France is the world’s most popular tourist location—and pas de surprise! It’s a fantastic place for meaningful travel. You can explore the museums, cathedrals, and cafés that line the streets of or soak up the sun in the along the Mediterranean Coast.
Lose yourself in the beautiful castles of the Loire Valley or find your way to any number of the beaches, mountains, ski resorts, and eco-tourism spots that make up an impressive 37 of the sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Is it your dream to teach English in France? Here’s how to do it!
It’s no wonder that close to 90 million travelers find their way to France each year. It’s an excellent place to visit for meaningful travel and offers a prime opportunity to gain international work experience.
It can also be pretty difficult to get . So, if you long to experience liberté, égalité, fraternité while you help others learn English abroad, there are some important things you can do to make that happen.
Is there demand for English teachers in France?
As you weigh your options and approach what could be a tough task, you might be wondering if there is even a demand for English teachers in France. Simply put, yes. While there might seem to be fewer openings for the highest paying positions, that’s a common situation for in any other country around the world.
Believe it or not, English teachers are highly sought after in France, especially for private tutoring.
It might appear that the French market is flooded with hopeful candidates, but if you’re willing to do the research and preparatory work, you can definitely create the kind of application portfolio that will serve you well.
After all, as with any professional development goal, the best chance at success is connected to the amount of effort you put in to achieve it. And if you are well-prepared and open to the work, your efforts will be rewarded.
With that in mind, it’s important to begin with the basics, and a clear understanding of all the details—starting with how you might create the strongest opportunities to get trained, find a role, and make a living.
What is the teaching English in France salary like?
If you work for a family, you may be offered a stipend in addition to your salary!
On that last point, you might be wondering if you can actually live on what you make within the teaching English in France salary range. The good news is that yes, you certainly can!
As you think about how to become an English teacher in France, you will want to remember that your compensation and your expenses will vary based on your education, training, certification, role, and the region of France in which you work.
Most of the English teaching jobs in France are limited to roughly 8-12 hours a week, while some might be as many as 25 hours a week, but still strictly part-time. These roles vary from teaching assistants, who earn roughly €750 per month, to experienced, licensed instructors, who can make roughly €1965 per month, or more.
Housing can range from €150 to €200 per month for dorm-living while a Paris apartment can easily cost €1200 per month. As you consider your choices for location, don’t forget the less typical arrangements like or in order to get some extra advantages for room and board.
What are the requirements to teach English in France?
France is one of the few destinations where a command of the local language is almost necessary to teach English.
Now that you have a sense of the broad strokes for demand and opportunity for English teaching jobs in France, it’s time to consider the specific requirements that you might find at various job placements.
This list is a starting point of the absolute minimum. Once you have these criteria in place, it would be good to connect with programs and partners that can help you make a second checklist for your preferred sites. But starting here will save you time and money as you take those next steps in exploring jobs to teach English in France.
1. Demonstrate French language proficiency
Some ESL or ELL opportunities take a mutual learning approach, where you can practice the home language of your destination while you teach English to non-native speakers. For example, you can , even if you don’t know Japanese.
In France, you will need to be proficient (if not fluent) in French. If you hope to become an English teacher in France and you don’t speak the language well, it’s time to stop here and regroup. You simply cannot get a teaching job in France without knowing French. C’est vrai! —”It’s true!”
2. Be a native English speaker
If you’re from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, or the European Union, and can demonstrate native English skills, this is another of the teaching English in France requirements that you can check off your list.
The location you come from will also add different opportunities. For example, there are programs focused on how to teach English in France as an American, just as there are specific programs that are best-suited for those from the EU who can apply for opportunities connected to dual citizenship.
3. Have the right kind of sponsorship or visa
As an American, obtaining a student visa may be the way to go.
If you’re already in the EU, this step doesn’t apply to you, as no permit or visa is required. If you’re from Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, you can likely obtain a working holiday visa, which will permit you to work and stay in France for up to a year, and is typically renewable.
