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There are better ways than TAPIF to teach English in France in 2022

by | Dec 15, 2021 | Newsletter | 0 comments

Last week, I talked about applying for TAPIF, the program that enables Americans to work in France and teach English in public schools. But with relatively low wages and an age limit of 35, it’s not the ideal solution for everyone. And it also doesn’t give too many opportunities for extending your stay in France if you don’t want to leave.

One of the sections of Foolproof French Visas discusses the options for teaching in France, and I want to give you some ideas of other ways you can work in France and teach – English or something else – without getting hired by a public school. (School teachers are hired through a concours in France and French or EU nationality is a requirement).

Here are some ways you can teach in France:

  • Universities hire “lecteurs d’anglais” or “maîtres de langue” to teach discussion sections in English. The contract is from September – August, the pay is better than TAPIF, and it can be renewed once. You can apply to universities individually starting in February – April, and if you’re a graduate student, check with your university to see if they have a partnership with a French university. You typically need a master’s degree for these positions.
  • If you already have the right to live and work in France, you can apply for teaching positions like TAPIF as a “local recruit” by sending your CV & cover letter to the rectorat where you want to teach.
  • If you work in France and earn a minimum of €1500 per month from other sources (such as being an autoentrepreneur), you can get hired as a “vacataire” to teach individual classes at different universities. One caveat – you are required to have other sources of income, because the pay can be low and the amount is paid out halfway through the semester and at the end, and not always on time. (Thanks French bureaucracy.)
  • As an experienced teacher or tutor, you can become a self-employed tutor in your niche, and sponsor your own visa through creating a business plan. We have several Franceformation clients who have done this: one who teaches employees of startups, another who works in teaching English-language digital marketing, two who work with children (including one primarily online), and one who works with students and young professionals with professional goals.
  • Private language schools in France (think Wall Street English or even Babylangues) may not have great pay, but they can hire students (who already have visas) for part-time work on a CDD, or they can hire self-employed teachers as autoentrepreneur.

Here are this week’s announcements: