Job Discussion Forums

[kerohaha]

Dear all,

I seriously wanted to work in France (so other countries are out of the question). I am a non-EU (I'm Chinese) and don't speak French, but I am a certified and experienced English teacher and will get an M.A. soon. I have spent an evening reading the whole French forum and I guess my chances (through the front gate) are very low... (am I right?)


However, I have 2 main other ideas, any advice to any of the following questions will be very helpful and appreciated:

Taking French classes and getting those work hours
1) I'd like to enrol in a university (or any other schools for 300 Euros/year??) and get work from that, but which universities offer French language courses to foreigners for 300 Euros/year? (or are there cheaper courses? ) And where can i find such list of universities?

2) Where can I find a list of English taught programs (at any uni level) in france?

3) if I join a language course at a university, can I apply for the student visa in France or other country? do I have to go back to my home city (Hong Kong) to apply? How long do i have to wait? (I can't find this information at the consulate website because it's all in french )


Doing a Ph.D
4) I will have my M.A. in Discourse and Argumentation Studies (aka Rheotoric) from the University of Amsterdam. Is it possible for me to do my Ph.D. (in English) in areas of linguistics/education at a French university? again, any universities I can try (Anywhere except Paris )?

5) What comes after a Master degree in the French school system? 2nd or 3rd cycle? do I need French language skills to do a Ph.D. there?

6) Is it easy for Ph.D. students to get studentship/assistantship at the university?


Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated. merci beaucoup!

carol

[daily chai]

Mon amie, good on you for deciding to go for your dreams!

I suggest you call/email the HK French consul about rules for working alongside studying, and about the residence question. These rules change sometimes. But moreover, the working professionals there are qualified to answer these questions in an way that English teachers on an anonymous forum are not.

Having said that, everything I've read suggests you have to return to your country of residence for paperwork to be processed. So if you are a HK SAR national but had residence in Singapore you could return to Singapore. The French consulate agent in NL tried to tell me I had to go back to America, but I spoke with several people and eventually it was agreed on country of residence. America isn't my country of residence (at the time NL was) so that was a big relief.

AFAIK from rpevious research on French sites students with minimal income can work and study in France. France seems to be more understanding of this than, say, the laws in NL which put max. hours at 10/week and student visa processing is outrageously slow. My 12-month student visa in NL was given to me a month before I graduated, although I applied prior to arrival. AWFUL. Do check on the average wait time for visa processing, because that will be a factor. I had two jobs that wanted to hire me in September, but by the time my visa permitted it in July the jobs were gone and the economy was dry.

Google or other search engines should yield you a good list of English taught programs in FR. Good luck!

[daily chai]

Here's a list I found:
http://www.edufrance.fr/en/catalog_en.pdf

and the HK office of EduFrance
http://www.edufrance.fr/en/b-agence/pays.asp?etab=127

Oh, and ahoy uit Taiwan! I got a MA from Leiden and am also in the market for a PhD in Education from France, NL or BE but my French is alright. Just nice to help out another Dutch-educated expat. Good luck to you! Feel free to PM me too.