Hi

I am looking to work in France, in any form.  I understand that getting a job in the French education system is pretty tough, but it would be my preferred route as employed status simplifies payment of the taxes and receipt of the benefits that flow from that!

Having just read the 5 tips to TEFL success (extract below) I was left wondering what language I should put my application in.

• Keep it simple

Very often the person who’ll be reading your job application won’t have English as their first language. They won’t want to tackle an application full of flowery language – they’ll want one that’s simple to read and direct. If they can’t immediately see that you’ve got the skills for the job your application will probably end up being binned!

Tips on this particular point and all other aspects of getting a teaching job here in France, would be welcome on this topic.  I'm still keeping an eye on the Recruiting New Students topic as I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket and will be using some of the advertising tips I found there.

Bye

Hello fellow teachers in France!

I am not used to using these sites, or blogs, or "chat rooms" as such, but this seems a useful forum, so I'll add my 2 cents worth, and hope it helps someone! I came to France at the end of 2007, armed with a TEFL certificate, and some background in training, plus a lot of background in management and sales. My french was (is) very poor, but improving. I realised very quickly (before I left Australia) that the only thing I could conceivably do here was teach english. I searched for a few local language schools on yellow pages.fr before I left, and sent a number of speculative emails. I had some positive responses almost immediately! When I arrived in Nancy, I had an interview, and started working as a tutor. Later, I contacted some other private institutes, and am now teaching 25 to 28 hours per week, in and out of school, to professional adult students.

Some tips:

1. Find out who owns / runs the school, and apply directly to them.

2. Apply in English. As per previous postings, keep it simple and relevant. If they want your CV in French, they will ask for it.

3. Stress that you are a native speaker. Many companies that engage private language schools insist on native speakers.

4. List all relevant experience, and that includes training, business, sales, management, etc. as a lot of the students not only want business vocab, but also some of the finer details about business in english, and what cultural differences there are.

Hope some of this helps ......

Cheers, Neil

It's always good to go for seasonal work. I work for a company called siblu (www.siblu.com)  - they own 14 mobile home holiday parcs in France. Check out their website for job applications - Jobs such as receptionnists, sales people, children's club staff, entertainment staff, cleaners etc.  And you can have a great experience.  There are lots of other similar companies all around France too.  This way, you can get something on your CV, and get the experience you need.

Bon continuation,

Claire