Teaching English in France

The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in France. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.

Mike on 18 April 2006

quote French administration is fine as long as you get the paperwork right regarding things like residency and work permit; that includes any family. Tax and state contribution issues also need to be well in hand with both UK and France if you are to avoid double whammy or problems later on return to UK. Once you are 'pigeon-holed' in France it is hell's job to change it! You will need to a) speak French and b) drive. France is a big country by UK standards and not all areas use much English or choose to, and that, along with the different working hours and odd shop closing days/times can make working schedules and shopping trips a bit of a juggle, especially as they vary from region to region.

I found north France (Paris included) more problematic with language than middle and southern France... but I spoke very well quite quickly; you will need to try to do the same so upgrade/refresh any skills before you arrive. Your family should also learn to drive and speak asap for obvious medical/administration and schooling reasons. We lived in a remote village with no English speakers so be warned - it may look idyllic on the TV but it takes some handling!

Take all documents on everything - often originals are needed so don't end up with social security, professional and medical stuff safely in an English high street bank vault!

Don't be fooled by the laid back attitude of the southern French; they can be quite inscrutable and that includes students and families of them.

Be prepared for a bit of old fashioned chauvinism - this is often a (rather good and deep) disguise as it is often 'maman' who really pulls the strings. Professionally it is rather male dominated but the minority of French lady professionals are very competent and tough; they have to be so treat them as real or risk earache and severe 'red-taping' on procedures otherwise.

Students are surprisingly 'primitive' quite often in English even though (allegedly) they learn English as a first second language in early school; as usual passive skills are often high and laziness rules OK viz homework and projects timeframes. Watch out for humour - it takes some very exotic forms in the south particularly where they often have a rather 'colonial' view of England and English teachers. Music often works well as a teaching vehicle... surprisingly poetry does as well. Politics and social life in other countries is cursory knowledge but stimulating with teen learners - the Royals can be both fun subjects and mystifying if too much detail is given or asked for.

Education admin is quite refreshingly traditional (committees, reports) but as a teacher you will have quite a lot of templated forms and procedures and (at higher levels) quite a bit of accountability for progress reports and real goal attainment. Not so 'cosy' as some English language schools for example... more real and demanding with the irritating French obsession with terminology exactitude which can be a problem if you do not speak French well; the usual concept translation problems.

That will do for now maybe. Social/family life issues vary from region to region so best to do thorough homework and visit the area if you are moving over as a family. Short term solo existence can be as 'business trip' mentality as you choose to make it; ranging from 'where is the nearest expat support group ie. pub... to 'I wonder what happens if' with phrase book and a big smile adventures. The second one is far more fun and near zero-risk believe me! France is not (yet) Papua New Guinea so the natives bite sometimes perhaps but do not chew!

Colette on 8 May 2006

quote Finding ESL teaching work outside of Paris can be a challenge and it takes time to orientate oneself. Forget trying to find work between June and September as the summer holiday period is long and unless you have an interview lined up beforehand, you will need lots of luck on your side. However, I suggest you email your CV and letter of motivation (in French) to as many addresses as possible (try www.pagesjaunes.com) and above all don't give up, keep trying. There are jobs out there and you don't have to be bilingual, just very persistent. Bonne Chance.

Wendy on 12 December 2006

quote I live in Amberieu (small town half an hour outside Lyon) and I teach English freelance to adults. There seems to be a great demand for English native speakers, and we are thin on the ground outside the big cities in this part of France. My advice for anyone considering coming over to teach - go for it, if you are a good teacher you will have no difficulty at all in finding work and the quality of life over here is better than that in England (weather, food, open space, sports, culture etc etc) and it's the best way to improve your French, actually living in the country.

Jane on 4 October 2007

quote I have lived in France for 13 years and I think that it is not so much what you know but rather who you know. The French seem to focus on what qualifications you have (often without checking them) and if it looks good on paper that's what counts! I am a nurse and have taught English for several years. I have just completed a specialised course in "teaching medical English" if anyone out there is interested to know more about that, do send me a mail (contact Jane through eslbase).

Paul on 18 October 2007

quote In France you will pay a lot of tax and many students will not be interested in learning English because the French government makes companies provide staff with English lessons. French people can also be quite rude and seem to enjoy it. It is best to move to France to find a TEFL job.

