The Teaching Assistant Program in France is a joint initiative of the French Ministry of Education, the Centre international d’études pédagogiques, and the Cultural Services Department of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Its goal is to strengthen English-language instruction in the French educational by means of a native speaker presence. Teaching assistants are assigned to school districts across metropolitan France and in France’s overseas departments. Classes are conducted in English.
Teaching assistants receive a net monthly salary, and health insurance and social security benefits. Reflecting higher costs of living in the overseas departments, teaching assistants in these placements receive a 30-35% higher salary.
Eligibility
Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents (from certain countries) between the ages of 20 and 30 upon taking up their appointments. Candidates must have completed at least two years of college by the beginning of the new academic year and must have completed the majority of their education in the U.S. Candidates must also have proficiency in French—at least at the B1 level on the Common European Framework of References for Languages.
Candidates need not have any prior teaching experience, but proficiency in French is required for facilitating work in the classroom and for integrating into new communities. The application includes a personal statement in French and letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s language skills, as well as his or her work ethic and enthusiasm for this experience.