ABSTRACT
To understand the idiosyncrasies of the French system of education and training in Public Administration it is necessary to consider the conditions and circumstances which have given birth to the present French context in this particular field. Until recently, French universities had not developed courses in Public Administration, except at a doctoral level, and comparative research was still in its infancy. Initial Recruitment is based on two fundamental notions of French thinking: a strong hierarchy and a demand for equality which ranks as constitutional law. Continuous training follows more or less the same patterns in the three different French Civil Services, namely state, local and hospital personnel. The Civil Service has held an extremely important position in France for a long time, not only in terms of staff numbers, but also in the role granted to it by the public powers.
