“In France, we are obsessed with high-ranking schools, deplores Nicolas Glady, vice-president of the Conference of Grandes Écoles (CGE) in charge of the training and careers commission. But we also have very good schools in the top 10 or top 20.” In fact, business schools are sort of leveling up, the first having been able to impose a degree of excellence such that the following remain very solid “These are good establishments which provide access to good, well-paid jobs,” says Nicolas Glady. It is no coincidence that they have an integration rate of almost 90%.
“Six months after the release, we are even 100% students in post,” confirms Camille Faure, director of the ESDES Grande Ecole Program. Accessible after the baccalaureate, the Lyon establishment also prides itself on its proximity to students. “It is a school on a human scale, which allows us to support our students as closely as possible,” explains the director who also emphasizes its local roots. “Our graduates are often recruited into smaller companies, which allows them to move more quickly towards impactful positions,” she insists. And who says evolution means rapid increase in income.
Middle schools don’t have much to envy in terms of remuneration – even if they remain well below what the best schools offer after graduation. “On leaving, the average salary is around 45,000 euros gross per year,” specifies, for her part, Annelaure Oudinot, director of the PGE of Grenoble management school (GEM).
Learning, the key to integration?
A fairly high income and, nonetheless, quite standard in these establishments. The director has even noticed an increase in recent years. The reason ? “A much more favorable job market”, but also the important place given to apprenticeship. “This year, 19% of students landed a job in the company where they completed their work-study program,” underlines Annelaure Oudinot.
“All recognized business schools follow international standards, are backed by research and offer professional training,” adds Nicolas Glady, “with an important place given to professional experience through work-study programs, internships and company immersions. ” A graduate of ICN Business School in 2023, Chloé Vien-Do completed her two years of master’s training at Total Energie, as a management controller. “It was an alternation of one week in training and three weeks in the company. This allowed me to discover the world of work, to determine what I liked and what I didn’t like, but also to perceive a salary,” says the young graduate.
She currently holds a position as Financial Planning And Analyst at Deloitte in Luxembourg. A “very enriching” opening to Europe. And proof that the original establishment is not everything: “I have colleagues who come from top 5 schools in my department,” underlines Chloé Vien-Do.
Beyond professional experience, the journey carried out outside the borders constitutes a key asset on the CV for professional integration. And all those responsible have understood this well: “In our ‘diploma’ criteria, there is an international dimension”, insists Camille Faure, while at ESDES going abroad is possible in 2nd, 4th and 5th years. A decisive advantage for launching your career: at GEM, a significant proportion of graduates work outside French territory, particularly in Switzerland, the leading employer country for alumni.
Supervised and controlled establishments
So what distinguishes the establishments at the top of the table from those in the middle? “It’s a lot of details, but typically, alumni networks can make the difference,” says Nicolas Glady. Beyond their prestige, the seniority of HEC and Essec makes it possible to acquire a more solid and established alumni pool.
“Grandes écoles are institutions that prepare very well for professional life, but a very large school opens up more possibilities,” says Bernard Ramanantsoa, honorary general director of HEC Paris. For a given promotion, we will find people who work on much broader spectrums: in the banking and luxury sectors, but also in the associative sector, for example.”
The schools in the top 5 still stand out in terms of remuneration. In the largest, exit salaries often exceed 50,000 euros, while they fluctuate between 35,000 and 45,000 euros for those in the second tier.
But the ranking doesn’t matter: all establishments are supervised and meet criteria of excellence, “as evidenced by the integration rate”, insists Nicolas Glady. In addition to providing general management training, “schools are a safe bet in terms of training, job search assistance, but also the construction of a professional project”, adds Annelaure Oudinot. And in recent years, major transformations have taken place in the higher education landscape, notably through the arrival of CSR or sustainable development. All schools have modified their educational model to integrate these new dimensions. And this, regardless of their place in the rankings.
An article from the special report of L’Express “The 2024 Palmarès des grandes écoles de commerce”, published in the weekly of December 14
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