Job Discussion Forums

toraja · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 12

Hey,
I'm a New Zealander and I'm going to be in Lyon in about 1 month with a one year working holiday visa for France. I've been teaching in Asia for the last 3 years or so and have a TEFL certificate, can anyone give me any advice about finding a job? There are reasons for me to be in Lyon, but I can also be a bit flexible.
My French is bad but getting better.

Cheers.

John Hamilton · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 45 Location: France

Try Infolangues. The Director Tessa Wisely is a trumped up dragon but they do have a lot of centres. You'll be expected to work in companies and drive (your own car) and you won't get a full time contract (It's cheaper for employers to give either a part-time one) and might even be paid by the hour as the EFL market is in deep recession.
Avoid being self-employed. It's very expensive and a racket the French authorities have been trying to stamp out for years.
You might be better off putting an ad in "Le 69" and getting private students with some hours in Infolangues or other schools like Birdwell which have been around for years.

John

toraja · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 12

Thanks John

catherine boucher manning · Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1 Location: Saint Etienne

I've been working for Infolangues for over 3 years & I've not been scorched by any dragons!! I was given a full-time contract within a few months - like the majority of my colleagues. There are company cars at the Lyon centre, so you don't necessarily need to use your own car when you go out to clients'. Of course, if you do use your own car, your travelling expenses are paid for. I've worked for several other language training companies in France & quite frankly Infolangues is the most professional - this may be due to the fact that the management is aware of what language training is all about.

fairdos · Joined: 21 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

Thanks Catherine for putting the record straight. It's too easy to bad-mouth an organisation you know little about. Since he has never worked for Infolangues in the ten years I've been here, we must assume that John Hamilton failed to get past the interview stage: consequently his comments read distinctly like sour grapes.

toraja · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 12

I completely agree. I was a bit worried about coming here (Lyon) because of the negative things I had read about finding work in France on this forum. It turned out to be much easier than I was led to expect and now everything's going well.
I'm not really talking about you John, just the general negativity of people who post.
Anyway, my two cents...