Job Discussion Forums

Parisian Boy · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Hi,

I was wondering whether anyone has worked at this organisation? Is so what do you know about them and what has your experience been like?

What is teaching Business English like in Paris?

Thanks alot

Razz

Nashledanou · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 64

I would like to know that too, but this forum seems a bit dead... I hope France is more lively Laughing

Robski · Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 50 Location: Middle Europe

I worked for BTL last year and like a lot of teachers I didn't stay very long. The problem, of course, was money. The money wouldn't have been toooo bad anywhere else but in Paris it was rubbish. I was paid via the recruiter in the UK (LB something) but interestingly the salary was calculated in euros. So, I got paid euros into my UK account and lost on the exchange rate, and then took out euros in Paris with my switch/maestro and lost again - every time.

Those hired locally did not have guaranteed hours. Most English-speakers hired locally were girls attached to French men. Because they had places to live with their husbands/boyfriends they could afford to just earn pocket money and seemed to be less unhappy. Those teachers that were trying to make a living tended to give up and go somewhere else.

The other challenge is that you spend a lot of time on the metro going from client to client. The hours on transport and never really calculated, and you can get fed up with it. You can find yourself doing a lot of triangular journeys and worse: home-school-client, or home-client-client-school-client-home etc. Crying or Very sad

As for the school itself: very crowded sometimes, and getting access to a computer, printer, photocopier or even just some table space was usually very difficult. Add this to the challenge of spending time wandering around and sitting on the metro, preparing lessons becomes a real problem - especially if you have crap (and expensive) accommodation where you cannot really work. Mad

Paris is a nice city to hang out for a while but it's not fun if you are skint.

forest1979 · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 507 Location: SE Asia

Interesting point. Parts of the Parisian language industry have been cornered by English recruiters. I know of one recruiter who sent out bucket loads of people to one of Paris's largest language schools, which had offices in La Defense, Grenelle, etc. The arrangement seemed to work pretty well for the teachers who were young and most out for a good time, but the pay although in pounds was pretty derisory. In fact it was about 50% of what some Asian countries pay (and I don't mean the lucrative Middle East).