offered this opportunity to Valentin.
If you are passionate about boating, have team spirit, and are looking for an adventure in a growing company. Join the team!
Meetings in all four corners of the globe
Watts, watt-hours, amps, amp-hours, volts... WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT??