My name is Alice LAFORGUE and I am an apprentice mechanic in CQP TEAVA (Professional Qualification Certificate for Automotive After-Sales Expert Technician) at a car dealership: SF Ferrari Cote d’Azur in Cannes. I am finishing this year an apprenticeship program at IFA (Institut de Formation Automobile) Nice. It lasted one year with a schedule of 3 weeks in the company and 1 week of classes.
Today in this company, I take care of customer car maintenance as well as fault diagnostics. The atmosphere is great, my colleagues take the time to teach me things and support me in my difficulties. I work a lot with other trades like salespeople, bodyworkers, and automotive and legal experts. I really enjoy repairing complex things, it stimulates me! Besides being a great opportunity due to the brand’s prestige, working at SF Ferrari also means repairing cars equipped with cutting-edge technologies.
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If you think I always knew I would do this job, think again! Initially, I didn’t know which career to pursue, but being passionate about everything manual, I decided to go into mechanics after high school, hoping I would like it. I did a lot of “theoretical studies at first: first a DUT in mechanical and production engineering at the”IUT of Bordeaux. A very interesting field but not practical enough for me. So I decided to start over with a CAP1 MVA (Automotive Vehicle Maintenance). Yes, it “was a bold but necessary choice and I was lucky to” be supported by my parents. Later, I needed to go further, so I ventured into the field of automotive competition and then into luxury.
I would say the biggest challenge I had to overcome in my career was proving myself in the competition field. Indeed, competition is a very intense field, and with female mechanics being rare, I had to prove that I could physically and mentally keep up. I managed to show that I had something extra, unique knowledge and ways of doing things.
Finding myself in the luxury sector today has allowed me to realize that it is a field where friendliness and mutual support prevail, both in the workshop and between garages.
Throughout my career, I mainly oriented myself through personal research: internet, nearby garages, etc. I used my motivation and my previous studies, which are still useful to me today. Indeed, each year of “study taught me things and I gain as much personal benefit as knowledge: The DUT taught me to be rigorous, hardworking, and all the theoretical basics of general mechanics; The CAP was mainly a practical learning of the basics of automotive mechanics; The”performance school taught me the concept of fine-tuning cars; The CQP shows me all the complex technology of new vehicles.
The job of an automotive mechanic is a job of passion! The days can seem long when you’re not really interested and very short when you’re having fun! So if you like the automotive sector, go for it! There are many careers to explore. Plus, we are no longer “dirty-handed mechanics,” we truly become technicians; constantly learning, almost self-taught, about the functioning of new technologies. We closely follow digital, technological, and mechanical developments. The uniqueness of luxury automobiles lies mainly in the level of service expected by the client. The luxury sector allows the client to truly customize everything, from the service to the car. We move away from more conventional brands where everything is identical: all cars are personalized and different. These are collector brands where you can find very different models, from very recent hybrids to classics. It allows for very diverse work where you learn new things.
So you understand, you need good practical and theoretical foundations in mechanics to do this job. I would also add that attending a good school is very useful, especially in the highly selective field of competition vehicles, as schools help you make a place for yourself there.
Outside of work, I keep myself busy. I mainly play horseball in a club in Bordeaux, my hometown. I also ride motorcycles with friends, the landscapes of the Southeast are magnificent!
I would conclude by telling you to dare! Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who are interested in your project and don’t stop until you feel in your place!
1CAP: Professional Aptitude Certificate
Written by Monika T.
