Working as an English teaching assistant in France:
“Assistant d’anglais” is a program managed by France Education International (FEI) through which English teaching assistants are recruited to teach English in France. Here are the essential details of this program:
- It is not super hard to get accepted: you just have to have student status and demonstrate proficiency in English and French (for Indians the minimum requirement is a 7.5 in the IELTS for English and a minimum of B1 in French in exams like DFP, DELF etc; if you have a degree in French that would also work. For learning French in India there is a network of 14 Alliance Française with 19 annexes as well as other language institutes and Universities. You also need a recommendation letter and submit other formal documents (for e.g police attestation), as required in the application. Every year around 150 students from India get to be part to the program.
- You do get to indicate where you choose to work in the application. You get a choice of 3 zones and one city from each zone. Where you want to be posted depends on the kind of experience you want to have- so do your research before applying! They will take your preferences into account, but the final decision rests with them.
- You get a choice to teach English at any level-from primary school to junior-level college students -they will mostly take your preferences into account.
- The stipend is flat (if you convert it into Indian rupees it is around 65000 INR in hand), irrespective of where you are – in big cities like Paris it gets hard to manage your expenses with that amount because the living costs are higher. Depending on the situation, you might have to use some of your own savings. So keep that in mind while indicating where you want to work. The biggest expense is accommodation. A few schools provide you with free accommodation but that is rare. You have to do your own research and find suitable accommodation based on your own requirements. Do not expect them to hold your hand when it comes to finding accommodation. You can even work part-time, as a tutor etc and earn extra money! If you’re lucky you might even save enough money to be able to do some travelling!
- The session lasts for 7 months (October-April). After every 2 months you get a 15 day break.
- It is also possible to renew your contract multiple times continuously, but if you take a break then it gets difficult to be re-accepted.
- It vastly improves your knowledge of the French language because you are forced to speak and use it all the time! You get a chance to experience French culture first-hand which broadens your horizons! It also gives you a chance to make connections with people from other countries! Although it is almost impossible to secure a permanent job in France with this experience, it will look very good on your resume. When you come back to your country, it might open doors for you to work in multinationals, call centers, or to work as a teacher, translator etc!
Good luck!
