“I’m going to teach in France.” Some of the most exciting words a young Francophile might ever hear themselves say. Such a simple phrase, but still it is capable of conjuring up daydreams of passing an afternoon drinking a café at a table the size of a nickel, that decorates a sidewalk patio twice the size of the interior of the coffee shop itself. Making not one stop, but several, just to buy ingredients for dinner.. Taking a weekend to explore breathtaking museums and cities before stopping to snack on a crepe or indulge in a hearty meal of beef bourguignon or coq au vin. Oh, and of course, spending the week in the classroom playing games and giving wide-eyed French students a native taste of English.
Well yes, it’s cliché. Of course it is! What else would a recent graduate, or otherwise avid Francophile who has only ever had their head buried in French literature and film, imagine? This may be an idyllic image, but the day-to-day reality that comes with moving to France to teach English is undoubtedly one of the best ways for someone who dreams of immersing themselves to turn a classroom education into a tangible experience.
The Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) is a project developed by the French Ministry of Education to increase English language exposure in public schools. Assistants from America, England, and Australia, among other Anglophone countries, work for 12 hours per week in écoles primaires (elementary schools), collèges (middle schools), or lycées (high schools).
The gig does come with a few caveats. The compensation for teaching comes in the form of a monthly stipend of approximately 900 euro (in 2010-2011). And, although the official title is“assistant,” in the écoles primaires, assistants are responsible for creating their own lesson plans, games, worksheets, etc. on their own, as well as leading the class and maintaining order. In the collegesand lycées, assistants follow the lesson plans of the teachers and are generally responsible for creating additional exercises that allow students to practice listening and speaking to someone with a real English (not to be mistaken strictly for British, mind you!) accent.
For someone who has experience in the classroom, neither of these situations should be terribly intimidating. Nevertheless, while first timers to teaching should by no means be discouraged from participating, it would, in this former assistant’s opinion, be wise to do some prep work before you arrive. One of the greatest weaknesses of the TAPIF program is its lack of resource support. Assistants are largely left to their own devices after the first week of “training,” which, for primary school assistants, consists of a review of the expected syllabus (which spans September through June, even though assistants are not contracted for this entire period), ideas for the initial few games and lesson plans, and some suggestions on discipline. While this type of training is great for a lesson or two, it doesn’t hold up for a full year. A better supply of materials and ideas and a more accessible way of attaining them is a necessity in the future development of this program if it hopes to have a greater impact on students’ English acquisition. Regardless, creativity will remain a definite must for assistants!
Despite this minor downside, TAPIF, without a doubt, serves as an incredible beginner’s guide to living in France. The hours are not so demanding that assistants are overwhelmed by the difficulties, but at the same time it offers the opportunity to make a connection with both colleagues and students — I have compared it to being the elementary school art teacher: You see the kids once or twice a week, but the subject is fun and everyone quickly learns to look forward to English Day. Additionally, the minimal time commitment allows a surplus of hours to spend people watching from those cliché, and very present, café sidewalks.
Furthermore, the pay is enough to provide what you need (unless perhaps you are living in Paris or have excessively extravagant needs). In Tours in the Loire Valley, the majority of assistants had plenty of money for rent, as well as a fair amount of “fun money.” I may have lived in an apartment where the heat escaped through the century old walls before it could warm my slipper clad toes and the refrigerator for four people was smaller than my parents’ spice cabinet, but my French roommates are the people who offered me what I had really crossed the Atlantic for: daily language practice, conversations about what we love and what baffles us about the others’countries (can’t a girl buy a baguette on a Sunday, for crying out loud!), and the French experience that can only be found from diving in and living it.
