Seeking Work Teaching English or Other Opportunities

[france_bound]

Bonjour et Hello,

In just around 6 weeks time I am taking a leave from my job in Canada to relocate to France and over the course of at least 6 months immerse myself as much as possible in the french language. I am a qualified secondary teacher of ESL who recognizes that he needs to work to live, but does not necessarily feel tied to teaching to draw an income.

I am keen to live in the south of France, with cities such as Montpellier, Toulouse and Nice of interest at the moment. As I have basically just joined this forum, my primary question is directed at those people who may have some insight into work possibilities in these regions, particularly in the teaching field, but not exclusively.

I recognize global financial woes have affected many people and regions throughout the world, so, perhaps someone may have some insights into how particular regions are coping under the financial turmoil.

Thank you for your time and help today.

Cheers,

Damian

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

I know we tend to sound like broken records here, but do you have the visa issue worked out yet? I only ask because I ran into some pretty unpleasant immigration problems when I first came to France, and would like to spare others some of the agony I went through.

There are lots of language schools throughout France, especially in the south. To find them, you just need to check the Pages Jaunes listings online. But, to work for the legit schools (or to work anywhere at all) you need to have the sort of carte de séjour that will give you work privileges, and those are not easy to get these days.

One thing to watch out for are the less-than-ethical language schools that will hire you "under the table" without a work permit. They pay a pittance (which drives down wages for legitimate language teachers) and of course have you by the short and curlies if they can't or don't want to pay you what you're due. Legally, you can take them to court to force them to pay up - but as soon as you've received your judgment, you'll be tossed out of the country on immigration violations.

Assuming your French is reasonably good, you could register with a temp agency. Lots of short-term office jobs require bi-lingual abilities. But again, you have to have work authorization - which normally only is granted if you have a job offer when you apply for your visa.
Cheers,
Bev

[france_bound]

Hi Bev,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. In hindsight I should have indicated that I am an EU/Canadian citizen and that I do not need to acquire a visa. Sorry about not sharing that in my first message.

I have been inquiring at different schools, and have just started looking at the Pages Jaunes listings online, but thanks for the confirmation that this is a great source to check out.

At the moment I am interested in learning more about a particular region/city in which to settle, preferrably in the South. I appreciate you sharing that there are numerous schools in this region. Are you teaching in France at the moment?

Additionally, I am also looking for information regarding accommodations, as I would hope to secure an apartment while living in France. Is there information of note you would recommend on this front? Is there specific documentation from Canada I might need to provide to rent an apartment?

Finally, I have heard that acquiring an international driver's licence is recommended. Are you able to provide any clarification regarding this issue?

Merci for providing me with some great insights.

Cheers,

Damian



I know we tend to sound like broken records here, but do you have the visa issue worked out yet? I only ask because I ran into some pretty unpleasant immigration problems when I first came to France, and would like to spare others some of the agony I went through.

There are lots of language schools throughout France, especially in the south. To find them, you just need to check the Pages Jaunes listings online. But, to work for the legit schools (or to work anywhere at all) you need to have the sort of carte de séjour that will give you work privileges, and those are not easy to get these days.

One thing to watch out for are the less-than-ethical language schools that will hire you "under the table" without a work permit. They pay a pittance (which drives down wages for legitimate language teachers) and of course have you by the short and curlies if they can't or don't want to pay you what you're due. Legally, you can take them to court to force them to pay up - but as soon as you've received your judgment, you'll be tossed out of the country on immigration violations.

Assuming your French is reasonably good, you could register with a temp agency. Lots of short-term office jobs require bi-lingual abilities. But again, you have to have work authorization - which normally only is granted if you have a job offer when you apply for your visa.
Cheers,
Bev[/QUOTE]

[Bevdeforges]

OK - as long as you've got your EU nationality, you're set on the visa front. (It's amazing sometimes how many people are unaware of the visa requirements.)

Personally, I'm partial to Montpellier. It's a lovely area, with lots of stuff to see and do. There is also a reasonable (but not intrusive) expat presence there. It can be handy when you need to ask a question or find resources.

