Help, any teachers out there?, I'm new to this!

[123]

Hello everyone,
I have just joined the forum and am unsure whether I have posted my question in the right place. My Husband has been teaching in primary schools in England for the past 10 years, he has taken on several responsibilities and had some deputy experience building his salary up to £39,000 per year. We are considering starting a new life in France with our 3 young children. How do teaching primary sector salaries compare in France and is the job security for teachers with management responsibilites as good?Can anyone give us their view on the pros and cons of teaching in France as opposed to the UK? My husband is increasingly demoralised by how the targets, paperwork and behavoiur management pressures are leaving little time for creative teaching in the UK. We need a change of lifestyle. We wouldn't be able to afford to live in the most expensive areas, our house is worth £175,00 and we dont want to increase our mortgage. Our dream is to live somewhere safe for our children with a garden with enough space to grow our own vege/keep chickens and lead a basic family orientated lifestyle. Are we being realistic?, any views on the best suited locations? So many questions, I know, but I don't know where to start.

[AnneIsabelle]

Hi,
I am a native French teacher living in Paris.
Teaching in a public primary school requires a specific 2-year degree which you can only pass if you have fluent French.
However, some English-speaking private schools do hire people with other degrees. I do not know what your level in French is, but I think (from experience and from working with expats) that finding a job in France is difficult if you do not speak any French, even if the language spoken at work is English.
I know that some schools also hire English speakers to teach English to primary school children.
You could also consider teaching English to adults. I know that English teachers in this field are currently sought.
I do not know much about the wages, though.
As for accomodation, you will find houses with garden at reasonable prices everywhere except Paris, especially around smaller towns such as Tours, Angers, Rennes for example.
Hope that helps a little.

[Bevdeforges]

To add a little bit, too, to what AnneIsabelle has said: teaching in the public schools in France is a sort of civil service job and can be very difficult for non-French nationals to break into. The system is highly centralized, to the extent that you don't necessarily get to choose where you will teach - and the waiting lists for transfers are long, especially to desirable areas.

The teaching sector in France is constantly being reorganized, and there are threats of cutting the numbers of teachers or of giving the schools or school districts more autonomy, which inevitably brings the teachers out into the streets in protest. I would think it would be very difficult to break into teaching as a foreigner at an "advanced" stage in ones career.

I have heard of the public schools sometimes hiring native English speakers to assist with "learn English" programs in the lower grades, however I have also heard that this type of pick-up teacher is usually paid about half what a French-trained civil service teacher receives for the same duty. This was a few years back and perhaps the situation has changed by now, but there is a sharp distinction between "real teachers" and those who just "assist" in a particular class or function.

Try checking the private schools, especially those teaching to a British curriculum (where your husband would have an advantage for being familiar with the curriculum). Salaries would vary by school.

Teaching English is an option, though salaries tend to be low. You should have a TEFL or TESOL qualification - otherwise you're competing with all the native English speakers living in or just traveling through France who don't have any other way to earn a living and who are basically working on the sly for pocket money.
Cheers,
Bev

[123]

Thanks for the information AnneIssabelle and Bev. Our 5 year old son has high functioning autism and over the last few days we have read articles which strongly suggest that French schools would not give the same level of recognition or support or even toleration to his disability, so at this stage we are thinking that France may not be the place for us, perhaps we should investigate Spain. One of the advantages of the UK to us is that there is a big movement towards Autism awareness and the support is pretty good. I would however be interested if you think this is an unfair view of French schools.

Phoebe

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by 123

Thanks for the information AnneIssabelle and Bev. Our 5 year old son has high functioning autism and over the last few days we have read articles which strongly suggest that French schools would not give the same level of recognition or support or even toleration to his disability, so at this stage we are thinking that France may not be the place for us, perhaps we should investigate Spain. One of the advantages of the UK to us is that there is a big movement towards Autism awareness and the support is pretty good. I would however be interested if you think this is an unfair view of French schools.

