The process begins...
So I applied to France to teach English. Looking at various forums and such, I think it would be a good idea to keep a record of what happens when. It'll be good memories for me, and a (hopefully) useful resource for future assistants. Here's what's happened thus far:
I applied for the January deadline, and received my "lettre de presentation" from the French Embassy of the United States the second week in May. All it tells me is that I have been accepted and that I will be placed in one or more secondary schools in the Academy of Orléans-Tours from 1 October 2006-30 April 2007.
May 26, I got an email from Meg Merwin, the contact person on the US side. She emailed us all contact information for the lady on the French side, as well as details about how the program will work over the summer. We need to wait for our "arreté de nomination"--which will detail what school(s) we teach at, as well as contact information for the people at our school(s). We cannot apply for our visas until we get the arreté, so for now, I'm researching airline fares, health insurance, and possibly taking a look at some general apartment situations in the area. Without solid details...like the town I'll be placed in...it's a bit early to be taking a serious look at housing.
It's possible that my school will provide housing for me, but otherwise I'll be searching for an apartment in a foreign language. O my. In the event that I have to get my own apartment, I'm going to look into the CAF, which is some sort of governmental funding that is available to residents--including us language assistants--that will pay part of our housing costs.
I've been reading up on the program, and these are the sites I've found useful so far:
Frenchculture.org--the official site from the US, with all the info on the program--how to apply, what the various steps are to get there, etc.
Centre internationales d'études pédagogiques--the official site from France
Assistants in France--I've been reading the forum on here, and it has everything from lesson plan ideas to battling French bureaucracy to travel recommendations. It's nice to know that everyone else has a millions questions, too.
Académie d'Orléans-Tours--the website for the academy. Has stats on the school, school listings by region, the schools' own websites.
Teaching Assistant in France Survival Guide--has a list of previous and current assistants, as well as info on application, preparation, arrival, living, etc.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Assistantship Page--gives sample documents that you'll run into in France (i.e. a lease, pay stub, bus schedule), as well as assistant's journals, lesson plans, etc.
I applied for the January deadline, and received my "lettre de presentation" from the French Embassy of the United States the second week in May. All it tells me is that I have been accepted and that I will be placed in one or more secondary schools in the Academy of Orléans-Tours from 1 October 2006-30 April 2007.
May 26, I got an email from Meg Merwin, the contact person on the US side. She emailed us all contact information for the lady on the French side, as well as details about how the program will work over the summer. We need to wait for our "arreté de nomination"--which will detail what school(s) we teach at, as well as contact information for the people at our school(s). We cannot apply for our visas until we get the arreté, so for now, I'm researching airline fares, health insurance, and possibly taking a look at some general apartment situations in the area. Without solid details...like the town I'll be placed in...it's a bit early to be taking a serious look at housing.
It's possible that my school will provide housing for me, but otherwise I'll be searching for an apartment in a foreign language. O my. In the event that I have to get my own apartment, I'm going to look into the CAF, which is some sort of governmental funding that is available to residents--including us language assistants--that will pay part of our housing costs.
I've been reading up on the program, and these are the sites I've found useful so far:
Frenchculture.org--the official site from the US, with all the info on the program--how to apply, what the various steps are to get there, etc.
Centre internationales d'études pédagogiques--the official site from France
Assistants in France--I've been reading the forum on here, and it has everything from lesson plan ideas to battling French bureaucracy to travel recommendations. It's nice to know that everyone else has a millions questions, too.
Académie d'Orléans-Tours--the website for the academy. Has stats on the school, school listings by region, the schools' own websites.
Teaching Assistant in France Survival Guide--has a list of previous and current assistants, as well as info on application, preparation, arrival, living, etc.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Assistantship Page--gives sample documents that you'll run into in France (i.e. a lease, pay stub, bus schedule), as well as assistant's journals, lesson plans, etc.
posted by madameb1789 | 6:26 PM
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