On renting a flat, it depends on the landlord (or his agent) just what documents you'll need. Basically, it's the same almost anywhere - proof of who you are, where your money is coming from and lots of good will. One thing to know - leases for unfurnished property generally run for 3 years. If you are interested in furnished accommodation it's covered by a different set of laws, more like a hotel than an apartment rental. Though going through an agent will cost you a good month's rent (in addition to the deposits), it might be worth it if you have particular requirements as to length of lease or other factors.

I've heard the recommendation about the international driver's license and frankly am not convinced it's that necessary. It can be handy simply because it serves as a translation of your Canadian license. OTOH, depending on how long you are planning on staying, you may be required to get a French license, and the international one won't do you any good there. (Check to see if your license can be exchanged for a French license - if it can be, you can ask them to keep your Canadian license for you and return it to you when you leave.)
Cheers,
Bev

[chatelet]

I was interested to read your questions, Damian, because I am in exactly the same position as you - hence my joining this blogsite! I live in New Zealand, hold an EU Passport, and plan on moving to the South of France in one month's time to teach English as a foreign language. I have not decided which city yet, and am 'tossing up' between Marseille (my first preference) Montpellier, Toulouse - or maybe somewhere further north like Lyon! I have lived in Paris before, and I love it there, however have never worked in France and feel it may be easier to work in a smaller city.

I must rent a flat (furnished) as well. My French is of a upper beginner level I think. If you, or anyone else, has any tips or thoughts on where I should head to, I would very much appreciate it! Also, should I contact the English schools before I get to France? And one last question - probably a stupid one, but what headings would English Language Schools come under in the yellow pages (L'ecoles d'anglais?) ...like I said, my French is pretty basic!

[france_bound]

Bonjour!

I will gladly help where I can.
I currently live in Toulouse and love it.
It is coming on 8 weeks now and life has been fortunate to me in terms of a great place to live, some private teaching gigs and new friends.

I have a lot of information to pass on, some gleaned from friends and acquaintances and some learned through my experience, to date.

Hitting the pavement running is recommended. Have your CV written in French, too, if possible, and perhaps your cover letter too. I had some friends translate mine for me which for someone with my level of French would have proven tedious and probably difficult. Also, have a little catchy announcement (petite annonce) written, should you be looking for private students. I have posted a number of these in supermarkets, university buildings and bookstores. Make them catchy, as there are a number of us looking for work in this field. It might also pay to have the amount you are looking for in terms of remuneration for services given.

Speaking of remuneration, I intially posted a charge of 15 Euros, and while I have a couple of students paying this, more than often students have attempted to negotiate pricing, which I have accepted. I think the economy crisis has seriously caught people examining where there money is to be spent. As a result, I have accepted as low as 8 Euros for some students. Now, it is up to you, but this has worked for me, and I must point out that I am in a unique situation as this is only a 6 month sabbatical for me and that the teaching gigs supplement my income, not drive it.

You can find a great number of language schools on the web, particularly using pages jaunes website. Also, I visited the bureau du tourisme when I arrived and they graciously printed me off a number of English school addresses with websites and emails.

A friend of a friend has provided these links, and I've added a few websites where I've posted free announcements searching for students.

Here is a link to a search I did on the yellow pages for "cour de langues" in Toulouse, most of the private English schools are listed here:

PagesJaunes - Résultats de la recherche

Try this company cetradel, they do in company lessons. I never managed to get any work out of them, but you might have better luck!

