Job Discussion Forums

[hfpardue]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about teaching Spanish in France. I am a Spanish major right now at an American university and plan to go on and get my phd eventually, but I would like to teach Spanish in France someday. I want to teach in France because I am very interested in learning the language and learning about the culture. Does anyone know a Spanish a teacher in France and how they got their position? Or does anyone know what types of qualifications Spanish teachers normally need in France? I really appreciate any help. Thanks so much!

[Luder]

Spanish teachers are in demand, but assuming you're not a native speaker, I'd say your chances of getting good work teaching Spanish are low. Your real value on the market will be as an English teacher. There's always "soutien scolaire," where the more subjects you can tutor kids in, the more work you can get. But such work pays badly, around 15 euros an hour gross, if that.

Another possibility is working in the public school system as a "vacataire," or long-term substitute. The hourly pay is good but the bureaucratic obstacles to finding a job are formidable, more so for foreigners. You can teach only the subject you have a degree in, so if, like me, you're a native English speaker with a degree in Spanish, Spanish is the one subject you can teach.

I once applied for different positions teaching English and Spanish at a business school. Strangely enough, I got an interview for the job teaching Spanish but not for the one teaching English.

Living in France, on the whole, hasn't much helped my Spanish; indeed, I've lost quite a bit of fluency. For my French, on the other hand, it has done wonders.

[hfpardue]

Luder, thanks for your help. You seem like you might have been in my situation at one time, since you are a native speaker of English, and you majored in Spanish. Did you go on and get a masters or phd in Spanish? What is your job now? What qualifications do I need to become an English teacher in France? I really don�t want to lose my Spanish. I appreciate your taking the time to point me in the right direction.

[Luder]

Okay, Pardue, since I wasn't able to PM you, I'll tell you here that the qualifications you need to be an English teacher in France depend on what kind of English teacher you want to be. To raise a family, have a career, plan for retirement, you probably need French qualifications such as the CAPES or Agr�gation. If you're a foreigner, not even a doctorate will suffice, really, unless you do something like marry your dissertation director's daughter.

There are all sorts of other ways to be an English teacher in France. "Soutien scolaire" is often done by students and doesn't require a degree. It pays accordingly. The best bet for non-Europeans is probably to work as an assistant de langues in a primary or secondary school (BA required, I think) or as a lecteur in a university (MA required, at least in theory).

I myself am doing graduate work in Spanish at a university here. The resources available to graduate students in even the most prestigious French universities pale in comparison to those available at any middle-of-the-road place in the US. For that reason and others, I wouldn't especially recommend doing graduate work in France, though of course you may have to enroll at a university in order to get the right to live and work (part-time) in the country.

[hfpardue]

Hey, I don�t know why we can�t PM each other, but thanks for telling me more about yourself. So you are doing graduate work in Spanish at a French University? That sounds interesting. What exactly are you getting a masters or phd in? Maybe I should look into that. I don�t know any French, but I�m definitely willing to learn!