There are many misconceptions on how to teach English in France. Many websites online will tell you that you need a TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). This is not actually the case, but it is very helpful and highly recommended nonetheless. You could just have teaching experience. The only real prerequisite is to have a bachelor’s degree from a university, and either be a native English speaker or be able to prove you have a near-native English level. However, not all English teaching jobs will have the same prerequisites. Here’s all you need to REALLY teach English in France:
Get a university degree (preferably a master’s)
To be a TAPIF (teaching assistant professor in France) you need a bachelor’s, and most other part time posts like summer teaching jobs will at least want you to have a bachelor’s degree too. Remember that the TAPIF has the lowest requirements but also is only for 7 months and pays minimum wage. This is best for single teachers new to teaching and who want to travel and get a taste of France. For a lecteur de langue (decent salary, 1-2 years full time, but paid summers off) you need to have completed 1 year of a Master’s degree, and to be a Maitre de Langue (best salary, again 1-2 years full time with paid summers off) you need to have completed your Master’s.
Learn a bit of French
You will be expected to communicate with the university administration in French, so this means answering emails in French and the occasional in person meetings with secretaries that will usually want you to confirm the hours you’re teaching and the classes you plan to teach for the year.
Choose the right job and city
This only applies for Lecteur and Maitre de Langue jobs, if you are a TAPIF they will place you where they want. The good thing about lecteur and MdL jobs is that there are usually so many during the year! In my experience the most competitive ones are in Paris, as everyone seems to want to live in Paris. But the quality of life might be best in other places, such as Strasbourg or Toulouse. It depends on what kind of personality you have and what you prefer. Do you like a big cosmopolitan city with a tiny apartment but countless restaurants, shops, museums, and things to do? Then go for a place like Paris, Lyon, or Marseille. Want a middle-cized city with still plenty to do but it’s not overwhelming? Check out Strasbourg, Bordeaux, or Nantes. Prefer the countryside with mountains? Maybe Pau is for you. There are countless countryside cities to choose from. Just make sure you’re relatively close to an airport, train, or major city in case you miss the big city!
Get a job interview
This involves crafting the right resume and coverletter which is easier said than done. Resumes in the US focus on actions and things you’ve accomplished, whereas French resumes tend to focus more on posts and qualifications. You’ll also want to be prepared to write some cover letters in French, which is quite a feat unto itself. Then if they like you, the next step is the interview, which may have some or all of the interview conducted only in French. This will most likely be done online via Zoom.
Get ranked (hopefully 1st)
Once they interview all the candidates, they rank their top five favorites or so, and then let you know what your rank is. They then offer the position to the first rank, and then go down the line if anyone turns them down. This happened to me for the first post that took me overseas to Strasbourg–I was ranked 2nd, and then they offered me the post about a month after they told me my rank because their first choice declined the position.
Get a job offer and accept
This is probably the easiest, and most exciting, part of the process. Once you accept, the university may ask for more paperwork, and will request work authorization from the government on your behalf. Once they have it, they will send it to you so you can submit it along with the rest of your paperwork to the French embassy closest to you.
Move to France
I covered all of the following in my How to Move to France post, but here it is again:
The first step to move to France is to make an appointment with the embassy and submit all the necessary documents including your passport. They may ask for things like proof of medical insurance for the first few months you’re there, in addition to your birth certificate, job offer, work authorization, and so on. France is notorious for requiring a lot of paperwork, but not to worry–with a bit of patience usually everything works out.
Get your Passport back with the VLS-TS Visa to allow you to move to France to work
You will need to anticipate not having your passport for 2 weeks to up to a few months, so make sure not to make any international travel plans during that time!
Physically Move to France with as many suitcases as you need
For the first move it’s worth taking as much as you can and paying for those checked bags. Keep in mind though that you’ll probably be renting a furnished apartment when you arrive, which will have everything you need. 1-2 big checked bags, 1 carry on and 1 personal item should be fine.
Rent a furnished home/apartment
Many apartments come pre-furnished, which is an amazing concept that I wish was more popular in the US. No need to worry about furniture, linens, pillows, cutlery, kitchen appliances, you just need your suitcases with clothes and personal items.
Get a French bank account
This may take anywhere from 1-3 weeks. Getting a bank account is important because many other things require this. You’ll also need it for your new job to send you direct deposit payments each month.
Get a French phone
This will help you get an apartment if you don’t have one already, and you will need a French phone for just about everything here in France.
Find out your classes and student levels, and start creating syllabi for each class
1st year students (L1) will in general be more difficult to handle and less mature than 2nd year or 3rd year students (L2 and L3). This depends on students, degree, and university of course, but after the 1st year of students some students drop out, and the ones who stick with it tend to be a bit more serious about their studies. Sometimes you’ll get mixed level classes (beginners, intermediate and advanced all in one class), but normally you should get students with closer levels (like A2/B1, B1/B2, or B2/C1). If you don’t know the European CEFR level framework, definitely learn more about it before you move to France. It would help to know it well before you even start applying for jobs. After you know what your students are studying and what level they are, figure out how many classes they have during the semester and when so you can craft a syllabi with dates for homework, midterm and final exams, and so on.
Start teaching!
And that’s it! You’re ready to start!
This is how you teach English in France.
