Job Discussion Forums

[Coolguy123]

Hi,

I know there are a lot of people that want to teach English in France - and that it's basically impossible to get a visa there without an EU passport. Anyone know if there other options?

AFAIK, if you study in France, the tuition is quite low (as low as 100 euro in some schools) and you are eligible to work part time there. Would this allow you to work on the side freely to support your studies? Where would you be able to work? From there, having a degree from a French university, is it possible to work in France or at least in education/public education? What about teaching other subjects like English Literature in university or elsewhere? Or is the competition in such areas simply too high to be realistic?

I do have a B.A. in English Lit and have considered it as a career abroad, since the competition for jobs in the U.S. is extremely high for those positions.

As an American, it doesn't look like France holds a working holiday agreement with the U.S.

I'd like to attempt something like that, but there seems to be quite a few questions marks in such an attempt, and seems likely to end in a a year stint in france. Might be fun or one might learn some french, but seems like one may come out with a few financial dings considering the unemployment rate there, and seems risky. Thoughts?

[Xie Lin]

Yes, you can work on a student visa. (Or could a few years ago; i'm not really up to date.) Then it was something like 964 hours a year.

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F2713.xhtml

Assuming you are a fairly recent grad, you could look into the teaching assistantship program. I don't have a link at hand, but info is easy to come by. If you've already read the "Americans in France" threads here on the Frace board, you have probably come across mention. I'm no longer in the region, so that's about the limit of my useful knowledge.

[Coolguy123]

Can't seem to find the post you're talking about - do you know the exact title of the post for a search?

[Mike from MI]

Hello, I'm another American who would like to work in France. It seems the easiest way to do this (short of getting an EU passport) would be to get a student visa. What is the cheapest and easiest course or program I could take that would get me a student visa? For example, could I just sign up for a single French language course and teach while I take it, or would I have to sign up for a degree program or take a minimum number of credits?

I already speak and write French at an intermediate level and read it at an advanced level, but I would like to perfect my French, so this would not simply be a fig leaf for me -- but some reading this might prefer a fig leaf. Could I take a course in, say, art appreciation, and just stop showing up after a while, or would that jeopardize my visa?