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Advice for Nice

 
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SenatorJack



Joined: 13 Apr 2017
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 3:14 am    Post subject: Advice for Nice Reply with quote

Hi, this is my first post here. I've just begun teaching ESL last year - it's a second career for me - and I'm wondering what the market is like in Nice. I was just there on a scouting mission in June and found there are a few schools, but I didn't make inquiries as we won't be moving there till next summer. Still, I'm trying to get a full perspective now, just so we can make realistic plans.

Here's my current situation: I have my TESOL certificate and come next spring I'll have a masters in Linguistics (which, I know, may or may not score brownie points). I'll most likely obtain CELTA certification, too, if I can work it out between semesters. I also have American-Italian dual citizenship. Finally, being that I'm in my early 50s, I know I'm not exactly a young teacher, but I'm not exactly falling apart either. Has anyone found age to be a factor in France?

Anyway, any and all tips and bits of advice are greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has lived there and has thoughts on neighborhoods (we didn't get to scout out all of them), please share!

Thank you and kind regards,

Jack
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ISSAKAB



Joined: 12 Feb 2013
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:28 pm    Post subject: jobs Nice Reply with quote

I've been in France three years. Very difficult if not impossible to get a full time job with a proper contract. There are training organisations mostly based in Paris that provide English teachers to companies (everyone in France has the right to a certain number of hours paid for training per year, from an approved provider). Lots of employees are opting to use their right to training for English lessons.
You'll have to set yourself up as an autoentrepreneur or other self employed entity. The bureaucracy here is mind numbing, be warned.

You need to be mobile i.e have a car or scooter and very flexible. The market for business English is buoyant but you're expected to be 'flexible'.

You can pick up a certain amount of private students through the web and the training providers can also find you through that. Have a really nice photo and spend some time putting a decent advert together.

I've also found some good gigs through pole emploi. Well worth putting your CV on there, they also have jobs advertised.
Universities (both state and private) are always looking for teachers, either for English or to teach various subjects, in English. Networking is very important in France and forming and maintaining good relationships with people will often lead to work, sometimes months down the line. A smile will get you many places.

What I regard as freedom, others would regard as intolerable insecurity. France is not an easy country to operate in.

Age doesn't seem to be an issue here, no. Much more important is to be presentable and professional looking, image is important in France and the standard EFL teachers uniform of jeans or leggings and a t shirt won't cut it here. Think business casual.
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yurii



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 106

PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:39 pm    Post subject: Re: jobs Nice Reply with quote

ISSAKAB wrote:


Much more important is to be presentable and professional looking, image is important in France and the standard EFL teachers uniform of jeans or leggings and a t shirt won't cut it here. Think business casual.


Good advice ISSAKAB, but I have to disagree, at least for the schools I have experience in (collège/lycée) and French university, where jeans and a t-shirt are absolutely fine. In UK this would be totally unacceptable and I was initially surprised in French schools that they were so casual. But, I guess language academies are different?
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SenatorJack



Joined: 13 Apr 2017
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all that, Issakab. Very helpful! Good to know there will probably some work for me. I'm used to being flexible now, so that won't be an issue. And as far as the "dress code", I have that covered. Indeed, one of the things that pushed me toward Nice was that I thought the "well-to-do" set might prefer to hire a guy in a three-piece suit to tutor/teach their kids than someone in cargo shorts and flip-flops. Not that I'm knocking the cargo shorts and flip-flops. It's just that I come from a business background, and I've maintained that expected appearance in my new career.

Do you think there's room for new schools over there? My girlfriend and I are debating whether we should make a deposit on a small apartment or open a small school first. Unfortunately, we definitely don't have the funds for both.
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ISSAKAB



Joined: 12 Feb 2013
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:08 pm    Post subject: new school Reply with quote

You might want to run a web search to see if there are any language schools already in operation in the area that you're thinking of locating in. The absence of language schools here in France might tell you something. Have a look on the tefl.com website and see the absence of language school jobs in France compared to other countries. Along with language schools. Again, that might tell you something.

My assessment having been here three years is that:

teens and children are too loaded up with schoolwork to be able to spend any time outside school in extra curricular activities i.e language lessons.

many adults are unwilling to spend time and money outside of work time learning languages

the very few language schools I've come across are struggling

My suggestion is rent a flat with enough space to run private lessons and start small. You need to learn about France and how things operate here. It is a very difficult country to operate in and, in my opinion, not the best country for entrepreneurs.
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As somebidy else mentioned, private universities (but not public unless you're in your twenties and want to be a lecteur) are really the best bet. There are literally dozens of private universities and business schools etc in each city. I've certainly worked with people who've come to teaching in their forties and fifties and in terms of university work it's often an advantage as universities (and their students) don't like the teachers to be too young (they're looking for late twenties minimum).
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