Carl on 15 March 2008

quote France is very expensive - food, clothes and drinking in bars is very expensive, more expensive than any other country in the EU, it is much more expensive than the UK. Finding a place to stay in Paris which is where most of the TEFL jobs are is very very hard because most ads you phone are gone or at least 50 people will call in a day, it can take a month to find a place unless you get lucky.

Jonathon on 7 June 2008

quote France is more expensive than the UK unless you are buying a home, no it's not 25% cheaper! 6-8 euros for a pint of beer. In fact, you do not need coins in France because its hard to buy milk for less than two euros!

Jacquie on 2 June 2009

quote I am American but have been living in France for over 25 years. My husband is French, so I had no problems getting a work permit. If you want to do ESL for professionals, you probably can ask for a bit more if you are American. Of course it is harder for us to work here, which explains the shortage of qualified American English teachers. If you are planning on staying in France, I would recommend getting another job, training,etc. where your English language skills are necessary. Then as a second career, or perhaps if you have kids, want to work part-time, etc. doing ESL training . You get to meet great people, visit lots of companies, and learning is a win-win situation. Of course you will not make loads of money and there will be very few fringe benefits, so you have to know what you are getting into. But once you are known in this field, you will be able to work for higher paying agencies. Good luck!

Anna on 27 August 2010

quote I teach English on the phone to Europeans. My adult learners' companies pay for their lessons. My learners are very polite. Perhaps, it is the fact that they are adults and are earning okay incomes for Europe that they are interested in learning English or that they get a 5 week holiday. As much as France sounds beautiful and appealing (sometimes my learners describe their weekend in Versailles or sailing in the Cote D'Azur when you basically were able to just step out to grocery shop), image is very important for Europeans, so there is pressure to have this "bourgeiosie" lifestyle which can be deceiving and plain false. You feel that many are "boasting" even about their adventures to Corsica or Majorca. There is a constant need to fulfill their teenage-like egos, and all they keep on talking about is their previous 5-week holiday or their upcomng sojourn in the next trendy spot in Europe. They are OBSESSED with pleasure and travelling, keeping up appearances. You can surmise then that they are not hard-workers. They do not have a strong working ethic even though Germans and French will tell you otherwise. They also have a bit of a superiority complex and entitlement issues, one learner just bluntly made fun of Americans, arguing that France has more culture and history. Because of this, they do not have to work as hard or prove themselves. However, I never opened a discussion for debate or incited any competitive duel. She just basically imposed the "we are better than you" motto. In conclusion, I cannot believe how entitled they feel to a vacation. They are ALWAYS talking about their next holiday, and plan months in advance. Most people I know just take a week or two weeks and go to a cheap all-inclusive. These learners were going skiing in Austria, get-aways in Budapest, visiting relatives in Spain, and exotic holidays in Thailand, all in one year! Weird!

Anonymous on 11 February 2011

quote France is a beautiful country. I worked in Paris for 2 years as a TEFL teacher and I really enjoyed it. I found the French people to be very warm and eager to learn. The cost of living is high but the wages are very good. I saved a lot of money while living there.

Jimbo on 12 October 2011

quote I much prefer the the south to the north. I couldn't believe how cold it got up there! There is lots of work going in the Toulouse area at the moment - I really recommend that region as it's close to Spain and the Pyrennees, isn't too touristy and has a lively nightlife. It seems that the teaching kids thing is just taking off too if that's your thing.

Richard on 18 October 2011

quote I'm into my second year of TEFL in central France and already spoke B2 level French before I started. My first year was spent teaching at a University, a good hourly rate but only paid twice a year, at the end of each semester. The work fell away to almost nothing after February because English lessons are stopped to let the students concentrate on their final exams. This year the University was administratively very slow off the mark (apparently typical) so in the meantime I had got work at a higher education college where I teach Business English. Word of mouth then led to me to becoming self employed in order to teach Business English in a company... So what? So, there is plenty of work out there but it's not necessarily advertised; you have to use your initiative and contacts. The French don't respond to your job-searching emails and letters, instead they contact you at the last moment hoping you're available to start the next day. Literally! Language schools charge their clients loads but pay you the teacher badly. So work at a University or higher education college for double. Or go your own way and earn triple while still undercutting the rates charged by language schools. Mix and match, get to meet lots of enthusiastic people and have a great time (but spend weekends terribly confused about which class you're preparing for and where!)