The most important thing to know about ESL teaching jobs in France are that there are 4 main English teaching jobs you can get in France. This depends on your qualifications, student age, and amount of time you want to spend in France. In this post, I’m going to break down all four jobs, including what you need to get them.
Teaching Assistant Professor In France (TAPIF)
The TAPIF position is basically a Teaching Assistant position usually posted in a middle school or high school. I never did this job but I know people who did. This is the best kind of job for someone who wants to work with kids and has little knowledge of French. Also best if you have little knowledge of teaching, since it has the most basic qualifications. However, you do need a B1 level of French and the oldest age to apply is 35 years of age.
The pay is also the lowest. But you can supplement your income with a living stipend from the government.
The Visa Sponsorship time is also the lowest of the three (10 months instead of a full year)
If you want the most help and the lowest commitment, this might be a good choice.
Lecteur de Langue Anglais (Teaching Assistant at a University Level)
For this position, you need a bachelor’s degree and some univerisites also ask for 1 year of Master’s level studies completed.
I never filled this post but I know those who did. The requirements often include conversation hours/labs and sometimes require less content creation. You tend to have less grading and invigilation to do than a Maitre de Langue as well.
The pay is much better than the TAPIF, but still lower than the Maitre de langue. No living stipend is available. You’ll sometimes have some transportation covered depending on the university, but not guaranteed. I’ve found this pay is usually comfortable for 1 person with a modest lifestyle.
The visa sponsorship for this job is 1 complete year renewable once, where often you’ll finish your classes in May and have June/July/August with no work and free to travel but still receiving monthly paychecks.
Maitre de Langue Anglais (Teacher at the University Level)
For this position, you’ll definitely need a minimum of a Master’s level completed.
The pay for this position is the best, since the qualifications are the highest but also the responsibilities are the greatest as well.
The visa sponsorship for this post is the same as lecteur (1 complete year renewable once) where often you’ll finish your classes in May. You then have June/July/August off and are free to travel but still receiving monthly paychecks. Half of your transportation is also usually covered depending on the university.
This is the position that I started with and have the most experience with.
Enseignant de Langue Contractuel Anglais (Contractual English Teacher)
The Contractual English teacher jobs is probably the most loosely defined, has the longest possible duration of all four options, and the most variable salary. That being said, it will always be paid just as well as a Maitre de Langue at a minimum.
The biggest different between a contractual teacher and maitre de langue is that you’ll be teaching DOUBLE the amount of contact hours. This means being able to stay organized, responsible, and be able to manage many different classes. They will often have different ages, levels, and subject focus (Business, engineering, test prep), etc. You may also be expected to complete additional work responsibilities, such as invigilation and communal grading for high level exams, depending on the post.
The visa sponsorship for this post can be up to three years, but it really depends on the university’s needs.
So those are the 4 English Teaching Jobs you can get in France. They’re the easiest and most rewarding for foreigners to qualify for. Which one seems the most interesting to you and why? Let me know in the comments below. If you want to know more about one of the four jobs, feel free to contact me with your questions 🙂