Cetradel - Offres d'emploi

Good for posting private notices (petites annonces
PETITES ANNONCES GRATUITES - kijiji Préparation aux examens, cours particuliers - Sud Concours Toulouse Cours particuliers, Soutien scolaire, Cours à domicile, Soutien scolaire: 100 000 professeurs de cours particuliers Toulouse Web - Loisirs et sorties - Guide web toulousain - Rencontres - Sorties et spectacles - Annuaire - Annonces - Actualités - Infos Toulouse - Portail internet toulousain - City Guide Toulouse - Portail Toulouse - Sorties à Toulouse Petites annonces gratuites d'occasion - leboncoin.fr ???Petites Annonces GRATUITES VIVASTREET.fr N°1 de l'ANNONCE 100% GRATUITE

Regarding a place to live, I was fortunate to have joined a group called SERVAS prior to coming, which has opened up many doors for myself in terms of meeting new people, finding work and finding a fabulous place to live. SERVAS is an international host-traveler group which after having undergone an interview and acceptance into the group in your home country provides you with a list of people in the country you are visiting. Their mandate is to build cross-cultural relationships and in so doing they will provide short-term stays for like members, generally speaking for two nights (full board). They will want to show you the area, perhaps introduce you to some other SERVAS friends and in so doing, allow you to get acquainted with the landscape on a myriad of levels. I would recommend it, but it is not essential. However, if you do not have a place to stay upon arrival, it could prove pricey for your start up. Google SERVAS, if interested. Also, Couchsurfing is a popular like-minded group but geared towards a younger crowd, without the need to go through an interview process.

In looking for a place to live, the option of renting a flat official is a rather onerous task. There is much bureaucracy to circumnavigate through, along with needing to have a money up front for a security deposit, and I think they will need you to have an account open, too, with a sizeable amount of cash in it to allow them to sense that you are someone they can do business with.

I opened a bank account without a problem, but you will need to have a permanent address before doing so.

Furthermore, accommodation can be found without going through these hoops. Many websites have listings for people to co-rent with them, which is called colocatrice (hope this is the right spelling). A good website to help get you started in Toulouse is www.crij.org Check it out and look under "logement" to get an idea of what is available and what people are looking in a prospective flatmate. Kijiji, leboncoin, toulouseweb, and viva street shown above also help in this area of your search.

I have been to Marseille or Montpellier, though I hear the latter is a large university town. Lyon is a very nice city and Toulouse, well, I am thrilled to have settled here. The city is fantastic, from culture, history, beauty, acceptance and joie de vivre. The Toulousain work to live and you quickly feel this ethos upon arriving and finding your feet. It could take a little while, and there might be some doubt and second guessing, frustration and the like...but I found that persistence pays off and everyday life gets better as you become more accustomed to how things work, where to locate certain pieces of information and making friends. The latter is highly recommended early, and there are a number of places you expediate this process, and which I could give you some additional information should you chose Toulouse.

I think I'll finish there. I haven't checked this site for about 2 months, so if you'd like to reach me personally with other questions, please write to rpdamianscott at yahoo.ca

All the best and I hope this has helped.

Damian

Originally Posted by chatelet

I was interested to read your questions, Damian, because I am in exactly the same position as you - hence my joining this blogsite! I live in New Zealand, hold an EU Passport, and plan on moving to the South of France in one month's time to teach English as a foreign language. I have not decided which city yet, and am 'tossing up' between Marseille (my first preference) Montpellier, Toulouse - or maybe somewhere further north like Lyon! I have lived in Paris before, and I love it there, however have never worked in France and feel it may be easier to work in a smaller city.

I must rent a flat (furnished) as well. My French is of a upper beginner level I think. If you, or anyone else, has any tips or thoughts on where I should head to, I would very much appreciate it! Also, should I contact the English schools before I get to France? And one last question - probably a stupid one, but what headings would English Language Schools come under in the yellow pages (L'ecoles d'anglais?) ...like I said, my French is pretty basic!

[chatelet]

I can't thank you enough, Damian, for your extremely fast reply and so much useful information! It's so great to have someone tell me 'firsthand' a few of the questions I have been wondering about, and find so difficult to get a satisfactory answer! I will indeed consider Toulouse - your description is certainly appealing, however as I am not in any desperate need to secure employment as soon as I arrive in France, I shall probably spend a few days in a few cities and get a feel for them.

J'adore France et je suis sur j'irais tres content dans une ville n'importe quoi!

Once again, merci beaucoup, and if I end up in Toulouse, maybe we could meet for a coffee.

Margie