Phoebe

Ooh, I think you have "said the secret word" here - autism. It has been a few years since I was last involved with the AAWE (Association of American Wives of Europeans), but I recall a couple of very emotional conversations with women in that group who were bitterly disappointed with the treatment for autistic children or those with serious learning disabilities in the French public schools.

It may have changed, but my impression was that, other than a "speech therapist" there don't seem to be too many resources available in the public schools.
Cheers,
Bev

[xveruskax]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Ooh, I think you have "said the secret word" here - autism. It has been a few years since I was last involved with the AAWE (Association of American Wives of Europeans), but I recall a couple of very emotional conversations with women in that group who were bitterly disappointed with the treatment for autistic children or those with serious learning disabilities in the French public schools.

It may have changed, but my impression was that, other than a "speech therapist" there don't seem to be too many resources available in the public schools.
Cheers,
Bev

Autism is on the rise it seems, in particular in developed nations. I saw online that a small private school in Paris had an integrated class for children with autism. Considering the need children with autism need, it's a serious shame that France does not have adequate services for them. The level of care that they require, assuming it is a low-functioning child, is very intensive and individualized. Both things are expensive.

[QUOTE=xveruskax;183874]Autism is on the rise it seems, in particular in developed nations. Unquote

Your reference for this, please?

The nearest I could get to it in an admittedly brief 'net search is....

<<<The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.[8]>>>

..... which is from WikiPedia, which one can choose to believe or not. However, their assessment that it is the improved diagnosis that has increased identifacation makes more sense to me than a sweeping statement that it /has/ increased.

[xveruskax]

[quote=minesthechevy;184143]

Originally Posted by xveruskax

Autism is on the rise it seems, in particular in developed nations. Unquote

Your reference for this, please?

The nearest I could get to it in an admittedly brief 'net search is....

<<<The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.[8]>>>

..... which is from WikiPedia, which one can choose to believe or not. However, their assessment that it is the improved diagnosis that has increased identifacation makes more sense to me than a sweeping statement that it /has/ increased.

Why Is Autism on the Rise?
UC Davis Health System Feature: California's autism increase...
Increase in Autism Baffles Scientists : University of Michigan PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Autism on the Rise: New program helps teachers help children, parents
As autism rate increases, so does media coverage of the neurological disorder

there are many more sources available if you know how to search for the information.

for example, here are a few scholarly sources:
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cceh/Epipaper1208.pdf
http://www.cvtcinc.com/autism_cases.pdf
http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/...0diagnosis.pdf
http://www.house.mi.gov/SessionDocs/...6-9-2009-1.pdf

sources on the rise in industrialized nations are also available. wikipedia is not the place to look.

[Joppa]

If your husband is looking to teach at British or international schools on the continent (France, Spain, Italy etc), the first place to look is the jobs section of TES, either online or paper version (I'm sure he is familiar with that!) Many schools recruit in England, with local interviews etc, so you don't have to travel abroad only to be disappointed.
I must say that jobs are very competitive, as many teachers desire to work abroad, either temporarily (e.g. job exchange) or permanently as part of family relocation, and there is a large existing pool of teachers with years of international experience. There are also SCE (Service Children's Education) schools at British military bases abroad - their schools are run on an English state school principle and curriculum, but paid for by the Ministry of Defence. They too recruit through TES. You can even read their Ofsted reports!

[ericinspain]

My wife and I are ex international school teachers, having taught in several countries. it's a great way to "escape" and if you can get into a good international school your autistic child will be well cared for. TES is ok but it's not the best way to go about an international teaching post. CIS and Search Associates (not sure if they take you unless you have taught abroad - we used them) have several job fairs around the world including two in London each year. We used to go to the one in Feb when making the decision to move on. We always found something, even though not being highly qualified. The pay is good and usually includes housing, medical insurance, free education, etc. Using an institution like Search, means that the schools have been vetted and you do not end up in an "international school" of little standing offering low salaries and usually dodgy contracts, etc.