However, if you’re exploring options for how to teach English in France as an American, you should likely explore or enrollment in the . Both of these have age limits and education criteria, and are managed by US and French government agencies.
4. Be within the appropriate age limits
There are different minimum and maximum age limits for English teaching jobs in France, but in most cases, the age requirements are typically that you are between 20-35 years old. Your age might also factor into which positions are best-suited for your professional goals.
For example, if you’re just out of your undergraduate program, it might be a good fit for you to explore some of the homestay, tutoring, and summer camp opportunities mentioned earlier. On the other hand, more experienced instructors might be focused on .
5. Present the appropriate degrees and education
If you’re thinking about how to gain paid opportunities to teach English in France, you will want to consider whether or not an undergraduate degree, specialized certificate, or an advanced degree is more appropriate for your goals. Some programs will require a specific number of hours of advanced coursework beyond a standard degree.
Others might ask you to demonstrate evidence of education degrees or the successful completion of early childhood programs. Often these requirements connect to the options for teaching English in France salary ranges, as well.
How to teach English in France
These are the essential steps to getting an English teaching job in France.
Now that you’ve considered some of the basic requirements for teaching English in France, you will want to look at some of the steps outlined below that will help you understand how to prepare to teach English in France in a step-by-step format.
1. Decide what kind of program you’re most interested in pursuing
Develop your list of program opportunities for teaching English in France and then develop a prioritized short-list of the ones that interest you the most. Remember that this list can include homestay, tutoring, and summer camp, or structured TEFL programs that offer professional placement.
You also might want to explore university placement or , but the key factors should be customized according to what you most seek from your experience. And, if you discover that you’re ready for a formal , go for that!
2. Determine where in France you want to teach, live, and explore
Each location available to be an English teacher in France will have different salary ranges and costs of living. So there are some places (beyond the obvious appeal of ) that you might want to consider.
and both offer ample opportunities with significant savings, while places like , , , and can provide beautiful surroundings with even more affordable costs.
3. Research the program visa, education, and other requirements
A love for French pastry isn’t technically a program requirement, but it doesn’t hurt, right?
When you think about how to get a job teaching English in France, the requirements for program visa, education, and other requirements will be largely based on where you’re going and what program you’re planning to pursue.
When you think about how to teach English in France as an American, you will have additional requirements and restrictions beyond those required of someone from the EU. This shouldn’t discourage you—it just means another reason to be sure that you do your research, investigate your programs, and plan ahead.
4. Make a budget and a checklist—and contact your preferred organizations
The research you’ve completed in the steps shared above should now position you to take the next, all-important step of contacting the general programs or the specific locations for your desired placement.
These include those sponsored by the cultural embassies between France and the United States, which provide some of the most prestigious placements and some of the most high-paying opportunities. Call or email your top placements directly and be prepared to use your research, checklists, and budget to guide the process.
5. Consider getting started by teaching online
While you’re completing research, organization, application, and preparation, you might want to consider jumping into any number of opportunities to teach English in France though .
The advantages include minimal cost, zero visa or travel requirements, a resumé booster, low-risk engagement, and the opportunity to get feedback from potential learners in the areas you might want to work. Plus, the best feature of all is the opportunity to get started right away while you continue to work for in-person placement in France.
Pack your bags—you’re teaching English in France!
Tell all your friends. You’re headed to France!
Some of the most rewarding meaningful travel experiences you might find are connected to the opportunity to teach and learn from others. When you pursue any of the programs available for teaching English in France, you will find that the requirements for each program and location will guide your decision process as you apply for the position that’s best for you. The most significant criteria, however, is that it actually is what’s best for you.
Take the time you need to prepare, and then make your decision and go for it! With a little bit of curiosity, a healthy amount of research, and some strong organizational skills, you’ll be wheels up and headed to France faster than you can say, “Vouloir, c’est pouvoir!” —or, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”
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