Job Discussion Forums

[antain]

I am currently applying for an assistantship in France as I have been granted a career break here in Ireland.
I have contacted the relevant offices and have been told
that if I get my application in this week, I may be considered
for a position on a waiting list and may be lucky.
At the moment I am In the process of filling out the forms, organising a medical,
getting certificates certified etc.

I am a qualified Primary School teacher in Ireland
I hold a BA which inculdes EFL
as well as Post-Graduate Diploma (Teaching Diploma) in Primary Education
I have worked abroad as an EFL teacher, and I have over 5 years experience working in Ireland as a qualified primary teacher.

After looking through all the guides on line about Assistantship in France
I am beginning to wonder if this job/assistantship is really for 3rd level/University students who are not already qualified and not really for me considering pay/duties etc.

SO my question is- Should I continue to apply or would I be better at
trying some other avenue in trying to secure some sort of teaching position in France?
I am determined to secure a job before I leave here!

Any replies welcome
Thanks for taking the time to read through my predicament!

[Nmarie]

Why not apply, as an option? The time between the application deadline and the acceptance notice being a few months, I doubt that it's unusual for candidates to decline. In fact, I declined the first time I was accepted because I was involved in another project and chose to re-apply for the following year.

If you are a licensed primary school teacher in Ireland, perhaps the school board of that country could steer you in the right direction for those types of positions in France - for example, with international schools? Teacher exchange opportunities?

[Santiago Matamoros]

I agree with the previous poster. You would be selling yourself short if the assistant's job was your only one in France. It might however be useful for getting your foot in the door over there. I used to work in Paris and when I was an assistant my colleagues were some of the most unfriendly people you could ever meet. Try the south of France!

[edosan]

I was an assistant in 99 - 00 in the Pas de Calais. The pay was low, but accommodation was provided. I taught 8 - 12 hours a week and the rest of the time was mine.

The high school students weren't particularly motivated, but the other teachers were friendly and I had the opportunity to travel during each break.

At the end of the year I had the option to stay for a second year. I didn't, but it was nice to know that they appreciated me.

Hope this helps.

[Trinley]

Though this is an old post, I'd like to reply with my experience for future applicants in this situation. I am 28 and had been teaching English abroad for 3 years, so I did have other options, but I took an assistantship position because I wanted to improve my French by living in France. The pay is very low and the cost of living very high. Accomodation was not provided unless I wanted to live in a single room dorm with high school students, which I did not. I was placed in a small town and given my 3rd choice for the age group I teach. I have 2 months left in my contract here, and I am dying to leave. My advice is if you have other options, don't take this position unless you just really want to improve your French at any cost. Or unless you get placed in a big city where you have other opportunities for income. It is definitely a position for people in their early 20s who have never worked before. That being the case, another issue was that any other assistants near me were around 8 years younger and so we had little in common.